Near the end of the talk, someone asked if how much money Google will make is factored into decisions about changes to Google’s (unpaid search algorithms). Singhal was adamant: “no revenue measurement is included in our evaluation of a rankings change.” Listening to him explain how excites he gets about search improvements and how changes are evaluated, you realize there’s no spin here. He’s absolutely telling the truth. And he would know. Chris Sherman asked if anyone at Google really understands how the whole thing works and he replied that while no one knows how everything works (all of unpaid search, AdWords, Android, etc.), he has a pretty good idea of how all of unpaid search works. Not many can make that claim.

Core to Singhal’s talk was a focus on what Google does look at when improving unpaid search algorithms. The key is always relevance.

Singhal talked about the evolution of Google’s unpaid search algorithms. In 2003, they worked on stemming and synonyms. This meant that those searching for [watch buffy the vampire slayer] [watching buffy the vampire slayer] and [view buffy the vampire slayer] would likely all see the same results. In 2007, came universal search, which was a big step forward in understanding searcher intent. (Searchers typing in [i have a dream] not only are looking for Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech,  but would like to see a video of it.)

Understanding Intent

Ten years ago, search results were keyword-based, but Google is now moving towards understanding the intent behind the words. Singhal talked about Google’s acquisition of the company FreeBase, which has done substantial work on understanding phrases as entities rather than strings. “Mount Everest” isn’t just two words, it’s also a mountain, with a height, in a location, and so on. (Shortly after the talk, Google launched their Knowledge Graph, which is the next step in this understanding.) Combine intent with speech recognition and mobile devices and you almost end up with what Singhal first glimpsed years ago on Star Trek. We do indeed, live in the future (almost).

Personalization

In 2012 took a big step (whether or not that step was forward is up for debate) towards greater personalization with Search Plus Your World, which began incorporating Google+ into search results for those logged in. Singhal explained that Google+ integration was not the point, it was just a proof of concept. The point was a foundation for a wider world of (more secure) searching over everything: both what’s public in the world and what’s private to each searcher. Perhaps one day Google will in fact be able to find your car keys.

Singhal said that searcher click behavior shows that searchers are happy with this integration. But he acknowledged there’s work to be done. When asked when it would launch in Europe, he said that based on feedback, it’s undergoing improvements first.

Relevance and Data: How Changes Are Evaluated

Search Plus Your World is built and evaluated the way all ranking algorithm changes are: build, evaluate, launch, learn, improve, repeat. Relevance is key to every measurement. Singhal stepped through the process:

1. An engineer at Google has an idea of a signal (one of over 200) that might be introduced or tweaked to improve overall relevance.
2. That algorithm change is run on a test set of data and if all looks good, human raters look at before and after results for a wide set of queries (a kind of manual A/B test). The human raters don’t know which is the before and which is the after. The raters report what percentage of queries got better (more relevant) and what percentage got worse (less relevant).
3. This process gets looped several times as the algorithm is tweaked to better serve results for the queries in the “worse” set.
4. Once the overall manual ratings show that the algorithm tweak makes results better overall, it’s all tested again. This time, a data center (one of many that contains Google’s index and serves results to searchers) is loaded with the new algorithm and a very small slice of searchers (typically 1%) see the modified result set. Are those searchers happier than the ones seeing the version of results without the tweak? Singhal says they compare where searchers click. Clicks on higher ranked pages mean results at the top are likely more relevant, and searchers are happier. (He didn’t say so, but they may look at other data, such as click and back behavior.)
5. An independent analyst compiles the results and provides a statistical analysis, which is presented at a search quality meeting, where engineers look at the data and debate the change. If they decide this tweak improves the quality of search results overall (and is good for the web and doesn’t overly tax internal systems), the change goes out.

This process is happening all of the time with lots of different proposed tweaks and tests. 525 algorithm changes were launched in 2011. That may seem like a lot, but earlier this year Singhal noted that many more changes were tested.

“Concurrently we have approximately 100 ideas floating around that people are testing – we test thousands in a year. Last year we ran around 20,000 experiments. Clearly they don’t all make it out there but we run the process very scientifically.”

Aggregated data from millions of searchers typing millions of queries provides clear patterns. Singhal said that not only do those who get better results more quickly click higher in the search results, but they also search more. (We’ve heard this before from Google. Marissa Mayer, for instance has noted that a half a second delay in rendering search results resulted in 20% fewer searches).

Singhal noted that the kind of personalization platform envisioned with Search Plus Your World is harder to test. Human evaluation looks at relevance, but personal relevance is unique for each searcher. All Google really has to go on is click behavior. Singhal talked with Danny Sullivan about this dilemma a few weeks after Search Plus Your World launched:

“Every time a real user is getting those results, they really are delighted. Given how personal this product is, you can only judge it based on personal experiences or by aggregate numbers you can observe through click-through.”

All of this gets complicated by varied screen size. The user interface becomes more important as increased use of mobile devices and tablets shrink screen real estate.

If these changes are all about increased relevance, why is only Google+ represented in Search Plus Your World? Why not Facebook and Twitter? Singhal explained that most personally useful Facebook data is locked behind a login, and Twitter produces content at a rate that is too massive for Google to crawl quickly and comprehensively. Or, they could, but it would probably take down the Twitter servers. Twitter has also had some technical issues that have made crawling difficult, although are being fixed.

What About Panda and Penguin?

