Bill to legalise pornography involving 14-year-olds provokes anger

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Opposition MPs and civil organisations last Monday reacted angrily to a proposed change to the law that would allow pornography involving children aged 14 and above to be filmed for personal use. “This will give legal defence to paedophilia and supports perversion,” MP Ildikó Gáll Pelczné, vice president of the right-of-centre Fidesz party, said in Parliament. “We will oppose giving a legal defence to ‘sugar uncles’.

14 age of consent for sex
Justice Minister József Petrétei, who recently presented the draft proposal, said that if 14-year olds were old enough to engage in consensual sex, then the chance to make videos of it was also possible. The age of consent in Hungary is 14. Petrétei said that MPs who felt strongly opposed to the bill on moral grounds should suggest modifications.

‘Deviant behaviour’
Pelczné, however, followed up her protests on Tuesday by demanding, in the name of Fidesz, that Petrétei resign.
“This raises sickness and deviant behaviour to a government level,” she said.

Horrified
Campaigners for the rights of women and children were just as horrified by the proposal.
“This is a statement from legislators saying that we don’t mind adults abusing children,” said Judit Wirth from NANE, a civil group that campaigns against violence in the home. “There should be a statement that says: ‘no way’.”

Relatives banned
The bill specifies that children cannot be filmed by anyone who is related to them or caring for them, and that the subject of the film must also give permission.
However, opponents do not consider these safeguards sufficient. “I do not think adults should get permission to sexually abuse children, no matter what kind of relationship they have,” Wirth said.
Petrétei said that the bill was in line with European norms, which allow such decisions to be made by member states. Other sections of the bill aim to tighten legislation regarding other pornography-related offences.
Gergely Bárándy, an MP with the ruling Hungarian Socialist Party, defended the bill, saying it would be unfair to threaten a 19-year-old with prison for taking “erotic picture of his 17-year-old wife for their own private use”. Bárándy said that judges could be trusted to use their wisdom in making decisions about specific cases.
The law change would require only a simple majority to pass, and if all of the ruling Socialist-liberal coalition members throw their weight behind the bill they will achieve this majority. Parliamentary debate on the issue is set to continue this week.

Michael Logan

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Over 1/3 of Internet Users Have Logged in Via Wireless Connections

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Pew Internet & American Life released a report on a survey conducted in December 2006 with regard to the use by Americans of wireless Internet connections. According to the results, 34% surveyed stated that they have logged on via a wireless connection either at home, work or "someplace else."Of those 34% who have used wireless connections, the survey also showed them to be savvier, better informed users - in touch with current events and utilizing their connections to stay in touch with the world - either personally or for business. 72% of the wireless users stated that they check e-mail daily - this is compared to figures from previous studies that showed 63% of home broadband users and 54% of all users check e-mail daily. 46% of the wireless users also stated that they get news online daily - compared to 38% of home broadband users and 31% of all Internet users.Other figures were interesting, again revealing something about the demographic of users who log online via wireless connections - 80% of those users also have broadband connections at home. Experts say it is this "relentless connectivity" that is available via wireless access that reveals the most about these users. Some feel that it is this "always on" requirement by their workplace that could be encouraging extended use of the Internet for other "personal" online activities.Because the survey asked for wireless users either at home, work or "someplace else" - we looked into those figures too. 27% stated that they have logged on via a wireless device at "someplace else" - like a coffee shop or other hot spot. 20% of wireless users surveyed stated that they use their connections at home via a wireless network and 17% stated that they use wireless at work. Again, spotting the trend of "always on" connection breeding even more use of the Internet, 25% of these users stated that they have gone online wirelessly from two of the three places, a combination of home, work and "somplace else".

