Google to Penalize For Excessive Above-the-Fold Ads
Last Updated on Tuesday, 24 January 2012 01:05 Written by External Post Tuesday, 24 January 2012 01:05
Read The Rest Of This...The Google Search Optimization Truth You Aren`t Being Told
Last Updated on Monday, 23 January 2012 08:05 Written by External Post Monday, 23 January 2012 08:05
Read The Rest Of This...Antiques Auctions 2012
Last Updated on Monday, 23 January 2012 04:25 Written by External Post Monday, 23 January 2012 04:25
Read The Rest Of This...2012 started with a bang for Boningtons
Last Updated on Monday, 23 January 2012 04:15 Written by External Post Monday, 23 January 2012 04:15
Read The Rest Of This...Real Link Wheel Secrets To Top Google Rankings
Last Updated on Tuesday, 17 January 2012 05:05 Written by External Post Tuesday, 17 January 2012 05:05
Read The Rest Of This...Is Google Too Big To Fail?
Last Updated on Monday, 12 December 2011 01:10 Written by a2e Monday, 12 December 2011 01:10
We are better off if we ignore what Google is saying and follow one thing: Google wants more money for Google. When we make this assumption, everything Google does makes sense. Deception and doublespeak are logical and expected rather than shocking and upsetting.
When it comes to scale, as pointed out with Groupon, all of these rules go out the window. If you look at the biggest advertisers, replace their account with one with no history and the brand “Geico” with “SEOBook auto insurance” and the campaign will simply not run. You are spam. In some cases larger advertisers are able to run ads which are clearly deceptive and go against guidelines which they actively enforce on smaller advertisers. I have a strong suspicion now that this is in fact institutionalized in Google’s rating process rather than any employee going out of their way to overturn some sort of penalty.
Google will not disrupt a site or advertiser that will negatively impact their own quarterly earnings. When Google does disrupt one, it is because they have a backup in place. That backup may be their own internal project or a competitor of yours who sends 95% of their advertising through Google’s ad platforms. When Google claimed they were going after content farms, and Demand Media’s properties (which are explicitly spam) were spared, the reason was obvious, because it would have visibly impacted their bottom line.
Brand is a deceptive concept. A hairy, smelly drug addict that compulsively molests women is not a sex offender but rather a globally famous rock star. Much the same holds true to many of the biggest brands. As long as a brand spams, that spam is opaque to Google’s customer base and their customers do not bring a negative association with Google’s brand. However, when that same hairy, smelly drug addict is anonymous he is a nuisance which destroys your reputation when you publicly associate yourself with him.
Google is like an oil company which not only dictates the price of oil but also chooses where an oil field will exist. Google is now “too big to fail” as indicated by the recent DOJ investigation which could have resulted in a felony charge for their co-founder, and most certainly would have for a smaller firm without $500m of liquid cash. We should be thankful that visitors are still directed to our websites when they could simply receive excerpts of what they are searching for.
My conclusion: first, I monetize my existing sites with Google’s own products as much as possible. Second: I no longer invest my time or money in new businesses that require Google’s traffic. Google should expect more walled content gardens in their future. Google’s biggest challengers such as Facebook and Apple recognize this, and their platforms are very much walled gardens. That is too bad for the web as we know it today.
As a consumer I want Google to have the best, most trustworthy experience possible. They can fight SEOs and affiliates all day long and it doesn’t bother me. I fully expected the innovative waves that helped the web destroy old media do the same again to itself. But, when Google lies, and do things that in fact damage that consumers experience no longer can I defend Google (when eHow first started popping up in 50% of the searches I did I was shocked; I am absolutely appalled they still show up on page 1 for anything, the articles are obviously written by authors that re-hashed another article in 10 minutes and often factually incorrect on top of it.)
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Andrew Johnson submitted the above (less the image) as a comment here, but we thought it deserved to be its own post on the blog so more people get to see it.
eBay Blocks Users for Not Providing Tax IDs to PayPal
Last Updated on Monday, 21 November 2011 01:36 Written by External Post Monday, 21 November 2011 01:36
Some users are reporting they are unable to sell on eBay because they have not provided PayPal with their Tax ID numbers. EcommerceBytes has reported extensively on a new law that requires payment processors to issue 1099K reports to the IRS beginning this tax year.
Despite the fact that small sellers are clearly exempt from the law, payment processors, including PayPal and Amazon.com, have been requiring small sellers to provide their tax ID numbers.
http://blog.auctionbytes.com/cgi-bin/blog/blog.pl
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Flintlock Weapons at Auction
Last Updated on Wednesday, 9 November 2011 10:55 Written by External Post Wednesday, 9 November 2011 10:55
At Auction, many weapons are brought in for appraisal: knives, bayonets, shotguns, pistols and rifles, automatic weaponry, sub machine guns and heavy machine guns. Each has had a role from turbulent times in our past history and from histories around the world.
One of the earliest forms of weapons we see are Flintlock’s, these were mainly used from the 18th to 19th century before they were superseded by the percussion era and then evolved further into the cartridge which ended the muzzle loading format of weaponry (except for the wonderful enthusiasts who keep this sport alive, through vigorous licensing to safe keep its historical education for the future !).
We have had many pistols and rifles from the English armourers of the time and many named makers of repute: Mantor, Knock, Durs Egg etc. and people are usually intrigued by these weapons when they come to the market – most frequently when people hold a gun they say “isn’t it heavy”, and they like to be shown the routine for the loading and discharge of the weapon and the fact that the sparks from the frizzen are the flint, dislodging steel to ignite a powder chemical reaction instead of the flint coming off. These weapons were an accomplishment of the time when each gun was hand made and not interchangeable for parts.
The Flintlock is the most venerable of the lock technologies and amazing from an innovation standpoint. This single device solved so many of the problems of the time and did so using the fairly primitive tools and technology available at the time. The prices reflect the quality of the metals and processes used. Carving to wood, calibres, makers and innovations on the development of the gun.
Read The Rest Of This...Country House Auctions
Last Updated on Wednesday, 9 November 2011 10:55 Written by External Post Wednesday, 9 November 2011 10:55
Following World War II, the vast workforce needed to run and maintain a stately or country home was depleted due to the fact of soldiers either continuing their duties or finding better paid jobs in towns.
The final nail in the coffin came after World War II left many buildings in a poor state of repair, agricultural supplies declined and higher taxes were levied. Therefore, the only solution, in order to raise funds was to hold contents auctions in the grounds. This led to a period of fantastic finds for the educated and knowledgeable antique dealer. Sales were hastily advertised in the local press and encouraged dealers to travel to all parts of the country seeking out the catalogued treasures.
However times have changed with the power of the Web. Auctioneers can now fully orchestrate a country house sale without any hiccups, although sometimes months are needed to organise the sales. They can be very rewarding for the seller as a house sale can show the objects in their own setting which can influence buyers to pay a higher premium.
Gone are the days of the large stately home having all its contents displayed on its lawns, but the concept is still there for smaller estates to offer for sale their complete contents and raise funds with organised and well marketed techniques. Press releases encourage buyers from all over the world and interest is raised in anticipation of the treasures yet to be discovered.
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