In January, 6.8 billion searches were done in Japan, representing a 9 percent increase compared to a year ago and the highest monthly search volume on record.
Yahoo sites took the top spot in search with 3.5 billion searches during the month, up from 13 percent from the previous year, followed by Google sites with 2.6 billion searches (up 5%) and Rakuten with 153 million searches (up 38%). Excite Japan had the strongest growth of any search property in the top ten, growing 362 percent compared to a year ago to 52 million searches.
Economic Woes May Move Google To Sit On Its Money
It’s hard to imagine the death of search as we know it, but search is changing as we speak, and unless Google finds some flexibility, the company will be at the forefront of innovation no longer. The dent in Google’s armor comes from rather surprising directions, not from Microsoft or Yahoo—both with their own rigid corporate paralysis—but from Twitter and Facebook, where users create their very own walled gardens.
Google Docs Privacy Glitch Accidentally Shares Documents
On Friday Google contacted some Google Docs users to alert them of a privacy issue. Less than 0.05% of user docs were accidentally shared with people with whom they were not supposed to be.
Google, Yahoo, MSFT Asked To Stop Censorship For One Day
It never hurts to ask. Representatives of Reporters Without Borders and Amnesty International have written the CEOs of Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft to see if they would please cease censoring things for just one day.
Self-Proclaimed “Facebook Era” Founder Wins Google Suit
Aaron Greenspan, a man known mostly for his legal issues with Facebook, recently sued Google when his account was shut down and payment of $721 he was due from pubslishing Google Ads was halted. One day Greenspan received an email from Google saying:
Google Letting Users Post Their Health Records Online
Before we get started I need to tell you that I will need to fight a strong bias here to write about the issue of health records online. I have some background in the use, power and neglect of medical records from my days in the insurance business.
Google Offers Money Saving Tips With Tip Jar
With the economy in a recession and people looking for more ways to save money, Google is offering help with a new money saving site called Tip Jar.
Google says the site is an experiment that it hopes will offer users the most effective ways to save money. Tip Jar is powered by Google Moderator, which itself began as an experiment for the Google App Engine.
New Google Health Feautres Could Save Lives
Google has launched some new features for Google Health that could potentially save lives in times of personal crisis. For one, they’ve included the option for sharing Google Health profiles.
This means if you keep your profile up to date with any medication and medical history, you can share it with your loved ones so they can answer questions for doctors or other medical professionals in times of emergency.
Google Maps To Catch MapQuest By End Of The Year
Even with the strong growth of portable navigation devices, online mapping sites remain popular for trip planning, local search and written direction.
The current global number of 300 million unique visitors is expected to grow at annual rate of 15 percent in the coming years, according to ABI research.
In the U.S. MapQuest and Google are competing for market leadership, leaving Yahoo Maps and Microsoft Live Search Maps trailing.
Google Analytics Certification Program Launched
Today Google announced a new online course that will help interested parties prepare to get a Google Analytics certification. It costs $50 to take the test to get certified, but to me the more interesting part is the course itself.