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Microsoft probes IE 7, Vista bug reports

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Microsoft is investigating two recently disclosed security vulnerabilities that affect Internet Explorer 7 and Windows Vista, the company said Monday.
The vulnerabilities aren't considered high-risk, yet they affect the latest releases of Microsoft's Web browser and operating system software. Microsoft has promoted the security of both IE 7 and Windows Vista. The flaws could let attackers get their hands on sensitive user information, security experts have warned.
The French Security Incident Response Team said in an alert that the IE vulnerability, which also affects IE 6, could be exploited in phishing attacks, scams that try to trick people into giving up sensitive information such as credit card data and Social Security numbers. The problem exists because of an error in the way the browser handles certain "onunload" events, the security monitoring company said. Attackers could exploit the issue to spoof the browser address bar, FrSirt said.
The Windows issue is due to a problem with a component that does not properly validate user permissions. This could be exploited by an attacker with access to the machine to get information on protected files, according to a second FrSirt alert. The problem affects Windows Vista, XP, 2000 and Windows Server 2003, FrSirt said.
Microsoft is looking into both vulnerabilities, which were made public last week. Neither of the flaws has been used in any attacks and exploiting the issues is hard, a company representative said.
The IE flaw could only be exploited if an attacker were to lure a victim to a malicious Web site and then persuade the user to enter the address of a trusted site into the address bar. "Customers can avoid this attack by opening and using a new instance of IE before visiting an untrusted site," Microsoft said.
The Windows problem, aside from requiring the attacker to be logged on to the vulnerable computer, appears to only expose file information, not the actual contents of the file, Microsoft said.
Upon completion of its investigations, Microsoft may issue a security advisory or provide security updates through its monthly patch process, the representative said.

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What Resolution Should Your Site Be Designed For?

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by Deepak Sharma
Kudos for making a fascinating web site and for all the real hard work you put in place from your end. But as a matter of fact you deserve rewards in terms of what you expect your web site to yield rather than eulogies from some other quarter.The beauty of your web site should percolate down to its intended end users. But what is critical on this front is: Your web site should dawn on your users precisely the way you have designed it - intelligently and laboriously - to appear.Your desire may be topping your wish list but it may be marred by some hard facts. The usage of PC is still evolving and characterized by marked disparity in its constituent parts. This is note that the majority of PC users use older versions and their willingness to opt for latest accessories is something very discouraging.A glimpse on differing resolutions in useRight at the outset, be it known to you that monitor size and monitor resolution are two altogether different entities and should not make you perplexed to render your web design adaptive to it. The matter of pretty concerns is the resolution of the monitor which can be a hurdle or a good help to showcase your web site's prized attributes.In the preliminary phase of PC popularity, 640 by 480 resolutions ruled the roost but it gave way to other resolutions as they hit the market fancifully. The commonest resolutions, as of now, happen to be 640 by 480, still quite in number, 800 by 600, and 1,024 by 768. What makes the matter tough to deal with is the fact that these resolutions apart, there is good number of some odd dimensions. Though not common, but still they assume importance because you will be missing out to count on them to be beneficiaries of your web site. Reasons? Well, they may end up being deprived to see your web site the way you have intended them because their resolutions do not support to see your web site in its entirety, with all its beauty and elegance.You are right if you get a little confused as this is almost a quirky situation when it comes to design at what resolutions for better results, and of course, for better reach.Let's find some workable solutions!One-Size-Does-Not-Fit-All. So, what are the workarounds?What workarounds you should be up to largely depends on what kind of coverage your web site has been conceived and accordingly designed for. Take for example, if you intended your web site to be classy and artistic, go on with the resolutions that help look it as desired regardless of its reach.Due consideration cannot be done away in case where one aims for optimal exposure, especially when the web site supports and promotes business interests. Though web site in entirety is something of great importance to a business, but nonetheless some part of the web page might be comparatively important to other parts. Like, part that exhibits navigation bar, ad banners, your own or of clients, new product launches, or cool offers.These important stuff should be visible to all whoever browses your site no matter what screen resolutions they are using. While designing for resolutions, keep all such crucial stuff in 640-by-480 display size simply because this is believed to be most fundamental dimension in use. The advantage emanating from this approach is that you do not necessarily design exclusively for 640-by-480 users, but at the same time do not deprive them to see what could be important to you -- and for them, too. And those using higher resolutions are nicely targeted in the process.There is a useful way to help you in your prepatory works to make your web site rightly visible across users of different resolutions. It is a good move to see for yourself how your web page looks in different resolutions. Whether the crucial part is catching the attention of users in different resolutions. If not, where on the web page that important part may be strategically placed to augment visibility across different resolutions as may be possible.But how do you begin? There is something called shareware programs, compatible with Windows or Macintosh, which comes for this purpose. With this, you can accomplish all the above tasks, and can do the adjustments as a result thereof.There is yet another means that can help you out in your visibility drive. As the benefits of this means are galore; so expectedly, it will demand a good amount of time and efforts on your part. After all, what rewards you ultimately is what tests your nerves. You need to have different versions of our web site in terms of resolutions to begin with. Further, you have to use JavaScript to find out the resolution of your user. This will be followed by redirecting the user to the version best suited to the resolution in question, giving your web site utmost exposure with vividness and clarity.Coming out of this intrigue, on safer sideYou must be up to this point that there is no simple answer to the simple question: What resolution should your design web site for?Well, it depends on a lot of things. Though it can vary in the context of the nature of web site and its intended purpose as outlined in preceding workarounds part of this article.Depending on your needs, you may well go for accommodating the full space of the window browser for lower resolutions, or you may act cautious so that your web content is rightly printed out on normally used papers in standard laser printer. Designing for 640-by-480 is a safe resort, but designing for 750 pixels width will be especially better for higher dimensions, and will go in harmony with lower dimensions as well if decisive stuff is placed thoughtfully with an eye on visibility accruing on lower dimensions .Another careful consideration in your web site could be the use of frames. Frames consume a good deal of space, and may make other significant things on your web site wanting in space. Follow a thumb rule: Use the minimal number of frames in your web site, and its use must have convincing reasons. Simply put, use it when and only when you cannot think of its substitutes and frame alone is the answer. Sensible use of frames will make other important things on the site visually prominent.To cut the story short, you do not have direct controls on what resolutions users would be having on their monitors while browsing. But accommodating most of the users across varying resolutions to make them see the most vital aspect of your web page is something you cannot afford to miss. Technologies keep on progressing and user patterns change, albeit slowly this very aptly depicts the way users are opting for higher resolutions. In this backdrop, make sure that significant low end users are not unattended and your business is not at an opportunity cost.

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Sex.com site hijacker says he's broke

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By RACHEL KONRAD
Associated Press

SAN JOSE - A man who siphoned millions of dollars from a pornography Web site and fled to Mexico cried poor Monday and asked a judge to erase the $65 million he owes the rightful owner of Sex.com.
Stephen Michael Cohen was released from prison in December so he could surrender assets to Gary Kremen, the online entrepreneur who registered the domain name in 1994. But Cohen told U.S. District Court Judge James Ware that he's jobless and broke.
Cohen also claimed the court deliberately lost important documents he filed detailing his financial plight. Cohen said he's called the FBI in hopes of recovering the records.
''We're far from ending this case,'' the mustachioed 59-year-old said as he appeared dressed in faded jeans, a shabby sweat shirt and a ski jacket.
Ware ordered the defendant to cooperate with plaintiff's attorneys, who plan to question Cohen this week in hopes of discovering a hidden bank account, stash of jewelry or other valuable investment.
In the late 1990s, Cohen misappropriated Sex.com, one of the world's most popular domain names, a federal judge ruled in 2000. He went on the lam in 2001, was extradited from Tijuana to California in 2005, then jailed for 14 months for contempt of court. Monday was his first public appearance since returning from Mexico.
Since leaving prison, he said he's been living with friends, an ex-wife and others. He has a mailing address and an attorney in Utah, though on Monday the court allowed him to represent himself.
Cohen filed paperwork Monday stating that he owns no valuable assets. Even his cardiac pills are worth less than $250, the court-ordered minimum for assets that must be surrendered, he said.
Cohen said he has no money in any bank -- and one account in Mexico had a negative balance of 90 pesos.
''I have been unable to locate my personal property and it is my belief that all my personal property was either stolen or trashed by unknown persons,'' Cohen wrote in a status report. ''I own no stocks, bonds, securities, jewelry and I have no trusts, real estate and or insurance of any kind.''
Kremen, who lives in Rancho Santa Fe and also founded the popular online dating site Match.com, did not attend the hearing.
Kremen's attorney, Richard J. Idell, said the only asset Cohen has surrendered was a modest house in San Diego -- stripped of furniture and plumbing before Kremen took possession.
While Kremen does not expect to recover $65 million, Idell said, the case has helped the law evolve in the digital age.
The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in 2003 that Internet domain names had the same rights to protection against conversion as other intangibles under California law. Judge Alex Kozinksi said registering domain names were no different than ''staking a claim to a plot of land at the title office.''
''We always knew domain names have had value from a business standpoint because people have paid millions of dollars for them,'' Idell told The Associated Press.
In the early '90s, Cohen served time in federal prison after he was convicted of bankruptcy fraud in San Diego.
After his release, he mailed a letter on forged letterhead to domain name registry Network Solutions Inc., saying that Kremen's company, Online Classifieds Inc., had fired Kremen and was going to close Sex.com.
Cohen told NSI he typed the missive instead of sending e-mail because Online Classifieds did not have an Internet connection.
Despite the obvious illogic, NSI transferred the name to Cohen, who began collecting money from porn sites that advertised on Sex.com. He may have collected funds until as late as November 2000, when a judge issued a preliminary injunction requiring Cohen to return the name to Kremen.
''It was a different world in 1999. From a legal perspective, the Internet service providers and domain name registrars, to limit their liability, wanted a world where no one could sue them for things that happened to domain names,'' Idell said.
Although the case provides a colorful glimpse into the world of fraud and porn, the judge said Monday it has become tedious.
''One of my desires since I became a judge is not to have this case until I retire,'' Ware said to snickers in the courtroom.

