A Gmail haiku January 29, 2007
Gmail, you are down.
This happens too much, Goog.
Fix ASAP.
Affronted Mike A.
Seems to always be fighting
Think he needs a nap.
A crunchy haiku January 25, 2007
Google Video requires passwords and usernames in order to embed videos January 9, 2007
Has it always been like this?
Just went to Google Video, and in order to post videos to MySpace, Blogger, Live Journal, or TypePad, get this:
you are required to relinquish your user names and passwords for those services.
Uh, I don’t think so. Why does Google need offsite usernames and passwords in order to give me the embed code for a freaking video? Wild theories are running through my head right now, but mostly I’m coming up with data collection. Seems pretty invasive though.
You can get around this by just clicking on Embed HTML (duh), but in order to post it, they want usernames and passwords.
Why Digg should absolutely be in Google’s search results. January 3, 2007
Big discussion going on at Search Engine Journal about this question:
Should Digg’s “diggs” be in Google’s search results?
My first response was “well, why the hell not?” At its most basic, Digg is a community-run search engine, much like the Wikiasari juggernaut that should soon be coming our way, freeing us from the chains of our Google overlords and heralding in a whole new way of searching the Web, making information available, finding my lost cell phone cable - heck, it probaly could do pretty much ANYTHING, people. You’ve been warned.
What was I talking about? Oh, yes - Digg. Well, let’s look at a few things here:
- Digg helps make searching productive.Type in freeware to Google and you’re going to get a hot mess. Jumbles of pretty much crap that the uninitiated (read: those who actually have a life outside the computer world) will have little patience sorting through. Type in freeware to Digg and you feel like you just entered the Members Only club in Disneyland. No waiting, no crowds, and you’re riding the ride you want to ride. Of course, you do have to put up with quite a few wankers, but that’s a small price to pay for instant access.
- If Digg shouldn’t be in search results, then neither should Wikipedia. Shoot, if we’re going to go all hardcore on Digg results, then let’s kick out all the community-oriented stuff, shall we? So no more Wikipedia, no more Flickr, no more Slashdot, no more anything that has links. Which, I’m pretty sure, cancels out say about 99%of the Interwebs. Huzzah - let’s party like it’s 1991! Go Tim Berners-Lee, it’s your birthday, it’s your birthday!
Honestly, I find this very perplexing. Sure, Digg could stand to clean up their system QUITE a bit (see above for wankers explanation), but actually kicking them out of Google? Kind of a pointless argument to bring up the fact that Digg SERP’s are links pointing to links, because golly gee whillikers, Bobby: that’s what the Web is, you know, kind of MADE OF. Links.
Now, if you really just can’t live through the day without getting your panties in a bunch about something, then I suggest that we all move on from the whole non-issue of Google and Digg SERP’s and move on to the very real issue of HOW INCREDIBLY CRAPPY GOOGLE’S RESULTS ARE STARTING TO BE. Holy Spamalot, Batman. I mean, seriously.
See, once upon a time when the Web was (relatively) new and Web 2.0 was just a distant buzzword, you typed in something to Google and you got something back useful. Wild, eh?
I’m a big Google fan myself - in fact, you won’t find a more fanatical Google cheerleader then this chick right here. But I think it’s time to take the old girl in for a tuneup: flush the spam filter, tweak the peripheral services, and maybe take off some of the “useful” widgets and put on something more useful, oh, I don’t know - say like ANYTHING. I can’t stand cute little widgets that don’t do anything but suck my system resources.
Well, enough rantings. To summarize:
- Digg in Google SERPs: Good!
- Spam in Google SERPs: Bad!
Technorati Tags: digg, search, results,, google, search, results
I’ve just been quoted in WebProNews for the “next Google killer” January 2, 2007
Well, kind of - at least they linked to me and quoted me:
Anyway, personally (putting on my smart hat here - hopefully it’s on right), I think that the next real challenge to Google is one of two things:
• Social sites. Sometimes you wanna go where everybody knows your name, you get lots and lots of lovely backlinks, and you are on the inside track; i.e., you are now part of the Cool Kids Club.
• Itself. There’s such a thing as too many irons in the fire. There really, really is a tipping point. And if Google keeps going the way it has it either will A)do a lot of good stuff but all kinda halfass B)become the next Yahoo, with Tons Of Stuff Nobody Uses.
Awesome. I’m feeling quite popular today, all together.
Scoble to endorse John Edwards for president! December 27, 2006
Holy blogging has come of age, Batman!
Tech Chronicles has confirmed with Robert Scoble that he’s embarking on an out-of-state trip into the world of politics: He’s been invited to help former Democratic VP candidate John Edwards announce his presidential bid in New Orleans tomorrow. He flies out today.
Is this a sign of “you” politics? Scoble thinks so. He points to a New York Times article that says Edwards is arguably the most Web-savvy candidate in the 2008 race and that he will use Thursday’s event to gin up support via the Internet.
