Saturday, June 30, 2007
AuctionAds Wins eBay Star Developer Award
MediaWhiz Division AuctionAds Wins eBay Star Developer Award for ''Most Innovative Application-Buyer'' eBay Developers Conference
June 21, 2007 - NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--AuctionAds, a division of MediaWhiz Holdings Inc., today announced it received the eBay Star Developer Award for "Most Innovative Application-Buyer" at the sixth annual eBay Developers Conference. AuctionAds (www.auctionads.com) enables users to monetize their website by displaying live eBay auctions next to their related copy.
"We are honored to accept this prestigious award, which recognizes that AuctionAds is a successful tool for leveraging the lucrative eBay affiliate system, in a way that is easy for publishers to use," stated AuctionAds CTO David Dellanave.
"The eBay Star Developers Awards recognize developers for their innovation and commitment to the eBay platform," said Max Mancini, senior director of disruptive innovation at eBay. "AuctionAds was awarded for its efficiency using innovative caching techniques, allowing it to serve up 30 million impressions a month with only 200,000 API calls, an impressive volume of traffic per API call."
The eBay Developers Conference in Boston brings together more than 500 third-party developers, entrepreneurs and affiliates to meet with technologists and business leaders from eBay, PayPal, ProStores, Shopping.com and Skype.
About AuctionAds
AuctionAds (www,auctionads.com), a division of MediaWhiz Holdings Inc., users to monetize their website by displaying live eBay auctions next to their related copy.
About MediaWhiz
MediaWhiz is a leading online marketing company delivering a fully integrated solution for brand advertisers, direct marketers and publishers by leveraging its suite of marketing services to achieve measurable results. Services include affiliate marketing, lead generation, email marketing, list management, display advertising, text link advertising and search marketing. MediaWhiz delivers more than 3 million monthly leads to over 3,000 advertisers through its database of more than 100 million consumer email addresses and relationships with over 20,000 publishers. Private equity firm Lake Capital first invested in MediaWhiz in August 2005. Through acquisitions and organic growth, MediaWhiz has established its position as a leading provider of integrated marketing. More information on MediaWhiz is available at www,mediawhiz.com.
Contacts
Berns Communications Group
Joshua Greenwald / Megan Prock
212-994-4660
Friday, June 29, 2007
Workshop Planned On Search Optimization Marketing
Search-Optimization.com's introduction search optimization marketing workshop that includes information on search engine optimization (SEO) and SEM Pay-Per-Click management in Orange County, Southern California.
Costa Mesa, California (PRWEB) June 24, 2007 -- This workshop is an introduction to search optimization marketing for Southern California marketing professionals and is the first in a series being presented by Search-Optimization.com on Thursday June 28, 2007.
The workshop will feature search engine marketing expert Gerry Grant, CEO of Search-Optimization.com, with valuable information on what search engine marketing options are available today. Gerry will talk about writing strategy, optimized content and leveraging your PR with SEO.
The workshop is designed for marketing professionals interested in enhancing their company's brand awareness, increasing sales and maximizing ROI through a strategic Internet presence and top search engine rankings.
Workshop attendees will learn the basics of search optimization marketing, including search engine optimization, pay-per-click (PPC) sponsored traffic techniques and web analytics to fine-tune online marketing for much higher return-on-investment (ROI).
The conference will cover alternatives to pay-per-click (PPC) marketing on Google and Yahoo! with an in-depth look at Microsoft's new PPC search engine MSN AdCenter, as well as using the "other search engines" to lower the cost per visitor. A discussion on PPC "Click Fraud" will be included.
Also covered will be search engine optimization best practices and top ranking factors plus a look at link popularity, search visibility, competitive web site analysis and keyword research. Local optimization techniques, Blogging, podcasting, online video marketing, social networking and Google Mobile tactics will be introduced.
According to Gerry Grant, Founder and CEO of Search-Optimization.com, ''This unique event is for marketing professionals and will serve as an introduction to future workshops. We will be covering strategies that work, and what to do when crafting a search optimization campaign for your company's web site.''
