SearchBeatShop.com Shout-Out Blog

See what people were searching for in 2004 at Google's Zeitgeist.

Excerpt from Google: "Based on billions of searches conducted by Google users around the world, the 2004 Year-End Zeitgeist offers a unique perspective on the year's major events and trends. We hope you enjoy this aggregate look at what people wanted to know more about this year"...[read more]

Have you always wondered about the best way to perform a search for video clips on the Internet. Read through this online article to discover the best video search tips: Video searches on Web don't always click yet.

Excerpt from International Herald Tribune Online: "There is a vast amount of video stored online, footage of just about anything from congressional hearings to chimpanzees performing karate. But unlike the text content of the Web, or even still photographs, a video cannot be retrieved by typing a few words into an Internet search engine like Google"...[read more]

Finally, broadbroad Internet usage has surged!

Link: Broadband Use Surpasses Dial-Up in U.S.

Excerpt from SiliconValley.com: "As prices dropped over the past year,
broadband use at home has surpassed that of dial-up in the United
States, reaching 53 percent of residential Web users in October,
according to Nielsen/NetRatings"...[read more]

Many people have wondered why they needed Instant Messaging and Jeff Carlson gives several good reasons: The Seattle Times: Instant messaging gains a fan.

Excerpt from Seattle Times: "Unexpectedly, online chatting makes me more productive. I realized long ago that my mental circuitry is wired with a "cool-music lag." I just don't innately pick up on what's hot until it's either lukewarm or over-saturated in the marketplace.That's never been a problem with technology; I was building Web pages when Yahoo! was still a list of favorite links by two Ph.D. candidates named Jerry Yang and David Filo"...[read more]

Discover how to Podcast!

Link: learn web standards : style master podGuide.

Excerpt from WestCIV: "The Style Master CSS podGuide is an iPod ready edition of our renowned Complete CSS Guide. Featuring a handy overview of CSS concepts, and in-depth information for every selector, property and @rule of CSS 2.1, the CSS podGuide is a must have for any web developer with an iPod, and just one more reason to get an iPod if you don't already"...[read more]

Matt Hicks at eWeek.com gives a nice two page summary of some of the major events in the search engine world in 2004: Year in Review: Search Gets Ready to Rumble.

From eWeek: "Opinion: The Web search market
becomes a battle among Google, Microsoft and Yahoo and a rush to extend
the reach and profit potential of search"...[read more] 

Today we tried out one of Google's new tools  - Google Local which is still in Beta. For locating local businesses we have been using the traditional Google Search, Yahoo Maps and Mapquest.

The sparse format of Google Local front page allows you to input "What" and "Where."  This follows Google's philosophy of keeping their screens simple and easy-to-use. You start by keying "What" you are looking for (for example - books) and then input the city and state or zip code into the "Where" box. Click search and ten business results will be displayed. Each business name, address, phone number, web site and a button for directions are all visible along with a small map. The map displays each cross-referenced business on the screen signified with a pointer.

This is a brief description from Google's web site on how it works - "Google Local locates neighborhood stores and services by searching billions of pages across the Web, then cross-checking those results with Yellow Pages data to pinpoint the local resources you want to find." You will also find Mapquest as the directions provider and traditional web pages under-the-hood of this Google  application.

Verdict:

Good - Quick search, almost instant response. Easy-to-use.

Not so good - Results are sometimes out of date - some of the businesses displayed on the screen have been out-of-business for along time.

Caveats - Right now Google Local only works for the United States and Canada.

Overall - A winner. Thumbs up.

Alternatives: Our favorite has been the Yahoo Maps because we simply input an address then click a selection under the "Smartview" box such as a type of restaurant. Yahoo Maps is slower since you first have to pull up a map. Not as flexible as Google Local but more exact.

Vishal Rao gives us the many reasons why blogs may becoming so widespread in To Blog or Not to Blog: Are Blogs Becoming More Popular than Forums, Newsleters and E-zines?.

While his predictions may never come to pass, he does zero in some key benefits of blogs such as "high interactiveness" and "easy to maintain."