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Does your site maintain its usability across many browsers? If not, you could end up leaving money on the table this holiday season. Browsers such as Firefox, Chrome, and Safari (which comes standard on Macs) now make up about 30% of the browser market. Firefox alone enjoys 20% of the overall market share.

Matt Poepsel, vice president of Gomez, Inc., whose services test and monitor the performance of websites says that the increase of non-Internet Explorer browsers could cause some e-tailers grief.

“This year more than ever, websites can look and function differently from one browser to another. Online retailers can no longer assume that all shoppers are using Internet Explorer. They must ensure their sites look good and work well across a wide range of browsers - or risk frustrating customers and losing the sale.”

China Central Television (CCTV), the largest state-owned television network in China, recently ran a report accusing Baidu of questionable practices regarding medical search advertising. The accusations suggest that Baidu was allowing non-licensed medical companies to advertise while preventing some of the licensed ones from bidding on popular medical terms.

Baidu engaged in talks with CCTV to learn more about their accusations. They also removed paid search listings of medical companies who did not have proper licensing on file with Baidu.

Baidu maintains that they do not prevent the licensed companies from advertising. Advertising by medical companies makes up about 10-15% of Baidu’s revenue.

Of course, this is not the first time that state entities in China have caused unnecessary, undemocratic problems for Baidu.

Related Reading:
Baidu’s Profit Increases 91% in Third Quarter 2008

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Though I maintain blogs in both Wordpress and Blogger, it seems to me that there are more developers focusing on Wordpress and as a result, there is always something new to do with a Wordpress blog.  Of course, I could be wrong – it could just be my impression.
Anyhow, I read a press release from [...]

Is your company the victim of bad press, or a concerted campaign to push your site down in the SERPs? In today’s enterprise search marketing column, “Maintaining Your Company’s Image in the SERPs,” Aaron Shear explains that building alternative media types, and linking to compelling content about your company on other sites, can often clear up the majority of the unwanted press by moving it down through the rankings.

» Full story

Microsoft teamed up with Mindshare and Ogilvy Chicago to study the online and digital behavior of women. They surveyed 800 women of varying ages and careers, including stay-at-home and work-at-home moms. Here’s what they found:

• 22 percent shop once per day.
• 86 percent pass along interesting “finds” to others.
• On average, they have 171 contacts in e-mail, social networking and cell phone address books.
• E-mail is overwhelmingly, 85 percent, the most important tool.
• They view tools such as rewards, loyalty cards, cell phones, coupons via the computer, TIVO and DVR, video on demand, opt-in daily e-mails, and handheld wireless devices to be “blessings” in their lives.
• The majority views devices such as cell phones and computers as “extensions of themselves.”
• More than half “never” unplug from their digital devices, even when sleeping.
• Technology “curses” were few and centered on activities and types of communication that were “out of their control.”
• If forced to, they would “throw out” their television or cell phone first; only 11 percent would throw out their personal laptop.
• On average, they have 5.8 “screens” and 12 digital devices.

A special note about moms, which we already know are powerful influencers:

“For moms, the Internet serves as a link to the ‘outside world’ — especially moms with a new baby,” said Debbie Solomon, managing director, Business Planning of Mindshare. “And moms are really the future of content creation. They have an insatiable appetite to create and share content — posting more than twice the average U.S. adult, whether publishing, maintaining or updating a blog or Web page.”

In July, Google launched Knol, a knowledge sharing platform. You can find all sorts of information from baking to AutoCAD.

Google says users have been asking for a more “robust” search platform for Knol. And who is Google to turn down such a request.

However, Google wanted to maintain the look and feel of Knol. So they used Custom Search to keep it feeling very Knol-y and not so regular Google-y.

What do you think of the Custom Search in Knol? Leave your thoughts in the comments.

Related Reading:
Google SERP Bias? Google Knols Best

Google has reached an agreement with the Authors Guild and the Association of American Publishers (AAP), which represented a broad class of authors and publishers to expand online access to in-copyright books and other written materials in the U.S. The publications will come from the library collections participating in Google Book Search.

The agreement was reached after two years of negotiations. The deal includes Google dishing out $125 million to establish the Book Rights Registry, which would resolve an existing class action lawsuit brought by the groups.

