Or while waiting for panels at SXSW – if you can get a signal.
If you’re not at SXSW, you might be watching conference basketball tournaments. When play takes a break, catch up on these search stories:
Google Webmaster Central announced support for microdata use in rich snippets.
They also offered up tips on working with multi-regional websites.
Google Mobile Blog served up 5 tips for using Buzz on your mobile phone – including using voice to create updates.
MapQuest 4 Mobile added support for 6 BlackBerry devices.
WebMD launched a new health niche social networking site.
The Online Marketing Summit 2010 was held in San Diego February 22nd – 25th. OMS 2010 was held at the Paradise Point Resort & Spa, right on the Mission Bay shoreline. The weather during the event was typical February weather with temperatures in the low 70’s upper 60’s. While the locals know this is a bit cold, most people I spoke with that had to fly in from anywhere else were very happy to be out of the snow. It did rain during the event but it was only a brief drizzle during the evenings. Timing couldn’t have been better as there were substantial storms before and after the event.
Social mom is the new soccer mom.
Nielsen Online has released new data on mobile social networking use. Women get social on their mobile phones more than men. Also, the 35-54 age set is using mobile social the most, with 25-34 coming in at a very close second.
The age thing makes sense to me. But I could have sworn that more men use social networks on mobile than women. Maybe it’s just in my area. What has been your experience? Share in the comments below.
12 updates to read over a lazy weekend.
This week started off fairly quiet in the search news world, but the last two days have been pounded with stories. Here’s a roundup of news we couldn’t quite get to:
Wired did an expose on Google’s algorithm.
Xerox sued Google and Yahoo over search patents.
YouTube introduced a new playlist interface, enabled an add-to-queue feature in search, and integrated video comments with text comments.
Facebook patented their News Feed.
Google Ad Planner is now DoubleClick Ad Planner in the wake of the announcement of DoubleClick for Publishers.
The other day I reported on how Google and Bing are competing for attention when it comes to querying the Winter Olympics, which begin TODAY in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Since then, we’ve gotten word about other search and social efforts related to the Games.
Yahoo! is providing a Shortcut to info on Winter Olympics events and athletes.
Facebook has fan pages, an official minigame, and a photo sharing effort.
MapQuest’s Business Locator has decorated the hometowns of Winter Olympics athletes with symbol of the Olympic Torch.
Local search engine CitySquares is the latest to incorporate Twitter into their offering. They’re allowing businesses to display their Twitter feed on their profiles.
Not only is this a great way to add an additional method of contacting your business, but it offers you the opportunity to show off your customer service chops to potential customers. Also, if you regularly Tweet about promotions or coupons, it could entice a new customer to come in and make a purchase.
Marissa Green, Marketing Associate at CitySquares commented on their official blog:
Will Google’s version give Facebook and Twitter a run for their money?
As rumored yesterday, Google launched a new social effort today called Google Buzz. If you’re immediate reaction is, “Wait, doesn’t Yahoo! already have a product named Buzz?” Then you’d be correct. But Google didn’t acquire Yahoo! Buzz. Nor has Yahoo! Buzz gone defunct and Google felt ok about picking it up as a name.
The two products are alike in name and the fact that they’re social. But that’s about it.
Google Buzz lets you be social from Gmail. You can update your status there and share photos. (Yahoo! Buzz is more akin to social bookmarking and trending topics.)
Facebook has released a new email feature that will streamline the conversation process for many users. Now, when you get an email notification of a comment on an update, you can respond by replying to the email.
Since some employers block Facebook, this is a way to keep up with some aspects of your social networking while at work.
Social media marketers in charge of Facebook campaigns will find this an extremely efficient way of engaging with consumers.
This will also be great for you productivity/GTD junkies.
Happy New Year, SEWatchers! Hope you had brilliant holidays and a chance to relax. Now time to ease ourselves back into the driving seat and plan the year ahead. Here is one approach to get you started.
Go back to basics. Reflect on your successes and failures.
Start brainstorming your search marketing plans for the new decade by reflecting on what did and didn’t work in 2009. Think of it like a car’s rear view mirror, which allows you to plan your driving against hazards ahead.
StumbleUpon has had quite a year. They bought themselves back from eBay and launched a URL shortening service, among other things. Now, they’re revealing the most stumbled sites for their historic year that was 2009.
Here they are, broken down by category:
Arts
Jim Jarmusch Quote – 278K Stumbles
Aled Lewis Illustrations – 253K Stumbles
Pepsi Logo Response – 229K Stumbles
Bizarre/Oddities
99 Things You Should Have Seen On The Internet – 471K Stumbles
Scary Good Facepaint – 374K Stumbles
Slightly Warped Curiosities: Gibraltar Airport – 352K Stumbles
Food/Cooking
