Twitter just announced that it has plans to launch a feature that makes the service location-aware. They’re rolling out a new API that will allow developers to add latitude and longitude to any specific tweet.
The Dawn of Real Facebook eCommerce
Facebook is set to begin testing an expansion of its Gift Shop, for third-party developers to begin selling items to users for Facebook’s virtual currency. The really interesting part about this is that these developers can sell physical merchandise, not just Facebook gifts.
Oprah, Illinois AG Sue Internet Marketers
Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan has filed consumer fraud lawsuits against three suppliers and an affiliate marketer of acai berry products charging the companies lure customers with free online trial offers via aggressive Internet marketing tactics and then charge their credit cards prematurely.
YouTube Storyboards its Future
There’s no question that YouTube is already a force to be reckoned with in the online video industry. It is the most popular video site on the web by a long shot.
YouTube wants to be better though, and is frequently introducing new features. The company posted some visions for its own future on the YouTube blog today, including visual storyboards of some concepts it intends to pay particular attention to in the coming years. Have a look at those:
Bing Shopping Shows Impressive Growth Since Launch
Hitwise is sharing some information about how well Bing Shopping is doing. They have compared its performance from the week ending June 6th, just after its launch to its performance for the week ending August 8.
Yahoo Gives Search Marketers Time-Saving Tips
Yahoo has decided to drop some knowledge on Yahoo Search Marketing advertisers about a tool it has that it says will speed up their campaign optimization. If you are not familiar with it, it’s called the Bulksheet.
Department of Education: Online Education Beats Classroom
An interesting study from none other than the US Department of Education says that students using online education actually perform better than those who just learn in the classroom. The findings are all the more intriguing, considering the source.
The study examined a number of other studies on the subject to reach its conclusions. Online education programs should be pleased with the results.
Some of the key findings from the study:
Google’s Matt Cutts on .com Relevancy in UK
Some UK Google users have noticed that search results pages are showing more results from .com sites these days, than in the past. They are used to .co.uk sites getting better rank, and assuming that they are more relevant to their geographic location.
Certainly in some cases the .co.uk site would be more relevant to a UK searcher, but that is not always the case. Google’s Matt Cutts has posted a video in which he answers a question on this subject from a user. The question was:
Broadband Growth Fastest In Rural Areas
Over the past two years broadband has experienced the most significant growth in rural areas, according to a new study from comScore.
Rural markets (defined as having a population less than 10,000) in the U.S. saw a 16-percentage point increase in broadband penetration from Q2 2007 to Q2 2009, making it the fastest growing geographic market segment in the nation. In comparison micropolitan areas (population between 10,000-50,000) grew 14 percentage points during the same time, while metropolitan areas (population 50,000+) grew 11 percentage points.
eBay Affiliate Program Goes from CPA to CPC
eBay has announced "Quality Click Pricing" for the eBay Partner Network affiliate program. The company describes this as a new payout structure designed to further reward affiliates who drive incremental transactions on eBay, and who send "value buyers" to the company’s sites.