Google lifts the curtain a bit

This blog post from Google describes their search and ranking improvements and secrets.

Read more at Google's blog.

Browser Marketshare - 2008

Microsoft Internet Explorer 	 74.88% 
 Firefox 	 17.27% 
 Safari 	 5.70% 
 Opera 	 0.69% 
 Netscape 	 0.68% 

Top Operating Systems on the web:

  Month 	 Windows 	 Mac 	 Linux 	 iPhone
  Feb 2008 	 91.58% 	 7.46% 	 0.65% 	 0.14% 	
  

Source: http://marketshare.hitslink.com

Looking for a domain name? Beware!

We've been reading about the practices of certain unscrupulous domain registrars who "steal" domain names after you search for them using their search tools. Verify that the registrar you're using does not do this! Read more on registrars who practice front running, and allow domain kiting or tasting.

We've had trouble recently with Network Solutions. They actively prevent an owner from switching away from them when it comes time for renewal. See more here and here. Beware of them.

While trying to transfer our website name to a better registrar, domaindirect.com, NetSol locked our name for 60 days because we updated our email address. This is done supposedly in the name of "security". Conveniently, however, it causes us to miss the renewal date, and to avoid losing paulgurney.com, we'd need to renew it with them! Basically, they are holding us hostage. We've complained to them, and are awaiting response on 1/28/08.

Update I: after multiple calls, disconnects and debates, they have lifted the "lock" and allowed us to transfer our name away. They absolutely irritate us with their tactics. More info on various practices here and some history.

It is unclear as to who the most ethical registrars are, but Domaindirect.com (which uses the openSRS registry) has served us and our clients well for years, and when we requested a statement from them about this topic, they pledged that they do not condone or do any of these things. Kudos to them.

Update II. The registrar GoDaddy has a reputation of being quick to censor its customers, with little or no warning. We reommend staying away from them as well. More.

Flash Player 9, Update 3

Adobe has released the final version of Flash Player 9 Update 3, which adds the HD video support announced earlier this year. Update 3 is the first public version of Flash Player 9 to include support for H.264 HD video playback, which means HD video on YouTube is now within the realm of possibilities.

It takes around a year for a Flash Player update to reach the magical 80+ percent saturation that sites of YouTube's scope want before unveiling new features, but there's plenty of other video sharing sites that have already made the HD leap, which puts some extra pressure on YouTube. And with a subset of YouTube content already encoded in H.264 for iPhone and AppleTV users, YouTube may offer web-based H.264 support sooner rather than later.

The updated Flash Player 9 also has better full screen support, Leopard compatibility for Mac users, and support for Microsoft Active Accessibility. Source: Wired blog.

SEO and Meta tags

"Why does Google care about meta descriptions? We want snippets to accurately represent the web result. We frequently prefer to display meta descriptions of pages (when available) because it gives users a clear idea of the URL's content. This directs them to good results faster and reduces the click-and-backtrack behavior that frustrates visitors and inflates web traffic metrics. Keep in mind that meta descriptions comprised of long strings of keywords don't achieve this goal and are less likely to be displayed in place of a regular, non-meta description, snippet. And it's worth noting that while accurate meta descriptions can improve clickthrough, they won't affect your ranking within search results."

Read for yourself what Google has to say about meta tags. Source from Google. And search results from a meta keyword tag search at google's blog.

Despite their lack of importance for ranking, Yahoo calls them important and offers advice for meta tags: Direct Yahoo link.

Internet website attacks

Some firms saw attacks from over 100,000 unique IP addresses, and in May 2007 have recorded over 250,000 IP addresses involved in "botnet" attacks. The largest such attack involved over 300,000 computers and was difficult to stop, as new IP addresses would keep attacking faster than the company could block them. There is a general solution to defend against the attack, but the solution needs to be applied to each web site individually. Source

Do you buy music online from iTunes? Read this:
...for some music lovers their [digital] music library could go flat as quickly as a soda. In 2004, Coke launched an online music store called mycokemusic. They quickly became the #1 online music store in the UK. Well, a lot changes in a couple of years on the net and what was once a shining success is now a distant player behind iTunes UK. So, Coke has decided to shutter the service by the end of July. The problem for customers is that mycokemusic sold digitally restricted files in Microsoft's Windows Media format. When buyers play their songs they are required to phone to the mothership and request authorization. But Coca Cola's announcement means the mothership is going away. With no authorization those purchased songs become digital flotsam because they will not play at all and the consumers entire music investment vanishes. It's a stark illustration that buying DRM songs is really a rental not a purchase because someone else controls your access to the property. Read a PDF or read the article online.

The corporate toll on the Internet (4-06)
Telecom giant AT&T plans to charge online businesses to speed their services through its DSL lines. Critics say the scheme violates every principle of the Internet, favors deep-pocketed companies, and is bound to limit what we see and hear online. By Farhad Manjoo. Weblink (needs account) | PDF download (free).

As usual, the telecoms are spreading disinformation. In addition to lobbying, broadband firms have "launched a campaign aimed at urging Americans to "join their fight". Large telecom firms back a "coalition" called Hands Off the Internet, which argues that instituting network neutrality amounts to government "regulation" of the Internet. On its Web site, the group -- which is funded by, among other companies, AT&T, beseeches, "Join us and say NO to government regulation of the Internet!" "

Opponents say that regulation is the only way to save the Internet from the likes of AT&T. "They would have the pipe split between the public Internet -- which might get 1 Mbps speeds -- and a toll lane on the rest of the 100 Mbps pipe they're laying…

Browser Market Share – April 06: (from http://marketshare.hitslink.com)

Microsoft Internet Explorer -- 84.70%
Firefox -- 10.05%
Safari -- 3.19%
Netscape -- 1.05%