If the court approves, the agreement allows:

• More Access to Out-of-Print Books — Generating greater
  exposure for millions of in-copyright works, including hard-to-find
  out-of-print books, by enabling readers in the U.S. to search these
  works and preview them online
• Additional Ways to Purchase Copyrighted Books — Building off publishers’ and authors’ current efforts and further expanding the
  electronic market for copyrighted books in the U.S., by offering users the ability to purchase online access to many in-copyright books
• Institutional Subscriptions to Millions of Books Online –Offering a means for U.S. colleges, universities and other organizations to obtain subscriptions for online access to collections from some of
  the world’s most renowned libraries
• Free Access From U.S. Libraries — Providing free, full-text, online viewing of millions of out-of-print books at designated computers
  in U.S. public and university libraries
• Compensation to Authors and Publishers and Control Over Access to Their Works — Distributing payments earned from online access provided by Google and, prospectively, from similar programs that may be established by other providers, through a newly created independent, not-for-profit Book Rights Registry that will also locate rightsholders, collect and maintain accurate rightsholder information, and provide a way for rightsholders to request inclusion in or exclusion from the project.

“Google’s mission is to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful. Today, together with the authors, publishers, and libraries, we have been able to make a great leap in this endeavor,” said Sergey Brin, co-founder & president of technology at Google. “While this agreement is a real win-win for all of us, the real victors are all the readers. The tremendous wealth of knowledge that lies within the books of the world will now be at their
fingertips.”

What do you think about the agreement? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

Related Reading:
Google SERPs Promoting Google Book Links
Google Courts Book Publishers, Librarians

Microsoft announced its earnings for the fiscal quarter ending September 30, 2008. For them, it’s the first quarter of their fiscal year, while other companies go with the traditional calendar and call it their third quarter.

Their net income increased by 2%. This was due largely in part to XBox360, a gaming console which recently received a price slash.

It has been widely noted that Microsoft has a bunch of cash on hand, especially since they didn’t end up acquiring Yahoo after all (yet). MSFT was up .28 at the time of this post. Though with the markets as volatile as they are, that could change at any minute.

Here’s the press release:

Microsoft Reports Record First-Quarter Revenue
Thursday October 23, 4:10 pm ET
Revenue surpasses $15 billion with healthy sales of enterprise software and Xbox 360 consoles

REDMOND, Wash., Oct. 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Microsoft Corp. today announced revenue of $15.06 billion for the fiscal quarter ended Sept. 30, 2008, a 9% increase over the same period of the prior year. Operating income, net income and diluted earnings per share for the quarter were $6.00 billion, $4.37 billion and $0.48, respectively.

Microsoft showed particular strength in multiyear annuity sales, which grew more than 20% during the quarter from the combined businesses of Client, Microsoft Business Division and Server and Tools.

“Our customers are asking how they can save money and do more with less,” said Kevin Turner, chief operating officer at Microsoft. “Microsoft is uniquely positioned to help our customers save money through supplier consolidation, increased productivity, and a low total cost of ownership through the depth and breadth of our product portfolio and solutions.”

Microsoft continued to add to its product and services portfolio with innovative offerings such as Microsoft SQL Server 2008, Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2008 and the first service update to Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online.

“In a challenging economic environment, the first-quarter results exhibit the strength and diversity of our business model,” said Chris Liddell, chief financial officer of Microsoft.

Business Outlook

Microsoft’s business outlook reflects a balance of risks and the likelihood of a continued economic slowdown. The trends seen late in the first-quarter are now forecasted to continue, whereas previous expectations were for the economy to improve in the second half of the fiscal year. In this economic environment, the company is focused on three main actions; working with customers to provide high value products at the lowest total overall cost of ownership, increasing focus on expense management and targeting investment into the highest priority strategic opportunities.

Microsoft management offers the following guidance for the quarter ending
Dec. 31, 2008:
— Revenue is expected to be in the range of $17.3 billion to
$17.8 billion.
— Operating income is expected to be in the range of $6.1 billion to
$6.4 billion.
— Diluted earnings per share are expected to be in the range of $0.51 to
$0.53.

