Smaaz’s Blog

Yahoo! Now Supports NOYDIR Meta Tag

Yahoo! has added support for the Meta tag called ‘NOYDIR’, that offers webmasters the ability to exclude titles and abstracts from the Yahoo! Directory.

“For pages with this tag, we will not use Yahoo! Directory titles or abstracts for your URL in web search results. This will grant webmasters the ability to participate in the Yahoo! Directory Submit program and benefit from inclusion in the Yahoo! Directory, while maintaining control over URL titles and abstracts in search. This will not have any effect on the Yahoo! Directory Search experience, which will continue to use the Yahoo! Directory and title abstract information.”

If you want to implement this Meta tag you can use one of these variations:

<META NAME=”ROBOTS” CONTENT=”NOYDIR”>
or
<META NAME=”Slurp” CONTENT=”NOYDIR”>

Yahoo! also said, that a content re-indexing and ranking update will happen very soon.

Add comment February 28th, 2007

Microsoft to Buy Health Search Engine

Microsoft today announced that it has agreed to acquire Medstory Inc., a privately held company, that develops intelligent Web search technology specifically for health information.
The acquisition represents a strategic move for Microsoft in the consumer health search arena and signals a long-term commitment toward the development of a broader consumer health strategy.
Unlike results from most search engines, Medstory’s results are based on intuitive search technology, which provides prequalified information to consumers and health professionals conducting health-related research. This unique approach provides users with intelligent guides to help refine and better target their searches. Users receive organized content that is more relevant to their search criteria and that enables better health-related decisions. You can read the press release here.

3 comments February 27th, 2007

Google will start filtering YouTube videos soon

According to an article of The Mercury News, Google is ready to start filtering videos on YouTube.com, to prevent further copyright violations.

“The Mercury News has learned that Google will use technology from Los Gatos-based Audible Magic. That company’s software was mentioned in the U.S. Supreme Court’s Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios vs. Grokster ruling as evidence that file-sharing services could keep pirated files off their networks.” 

Google Chief Executive Eric Schmidt said “It is going to roll out very soon“. It seems, we can expect some bigger changes at YouTube, within the next couple of days.

Add comment February 26th, 2007

Version 3.0 of AdWords Editor is available now

Google has released an update for the AdWords Editor for Windows. This new version contains some new features and also some updates. The new features are:

• Site targeting  - AdWords Editor now provides full support for site-targeted campaigns.
• Negative sites - Add or edit negative sites for keyword- and site-targeted campaigns.
• Edit while you wait - If you manage multiple accounts with AdWords Editor, edit another account while your changes post.
• Count your selection - The status bar now displays the number of rows you’ve selected in the data view.
• Pause or resume ads, keywords, and sites - Use the Status menu in the edit panel to change the status of selected items.

You can find a list of the other updates at the Google AdWords Editor site.

Add comment February 26th, 2007

Google Launched Google Apps Premier Edition

Google has started a paid Premier Edition for Google Apps today. Google Apps, launched as a free service in August 2006, is a suite of applications that includes Gmail webmail services, Google Calendar shared calendaring, Google Talk instant messaging and voice-over-IP, and the Start Page feature for creating a customizable home page on a specific domain.
More than 100,000 small businesses and hundreds of universities now use the service. Google Apps Premier Edition now joins Google Apps Standard Edition and Google Apps Education Edition, both of which will continue to be offered for free to organizations.

The key features of Google Apps Premier Edition include:

• 10 GBs of storage per user – Offers about 100 times the storage of the average corporate mailbox, eliminating the need to frequently delete email.
• APIs for business integration – APIs for data migration, user provisioning, single sign-on, and mail gateways enable businesses to further customize the service for unique environments.
• 99.9 % uptime – Service Level Agreements for high availability of Gmail, with Google monitoring and crediting customers if service levels are not met.
• 24×7 support for critical issues – Includes extended business hours telephone support for administrators.
• Advertising optional – Advertising is turned off by default, but businesses can choose to include Google’s relevant target-based ads if desired.
• $50 per user account per year – Simple and affordable annual fee makes it practical to offer these applications to everyone in the organization.

You can sign up, and test the Google Apps Premier Edition for free through April 30th, 2007.

Add comment February 22nd, 2007

Ask.com Renews AdCenter License with LookSmart

LookSmart announced today, that Ask.com has extended its license of LookSmart’s AdCenter for Publishers through 2009. Ask.com leverages LookSmart’s AdCenter as a component of its Ask Sponsored Listings PPC advertising program.
Ask Sponsored Listings (ASL) is an automated open-auction system that allows search marketers to purchase, manage and optimize campaigns on Ask.com and its publisher network. Offered through IAC Advertising Solutions, ASL processes more than five billion queries each month, and supports over 30,000 advertisers bidding on more than 10 million keywords.
LookSmart’s AdCenter for Publishers is designed for all types of online media companies, providing an auction platform, algorithmic ad server and a reporting engine. The platform offers detailed reporting for both the publisher and the advertiser, allowing both to optimize pricing and ROI.
LookSmart also provides an API which allows agencies and large advertisers to interface directly with publishers licensing AdCenter technology.

Add comment February 21st, 2007

Yahoo! Search Gadget for Windows Vista

The Yahoo! Search team released a Search gadget for the Windows Vista Sidebar.

“We designed the Yahoo! Search gadget to feel at home in Vista’s new visually rich environment with animations and four shiny colors to choose from. And whether docked in your Sidebar or floating on your desktop, the Yahoo! Search gadget puts Yahoo! Web Search, Answers, Local, Video, and more at your fingertips. “

You can download this new mini application direct from Yahoo!.

Add comment February 20th, 2007

Yahoo! co-founder donates $75 million to Stanford

The Yahoo! co-founder Jerry Yang is donating $75 million to the Stanford University. The money will be used for new environmental and medical-instruction buildings. Yang and his wife, will donate $50 million for an energy and sciences building and $5 million for a learning center at the university’s medical school, an official Stanford spokesman said on Friday. The remaining $20 million will go to different undetermined projects.

Add comment February 19th, 2007