search

Recently, it was announced that Facebook users would see more advertising promotions in the weeks to come. One of the first companies to come aboard is Microsoft, which will have its Bing search engine page embedded on the logout page of Facebook's ... site. It's reported that after users log out of Facebook, they will be greeted with an interactive Bing advertisement complete with wallpaper and an active search box. Typing a query into the search box will open up a results page in a separate tab. "Logout advertisements" like these are said to be among the newest changes coming to Facebook. ... (view more)

It's been a week since we had our vote and my email inbox is buzzing with questions and suggestions from our readers. The question below is the most frequently asked question from last week's vote, and it deserves an entire article on its own. ... Please read it carefully. Note: the article below is lengthy (about 1500 words). Most people reading this article will find it highly informative and interesting as it applies to technology, search engines, advertising, profits, and even addresses how and why Google ranks its search results. It also explains why we are asking for contributions to our ... (view more)

Google has unveiled a major overhaul of its online user tracking system, claiming to make its services more useful. However, critics fear the changes, set for March 1, 2012, will allow for more effective snooping of user data and online activities. ... The changes center around the way the company keeps track of activity data, and the way it's then used. Google Pools Online Tracking to 'Improve' Advertising, Search Under the old system, someone who receives a lot of emails about football will see advertisements for football. Someone who watches a lot of comedy clips on YouTube will see lots of ... (view more)

Twitter has accused Google of fixing its search results to boost to its own social networking service, Google+. Twitter says the move produces results that don't accurately reflect the latest news. The dispute involves search engines (like Google) ... that once merely scanned and indexed static web pages, but now factor in a variety of sources, including online networking posts. In the past, Google included Twitter posts in its main search results, including messages that had been re-tweeted (reposted) frequently. Unlike Google's main results list, this "Real-time search" would regularly refresh ... (view more)

For the majority of those who scour the Internet for information, Google's search engine continues to be a favorite tool. But a new report is showing that Google's success rate is slipping, even being surpassed by rivals Yahoo! and Bing. Google ... remained the most popular search engine in July, commanding 66 per cent of all searches for the month. But of those searches, only 68 per cent were deemed successful. In comparison, more than 80 per cent of searches conducted on both Yahoo! and Bing were considered successful. Link Usage Renders Search "Successful" The most obvious question coming out ... (view more)

Google plans to make their search platform even faster by running new voice and image recognition programs designed to shave precious seconds off the entire search process. Although it has been rumored for some time, it now appears as if people will ... be able to conduct their searches with a verbal command or by dragging an image into their search box. Dubbed 'Instant Pages,' the feature will also predict and pre-load web pages that users are most likely to click on for faster results. Voice Command Results "Fairly Accurate" While Google has offered voice search on mobile phones for a little ... (view more)

Microsoft now has an app available for the Apple iPad based on the Bing search engine , with a few interesting features thrown in to make it unique. The iPad already comes with a built-in Safari browser that includes a search bar, but the Bing app ... makes this feature appear larger in comparison. Bing Features Exclusive to iPad With the exclusive iPad Bing app, Microsoft has added voice search to grab the attention of impartial users. (Source: cnet.com ) When conducting a search, a tile pops up on the right side of the screen acting as a tab. However, the tile features a highlight tool that ... (view more)

Reports suggest that Microsoft is planning to invest a vast amount of their resources in helping to make the Bing search engine a more "personalized experience" for its users. The new direction is further proof that Microsoft is serious in ... challenging Google's stranglehold on the search engine market. Memory Recollection and Geographic Location The "personalized experience" is centered around two concepts: memory recollection and geographic location. The memory recollection feature benefits those that search for similar results on multiple occasions. If an individual types in "car dealerships ... (view more)

Microsoft has refused to do future business with a company responsible for changing users' default web browser search without permission. The firm appears to have been one of the most prolific advertisers on Facebook. The company in question runs a ... website called make-my-baby.com, which includes a tool allowing users to simulate dressing a virtual baby. To use the tool, users had to install a plug-in for their browser. Unless users visited a link to a set of terms and conditions and read through the fine print, they wouldn't have been aware that the installation process also switched their ... (view more)

It seems most people don't need Google to look up their favorite social networking web site. According to a recent report, Facebook has surpassed the search giant's main site as the most-visited web page in the United States for 2010. The report ... comes courtesy of industry analysts at Experian Hitwise, which finds that in the past year Facebook eclipsed both Google and Yahoo in popularity. Of all visits to web sites made by American Internet users this past year (at least, between January and November), 8.9 per cent were associated with Facebook. By comparison, 7.2 per cent of website visits ... (view more)