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Child Porn OK in Hungary?

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There’s anger at a Hungarian bill to legalize porn involving 14-year-olds. Hungarian opposition MPs on Monday reacted angrily to a proposed modification to the law that would allow pornography involving children aged 14 and above to be made and filmed for personal use.
“This will give legal defence to paedophilia and supports the perversion,” MP Ildiko Gall Pelcz of the right-of-centre Fidesz part said in parliament. “We will oppose giving a legal defence to ’sugar uncles’.” Justice Minister Jozsef Petretei, who recently presented the draft proposal, said that if 14-year-olds were old enough to engage in consensual sex, then the chance to make videos of it was also possible.

The age of consent in Hungary is 14. Petretei said that MPs who felt strongly opposed to the bill on moral grounds should suggest modifications. Campaigners for the rights of women and children were horrified by the proposal. “This is a statement from legislators saying that we don’t mind adults abusing children,” Judit Wirth from NANE, a civil group that campaigns against violence in the home, told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.
The bill specifies that children cannot be filmed by anyone who is related to them or caring for them, and that the subject of the film must also give permission. Films must also only be made for personal use. However, opponents do not consider these safeguards sufficient. “I do not think adults should get permission to sexually abuse children, no matter what kind of relationship they have,” Wirth said.
Parliamentary debate on the issue is set to continue next week.

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Of neo-liberalism and porn

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Sometimes I wonder why the porn industry is as big as it is. I also wonder why it just keeps getting bigger every year. If I Google the word “porn” I get 160,300,000 hits, if I Google “Iceland” I get 60,000,900 hits and if I Google myself I get a disappointing 47 hits.
So, according to statistics, we have 534 porn related websites for every Icelander. If every Icelander would search for a new porn site every day for 17 months we would cover most of the porn websites, at least the ones that exist today, on the net. Those calculations may seem dumb but I have a good reason for them: Iceland has an upcoming date with the porn industry on March 7 to 11.
That event is called “SnowGathering,” an annual conference for companies which produce web-porn. According to neo-liberalism in the name of Milton Friedman this is a happy event for Iceland.
A bunch of foreigners are coming to Iceland with their pockets full of capital which they will spend during their days in Iceland, so inevitably the Icelandic economy will benefit from this visit. Porn does not harm anyone and although the morality of porn may be questionable, everyone has the freedom to choose whether to watch/sell//buy/produce porn or not.
There have been a lot of debates about this upcoming event in Iceland lately. The debates even reached Althingi (our parliament). One of the members of Althingi asked our Prime Minister, Geir H. Haarde, if he thought is was okay for the SnowGathering conference to be hosted here.
Haarde, true to his neo-liberal view, said if they are not breaking any laws and are not showing any will to do so, the government couldn’t do anything to stop them. So it didn’t matter if he or any other member of Althingi is for or against porn. The web-porn industry has every right to host their conference wherever they want.
Or do they?
Neo-liberalism and its freedom is a nice theory. But like every other utopian theory it just doesn’t work in human society. Communism is a nice theory too, but it didn’t turn out the way it was supposed to.
The existence for the fast-growing porn industry lies in neo-liberalism. As long as there is a demand for porn on the market, porn will be on the market. The laws of the market are like the laws of nature for those who believe in neo-liberalism.
The thing is, porn is by no means harmless. Its side affects are well-known. Prostitution, slavery and child abuse are the best examples. And drugs often follow the porn industry as well.
Therefore I believe there is a good reason for the government of Iceland to put a stop to the SnowGathering conference in March. The Icelandic government has often used its power when it comes to deciding who should be allowed to cross our sacred borders.
Every time a motorcycle club tries to visit Iceland they seem to be immediately linked with Banditos or Hells Angels and are kindly asked to take the next plane home and never return. So why can’t we turn those porn-aficionados away?
Because our nice government is so true to the neo-liberal theory. If it pays well and seems not to incur harm, it is a-okay. The hardcore neo-liberalists are now accusing the left-arm of the parliament of destroying a brand new opportunity for future business.
To me, this is not a matter of right or left politics, this is a matter of human rights. I know that our government will not stop the SnowGathering conference from being held here but believe me, they won’t get a warm welcome.