Management offers the following guidance for the full fiscal year ending
June 30, 2009:
— Revenue is expected to be in the range of $64.9 billion to
$66.4 billion.
— Operating income is expected to be in the range of $24.4 billion to
$25.5 billion.
— Diluted earnings per share are expected to be in the range of $2.00 to
$2.10.

Liddell noted that “we feel extremely good about our relative competitive position and our ability to continue outgrowing IT spend. We believe our exceptionally strong cash flow, product pipeline and financial strength will allow us to weather economic conditions well.”

Webcast Details

Microsoft will hold an audio webcast at 2:30 p.m. PDT (5:30 p.m. EDT) today with Chris Liddell, senior vice president and chief financial officer, Frank Brod, corporate vice president and chief accounting officer, and Bill Koefoed, general manager of Investor Relations, to discuss details of the company’s performance for the quarter and certain forward-looking information. The webcast will be available for replay through the close of business on Oct. 23, 2009.

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT - News) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

Forward-Looking Statements

Statements in this release that are “forward-looking statements” are based on current expectations and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially because of factors such as:

— challenges to Microsoft’s business model;
— intense competition in all of Microsoft’s markets;
— Microsoft’s continued ability to protect its intellectual property
rights;
— claims that Microsoft has infringed the intellectual property rights
of others;
— the possibility of unauthorized disclosure of significant portions of
Microsoft’s source code;
— actual or perceived security vulnerabilities in Microsoft products
that could reduce revenue or lead to liability;
— government litigation and regulation affecting how Microsoft designs
and markets its products;
— Microsoft’s ability to attract and retain talented employees;
— delays in product development and related product release schedules;
— significant business investments that may not gain customer acceptance
and produce offsetting increases in revenue;
— changes in general economic conditions that affect our investment
portfolio or demand for computer hardware or software;
— adverse results in legal disputes;
— unanticipated tax liabilities;
— quality or supply problems in Microsoft’s consumer hardware or other
vertically integrated hardware and software products;
— impairment of goodwill or amortizable intangible assets causing a
charge to earnings;
— exposure to increased economic and regulatory uncertainties from
operating a global business;
— geopolitical conditions, natural disaster, cyberattack or other
catastrophic events disrupting Microsoft’s business;
— acquisitions and joint ventures that adversely affect the business;
— improper disclosure of personal data could result in liability and
harm to Microsoft’s reputation;
— outages and disruptions of online services if Microsoft fails to
maintain an adequate operations infrastructure;
— sales channel disruption, such as the bankruptcy of a major
distributor; and
— Microsoft’s ability to implement operating cost structures that align
with revenue growth.

For further information regarding risks and uncertainties associated with Microsoft’s business, please refer to the “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and “Risk Factors” sections of Microsoft’s SEC filings, including, but not limited to, its annual report on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, copies of which may be obtained by contacting Microsoft’s Investor Relations department at (800) 285-7772 or at Microsoft’s Investor Relations Web site at http://www.microsoft.com/msft.

All information in this release is as of Oct. 23, 2008. The company undertakes no duty to update any forward-looking statement to conform the statement to actual results or changes in the company’s expectations.

Microsoft Corporation
Income Statements
(In millions, except per share amounts) (Unaudited)

Three Months Ended
September 30,
2008 2007

Revenue $15,061 $13,762
Operating expenses:
Cost of revenue 2,848 2,675
Research and development 2,283 1,837
Sales and marketing 3,044 2,683
General and administrative 887 718
Total operating expenses 9,062 7,913
Operating income 5,999 5,849
Other income (expense) (8) 367
Income before income taxes 5,991 6,216
Provision for income taxes 1,618 1,927
Net income $4,373 $4,289

Earnings per share:
Basic $0.48 $0.46
Diluted $0.48 $0.45

Weighted average shares outstanding:
Basic 9,084 9,380
Diluted 9,183 9,513

Cash dividends declared per common share $0.13 $0.11

Microsoft Corporation
Balance Sheets
(In millions)

