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Stories Discussed In The Show

• Propeller.com: New Home For The Netscape Social News Site
  Last week, it was announced that the social news site Netscape had been transformed into a year ago was going way, with Netscape becoming a more classic news portal and "social Netscape" to be moved elsewhere. Now we know where elsewhere is: Propeller.com (not currently live). Social News Update...
• User-Driven News More Diverse Than Mainstream Coverage
  In this era of fragmented audiences, with newspaper journalism feeling the pressure of blogs and the Internet more generally, the Project for Excellence in Journalism (PEJ) undertook a study comparing mainstream media coverage of news with user-driven news and content sites Digg, Del.icio.us, and Reddit. The authors of the study...
• Activity Streams & Other Social Nuggets From Leaked Google Video
  A new video, apparently leaked and intended to orient new Googlers about the Google Reader application, has shed some new light on Google's plans in the feed and social space, as well as providing some stats on Google Reader itself. Leaked Google Video Discusses Google Reader, Social Efforts from Google...
• Technorati Adds Topics To Home Page & Topic Pages
  Technorati announced the addition of "Technorati Topics" to the home page and Technorati Topics landing pages. These topics are a way for Technorati to create a simpler category system for blogs they index. Technorati Topics are presented on the home page and updated dynamically as new blog posts or stories...
• Dissecting An SEO Quiz -- Are There Right Answers?
  SEOmoz released its latest SEO quiz today, which is now getting some buzz as folks poke at the accuracy of the questions. Below, my own spin through the test, which constantly had me disagreeing with many of the "answers," plus some links to more of the chatter about it....
• Meta Keywords Tag 101: How "Legally" Hide Words On Your Pages For Search Engines
  If there's anything I particularly hate when it comes to SEO, it's the meta keywords tag. I so wish it had never been invented. It's practically useless, yet people still obsess over it. In this article, I'll explain more about why you shouldn't worry about it except perhaps for misspellings,...
• Man Arrested for Google Bombing Polish President Into Top Spot For "Kutas" (Penis)
  Philipp Lenssen reports that a Polish newspaper says that a 23-year-old polish man was arrested for Google bombing. Marek W. from Cieszyn is accused of somehow causing the Polish president Lech Kaczyński's web site to rank tops for "kutas," which translates to penis. Marek reportedly used software to help produce...
• An Untapped SEO Opportunity: Image Link Love From Wikipedia
  Suppose I told you about a way to create viral links on Wikipedia without raising objections from the site's volunteers. Would I have your attention? The key is images....
• Local Search Week!
  This week, we're focusing on local search here at Search Engine Land. Why? Local search, along with its close cousin mobile search, promises to be the next "big opportunity" for interactive marketers. The consensus prediction is for $8 billion in ad spending by 2010 targeted toward local searchers. It's also...
• Don’t Miss SMX Local & Mobile! 3 Weeks Until Showtime
  SMX Local & Mobile is the only event 100% focused on getting marketers up to speed on this emerging search marketing opportunity. Register for SMX Local & Mobile in Denver October 1-2! Search Engine Land executive editor Chris Sherman and Locals Only columnist Greg Sterling have crafted a comprehensive, 4-track...
• Superpages Acquires 'LocalSearch.com' Domain
  Local destination site AmericanTowns.com owned the URL LocalSearch.com but has now sold it to Idearc (publisher of Superpages) for roughly $3.3 million. That figure includes a strategic investment in AmericanTowns, which Superpages will help further develop. This article is part of Local Search Week here at Search Engine Land,...
• SEO Rockstars Returns!
• Retiring the Guerrilla
• Superpages Now Offers Compare Merchants Feature
  Today Superpages formally rolled out a compare merchants feature. In doing so it becomes the second major US yellow pages publisher to offer that feature in its online directory. DexKnows, owned by R.H. Donnelley and powered by Local Matters' "destination search" platform, has offered the feature for some time....
• Marchex Issues Local Search Report, Starts Local Blog
  Marchex, which recently acquired VoiceStar, launched 100,000 local search domains and is about to relaunch OpenList as a new, comprehensive local destination site, has issued a local report entitled "Unlocking the Potential of the Local Internet." The document is a very good overview of the state of the market...
• Yahoo Local Now Features "User Denigrated Content"
  After exploring Yahoo's Mapspam, I started investigating Yahoo's end user local reporting features more fully. I may have underestimated Yahoo's features to deal with spam (and to abet it). The new Yahoo Local is making a strong attempt at encouraging user input and content about local businesses with reviews,...
• Mapspam Now Appearing On Yahoo Local
  If spam isn't an indication of the arrival of an advertising medium (e.g. email spam, search spam) I don't know what is. Mike Blumenthal, who identified instances of Google mapspam has now investigated non-local businesses trying to fool the local algorithms on Yahoo into thinking they are local. Blumenthal cites...
• Ask City Adds Embed Map Feature
  First Google got embedded maps last month, and now Gary Price reports that Ask City has added an embed map feature that makes it easy to post a map or various local business directly on your web site as an image. For example, let's say I want to meet up...
• Google Adds Distance Measurement to My Maps
  The Google Lat Long Blog reports that users drawing trail or hiking maps with its My Maps line tool will now get automatic distance measurements between points when they create personalized maps. This is a small but useful enhancement, one of many recent incremental improvements that Google has added to...
• CallGenie and R.H. Donnelley Launch Local Voice Search
  Yellow pages publisher R.H. Donnelley (RHD), which recently acquired Business.com and owns search marketing firm LocalLaunch, is testing a new voice local mobile search product, 1-800-CallDex, in four U.S. markets: Denver, Phoenix, Spokane (WA) and Tucson. It offers a suite of services powered by speech and local mobile search enabler...
• Google Promoting Mobile Ads As Extension Of Desktop AdWords, Requiring Opt Out
  Although Google has been testing/running ads on mobile for at least a year, the company is now starting to formally promote mobile to its advertiser base and SEM firms. Here are the FAQs. If AdWords campaigns conform to Google's mobile ad requirements and limits they will be automatically included in...
• Google Street View Might Violate Canadian Privacy Law
  Although it's not yet available in Canada, Canada's privacy commissioner has raised concerns preemptively that Google's Street View photography could violate the Canadian Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act of 2004. This article is part of Local Search Week here at Search Engine Land, a special look at...