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Seven Best Add-Ons for IE7

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No web browser is perfect, and no web browser does everything just the way everyone wants it to.
Enter add-ons. Also called extensions or plug-ins, add-ons let third-party companies and users with programming skills extend the browser's functionality in different ways. They are your ticket to a customized web.
Mozilla Firefox is known as the world's most extensible web browser, which is a big reason for its appeal among web geeks. But users of Microsoft's Internet Explorer 7, Windows Vista's native browser, need not be left out in the cold when it comes to add-ons.
Here's our roundup of the seven best ways to trick out IE7. You can find even more extensions at the Windows Marketplace.
1. ieSpellIt's a shame a spell-checker wasn't built into IE7, but ieSpell corrects that oversight. Once installed, ieSpell does a nice job of staying out of the way until you need it. There are three ways to activate the spell-checker: from the tools menu, from its own top-level menu and from the contextual (right-click) menu. If you happen to use a branded version of IE7 such as those from MSN or AOL, ieSpell will only be accessible from the right-click menu. IeSpell is also available for Internet Explorer 6.
2. Inline SearchSupercharging Internet Explorer's searching capabilities, Inline Search provides find-as-you-type functionality on the web page you're currently visiting. A quick keyboard shortcut (Ctrl-F) will bring up a toolbar at the base of your browser window, a behavior that closely mimics Firefox's built-in search functionality. Inline Search lets you find as you type, highlight all instances of your search terms on the page or make your search case-sensitive. Regrettably, the keyboard shortcuts aren't customizable, so you'll want to memorize the following shortcuts: Esc closes the search pane when it's in focus, F3 or Enter will find the next occurrence of your search term and Shift-F3 or Shift-Enter will find the previous occurrence. Inline Search is also available for IE6.
3. IE7 Open Last Closed TabThis add-on does exactly what its name implies: It creates a keyboard shortcut (Alt-X) to restore a tab after it's been closed. IE7 Open Last Closed Tab isn't the most glamorous of add-ons, but it will save you from fat-fingered mistakes and overly hasty decisions.
4. Add Search ProvidersLet's face it: Microsoft's Windows Live Search is a dog. But don't worry, you can add new search engines to IE7's built-in search field with ease. Head over to the Add Search Providers page and choose your preferred service's pre-built tool. Don't see your favorite site listed? Just follow the instructions for the Add Search Provider page's Create Your Own tool. IE7 does the rest.
5. Trailfire ToolbarLeave behind virtual sticky notes on web pages for others to view. IE7 users can install the add-on and start sharing "trailmarks" with fellow Trailfire users. These marks are little notes on individual web pages that can be strung together to form your own interpretive trail across the web. Trailfire Toolbar is also available for IE6.
6. StumbleUpon ToolbarHaven't tried the random web yet? The StumbleUpon Toolbar for IE7 lets you stumble and bumble your way through the web. Keep clicking the Stumble button as you "channel surf" through sites that like-minded users have marked as interesting, helpful or informative. For background on StumbleUpon, see our review of social bookmarking sites. Caution: It's highly addictive. StumbleUpon also makes an add-on for IE6.
7. GooglePreviewIEWant to see a preview of a web page before you visit? The GooglePreviewIE toolbar provides customized search-results pages with thumbnail previews for popular sites like Google, Yahoo and Amazon. GooglePreviewIE's thumbnail images are only visible when searching through the toolbar -- a normal web search will still give you default results. It's extra handy for image and product searches. GooglePreviewIE is also available for IE6.

