----------------------------------------------------------------- SearchReturn Discussion List "Understanding Internet Search Technology" ----------------------------------------------------------------- Moderator: Published by: Detlef Johnson SearchReturn http://www.searchreturn.com ----------------------------------------------------------------- March 21, 2006 SearchReturn Issue #047 ----------------------------------------------------------------- SEND POSTS: ----------------------------------------------------------------- Refer a friend: http://www.searchreturn.com/subscribe.shtml ----------------------------------------------------------------- .....IN THIS DIGEST..... // -- ESSENTIAL NEWS -- // "Google Nokia Crawler" "Google Rankings Lawsuit" "Yahoo! Local News" "Paul Flaherty Dies" ----------------------------------------------------------------- // -- ESSENTIAL NEWS -- // ----------------------------------------------------------------- ==> Google Nokia Crawler http://www.seroundtable.com/archives/003513.html Essentials: In order to fetch code intended for mobile devices, Google appears to have a new crawler that feigns a Nokia 6820 mobile phone using user-agent spoofing. User-agent information supplied at the front end of page requests is simple (sometimes useful) to spoof. Some websites are configured to deliver mobile- friendly design when they detect mobile devices. The most common detection mechanism is identifying devices through their user- agent string. By spoofing user-agent, Google has begun indexing code it would not otherwise get from the regular crawl process. This may help Google provide mobile friendly links in results. Google normally translates site code into mobile friendly versions, and there is a facility to control whether Google translates your code or not. Sites are faster without it, but then Google cannot verify the site will display properly. With this new crawler, Google has more choice for how to list certain mobile sites. ----------------------------------------------------------------- ==> Google Rankings Lawsuit http://www.seroundtable.com/archives/003511.html Essentials: Our US Constitution entitles people to freedom of speech. Are rankings in Google a constitutional right guaranteed by freedom of speech? This flimsy legal ground makes its fleeting appearance. Considering the nature of search engines, the suit is totally without merit. KinderStart seeks class-action status hoping to attract others to join in, so it can be most impressive to the court. It is true that many businesses have been harmed after getting demoted or de-listed in Google (since it has become such a business imperative). This case will likely fail to prove a violation of constitutional rights occurred, especially since it will likely fail to prove that Google is a monopoly. ----------------------------------------------------------------- ==> Yahoo! Local News http://blog.searchenginewatch.com/blog/060320-102438 Essentials: Yahoo! launches a local news beta that will refine news matches to a geographic area for you. This is an interesting move considering that newspapers across the country are starting to adapt or diminish because of the Web. With the recent sale of Knight-Ridder to McClatchy, Mercury News is among some of the assets destined to be sold off by the new owner. There is now an effort to convince Yahoo! to make the purchase. http://news.com.com/2061-11199_3-6051420.html ----------------------------------------------------------------- ==> Paul Flaherty Dies http://blog.searchenginewatch.com/blog/060320-190257 Essentials: We sadly learned Paul Flaherty passed away Friday. Altavista was a favorite search engine for many years. Altavista suffered financially in the face of competition because ad buys from Yahoo! (in the early days of the banner) fared way better than Altavista. Banner ads to novice Yahoo! search users always seemed like the actual search result match to a lot of them. Altavista search users, in contrast, were sophisticated enough to know the difference, thereby making banner buys at Altavista less valuable than elsewhere. Altavista at one time powered MSN, and should be credited with ushering in the text-based search advertising so ubiquitous today. They were badly flamed for it, and chose to discontinue selling the space. Imagine that. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Stay Tuned. Got feedback?: http://www.searchreturn.com/feedback.shtml Archives: http://www.searchreturn.com/digest-archive.shtml Alternate formats: http://www.searchreturn.com/info-formats.shtml Manage Subscriptions: http://www.searchreturn.com/help/manage-subs.shtml Problems unsubscribing? Contact the postmaster: mailto:postmaster@searchreturn.com Information on how to sponsor this publication: http://www.searchreturn.com/help/advertise.shtml Published by SearchReturn http://www.searchreturn.com Website Membership: http://www.searchreturn.com/register.shtml The contents of the digest do not necessarily reflect the opinions of SearchReturn or Detlef Johnson. SearchReturn and Detlef Johnson make no warranties, either expressed or implied, about the truth or accuracy of the contents of the SearchReturn Digest. Copyright 2006 Detlef Johnson. 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