Singhal said that Google’s algorithms aren’t perfect (hence the 20,000 experiments a year). He looks at bad queries every day (and encouraged the audience to let him know about them! So, add them to comments to this post and we’ll forward them along). But when asked specifically about Panda and Penguin, two of the latest high profile algorithm changes, he said that data has shown they significantly improved the number of high quality sites being returned in results. They are not only refining what signals they use in ranking, but are improving how they gather and tune the signals themselves (so signal quality is higher). They are  constantly looking for aberrations in signals.

At the end of the day, he said, site owners need to take a hard look at what value their sites are providing. What is the additional value the visitor gets from that site beyond just a skeleton answer? Ultimately, it’s those sites that provide that something extra that Google wants to showcase on the first page of search results.

Related Topics: Features: Analysis | Google: Algorithm Updates | Google: Search Plus Your World | Google: Web Search

About The Author: Vanessa Fox is a Contributing Editor at Search Engine Land. She shares her perspectives on how search impacts marketing, user experience, and web development at ninebyblue.com. Her book, Marketing in the Age of Google, provides a blueprint for incorporating search strategy into organizations of all levels. Follow her on Twitter at @vanessafox. See more articles by Vanessa Fox

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Article source: http://feeds.searchengineland.com/~r/searchengineland/~3/J7G0Kr6veZM/peeking-into-the-world-of-googles-algorithm-changes-with-google-search-quality-head-amit-singhal-121528

It is, at least, easy to pinpoint the very first story written about the social network. It appeared in the Harvard Crimson on February 9, 2004, five days after Zuckerberg launched thefacebook.com from his dorm room. The headline says it all: “Hundreds Register for New Facebook Website.”

Nowadays, of course, hundreds of new users sign up for Facebook every minute. But in those first few days, 650 signups across the university was a huge deal — and Zuck wasn’t shy when it came to crowing to the Crimson:

“Everyone’s been talking a lot about a universal face book within Harvard,” Zuckerberg said. “I think it’s kind of silly that it would take the University a couple of years to get around to it. I can do it better than they can, and I can do it in a week.”

This is classic young Zuckerberg; the same cocky punk who handed out business cards that read “I’m CEO, bitch.” Still, there’s one very humbling detail further down the article:

Just as with the popular website Friendster, which Zuckerberg said was a model for his new website, members can search for people according to their interests and can create an online network of friends.

That’s it — no mention of the Winklevoss twins, whom as we all know had been hoping to build a similar Harvard-based site with Zuckerberg’s help just weeks previously. But a very clear pointer to the primacy of Friendster, the only widely-known social network at the time (save, perhaps, for the up-and-coming MySpace).

In 2004, Friendster was at the height of its powers, but also frustrating its users with slow load times, and on the edge of imploding. Some months after this article, it would begin a dizzying succession of CEOs that would hasten its decline (and eventual transformation into a Malaysia-based social gaming service).

If only someone had alerted Friendster’s founder (and then CEO) Jonathan Abrams to this genius coder at Harvard who had created an homage to his site, the future of social media might have turned out very differently.

Even then, however, it might have been too late. One week later, a second Harvard Crimson article on Zuckerberg revealed that the site had shot up to 4,300 users — or 55% of the student population. Facebook was well on its way.

Does the Facebook founder owe a debt of gratitude to Friendster? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

Article source: http://mashable.com/2012/05/16/facebook-first-friendster/

The Columbus Dispatch originally reported that Sweat told the paper his choice on Friday in a text message. On Sunday night, Sweat told the rest of the world with this tweet:

Concussion symptoms didn’t want to risk it.. Thanks to the browns for the opportunity. Health trumps football any day

— Andrew Sweat (@asweat42) May 14, 2012

The next day, posts on the popular sports blog Deadspin and legal blog Above the Law chewed up and spit out Sweat’s decision to forego NFL riches, where a rookie minimum contract commands $390,000. Above the Law called it “the biggest mistake of his life.” By Wednesday morning, CNN had picked up the story as well.

Sweat‘s statement takes on added significance following the suicide of NFL legend Junior Seau earlier this month. News of Seau’s death spread rapidly on Twitter, as fans, players and media commentators debated the role that a career of high-impact collisions may have had on Seau’s mental health (see gallery below).

Over the past couple years, the NFL has been increasingly framed by some as a blood sport that has become too dangerous for humans to play and fans to not watch with a free conscious. In that context, Sweat’s decision probably makes perfect sense to many. But Above the Law and Deadspin both argued that a dragging economy in the law field means Sweat is unlikely to land in a desirable spot without an elite education.

Fittingly, Sweat went back on Twitter to rebuke that assertion:

@Deadspin might need to get facts right. “good setup” my dad has a very successful law firm think I’m okay here..

— Andrew Sweat (@asweat42) May 14, 2012

Do you think Sweat is making the right decision, or a huge mistake? And do you think Twitter was an appropriate place for him to discuss the choice? Let us know in the comments.

BONUS GALLERY: Twitter Mourns Junior Seau, Questions Pro Football

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NFL legend Deion Sanders expressed disbelief when he first heard the news.

The San Diego Chargers — where Seau became a superstar — used their Twitter page to host a stream of tributes to him, including this Instagram shot.

Former NFL quarterback Doug Flutie was one of many current and former players to honor Seau on Twitter.

Tampa Bay Times writer Michael Kruse tweeted a link to a quote from a reaction piece to Seau’s death by The Nation sports editor Dave Zirin.

Sportswriter Jason McIntyre tweeted a link to a hearbreaking news video of Seau’s mother crying on TV.