September 30, June 30,
2008 2008 (1)
(Unaudited)
Assets
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents $9,004 $10,339
Short-term investments (including
securities pledged as
collateral of $1,011 and $2,491) 11,718 13,323
Total cash, cash equivalents, and
short-term investments 20,722 23,662
Accounts receivable, net of
allowance for doubtful accounts of
$168 and $153 9,535 13,589
Inventories 1,640 985
Deferred income taxes 1,974 2,017
Other 3,331 2,989
Total current assets 37,202 43,242
Property and equipment, net of
accumulated depreciation of $6,622
and $6,302 6,552 6,242
Equity and other investments 4,381 6,588
Goodwill 12,291 12,108
Intangible assets, net 1,899 1,973
Deferred income taxes 1,041 949
Other long-term assets 1,751 1,691
Total assets $65,117 $72,793

Liabilities and stockholders’ equity
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable $3,351 $4,034
Short-term debt 1,975 -
Accrued compensation 2,138 2,934
Income taxes 514 3,248
Short-term unearned revenue 11,815 13,397
Securities lending payable 1,070 2,614
Other 3,520 3,659
Total current liabilities 24,383 29,886
Long-term unearned revenue 1,662 1,900
Other long-term liabilities 5,478 4,721
Commitments and contingencies
Stockholders’ equity:
Common stock and paid-in capital -
shares authorized 24,000;
outstanding 8,977 and 9,151 61,655 62,849
Retained deficit, including
accumulated other comprehensive
income of $877 and $1,140 (28,061) (26,563)
Total stockholders’ equity 33,594 36,286
Total liabilities and
stockholders’ equity $65,117 $72,793

(1) Derived from audited financial statements

Microsoft Corporation
Cash Flows Statements
(In millions) (Unaudited)

Three Months Ended
September 30,
2008 2007
Operations
Net income $4,373 $4,289
Depreciation, amortization, and
other noncash items 585 435
Stock-based compensation expense 443 333
Net recognized losses (gains) on
investments and derivatives 36 (187)
Excess tax benefits from stock-
based payment arrangements (44) (69)
Deferred income taxes 376 357
Unearned revenue 4,186 3,821
Recognition of unearned revenue (6,044) (4,965)
Accounts receivable 3,985 2,806
Other current assets (558) (235)
Other long-term assets (116) (11)
Other current liabilities (4,552) (1,189)
Other long-term liabilities 700 493
Net cash from operations 3,370 5,878
Financing
Proceeds from short-term debt 1,975 -
Common stock issued 228 646
Common stock repurchased (6,493) (2,930)
Common stock cash dividends (998) (938)
Excess tax benefits from stock-
based payment arrangements 44 69
Net cash used in financing (5,244) (3,153)
Investing
Additions to property and
equipment (778) (510)
Acquisition of companies, net of
cash acquired (377) (5,396)
Purchases of investments (4,246) (5,997)
Maturities of investments 464 330
Sales of investments 7,075 9,120
Securities lending payable (1,543) 196
Net cash from (used in) investing 595 (2,257)
Effect of exchange rates on cash and
cash equivalents (56) 58
Net change in cash and cash
equivalents (1,335) 526
Cash and cash equivalents, beginning
of period 10,339 6,111
Cash and cash equivalents, end of
period $9,004 $6,637

Microsoft Corporation
Segment Revenue and Operating Income (Loss)
(In millions) (Unaudited)

Three Months Ended
September 30,
2008 2007
Revenue
Client $4,218 $4,139
Server and Tools 3,406 2,900
Online Services Business 770 671
Microsoft Business Division 4,949 4,117
Entertainment and Devices Division 1,814 1,929
Unallocated and other (96) 6
Consolidated $15,061 $13,762

Operating Income (Loss)
Client $3,267 $3,388
Server and Tools 1,151 959
Online Services Business (480) (267)
Microsoft Business Division 3,311 2,700
Entertainment and Devices Division 178 167
Corporate-level activity (1,428) (1,098)
Consolidated $5,999 $5,849

Source: Microsoft Corp.

The keynote speakers for Search Engine Strategies Chicago have just been posted to the website for the SEM conference. And check out the heavy hitters:
• Lawrence Lessig, the Professor of Law at Stanford Law School, is giving the opening keynote on Monday, Dec. 8;
• Bill Tancer, the General Manager of Global Research at Hitwise, is giving the morning keynote on Tuesday, Dec. 9; and
• Josh James, the President and Chief Executive Officer of Omniture, is giving the morning keynote on Wednesday, Dec. 10.

