links for 2009-03-30

The New York Times has been demanding Google welfare, which would artificially promote the newspaper's stories in search results. Yet inept Times webmasters just killed hundreds of thousands of their own Google hits.

I must have Twitter all wrong. I follow people because I want to hear what they have to say. Not just what they @reply specifically to me. I like to read every tweet in my Twitterstream. This imposes a practical limit on the number of people I can follow. If I follow more than about 100, I simply can’t keep up. Even at 100, it’s all but impossible.

But I seem to be in the minority here. Most people I see on Twitter follow more than 100 people. Many follow several hundred people, if not thousands. There’s no way they could be reading every single tweet in their Twitterstream. (I’ve spoken to a few people on Twitter about this, and none who are following thousands claim to read everything.)

When I got my hands on an early version of the app a few hours ago, I simply installed it on a borrowed iPhone, signed in using my existing Skype username and password, and I was able to start using it within seconds. It’s an attractive and almost perfect adaptation of the desktop version of Skype; the user interface is intuitive, simple and easy to navigate. And it offers a number of pleasant surprises, such as the ability to attach photos to your contacts by way of the iPhone’s built-in camera. You can also toggle between all your contacts and just those online, and adding new contacts is pretty simple.

Do you remember what came in between printed enclyopedias and Wikipedia (Wikipedia reviews)? For many, the answer is Microsoft Encarta, which was distributed starting in the 90s via CD-ROM and more recently on the Web via MSN. Today, Microsoft announced that it’s discontinuing Encarta later this year, offering symbolic confirmation that Wikipedia is the world’s definitive reference guide.

Back in the early days of search engines and search engine optimization it was an anything goes environment. Initially, SEOs stuffed reams of keywords into their page to get their pages to rank. Then when links became the driving force in rankings SEOs moved into link buying. The problem with all this is that it was all based on manipulation of one form or another.

Last week, Google laid off 200 sales and marketing employees but this does not mean Google is not hiring. Google layoffs don’t stop hiring efforts from Reuters reports Google has 360 job openings on their web site.

A Google spokesperson has confirmed that Google is still hiring, amongst those layoffs. In fact, 30 or so of those jobs are related to sales and marketing.

The Inside AdSense blog announced that Google will be discontinuing the Google Video units. Google Video units launched in October 2007 but due to not living up to the expectations Google hoped for, Google is going to “retire” the feature by the end of April.

You’re unbelievably good at using Facebook (Facebook reviews) and Twitter (Twitter reviews), but no one is taking you seriously because you don’t have papers to prove it? Birmingham City University can solve your problems; as of next year, it’ll offer a course in social media, encompassing social networking sites as communications and marketing tools.

retro hand held games

Your Ultimate Shelf Life Guide – Save Money, Eat Better, Help The Environment