Fox News correspondent Adam Housley tweeted this photo of reporters and mourners gathered outside the Seau home.

Current 49ers linebacker Patrick Willis used Twitter to pay respect to one of his position’s all-time greats.

Current Packers linebacker Clay Matthews did the same.

New England Patriots wide receiver Chad Ochocinco tweeted condolences in both English and Spanish.

Yahoo Sports columnist Dan Wetzel tweeted disgust at head trauma experts offering expertise before the factors behind Seau’s death had been fully determined.

Thumbnail image courtesy of iStockphoto, LUGO

Article source: http://mashable.com/2012/05/16/nfl-prospect-concussion-tweet/

Citing sources familiar with the situation, Reuters claim the new iPhone’s screen will be exactly 4-inches from corner to corner. It’s still unknown whether the aspect ratio will stay the same (Apple could possibly fit a 4-inch screen into an iPhone 4/4S’ case), and any other details about the device are absent.

“Early production” of these new screens has begun at Korea’s LG Display Co Ltd, Sharp Corp and Japan Display Inc, sources claim, with full production starting as soon as June, which is traditionally the time when Apple unveils new iPhone versions.

We’ve heard all this back in January, when a Foxconn worker allegedly said that Apple is testing several iPhone screens, all 4-inch or larger.

All of this is, as always, unconfirmed by Apple, and the Cupertino giant has been known to surprise us now and then. Still, when the rumors are this aligned (we don’t remember anyone claiming the new iPhone will not have a larger screen), one has to think that there’s some truth beneath it all.

Article source: http://mashable.com/2012/05/17/iphone-4-inch-rumors/

Google Revamps Search With Knowledge Graph

Google has made perhaps the most significant set of changes to its search engine yet with the rollout of the Knowledge Graph — a set of semantic tools which aim to make your search results more relevant and informative.

Google Search now asks you to point it into the right direction when offered ambiguous terms, and offers informative summaries for terms, with descriptions, photos and related items. The feature is live for users in the US, while other countries will get it in a matter of weeks.

Pinterest Raises $120 Million at a $1.5 Billion Valuation

Pinterest is raising $120 million at a $1 to $1.5 billion valuation, in order to fuel international expansion. Japanese commerce giant Raukten is leading the round with a $50 million investment.

US Smartphone Owners Use 28% More Apps Than Last Year [REPORT]

A new report from Nielsen sheds some light on app usage among US smartphone owners, and things are looking cheery for app developers. On average, a US smartphone owner uses 41 apps, a 28% year-over-year increase.

Furthermore, smartphone owners are spending more time using apps than using the mobile web, about 10% more than last year. As far as individual apps go, the top five are Facebook, YouTube, Android Market, Google Search, and Gmail.

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, mattjeacock

Article source: http://mashable.com/2012/05/17/google-graph-pinterest-120-million/

What’s funnier than a video message, more advanced than a photo message and almost as easy to create as a regular text? An original animated GIF message, of course!

Meet the MyFaceWhen iPhone app, a $0.99 (but free for a limited time) offering just released on Thursday. It lets users quickly record videos, then convert the videos into animated GIFs to punctuate previously ho-hum text messages to friends. So, for example, a GIF of yourself emulating Success Kid could accompany a text saying you got that new promotion at work.

The app was created by Rodney Curl and Ethan Diamond, a pair of buddies from Washington, D.C. Although the pair has been developing the idea for the last year, they only started building the app in earnest two months ago. Over the past several months, animated GIFs have exploded in popularity online, so Curl and Diamond’s timing is perfect.

“We think an animated GIF of you laughing at your buddy is more entertaining than typing ‘haha,’ and a GIF of Spongebob dancing is funnier than typing ‘yay,’” Curl told Mashable in an email. “GIFs are a fun new channel for people to communicate with their family and friends.”

MyFaceWhen users can create GIFs from downloaded videos, too, but it’s the capability for original creations that’s really cool. Mashable had a hands-on test drive of the app before its release, and came away very impressed.

SEE ALSO: How to Respond to Any Situation With an Animated GIF

One of the best things about MyFaceWhen is its utter ease of use. Open the app and you’ll see yourself staring right back at you. Then tap the big fat Record button in the middle of the screen, and tap it again when you’re finished acting out the video you want to have looped into a GIF.

The next screen previews your GIF, which you compress by saving. Then the new creation is added to a library of your previously saved GIFs. Tap the one you’d like to send, and it’s automatically copied. Another button takes you straight to iMessage, where you paste the GIF into your text and hit Send. Simple as that.

It’s easy to imagine people tiring of the novelty of sending (and receiving) GIFs with text messages all the time. But for a few laughs and occasional use, MyFaceWhen is $0.99 well spent.

Does MyFaceWhen seem like a cool idea to you? Let us know in the comments.

Article source: http://mashable.com/2012/05/17/myfacewhen-iphone-app/

I conducted some random tests and did notice some of these free web directories not coming up in Google. Later in the day, Terry Van Horne began running larger tests on 500+ web directories and noticed as much as 16% or more are no longer showing up in Google. Based on his initial numbers, there are over a 100 web directories that are not indexed by Google.

I do not know if these directories were ever listed in Google or removed recently due to one of the recent Google updates; i.e. Penguin, Panda refresh, blog link network elimination and unnatural link warnings.

I did ask Google for a comment on this specific case and Google declined.

Have you noticed a recent massive delisting of web directories from Google’s index?

