The Search News Archives
January 2008
Acquisitions by Search properties
The three major Search properties (Yahoo!, Google and MSN) all made several large purchases this year.
Mobile internet in 2008
While the majority of users are now still battling with small screen sizes and slow download times, it is likely that improvements in handsets and flat-rate data tariffs will improve access this year.
November 2007
Advertising on social media sites
MySpace, Facebook and Nielsen's Buzzlogic announced their own advertising platforms this month offering a highly targeted approach to serving online ads.
Search engines expand into mobile
Google has announced the arrival of Android, an operating system for mobiles which will be built by the open handset alliance, a group of 34 companies committed to developing this interface.
October 2007
Search engines buy into Facebook
Microsoft beat interests from Google and Yahoo! to land a $240 million dollar (1.6%) equity stake that puts the value of the social platform at $15 billion.
'Gphone': Is it a bird, is it a plane???
There has certainly been a lot of hype surrounding Google's potential entrance into the handheld market. The latest rumour is that 'GPhone' actually refers to an operating system which the search engine is developing.
September 2007
Google to integrate Video PPC results
In attempts to evolve its service further, Google is looking to go beyond standard text ads when it comes to pay per click. Already working with image ads, they are planning to integrate video ads within sponsored search results.
Searching beyond video
Taking search a step further news provider Reuters has worked with Viewdle to increase its video search capabilities. Viewdle uses facial recognition technology to scan video clips frame by frame to associate actual imagery with people in their database.
August 2007
People Search
According to Spock, the online leader in personal search, more than 30% of queries on Google and Yahoo involve users looking up information about other people.
Brand building on social networks
Social networking sites are thriving on the desire of people to connect with each other and advertise the number of "friends" they have acquired. Facebook-mania has certainly hit London over the past few months.
July 2007
Sararis and heists
Anyone own an iPhone yet? Owen Jones thinks it might be the shot in the arm that mobile search needs. Mobile search hasn't really taken off due to the poor browsing capability of the handsets and slow connection speeds.
Image Search Optimisation
Over the past month, we've seen a lot of updates about image search. One example often cited is how sites can use Yahoo's Flickr in their natural search strategy by adding optimised descriptions and keywords to images.
June 2007
Doubletake on doubleclick
The acquisitions of DoubleClick and aQuantive by Google and Microsoft respectively have sent waves through many online publications. But do these herald the integration of media and advertising.
Coffee-tables and sandwiches
What's the buzz about Microsoft's recently released "surface computing" device? Is it just a coffee-table that happens to interact with your digital devices such as your camera or mobile?