Google recently introduced Google Trends for Websites, which has sparked some controversy around the web.
The tool allows users to view stats for any site they choose, this could mean trouble for companies like Alexa, Compete, and their competitors.
That’s not entirely where the controversy comes in however. Google seems to have no problem showing everyone else’s stats including Yahoo! for example, but when a query for google.com is entered, there is nothing to be seen.
The concept isn’t sitting too well with many site owners. “Google gave us all up without consent or prior permission,” says Michael Gray aka Graywolf.
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Though some US legislators expressed concerns about Google’s growing power in online advertising, one big ad firm welcomed Yahoo’s search ad agreement with Google.
In the US, Microsoft and Congressman Joe Barton (R-TX) publicly fretted about the increasing control Google possesses over contextual search advertising. High-ranking Microsoft executive Kevin Johnson complained in France about Google taking over 90 percent of the search ad market.
Another Continental concern expressed no concern about Yahoo turning to Google to possibly deliver $800 million in ad revenue in the first year of their partnership. The Guardian cited Maurice Levy, head of Publicis Group, who expressed a positive view of the deal between the former search ad rivals.
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According to Google Webmaster Central Blog, after numerous requests from Webmasters to integrate Webmaster Tools for third-parties, Google has finally released Webmaster Tools API, a tool that integrates API (Application Programming Interface) into Webmaster Tools.
The debut version of the Google Webmaster Tools API supports the following features:
Managing Websites:
- Retrieve a list of your sites in Webmaster Tools.
- Add your sites to Webmaster Tools.
- Verify your sites in Webmaster Tools.
- Remove your sites from Webmaster Tools.
Working with Sitemaps:
- Retrieve a list of your submitted Sitemaps.
- Add Sitemaps to Webmaster Tools.
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After being unveiled a couple of weeks ago at the very consumer attractive price of $199 USD, the iPhone 3G is set to go on sale next month through Apple and AT&T.
According to new reports, it appears however that AT&T is subsidizing the phone, over $400 USD in some cases, just to be able to reap in the benefits of a 2 year contract including data plans.
Oppenheimer financial analyst Yair Reimer writes that as a general rule of thumb, wireless carriers subsidize the price of smartphones by about $200 USD and make it back from expensive data plans. AT&T it appears though, is losing $325-425 for each unit sold and could be buying each phone from Apple for as much $724 USD for the 16GB model.
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The RIAA has filed a motion to dismiss what may be the most contentious file sharing case to date. In a letter to the judge the RIAA’s lawyers admitted they don’t believe there is any chance they will be able to positively identify the computer used to share the files in question. They’re now confident it was the same PC owned by the plaintiff’s daughter, which she has since gotten rid of. The letter also mentioned that they’ll be filing for court sanctions against the defense for impeding discovery of this evidence earlier.
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the MPAA is arguing in legal brief that plaintiffs should be allowed to collect hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages with no proof that anyone has actually downloaded from a defendant’s shared folder. The brief was filed by MPAA lawyers threw in in Jammie Thomas’ appeal of the $222,000 judgement against her for copyright infringement. Judge Michael Davis asked for public comments on whether simply making files available is a violation of The Copyright Act and the MPAA took the opportunity to put in their 2 cents worth. Actually 2 cents may be a little generous for the MPAA’s contribution. Their argument basically goes something like this, it’s difficult, or maybe impossible, to prove that people are actually downloading files from someone’s shared folder so the courts should just assume files are shared with the intention of distributing them illegally and rule in favor of the plaintiff. The real problem with the MPAA’s position isn’t necessarily the idea that sharing files is infringement. Even some legal scholars who disagree with the “making available” as infringement argument have pointed out that copying a song to your computer for the purpose of sharing it illegally might be infringement. But that’s not the same thing as no proof. It would still require the RIAA to show a defendant’s intent. Their lawyers don’t stop there either. They also make the claim that because of a judicial principle that US laws be interpretted in a way that conforms to international treaties “making available” automatically became infringement with the signing of 2 WIPO copyright treaties in the 1990s. As is typical for the entertainment industry, the MPAA filed their brief on the last day arguments were to be accepted. This effectively presents any counter-arguments to be entered into the record to point out the flaws in their reasoning.
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Microsoft executives said the company does not plan to make a slew of Internet acquisitions since it ended its bid for Yahoo.
There has been speculation that Microsoft would possibly buy Facebook, which it has a small stake in or Time Warner’s AOL along with a number of other companies.
“People don’t understand what they’re talking about,” chief executive Steve Ballmer said in an interview with the Financial Times. “At the end of the day, this is about the ad platform. This is not about just any one of the applications.”
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Network Solutions suggested to ICANN the adoption of a per-transaction fee to try and rein in the practices of domain kiting and front running domain names in volume.
Domain buyers saw a big chunk of their revenue fade when Google declared an end to permitting its AdSense product to be placed on domains that had not been open for six days. A five-day add grace period (AGP) permitted domain buyers to hold the domain for five days, see if it could draw enough traffic to be profitable, and dump it for a full refund if it did not.
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Kevin Johnson, president of the Platforms and Services Division at Microsoft, whined a bit about the pact between Google and Yahoo, during a debate in Cannes about advertising topics.
Yahoo EVP Hilary Schneider gave Johnson a little something to chew on in exulting over the company’s advertising agreement with Google. Valued roughly at $800 million in annual revenue initially, placing Google ads alongside Yahoo search results gives the latter a big boost.
Reuters noted Schneider calling the deal a “win-win,” to which Johnson said, “If win is consolidating around 90 percent of the paid search with Google, you can say, ok, Google would do that as a win.”
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The founder of bookmarking service Delicious, Joshua Schachter, plans to follow several other executives out the door at Yahoo.
When Yahoo was on a bit of a spending spree for social media-type startups, Delicious represented one of several companies on Yahoo’s shopping list. Delicious offers a social bookmarking service, where people can keep and share the links they find interesting.
The site’s continued development will happen without its founder, as Schachter intends to leave Yahoo. Several Yahoo executives left or plan on leaving Yahoo before their annual meeting takes place on August 1st.
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