Related Topics: Google: SEO | Google: Web Search | Link Building: General | Link Building: Paid Links

About The Author: Barry Schwartz is Search Engine Land’s News Editor and owns RustyBrick, a NY based web consulting firm. He also runs Search Engine Roundtable, a popular search blog on very advanced SEM topics. Barry’s personal blog is named Cartoon Barry and he can be followed on Twitter here. For more background information on Barry, see his full bio over here.
See more articles by Barry Schwartz

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Article source: http://feeds.searchengineland.com/~r/searchengineland/~3/o1yJjp3jDQo/did-google-drop-100-small-directories-121665

According to one study, nearly a quarter of parents have given their kid a smartphone, iPod or iPad to keep them busy while they take care of business. Nearly 40% of kids aged eight and under have used tablets or smartphones in some capacity. And tablet usage by kids aged 12 and under rose nearly 10 percent from last summer to fall, according to another survey.

But can so much tech immersion ever replace human supervision and interaction for young humans? The online education portal Schools.com pulled statistics from a variety of news and research sources to compile an infographic showing just how much technology modern kids grow up around.

Many parents seem to think gadgets don’t just keep kids occupied — they can also help them grow and learn. 77% of parents think tablets are beneficial to kids, and 77% think they help develop creativity, according to Schools.com’s findings. More than a quarter of parents have downloaded apps for their kids. The top genres? Fun, at 46%; education, at 42%; and creative, at 28%.

Check out the infographic below for the fuller picture on just how much trust parents put in gadgets.

Do you think smartphones and tablets do more to help or hurt the development of kids today? Let us know in the comments.

Article source: http://mashable.com/2012/05/16/gadgets-kids-infographic/

Arthur and Madeleine Morris’ car was stuck when it fell down an embankment near their driveway of their vacation home. Five times they tried to call 911, their son and a neighbor, but the calls failed due to bad reception in the rural area. Investigators say Arthur Morris tried to climb out of the car, but became wedge between the door and the ground. He soon died of asphyxiation. His wife was able to get out of the vehicle and again attempted to use the cellphone. She went to a neighbor’s house, but realized they weren’t home. She covered herself with a tarp and died in the night due to hypothermia.

It was reported that the Morris’ son had purchased the cellphone for his parents and signed a contract with the nation’s largest carrier, ATT, with the belief that it offered the best signal in that area.

CNET reported ATT said:

“Our thoughts and sympathies go out to the Morris family during this extremely difficult time. Wireless coverage in mountainous and remote areas is an industrywide challenge, and ATT, along with other carriers, are continually striving to improve service levels in those areas.”

Should ATT be held responsible in any way for the Morris’ deaths? Tell us in the comments.

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, PashaIgnatov

Article source: http://mashable.com/2012/05/16/couple-dead-due-to-bad-connection-in-the-mountains-video/

Name: Project Decor

Quick Pitch: A home decorating platform where users can browse and buy items.

Genius Idea: Interactive design boards let users upload photographs of their room or furniture and easily combine it with favorite designer rooms to create their own personal design.

Want a place to design your perfect room? New website Project Decor lets you pull pieces from different top-notch designers to create your dream room.

Project Decor is a home decoration platform, launching on June 15, where users can discover curated rooms by designers and find their own inspiration.

“It’s very difficult for consumers to put together a room,” co-founder Andy Appelbaum told Mashable. “Rather than tearing out pages from ELLE Decor or a design magazine only to find out the manufacturer doesn’t sell to consumers, this way users can buy the products in curated rooms.”

Say, for instance, you visit your favorite designer’s website. As much as you may love their products, it’s likely you’ll want to mix-and-match those items with products from other designers, too. Project Decor is like Pinterest for your high-end home design needs. Not only can you find your inspiration, but all the products on the site can be purchased from the site — even if the items are from different manufacturers. Find lots of decorating inspiration but unsure how to make it all match? Project Decor users can also connect you with interior decorators for start-to-finish or a la carte design services.

“It’s a collaborative way to exchange ideas,” said Saralyn Bass, vice president of digital marketing for Project Decor.

With 40 mid-level to high-end designer brands, including Knoll, Johnathan Adler and Kosta Boda — plus just under 10,000 products on the site and more being added — Project Decor is a designer home decor lover’s dream.

Simply click “tear” to add a piece of furniture to your inspiration board. The site also encourages users to upload photographs of items he or she is trying to incorporate into a room. Appelbaum said the ability to share your inspiration on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest will be woven into the site.

“The platform is meant to be collaborative,” he said. And, since decorating takes time, he said, users will be able to work through the design process with their social networks. The site is also beneficial of the designs who sell items through it.

“What were building here is a mechanic that allows them to access and monetize customers that are downstream and would have never hired them to begin with,” Applebaum said. For example, if a designer who puts together a baby room inspiration board then a user pulls an item to their own inspiration page and purchases it, that designer will be compensated.

So far, Project Decor has a staff of 15 in two offices, one in New York and one in West Port, Connecticut. The founders are Appelbaum, Cliff Sirlin and Aaron Wallace.

What do you think of Project Decor? Would you use this site? Tell us in the comments.

‪Photo courtesy of iStockphoto, evirgen‬

The Spark of Genius Series highlights a unique feature of startups and is made possible by Microsoft BizSpark, a startup program that gives you three-year access to the latest Microsoft development tools, as well as connecting you to a nationwide network of investors and incubators. There are no upfront costs, so if your business is privately owned, less than three years old, and generates less than U.S.$1 million in annual revenue, you can sign up today.