The conference is scheduled for Thursday, June 28, from 10:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Search-Optimization.com 3303 Harbor Blvd. Suite H-6, Costa Mesa, CA 92626. The admission cost is $58 and includes lunch.
To register or for more information about the "Search Optimization Marketing Conference" for marketing professionals, please visit: www.search-optimization.com http://www.search-optimization.com/seo-sem-events/marketing-conferences.htm or call Gerald Lee at 714-651-5699.
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Press Contact: GERRY GRANT
Company Name: Search-Optimization.com
Phone: 7148650222
Website: http://www.search-optimization.com/
Monday, June 25, 2007
Search At Ebay, Shop At Google?
GoogleBay, Or EGoogle?
by Mark Simon, Monday, June 25, 2007
AS OF TODAY, EBAY WILL be turning its search ads on within Google -- ending a spat between Google and one of its largest advertisers that's drawn comparisons to a lover's quarrel.
But while the ad standoff may be over, the rivalry has really just begun. EBay and Google, after all, are starting to look more alike every day, and they're headed towards a very similar future. And as their turf continues to overlap, we'll see the eBay-Google spat as a lot more than a tiff -- we'll recognize it for the opening volley in the next great Internet war.
A quick comparison of where Google and eBay are headed will show you what I mean.
Google, the eTail Platform
The first point to consider is that search advertising programs aren't true advertising programs. They're platforms that connect buyers with sellers. Buyers request products or services, and they're shown suppliers who can fulfill those needs. Which suppliers are matched with a buyer is determined, largely, by auction.
And Google's Pay-Per-Action program pulls ads still further away from what we traditionally think of as ads. By driving a particular interaction with the advertiser's business -- be it an e-mail signup or even a sale -- Pay-Per-Action is closer to a shopping cart service or a CRM system than it is to an ad system. Ads tell buyers about businesses; Pay-Per-Action ads live, at least partially, within the businesses themselves.
Currently, Pay-Per-Action lives within Google's content network, not on Google Search. But the program is expanding: last week, Google launched Pay-Per-Action in 24 languages. Expect to see Pay-Per-Action on Google SERPs within the next two years.
Finally, Google Checkout -- Google's payment system and PayPal competitor -- allows Google to serve as the system through which businesses collect payments.
When you add it all up, you get the following picture: Google is a service that uses auctions to match buyers and sellers, and which creates an environment allowing an entire transaction to happen -- from initial contact to final payment. Which, to me, sounds a lot like eBay.
EBay, the Search Engine
If Google is becoming eBay, the same can be said in reverse: EBay is becoming Google.
EBay, at its core, is really a product search engine. Whatever you're looking to buy, you can find it in eBay's site search feature. A visit to eBay.com even places your cursor within the eBay search bar immediately.
Over the coming months, look for eBay to become still more like a typical engine. While eBay currently features search results based on auctions' expiration times, Bog Tedeschi reports in The New York Times that eBay is looking to deliver relevancy-based search listings, based "in part by how well sellers have been rated by other buyers."
Once eBay acts more like a typical, relevancy-based search engine, eBay -- not Google -- may become the new leader in the product search sphere. Google may stay far ahead in share of searches, but eBay has the power to gain far more conversions per search than even Google can. And it's conversions, not searches, that ultimately earn money for search businesses.
The Two Futures are the Same
It's not just that Google is turning into eBay, and vice-versa. Both companies are headed to a collision course in the new horizon of auction-based advertising.
Google's realized that, if it can sell one type of advertising in an auction, it can do the same with many other types of ads -- including print and radio. EBay, for its part, understands that advertising has become a new commodity, which means that eBay can sell advertising through auction just as it sells nearly every other commodity imaginable through auctions. Enter the eBay Media Marketplace, eBay's auction marketplace for buying and selling traditional ad inventory.
The Future is the Environment
Taken together, all of this spells a very different future for the business of search. If Google and eBay continue on their current course, the search business won't just focus on ads: it will be a business of automated sales environments, in which auctions serve as the gateways, but those environments reach every touchpoint from initial contact to sale.
As the current leader in search and auction-based advertising, Google clearly has an advantage in that future. But eBay is the leader in auction-based business environments, so don't rule it out.