Well! I don’t really pay attention to politics, but I might have to now!
What will be the next Google killer? December 26, 2006
Robert Scoble writes up a post on the perceived “arrogance” of Google:
Whether it’s arrogant or not, Google is the company to watch right now. It’ll be interesting to see if Microsoft can take some of that swagger away.
I don’t think Microsoft is even in the running to compete with Google; I mean, come ON - Windows Live Search? Or whatever they’re calling it right now? Live Search, Windows Live, the Gatester…I’m just tired trying to figure it all out.
Anyway, personally (putting on my smart hat here - hopefully it’s on right), I think that the next real challenge to Google is one of two things:
- Social sites. Sometimes you wanna go where everybody knows your name, you get lots and lots of lovely backlinks, and you are on the inside track; i.e., you are now part of the Cool Kids Club.
- Itself. There’s such a thing as too many irons in the fire. There really, really is a tipping point. And if Google keeps going the way it has it either will A)do a lot of good stuff but all kinda halfass B)become the next Yahoo, with Tons Of Stuff Nobody Uses.
Google’s not going away, no matter how much it screws up. So they can afford to be a weensy bit arrogant….but not enough for the horribly Hallmarky Christmas logos from this year. Now, come on - weren’t those kangaroos just a wee bit too precious? I had to check my insulin levels after seeing THAT particular bit of schlock.
You know what I would love to see at Technorati? December 26, 2006
A blog randomizer button, like at del.icio.us. Gosh, I’ve found the best sites that way!
Also, it would be nice to have something like this: “If you like (insert blog name here), then I think you’ll just pee your pants over THIS blog (insert blog name here).” Wouldn’t that be fun? A great way to find more blogs, and a super duper way for folks to get interlinked as well, since you’d just about be FORCED to use T-tags then. Well, not exactly forced, but you know what I mean.
Technorati Tags: technorati
LinkedIn has finally changed their URL’s December 26, 2006
Instead of this:
http://www.linkedin.com/in/gobbledygook
I now have this:
http://www.linkedin.com/in/wendyboswell
Yay!
Technorati Tags: linkedin
New directory, I mean, Search Engine, coming soon from Wikipedia December 23, 2006
Oy, vey. Just read that Wikipedia’s going to pop out a search engine, and get this - the name is Wikiasari. Could that be any harder to spell? Should I register domain names that have various misspellings now, or just pass that particular cash cow by?
Also, how do they plan on monetizing this puppy? Jason C. has pointed out that Wikipedia has a distinct aversion to ads, so how will this Wikiasri (see? Already misspelled it.) be any different. One thing will be the HUGE INFLUX OF CASH that will somehow make this thing fly:
Earlier this year he secured multimillion-dollar funding from amazon.com and a separate cash injection from a group of Silicon Valley financiers to finance projects at Wikia.
Hello? Amazon invested a bundle of moolah into A9 and who the hell uses that? And, I’m sorry, but “cash injection” just sounds dirty. Think about it. Heh, heh, heh. Yes, I’m 12.
Okay, and then we’ve got this nugget of wisdom:
“Google is very good at many types of search, but in many instances it produces nothing but spam and useless crap. Try searching for the term ‘Tampa hotels’, for example, and you will not get any useful results,” he said.
Okay, smartypants! I tried it and got this:
Seems pretty useful to me. Oh wait - I forgot - I’m not supposed to like Google. Bad Google! Bad monkey! No biscuit for you, you tremendously useful search engine….you’re just too popular, now, aren’t you, with your clean interface, super cool peripheral properties, and various other thingies that I’m too lazy to write up right now.
Here’s another nugget:
Mr Wales believes that Google’s computer-based algorithmic search program is no match for the editorial judgment of humans….“Essentially, if you consider one of the basic tasks of a search engine, it is to make a decision: ‘this page is good, this page sucks’,” Mr Wales said. “Computers are notoriously bad at making such judgments, so algorithmic search has to go about it in a roundabout way.
“But we have a really great method for doing that ourselves,” he added. “We just look at the page. It usually only takes a second to figure out if the page is good, so the key here is building a community of trust that can do that.”
Yes, I liked this the first time….when it was called a DIRECTORY. You’re not building a search engine, you’re building another DMOZ.
Oh, and remember our big “this is a Google killer!” shoutout? Here’s a footnote:
Catching up with Google, Yahoo!, Microsoft’s MSN or even smaller operators such as Ask.com will be a difficult challenge, Mr Wales conceded.
I’m glad that he “conceded” this point; I mean, God forbid someone comes up with something that is useful in its own right rather than just being another prettyboy search engine dreamed up to make a market impact (cough cough Windows Live cough cough).
Well, all snarkiness aside, I look forward to seeing this new directory SuperdeDuper Search Engine, edited by Real! Actual! Humans!. I mean, look how credible Wikipedia is, right? We need more of that!