Article source: http://mashable.com/2012/05/16/create-a-designer-room-with-new-site-project-decor/

Fab.com rolled out a website redesign, called Fab 3.0, introducing new social shopping features on Wednesday. Updates include a Facebook integration that creates a real-time text-and-photo stream on the site of what friends are buying, sharing and liking.

The update also allows users to filter products by color, price and category. Individual items showcase prices as well as the number of social shares onto Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest.

Fab.com is reaping the benefits of connecting to social media. So far, 4.25 million consumers have logged into the free online storefront since its June, 2011 launch.

Half of its userbase came to Fab.com from social sharing, according to VP of communications Melissa Klein. Every 30 seconds, there is a tweet on Fab.com.

“By the nature of what Fab is,” Klein says. “People want to talk about it.”

Share buttons allow that interaction. The site’s Live Feed displays updates across the site as they happen. The Pinterest-like feed displays pictures of purchases, customer tweets and Facebook shares. From here, customers can buy products, heart or comment on the posts.

“We’ve seen 15% of all visits to the Live Feed result in a purchase,” Fab co-founder Jason Goldberg wrote in a blog post. “That’s crowd-sourced shopping adding value. Put another way, about 5% of Fab’s member visits result in purchases, so having a member engage with Fab’s live feed makes them 3 times likelier to make a purchase.”

The carefully curated items show off the company’s humor and spunk. The products are unique, making the site’s content easily sharable.

SEE ALSO: Fab.com Acquires FashionStake to Build Out Fashion Offering

These social features were something Fab’s userbase wanted, Klein says, though it’s useful to note Facebook and Twitter integrations are opt-in only.

“We want Fab to be where you can browse, discover and shop for great design,” she tells Mashable.

The creative-focused site sees its connectivity with consumers and designers as its secret to success. Another important interactive aspect of the site is the Inspiration Wall — where users can upload design inspirations. Photos can be uploaded from desktops, Instagram and Google.

“It’s one of the things Fab did early on, which speaks to the fact that social has always been what we do,” Klein said. “That early inspiration wall was a way to engage our members and demonstrated Fab was always going to be more than a place to purchase items. It’s a place to engage, discuss and smile about great design.”

Do friends’ purchases affect your online buying habits? Let us know in the comments if you buy items you’ve seen shared on various social networks.

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, tetsuomorita

Article source: http://mashable.com/2012/05/16/fab-social-shopping/

AllThingsD reports that Japanese commerce giant Raukten is leading the round with a $50 million investment. Ben Silvermann, Pinterest’s CEO and cofounder, is reportedly still deciding what other financing offers to accept.

Partnering with Raukten could open doors for Pinterest in Asia. The startup, which is still in invite-only beta, has enjoyed increasing mainstream recognition in the U.S., but has made little headway abroad. Meanwhile, clones are popping up like weeds.

One sign that Pinterest’s focus is growing increasingly international: a recent post to Pinterest’s corporate blog calling for translators for local-language editions of the site. French, German, Japanese, Portuguese and Spanish are the company’s first priorities, it said; Dutch, Greek, Italian, Korean, Malay, Polish, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Swedish and Turkish are next.

Pinterest has left its business model undefined — at least publicly. For a time, the startup was quietly earning money through an affiliate revenue scheme, but quickly shut it down after media caught wind of it. Still, Pinterest seems to have great revenue-earning potential, given that the network is already driving sales for some retailers.

Pinterest has raised $37.5 million in venture capital to date. Current investors include FirstMark Capital, Bessemer Venture Partners, Andreessen Horowitz and Ron Conway.

Rumors that Pinterest was raising a round in the range of $1 billion were first reported by The Next Web Wednesday.

Pinterest could not be reached for comment.

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Pinterest via Gemma Ganni.

Pinterest via Krystyna Salvetta.

Pinterest via Brianna Bauen.

Pinterest via cynk.

Pinterest via Joy Cho/OhJoy!.

Pinterest via FeeFee, RN.

Pinterest via Ashe.

Pinterest via Carolyn Van Lang.

Pinterest via Kulson F. Dorego.

Pinterest via Christine Martinez.

Pinterest via Geninne D Zlatkis.

Pinterest via Jennifer Lindsay.

Pinterest via Alex BS.

Pinterest via Leah Dent.

Pinterest via Gemma Ganni.

Pinterest via Krystyna Salvetta.

Pinterest via Brianna Bauen.

Pinterest via cynk.

Pinterest via Joy Cho/OhJoy!.

Pinterest via FeeFee, RN.

Pinterest via Ashe.

Pinterest via Carolyn Van Lang.

Pinterest via Kulson F. Dorego.

Pinterest via Christine Martinez.

Pinterest via Geninne D Zlatkis.

Pinterest via Jennifer Lindsay.

Pinterest via Alex BS.

Pinterest via Leah Dent.

Article source: http://mashable.com/2012/05/17/pinterest-120-million/

Here, we’ll take a look at the very top of the funnel, to see how three different companies are handling early-stage interest on the same keyword phrase: “big data.”

With all the talk about big data these days, you can picture many people searching on this topic. Even though they’re probably not yet evaluating vendors at first, they may be open to educational materials provided by or sponsored by vendors — if those materials are truly useful, not fluff.

The top three ads when I did this search were from Oracle, SAS, and EMC. So let’s examine their landing pages in order.

Oracle’s Content-First Portal Strategy

Oracle’s ad promises “simplify and put your data to work.”

