Here is the SEM news I found that looked most meaningful to me. I hope you feel the same way.
Automattic Helps WordPress Be More Social
In WordPress we have a robust and extensible base that can scale to many millions of users, and BuddyPress is essentially a set of plugins on top of WordPress that add private messaging, profiles, friends, groups, activity streams, and everything else you’ve come to expect from your favorite social network, like a Facebook-in-a-box.
Most SEOs Use Interns For Link Building
74 of the 120 responses, or 62%, said they do use interns for link building. While, 45 of the 120 responses, or 38%, said they do not use interns for link building. One said that he is considering it.
SEO Tip: NoIndex Or 503 Site Coming Soon Pages
Tip of the day: If you have a generic “your site will be hosted here soon” page, use “noindex” or 503 result code, thanks!
Flickr Takes Some Shots from Yahoo Layoffs
Frankly, cutting the Flickr team is a bit of a head-scratcher: That group is one of the few pockets of future-thinking tinkerers at Yahoo, especially when it comes to building new media experiences around “social objects” such as photos.
If that is truly the case then there is a talent leak occurring.
Nielsen Online exposes a problem: retention and loyalty. It seems that 60% of Twitter users never return the next month to Tweet. Compared to the retention rates of MySpace and Facebook, Twitter is lagging
Disney Jumps Through Hulu Hoop
Disney has announced it has acquired a stake in Hulu that is thought to be as high as 30% according to the folkshulu-logo over at Mashable.
Now ABC shows like Lost and Desperate Housewives will be available to view online via Hulu. The sheer volume of the offering on Hulu by striking these big deals is far bigger than just the straight network plays. The days of the TV only companies are long gone.
This site offers a complete look at how our ad tools can work together to help your business grow. Explore tools by media,
The online video joint effort by NBC and Fox landed in the top 3 video sites in March 2009, something comScore says is a first. Hulu pushed Yahoo! sites to position number 4
“The Microsoft Vine Beta connects you to the people and places you care about most, when it matters.” [In Beta]
Yahoo to cut 5% of workforce – Apr. 21, 2009
Carol Bartz, the company’s new chief executive, said quite emphatically that the company’s current management structure is inefficient.
“You have three people telling project engineers what to do, and nobody’s fucking doing anything,”
[IAC, parent company of Ask.com]
Urbanspoon will remain an independent brand, but its content will be integrated with other IAC properties such as Citysearch and InsiderPages.
Google’s Small Business Network was created to give small business owners the information and tools to promote business-friendly policies in Washington, D.C. and state capitols
Google Web Spam Team Joins Twitter
Both Googler’s JohnMu and Matt Cutts confirmed that this account is controlled by a Googler at the Web Spam team.
76% of Twitter Users Don’t Care If You Reply or Not
only 34% of users agree it’s important to follow those that follow you
Get Longer Google AdWords Titles Through Dynamic Keyword Insertion
Google confirmed, that in some cases, the AdWords title may exceed the 25 title character limit.
FTC Issues ‘Warning’ to Internet Companies
Companies that track consumer behavior on the Web for targeted advertising without proper consent are near their “last chance” to self-regulate.
New Changes to AdWords Keyword Tool: Local Search vs Global Search Figures Added
The previous options have been replaced with two columns, one for local search volume for the previous month and one for global search volume
Wolfram Alpha : The Real Thing
WolframAlpha comes in and gives searchers something they have been missing. You can search for very specific things in the realm of science, math, geography, demographics, and so on and get not just the answer, but detailed information from real sources. There is really nothing like this out there at this scale.
It is currently not live, but they promised to make it live sometime in May.
(see related: WolframAlpha Not a Google Killer)
Photo from: ABC News Cameraman at Cedar and West 7th Street on Flickr – Photo Sharing!
