There has been an ongoing issue which has affected a large proportion of twitter users. Twitter users have been victimised by phishing scams through links in direct messages. In order to protect its users and to combat the issue Twitter has announced the launch of its very own URL shortener.

“Today, we’re launching a new service to protect users that strikes a major blow against phishing and other deceitful attacks. By routing all links submitted to Twitter through this new service, we can detect, intercept, and prevent the spread of bad links across all of Twitter. Even if a bad link is already sent out in an email notification and somebody clicks on it, we’ll be able to keep that user safe.” Twitter said.

Twitter will be initially focusing on Direct messages and notifications but its believed the new service will be rolled out to all areas of Twitter.

Author: Creative SEO

Google have released a list of 5 key privacy principles which they use on a day to day basis, the list has been made public for the first time to allow Google users to understand how Google treats privacy from a product perspective.

“Like our design and software guidelines, these privacy principles are designed to guide the decisions we make when we create new technologies. They are one of the key reasons our engineers have worked on new privacy-enhancing initiatives and features” Google Official Blog.

The 5 privacy principles are as follows:

1) Use information to provide our users with valuable products and services.
2) Develop products that reflect strong privacy standards and practices.
3) Make the collection of personal information transparent.
4) Give users meaningful choices to protect their privacy.
5) Be a responsible steward of the information we hold.

You can find out more at the Google Privacy Center or click on the video below.



Article by Creative SEO

Google Social Search was launched last year as part of Google Labs, the product has been in testing and is due to be launched in the next few days, so what exactly does it do?

Google Social Search is an innovative concept which allows users to search their own personal social networks, blog posts and other social content for specific information. The possibilities are endless you could look within your own social network to find out firstly who is an expert on a specific topic and secondly who is talking about or has similar interests or opinions. Really this is just the very beginning; the possibilities for research are endless allowing users to network there direct contacts based on keyword search queries.

To get the full benefit of Google Social Search you will need a Google account and you’ll have to be signed in. Within your Google account you’ll need to configure your profile to include all of your social networks etc. Google have also added the service to Google Image search so you can find images based on a keyword search exclusively from your social circle.

“While we’ve been enjoying Social Search (and having babies), we’ve been hard at work on new features. For example, we’ve added social to Google Images. Now when you’re doing a search on Images, you may start seeing pictures from people in your social circle. These are pictures that your friends and other contacts have published publicly to the web on photo-sharing sites like Picasa Web Albums and Flickr. Just like the other social results, social image results appear under a special heading called “Results from your social circle” Google Blog.

We’ll update the post to let you know when the service has gone live but in the mean time, here’s a great video, by Google, which gives an overview of what lies ahead.

Article by Creative SEO

2010 is well on its way, the way we search the internet is set to change, search engines continue to adapt and evolve to fulfil the ever growing needs of the consumer but what exactly is going to happen and how will Search Engine Optimisation and Marketing adapt to the changes?

Google, Yahoo and Bing continue to fight for supremacy but even with the challenge of the new Yahoo and Bing Partnership, Google’s simplicity of use and popularity have continued to assure its market leading position. Google are set to continue heaping on the pressure with the launch of the new caffeine update, due to complete by the end of January and the introduction of cookie based personalised search results. Google have also mentioned the Page Load Speed will also become an important part of the Google Algorithm, so what is going to happen and how will this effect online business?

Below is a list of Articles from key websites detailing their predictions for 2010, the articles are extremely interesting and show a clear trend of opinion.

Article by Creative SEO

Search Engine Land: Link Building Trends For 2010

Search Engine Watch: 5 New Year Resolutions for Search Marketers in 2010

Acidgreen: SEO Trends in 2010: Search Engine Optimization Techniques for Online Marketers

Internet Marketing Inc.: Three 2010 SEO Trends to Look Out For: Social Media, Onpage SEO & Link Diversity

Small Business Trends: SEO Trends to Watch for in 2010

SEOptimise: 20 SEO New Year’s Resolutions for 2010

Search Engine Land: 6 New Years Resolutions For In-House SEMs

Search Engine Journal: 2010: A New Age For Search Marketers

SEOmoz: 8 Predictions for SEO in 2010

David Harry: White Coat SEO resolutions for the New Year

Search Engine People: My 3 PPC Resolutions – Why 2010 Will be Defined by Mobile, Facebook and the Website Optimizer

PPC Without Pity: Three PPC Predictions For 2010

Search Engine Land: My PPC New Year Resolutions

Search Engine Watch: Search Marketing 2010: Plan ahead by looking back

PPC Hero: 5 PPC Resolutions for 2010

Search Engine Land: Five Search Marketing Predictions For 2010

Web.com: 5 Pay-Per-Click Trends to Watch in 2010

Google: Think2010: Personalization and accountability (Google AdWords video series)

Search Engine Land: 2010 Planning: 3 Tips To Improve Search Results Next Year

eMarketer: eMarketer Weighs In on 2010: Online Advertising & Usage

GigaOM: Will 2010 Finally be the Year of Location?

Local SEO Guide: Local SEO Predictions 2010

Mashable: Location, Location, Location: 5 Big Predictions for 2010

Small Business Trends: Five Can’t-Miss Mobile Marketing Trends For 2010

Search Engine Land: Predictions For The Changing Local Search Landscape In 2010

Marketing Charts: Top 10 Wireless Predictions for 2010

Social Media Explorer: Five Things We Should All Do In 2010

Mashable: Facebook: 5 Predictions for 2010

ReadWriteWeb: 10 Ways Social Media Will Change In 2010

Dan Zarrella: My Predictions for Social Media Marketing in 2010

DreamGrow Digital: 22 Social Media Marketing Trends for 2010

Social Media B2B: 11 B2B Social Media Predictions For 2010

eMarketer: eMarketer Weighs In on 2010 Trends: Social Media & Paid Content

Search Engine Land: 12 Social Media New Year’s Resolutions For 2010

10e20: 6 More Social Media New Year’s Resolutions For 2010

Harvard Business Review: Six Social Media Trends for 2010

451 Marketing: Top Social Media Strategists to Watch in 2010

SmartBlog on Social Media: Looking ahead to 2010 with Shiv Singh

Google have launched the Adwords Optimisation Center, a new educational learning and resource centre offering advice, tips and strategies to all types of Adwords users.

The new centre has been designed to help basic, intermediate and advanced Adwords users to get the very best out of the Adwords service; featuring information, tips advice and knowledge from Google’s very own Adwords, specialists who have worked with a variety of different sized businesses and accounts.  This invaluable resource features tips about each major account feature including Ads creation, Keyword usage, Targeting Users, Bidding and Budgeting and Account structure. There is also detailed information about how to improve your ROI (Return on Investment), Improve your Ad position, Increase Sales and Leads and Improve Click through Rates (CTR).

Article by Creative SEO