Their landing page is a deep-link into a topic portal page on their website. The top half includes a couple of paragraphs of introductory copy and links to a number of white papers from Oracle and industry analysts.

The bottom half includes context-specific links to relevant products within Oracle’s portfolio.

Unlike traditional lead generation tactics, which would require a registration to download white papers or analyst reports, Oracle makes the links to these materials freely available — just click to instantly open up the PDFs. Oracle weighs the brand marketing opportunity of distributing that content as more valuable than leads at that moment.

Of course, it can still track the “microconversions” of each of these downloads. That is very likely their primary performance metric on this page, and I expect it’s performing well.

For lead generation, Oracle offers a set of premium calls-to-action on the right column of the page: a webcast center, an online forum, and a big data summit in major cities — all requiring registration — as well as an offer to talk to Oracle on the phone.

Oracle is clearly betting that if you like the free content on the main part of the page, you’ll eventually be ready for these premium content options that convert you officially into a lead. That may not happen on your first visit — which is a risk if you end up being pulled into another vendor’s lead machine before returning.

But with good content, I think this content-first strategy is worth the risk and can be highly effective at this early stage of prospect exploration.

My only beef with this landing page is that it doesn’t do a very good job of maintaining “message match” with the ad.

With such a large collection of educational materials and so many different products presented as applicable to big data, the “simplify” promise doesn’t feel well addressed. This could be easily solved by tweaking the ad copy to more accurately reflect the “everything you wanted to know about big data” nature of the landing page.

SAS’s Traditional Lead Generation Strategy

The ad for SAS leads with “gain insights from big data” and promises respondents: “view white paper to learn more.”

Their landing page takes a more traditional lead generation approach: register to download a specific piece of premium content.

Here, they’re offering an independent survey report from the Economist Intelligence Unit, which I think is compelling. The image of the report in the upper right corner is a nice touch for making the offer tangible.

The registration step on the next page asks for a modest amount of information — name, email, organization, country, state — so I suspect their conversion rate is good.

This strategy gives respondents one clear, simple choice: here’s the best piece of content to start your education of big data with us. If the offer is compelling enough to win a conversion, SAS can then follow up with this lead using marketing automation — guiding and responding to their progress through later stages of the funnel.

Although I think the strategy here is a solid one, I would suggest several improvements to its execution.

First, the message match with the ad should be much tighter. The “gain insight” message from the ad is buried in the copy. The promised “white paper” is actually a survey report. I like the title in the landing page — harnessing a game-changing asset — so I’d try moving that out to the ad.

Instead of promising a white paper, promise an “independent report” — which may be more intriguing to early-stage prospects anyway.

For the registration, since their form on the next page is relatively short, I’d consider moving it on to the landing page. Maybe change the call-to-action from “register now” to “get the report now.”

At the bottom, their claim as the leader of business analytics software at the bottom of the page could probably be presented more powerfully with social proof in a more visual format. This is a great branding opportunity: use it to make a strong impression.

EMC’s Registration Required Portal Strategy

The ad from SAP says big data will “improve enterprise decision making” and offers a free case study.

The landing page is almost a hybrid of the previous two strategies: a portal page with multiple fulfillment items, but a short, on-page registration is required to access them.

If the advantage of a single-piece offer is simplicity, the advantage of a multi-piece offer such as this is choice. Respondents can self-selct the analyst report, white paper, or case study that intrigues them most. As long as one is sufficiently compelling, the chance of winning the conversion is good.

The downside to a multi-piece offer, however, is that it can lose focus, especially if the choices don’t have a clear narrative that relates them to each other.

In this case, EMC clearly has some terrific content, but I feel that this landing page diverges the most from message match with the ad. The emphasis of the page seems to be more on “scale out” instead of “decision making.”

The case study that I was promised is the last item on the page — below the fold for shorter browser windows — and sounds very specific to medical imaging.

I think the first fulfillment piece, the IDC analyst report, may be the best starting point for an early-stage prospect, especially before you know their role or their industry. The top part of the page could probably make a more cohesive presentation around that piece, while better connecting the dots with the ad. (The ad would need to offer to IDC analyst report instead of the case study.)

Also, a small but useful conversion optimization tip: try “Access These Materials Now” (or “Access This Report Now”) as the button call-to-action instead of “Submit.”

Which Strategy Is Best For You?

All of these strategies are viable. Which one is best depends on your solution, your brand, and most importantly, your audience. How does this early stage touch point relate to the rest of your marketing strategy deeper into the funnel?

This also seems like a great scenario for A/B testing. (Hint, hint.)

But whatever you do, please — please — keep an eye on message match with the ads from which you’re driving traffic.

The first point of being relevant to a respondent’s search is fulfilling the promises — explicit and implied — that your ad made to lure them to your landing page. At this early stage of the funnel, living up to your word is one of the best first impressions you can make.

All screenshots were taken by the author on May 7, 2012.

Opinions expressed in the article are those of the guest author and not necessarily Search Engine Land.

Related Topics: Search Conversion

Article source: http://feeds.searchengineland.com/~r/searchengineland/~3/I67cJb3no-Q/early-stage-landing-pages-at-the-top-of-the-funnel-120497

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About The Author: Barry Schwartz is Search Engine Land’s News Editor and owns RustyBrick, a NY based web consulting firm. He also runs Search Engine Roundtable, a popular search blog on very advanced SEM topics. Barry’s personal blog is named Cartoon Barry and he can be followed on Twitter here. For more background information on Barry, see his full bio over here.
See more articles by Barry Schwartz

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Article source: http://feeds.searchengineland.com/~r/searchengineland/~3/_CcbVuq5pYY/searchcap-the-day-in-search-may-16-2012-121704

UPDATE: Looks like other Asian destinations that China Eastern flys to (which is a lot of destinations) are on sale too.

