Microsoft Stops Filling Search Boxes

MSN UK was running an experiment where they pre-filled the search box with “of the day” popular terms, such as “Apprentice BBC” or “Cricket World Cup”, hoping it would prompt users to take advantage of the search box a little more. Well, after a few days, the experiment has been retired and dubbed a bad idea.

Google’s Free Multivariate Testing

I've written before about multivariate testing, an emerging technique for rigorous analysis of just what persuades customers to convert. But some companies have been stopped in the past by the cost of licensing a multivariate testing tool. Yesterday, Google Website Optimizer, a multivariate testing tool, emerged from a restricted beta test and can be used by any Google AdWords advertiser for free.

The Blogosphere’s Alive, And Turning Japanese

The blogosphere has evolved into a living, breathing organism; the interrelated parts stemming from its bloggadocious heart have branched to include tags, vlogs, and podcasts. It even has its own virus – the splog. This evolution spurred Technorati's Dave Sifry to redefine it as the "Live Web," growing not as fast as it was, but growing nonetheless.

Another List of Blogging Mistakes

In no particular order here are a list of blogging mistakes I’ve made (and wished I didn’t) or have watched friends make (and secretly laughed at them wished they didn’t).

Businesses Loving Web 2.0… Except Blogs?

Putting People First blog just posted about a survey that strategy consultancy McKinsey just conducted with executives about web 2.0 technologies and found significant interest and support, but they still shy away from blogs: