Scribes Write

Sitemaps for Search Engines

It's not everyday that you see the big search engines agree on something. However SearchEngineWatch reports that Google, Yahoo and Microsoft have all declared their backing for a standardised sitemaps protocol.

With the three main search engines behind this initiative it will be in the best interests of webmasters everywhere to take a close look at this development. This information will be presented at sitemaps.org and was originally based on a Google idea.

The Online Video Revolution

Following Google's purchase of Youtube it seems like we have finally ushered in the age of the online video. And with search still being the cheapest method of customer acquisition it seems Google is really trying to position itself as the media company of the future.

However, what with the enforced removal of several thousand copyrighted clips from Youtube, now might be the time for other online video services to take advantage.

Many Hands Make Light Waste

Following the report that us Brits are the worst energy wasters in Europe, my interest was drawn to the humble lightbulb.

How is it that this 125 year old technology has made such an impact on our lives, yet receives little credit and has been seemingly ignored by innovation for so long?

On Perception

The mind is it's own place, and in itself
Can make a heaven of Hell, a hell of Heaven.

- John Milton

The Wonder of Stonehenge

I was glad to hear about the nomination of Stonehenge for the new shortlist of 7 wonders of the modern world. There are a few surprising inclusions in the list, although I tend to agree with Anthony's selections over at Archeoblog (with the possible exception of the Colosseum for Angkor Wat).

However I am surprised that there has been relatively little coverage of the recent discovery of 9 neolithic-era buildings at the Stonehenge world heritage site.

External Traffic Measurement Sites

Rand Fiskin has created an excellent study of 25 websites, comparing the relative accuracy of external metrics sites (such as Alexa and Technorati) against the actual data provided by analytics programs.

The conclusion that was reached is that these sites provide very little accuracy when compared to actual visitor numbers. However this study gives hard facts with which to back up conclusions that were, for the most part, previously based on anecdotal evidence.

Thanks to Andy Beal over at Marketing Pilgrim for pointing it out.

Search Engine Usage

It has been a while since I broached the subject, so the latest search share rankings press release from Nielsen//NetRatings has provided me with a perfect excuse to take a look at the current state of the search engines.

According to the release, Google is the runaway leader at the moment with 50% of all searches (some 2.8 billion) conducted through them during September. The next most used is Yahoo with 23% of the searches, with MSN, Aol, Ask and My Way all lagging some way behind.

{Added} The comscore search activity analysis for September states Google leads the way on 45%.

The Nuclear Option Revisited

After a decade of not being able to say it without being hissed at, it seems you can't go anywhere without hearing the word nuclear again these days.

Whether it be test explosions in North Korea, or reintroducing it into the UK's energy mix, it seems to be flavour of the month. So putting MAD to one side, once again we find ourselves in need of reopening the thorny issue of nuclear waste disposal.

Attention Grabbing Taglines

I felt I had to make a note of this article purely for the the great tagline. It conveys a simple but important message in a clever and arresting manner.

At any rate, if the argument of content over links interests you, head this way to read "If you market they will come, If you have content they will stay."

Subvocal Communication

I guess it would be a dumb question if I asked how many people found others talking loudly on phones to be immensely irritating.

Unfortunately I count myself as one of those annoying people, as I have a deep voice and when I talk softly it tends to get drowned out by the background noise. Therefore the news of a commercial product allowing us to communicate silently being available within the next few years could be a godsend.