That’s quite a line up. Or, as my good friend Anne Kennedy, the Managing Partner of Beyond Ink and a member of the SES Advisory Board, says, whether you’re a “seasoned search maven or hopeful newbie, you’ll find speakers who share expertise, new research, horizon’s edge views and knuckles-in-the code tactics” at SES Chicago.

Take Professor Lessig, for example. For much of his career, he has focused on law and technology, especially as it affects copyright. He is the author of Code v2 (2007), Free Culture (2004), The Future of Ideas (2001) and Code and Other Laws of Cyberspace (1999). He was also a columnist for Wired, Red Herring, and the Industry Standard.

According to a recent article by Kim Heart in The Washington Post, Professor Lessig is among the signers of a letter that went to the Barack Obama and John McCain campaigns. The letter was also signed by Craigslist founder Craig Newmark and Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales.

The letter asked the candidates to insist on using a new method to choose debate questions. While that job is usually left to the media host, the members of the “Open Debate Coalition” say they aren’t “hard-hitting enough.”

Instead, they want to let people submit questions, then vote on their favorites, over the Internet. The top 25 questions would have the potential of getting asked during the debates.

“This cycle’s YouTube debates were a milestone for Internet participation in presidential debates,” the letter said. “But they put too much discretion in the hands of gatekeepers. Many of the questions chosen by TV producers were considered gimmicky… and never would have bubbled up on their own.”

So, do you think what Professor Lessig says at SES Chicago will be on the mid-term? All I know is that I can’t wait for the Q&A following his keynote.

The following day, Bill Tancer takes the stage. He’s the author of “Click: What Millions of People Are Doing Online and Why It Matters.”

Bill, who I’ve known for years, is the author of a weekly online column for TIME, “The Science of Search.” He is a frequent guest on CNBC, and has been quoted extensively in the press, including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, USA Today and Business Week.

Bill recently had a “naked lunch” with Andy Greenberg of Forbes.com. Hey, I didn’t make this up. Click on “We Are What We Google” and read the article for yourself.

In the article, Bill is quoted as saying, “What I find really fascinating is how much we tell search engines – more than we tell surveys, more than our family members, more even than our priests or rabbis.”

Are you skeptical of this claim? Bill backs it up with his analysis of searches beginning with “fear of.” It reveals search engine users are afraid of flying, heights, clowns, intimacy and death, in that order.

Looking at searches beginning with “how to,” he observes that the phrase “how to tie a tie” edges out “how to have sex” and “how to kiss” for the top spot.

And Bill’s analysis of searches beginning with “why” shows that most queries are related to school projects. But these fall sharply during the summer and Christmas holidays. During those periods, more existential questions like “Why did she leave me?” and “Why did God do this to me?” pop to the surface.

But wait! There’s more! The following day, Josh James is the keynoter.

James co-founded Omniture in 1996 and, under his leadership, it has evolved into one of the fastest-growing publicly traded software companies with more than 4,700 customers across 75 countries and over 1,100 employees. His market vision, leadership and entrepreneurial philosophy have enabled Omniture to achieve greater than 75% growth for more than five consecutive years, as well as to maintain customer retention rates of greater than 95%.

James is also the founder of Silicon Slopes – a private sector initiative whose mission is to promote the interests of high-tech in Utah. A recent article by Tom Harvey in The Salt Lake Tribune said that the Omniture CEO was motivated to found Silicon Slopes in 2007 to change the misperception that Utah is “A quirky state at the edge of the desert dominated by a single religion and defined by its far-right politics and weird liquor laws.”

For example, Siliconslopes.com is sending out thousands of promotional posters this year that depict the Silicon Slopes running along the Wasatch Mountains from Logan to Provo, listing an array of high-tech companies with operations here, as well as ski resorts and signs pointing to Moab and other attractions.

While I haven’t met Josh James yet, I did interview Huw Roberts of Omniture earlier this year at SES London. Roberts talked about the importance of web analytics to effective search engine marketing for businesses of any size.

Huw Roberts, Omniture, at SES London 2008

There you have it: The keynote speakers for Search Engine Strategies Chicago.

And I’ve got to agree with Anne. Whether you’re a “seasoned search maven or hopeful newbie, you’ll find speakers who share expertise, new research, horizon’s edge views and knuckles-in-the code tactics” at SES Chicago.