Here’s the China Eastern Route Map

Beijing is at $795 roundtrip.

Tokyo or Osaka are at $865 roundtrip.

———————–

China Eastern just made a large price drop on a huge number of their flights throughout a large chunk of their schedule. Flights are about 30% cheaper than their next closest competitor.

There looks to be availability on a large number of flights from November 2012 all the way up to the end of April 2013.

Here are some example searches, but try your own dates:

November 2012
http://www.kayak.com/flights/#/YVR-PVG/2012-11-01-flexible/2012-11-08-flexible

December 2012
http://www.kayak.com/flights/#/YVR-PVG/2012-12-05-flexible/2012-12-12-flexible

January 2013
http://www.kayak.com/flights/#/YVR-PVG/2013-01-16-flexible/2013-01-23-flexible

February 2013
http://www.kayak.com/flights/#/YVR-PVG/2013-02-13-flexible/2013-02-20-flexible

March 2013
http://www.kayak.com/flights/#/YVR-PVG/2013-03-13-flexible/2013-03-20-flexible

April 2013
http://www.kayak.com/flights/#/YVR-PVG/2013-04-17-flexible/2013-04-24-flexible

Click through to Orbitz or FlyChinaEastern to verify and book the fare.

screenshot of verified price:

Hit Like if you like this deal! Click Share to show your friends on Facebook.

Click here to be alerted immediately when I find the next deal!

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Article source: http://www.yvrdeals.com/vancouver-to-shanghai-china-732-roundtrip-after-taxes-availability-from-november-2012-to-april-2013

When Google first launched Android, the open-source operating system came with the promise that it could power almost any device. That’s created a proverbial cornucopia of mobile devices that consumers have to choose from, but it’s also led to the issue of fragmentation — there are so many devices running different versions of Android with different capabilities that can alter experience.

Just how bad is the problem? The site Open Signal Maps studied fragmentation in detail, gathering data from 195 countries, and it put its findings in easy-to-discern graphics. The main takeaways: Yes, fragmentation is huge, with 3,997 devices, but it’s also a blessing that has led to the platform becoming the No. 1 mobile OS in the world by far.

From the graphic above, it’s clear Samsung is the king of the mountain among Android devices. The company’s Android phones and tablets make up 40% of the devices Open Signal was able to discern through its methodology. HTC is next, followed by Sony Ericsson, Motorola and LG.

The graphic below shows that the Samsung Galaxy S II smartphone is the most popular device, making it the world’s most popular Android phone. If you’re a developer, you’d do well by ensuring your apps are optimized for the S II first.

SEE ALSO: Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 Highlights Android’s Tablet Problem [REVIEW]

For the Android OS itself, a little more than half of Android devices run the most recent version of Gingerbread (Android 2.3.3). About 5.7% of devices are tablets running some version of Android 3.0 “Honeycomb,” and 8.5% are phones or tablets running the latest version of Android, version 4.0 “Ice Cream Sandwich.”

In conclusion, the study notes, “API and screen fragmentation is probably going to get worse. Android has, however, shown commitment to make it easier to target multiple screen sizes — by introducing the (perhaps ironically named) fragments APIs in 2011 which makes it easier to turn view elements into modules.”

What’s your take on Android fragmentation: blessing or curse? Check out the full study at Open Signal Maps, and share your thoughts in the comments.

Article source: http://mashable.com/2012/05/16/android-fragmentation-graphic/

Why? The American S-1 student visa only allows foreigners to stay in the U.S. for the duration of their education program and no longer.

Two lawmakers are fed up with that rule, arguing that kicking highly skilled, entrepreneurial people out of the U.S. and back to countries such as China and India is costing jobs and hurting the American economy.

Senators Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Chris Coons (D-Del.) introduced the SMART Jobs Act, which stands for “Sustaining our Most Advanced Researchers and Technology,” on Wednesday. If passed, the bill would create the F-4 non-immigrant visa, which allow foreigners working on advanced degrees in the STEM fields — science, technology, engineering or math — to stay in the U.S. for up to 12 months after graduation while they search for employment in the country.

Should such a person find (or create for themselves) a job during that period, they can swap their student visa for a “STEM green card.” That card wouldn’t count against a country’s green card quota (the U.S. tightly manages how many foreigners are granted green cards on a per-country basis).

The bill will have to overcome the toxicity of immigration reform, a particularly volatile topic during an election year. Some states, including Arizona and Alabama, have passed controversial laws born of fear that illegal immigrants are taking jobs which would otherwise be filled by American citizens.

Sen. Alexander, however, considers the bill a common-sense measure to help keep talented workers and potential job creators in the U.S.

“It makes no sense to attract the most talented scientists and engineers from other countries to our schools to educate them, only to send them home to compete with American companies and create jobs -– perhaps even the next Google -– in other countries,” said Alexander.

Sen. Coons echoed Alexander’s concern over sending intelligent workers overseas.

“Many of the best and brightest young minds in the world are educated at American colleges and universities, and instead of sending them home after graduation, we should be encouraging them to stay in the U.S. to pursue their innovations and create jobs here,” said Coons. “When we send off these graduates to pursue their innovations in India and China, we are literally subsidizing our competitors.”