Indeed, eBay is already giving Google a real challenge. The eBay Media Marketplace -- created at the request of major advertisers like Wal-Mart and Toyota -- already has a TV network partner in Oxygen. Google, meanwhile, is still talking about entering the TV business as a long-term dream. So whoever wins, both eBay and Google are in for a long, hard slog.
In its pro-Checkout "Let Freedom Ring" party, Google borrowed symbolism from the American Revolution to challenge eBay. By comparing eBay v. Google to armed conflict, Google may have hit closer to the mark than it realized. Google must have sensed that both parties are in for a long, hard slog.
Correction: Friday's Search Insider incorrectly stated the number of people in the U.S. who are members of a racial or ethnic minority. It is actually a bit more than 100 million, not 300 million.
Mark Simon is vice president of industry relations at Did-it, an agency for search engine marketing and auctioned media management based in New York. You can reach Mark at msimon@did-it.com.
Search Insider for Monday, June 25, 2007: http://publications.mediapost.com
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Thursday, June 14, 2007
Botnet Cyber Crime Has Million Of Potential Victims
Over 1 Million Potential Victims of Botnet Cyber Crime
On June 13, 2007 the Department of Justice and FBI announced the results of an ongoing cyber crime initiative to disrupt and dismantle "botherders" and elevate the public's cyber security awareness of botnets. OPERATION BOT ROAST is a national initiative and ongoing investigations have identified over 1 million victim computer IP addresses. The FBI is working with our industry partners, including the CERT Coordination Center at Carnegie Mellon University, to notify the victim owners of the computers. Through this process the FBI may uncover additional incidents in which botnets have been used to facilitate other criminal activity.
A botnet is a collection of compromised computers under the remote command and control of a criminal "botherder." Most owners of the compromised computers are unknowing and unwitting victims. They have unintentionally allowed unauthorized access and use of their computers as a vehicle to facilitate other crimes, such as identity theft, denial of service attacks, phishing, click fraud, and the mass distribution of spam and spyware. Because of their widely distributed capabilities, botnets are a growing threat to national security, the national information infrastructure, and the economy.
"The majority of victims are not even aware that their computer has been compromised or their personal information exploited," said FBI Assistant Director for the Cyber Division James Finch. "An attacker gains control by infecting the computer with a virus or other malicious code and the computer continues to operate normally. Citizens can protect themselves from botnets and the associated schemes by practicing strong computer security habits to reduce the risk that your computer will be compromised."
The FBI also wants to thank our industry partners, such as the Microsoft Corporation and the Botnet Task Force, in referring criminal botnet activity to law enforcement.
Cyber security tips include updating anti-virus software, installing a firewall, using strong passwords, practicing good email and web security practices. Although this will not necessarily identify or remove a botnet currently on the system, this can help to prevent future botnet attacks. More information on botnets and tips for cyber crime prevention can be found online at www.fbi.gov.
The FBI will not contact you online and request your personal information so be wary of fraud schemes that request this type of information, especially via unsolicited emails. To report fraudulent activity or financial scams, contact the nearest FBI office or police department, and file a complaint online with the Internet Crime Complaint Center, www.ic3.gov.
To date, the following subjects have been charged or arrested in this operation with computer fraud and abuse in violation of Title 18 USC 1030, including:
* James C. Brewer of Arlington, Texas, is alleged to have operated a botnet that infected Chicago area hospitals. This botnet infected tens of thousands of computers worldwide. (FBI Chicago);
* Jason Michael Downey of Covington, Kentucky, is charged with an Information with using botnets to send a high volume of traffic to intended recipients to cause damage by impairing the availability of such systems. (FBI Detroit); and
* Robert Alan Soloway of Seattle, Washington, is alleged to have used a large botnet network and spammed tens of millions of unsolicited email messages to advertise his website from which he offered services and products. (FBI Seattle)
The FBI will continue to aggressively investigate individuals that conduct cyber criminal acts.
Washington D.C.
FBI National Press Office
(202) 324-3691
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Yemen's First Search Engine To Be Launched
Yemen Observer - Sana'a,Yemen
Yemen's first news crawling and search engine dedicated to all things Yemeni, YemenPortal.net, is expected to officially launch this week, coinciding with ...
The Age - Melbourne,Victoria,Australia
Nick Miller talks to Rob Gabriel, who claims his search engine gives better results than Google. Photo: Robert Gabriel is living the dream with his new ...
Yahoo Slurps Somewhere Else
WebProNews - Lexington,KY,USA
Over the past few weeks, the search engine has been transitioning its crawler, dubbed (disgustingly) "Slurp," to a new address at crawl.yahoo.net. ...
Yahoo! crawls the Web from new address
PC Pro - London,UK
Yahoo! has finished moving its Web crawler to a new domain. Slurp, which indexes pages for Yahoo!'s search engine, will now operate from crawl.yahoo.net and ...
Phoenixville News - Phoenixville,PA,USA
Alison also keeps her pregnancy a secret from her employers, while Ben and his pals discover that a nude-scene search engine already exists, wasting their ...
American Chronicle - Beverly Hills,CA,USA
But with article post robot this whole routine is automated to the point that all you do is enter the article, put in a few keywords, name the article, ...
Pandia - Oslo,Norway
They combine a crawler based search engine with human guides, so if their regular search results leave you wanting more, Cha-Cha will connect you with a ...
How to Spider Articles on the Internet
Writing articles to promote your site can be time consuming. Do it right the first time. Brand yourself and advertise at the same time.
(PRWEB) June 13, 2007 -- After writing and studying marketing sites, books, blogs and everything one could get their hands on, the answer to "spidering" is actually a very simple one -- write and publish articles. Blast these articles out as often as possible and your site will be on top in the search engines in very little time. Experience has proven this over the last four months of trial and error. That said, there are a number of things to remember when publishing articles.
First, write in a simple fashion. The English vocabulary can be very flowery and wasteful. For the average person, the mumbo-jumbo and junk only serves to infuriate the reader. Keep vocabulary as basic as possible. People view websites for an average of seven seconds, and according to Scientific American Mind ( The Powers and Perils of Intuition, David G. Myers, June/July 2007), studies have shown that people evaluate flashed images and objects as good or bad within a quarter of a second. Obviously, then, writers better make sure their titles alone better be to the point if they want a person to actually read an article.
Further, in the words of Lucy Maud Montgomery, author of Anne of Green Gables, "write about what you know." Every good author knows this. If one writes about abstract ideas, thoughts often become scattered for both the writer and, in turn, the reader. If one is discussing something they are familiar with, the words flow well and without cease. Writer's block is virtually unheard of when the subject describes something that is visualized in the authors' mind.
In university, a professor of creative writing once shared this idea. He instructed to watch the turn of events, or visualize having a conversation with others regarding your subject first. Once the idea was in place in one's mind, one could choose the phrases and word choices that would best describe the idea. If then would rid of any needless repetition and vagueness naturally.
An edition of the Norton Sampler (Thomas Cooley, 1985) from my own bookshelf puts the rules as follows:
1.) Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print
2.) Never use a long word where a short one will do
3.) If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out
4.) Never use passive where you can use active.
5.) Never use a foreign phrase, scientific word or jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent
6.) Break any of these rules sooner that say anything outright barbarous.
Although these rules seem ridiculously simplistic, unfortunately a number of writers and authors do not follow them. This is to the disadvantage to the majority. Life is simple if it is kept simple.
For those who wish to take their writing and branding to the next level, why not write a book? Most people do not realize just how easy this can be done. In fact, there are people and organizations who do this very thing for would be authors every day. One such company is Pushbuttonpress.com. After a simple interview, a book can literally be transcribed from your discussion. If you want to get to the top, start with the articles. Once they start spreading across the 'net', the site will as well. When ready for the next step, a book can create more opportunities than one can imagine in the beginning. Talk to Donald at PushButtonPress and tell him the referral came from the author below.
Leigh Le Creux (June 2007)
http://intendedcreations.com
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Press Contact: Leigh LeCreux
Company Name: Intended Creations
Phone: 902-865-2913
Website: http://intendedcreations.com
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