Immigrants have founded nearly a fourth of venture-backed companies in the U.S. over the past 15 years. Additionally, they make up approximately half of the masters and doctorate-level students studying STEM fields at American universities, according to a study cited by the bill’s authors.

Steve Case, co-founder of AOL, CEO of investment group Revolution and member of President Obama’s jobs council, has thrown his support behind the bill, which he calls an important and bipartisan step forward. Case acknowledges that immigration is a highly volatile issue in American politics, especially during an election year. However, he stressed the key to getting the bill passed would be isolating the discussion about high-tech immigration from that of illegal immigration.

“A lot of the emotion is around illegal immigration, and it’s important to separate that debate,” Case told Mashable. “There’s fairly broad bipartisan support for changes in high-tech immigration.”

Other similar bills are being considered in Congress, including Sen. John Cornyn’s (R-Texas) proposed STAR Act, which would increase immigrant visas for foreign-born STEM students.

Could you get behind a bill that lets immigrants with advanced degrees stay in the U.S.? Sound off in the comments below.

Read the text of the full bill as introduced below:

Smart Jobs Act

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, selimaksan..

Article source: http://mashable.com/2012/05/16/lawmakers-want-high-tech-foreigners/

The microblogging company’s @Support account on Wednesday tweeted out a link to a help center page for Twitter users want to keep their posts a bit more anonymous on Google. Given Twitter’s high rank in Google Search, it’s likely that your profile there will be among the top results for your name.

The first suggestion for more anonymity? Change your username or listed actual name on Twitter. So, for example, if you use a profane @ handle, but your given name is listed in your profile settings, that could be a problem during your job search as recruiters Google you to see what comes up.

You can also protect your tweets in your accounts settings but that may not be a perfect fix, as Twitter points out. All tweets posted before you went private will still remain public in search engines (including Twitter’s own search).

Additionally, Google caches old search results, meaning that your old information can still hang around there — even if it only links to an error page.

Eventually, Google will update its search index and refresh to your new privacy settings. But if you want certain posts removed sooner, Twitter does suggest another option. First, copy the URL for the dead status page you would like removed. Then go to this Google page, which explains how to create a removal request for an outdated link or page. You’ll then be directed to another page, where you can paste in the link and submit your request, but you may need a Google account to do so.

Check out Twitter’s full list of tips for demurring from Google Search here.

Twitter and Google have been feuding ever since Google’s integration of Google+ into its regular search results back in January, which Twitter called “bad for people” — since news increasingly breaks on Twitter before being reported on other outlets.

Is it better to have your Twitter profile and activity be a prominent Google Search result, or to protect your anonymity? Let us know in the comments.

Thumbnail image courtesy of iStockphoto, sodafish

Article source: http://mashable.com/2012/05/16/twitter-google-search-results/

From sports stars to TV presenters to rappers, these well-known personalities love sharing 15-second bursts of video with their fans. We have gathered our selection into one digestible list, complete with a sample clip from each user.

SEE ALSO: How to Get Started With Viddy

Take a look below for our roundup, in no particular order, of celebrity Viddy accounts you can follow. Let us know in the comments about any other well-known Viddy users we may have missed.

1. Bill Cosby (@billcosby)

Everyone’s favorite dad is on Viddy. Bill Cosby offers some nice 15-second anecdotes, including this Oreo-flavored treat. We’d stare at his sweaters and listen to him speak for more than 15 seconds, if given the opportunity.

2. Mark Zuckerberg (@zuck)

Zuck made a stir early in the year when he signed up to the service, somewhat anti-climatically, however, since he has only uploaded one video. Take a look at his adorable pooch, Beast, attempting to eat his sofa.

3. Justin Bieber (@justinbieber)

Will The Bieb’s presence on Viddy have the same effect as it did on Instagram? Only time will tell. Meanwhile, here’s a 15-second clip in which he appears to have lost his shirt. Someone get that poor boy some clothes!

4. Terrell Owens (@TO81)

Terrell Owens shares clips from his training sessions, as well as more personal moments. Here he is actually strapping himself down to perform training jumps. Yep, normal gravity just isn’t enough of a challenge for Owens. Hard core.

5. Snoop Dogg (@snoopdogg)

Mr. Dogg is an avid user of Viddy, where he has over 160 clips to-date. Most of them are quite sweary and, shall we say, somewhat smoky? This one’s pretty clean, though.

6. Linkin Park (@linkinpark)

Linkin Park isn’t just on Viddy; the band is in it. Linkin Park offers its very own special effect filter pack. In this informal clip, two members of Linkin Park mess around with their gee-tars like they’re just a couple of ordinary Joes. Bless.

7. Jimmie Johnson (@jimmiejohnson)

If you like race car driving, then heads up! Jimmie Johnson is on Viddy. Here you can watch his helmet for 15 glorious seconds.

8. SouljaBoy (@souljaboy)

Judging from his uploads, SouljaBoy enjoys the MySpace mirror move.

9. Katie Couric (@katiecouric)

Who knew Katie Couric has such an adorable pair of puppies?

10. Giuliana Rancic (@giulianarancic)

Wait! Before you hit play, did you look at the still above and think that top might be Marc Jacobs? Then you are totally going to love Giuliana Rancic’s clips!

11. Michael Strahan (@michaelstrahan)

Finally, Michael Strahan shows us he’s about more than just football sacks; he captures a tranquil moment on Viddy.

Article source: http://mashable.com/2012/05/16/viddy-celebrities/