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Blog Optimization for Profit (5 of 6)

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by Jim DeSantis
If you have been applying the other parts of this series, you should be working diligently to produce good-quality, original content, on your blog and are attracting a decent amount of traffic. However, money is not going to appear out of thin air just because you have traffic. You have to turn your traffic into money. Here are several ways to generate profits from the trafffic to your blog.First, Google’s Free Adsense program allows you to make money with ultimate ease. Visit their website at adsense.google.com. You will find more detail about their free advertising program there but here are some quick tips.Google Adsense is an easy, free, and automated way to monetize your blog because it scans your blog and only shows Ads that fit your blog content. You can even block certain types of Ads which may be Adult in nature or may be from your competitors. Anyway, when users finish reading your newest post, they are going to move on. You can catch them before they do. If your Adsense advertisement block is visible on your blog, they might see advertisements relevant to them and click on them to exit your blog. If they do click, ka-ching!, you have just cashed in on your first virtual pennies!Yes, pennies. Your profits will only be pennies for each click of an Ad but you can turn those pennies into dollars if you “do it right”! This involves placing your Google ads in the right places on your blog/website and ensuring they blend in to your site so that they appear more like links rather than advertisements to your visitors. Consult the Google Adsense site to see the “heat map” of your blog. The “hotter” a certain area, the greater the chances of someone, when looking at your blog, will click on a Google Ad. But, never click the ads yourself thinking you will make money. This is called "Click Fraud". Google will catch you and you will be blackballed!Once you get a Google Adsense account, you can change the color of your advertisement text and links to blend in with your site design. You will want the Ads to match the colors on your blog. If your blog’s text is black and the links are red, do the same for the ad blocks too! It’s that simple. Click the link in the Author Box below for an example.Another way to earn profits from your blog is to recommend products to your readers. When your visitors buy from the merchants you recommend, you get to keep a little commission too. This is known as affiliate marketing and it is very easy to start because you don’t have to create your own products or services.It's very important that you watch out for affiliate scams. I edit 15 blogs and all have affiliate links on them. These are advertisers I personally trust and I only display advertisers who offer a 100% Money Back Guarantee of satisfaction. I checked out each one before adding them. They are hand picked for their knowledge, expertise, and Guarantee. Your reputation is on the line when you place affiliates on your blog/website. Enough said.Anyway, referring back to our technological gadgets example that I have been using throughout this series, you do a keyword search and you discover "Gadget X" on a merchant’s website and they offer an affiliate program. After you have checked them out, you simply sign up for the affiliate program.Some words of caution are in order.Do Not Give Your Social Security Number to just any affiliate program that looks good. I stick with affiliates using Clickbank or Commission Junction. These are reputable middlemen who process the sales and who protect your personal information. This may be overly cautious but, with identity theft these days, I would rather be overly cautious.Do Not Believe the Testimonials in their sales page. Check them out for yourself. You can do this simply by searching for their product through Google or Yahoo or MSN. See what others have to say about it. Or, purchase the product yourself and try it. Then, create a post in your blog and do a mini-review on "Gadget X". Point out its benefits and bad points too and include a link (which is given to you by the merchant) for the visitor to purchase Gadget X through your blog. Be balanced in your review.If your visitor clicks and purchases the gadget, the merchant tracks your referral link and will send you your share of the profits. Imagine if 1 out of every 100 visitors you get purchases this product and, for example, you earn $27.00 commission from each purchase! If you get 10,000 visitors in a month that would be a $2,700.00 paycheck for you just for writing about one product.Now, affiliate programs are a popular way to generate profit, but how do you find affiliate programs that are related to your blog’s theme? Just go to any major Search Engine and, using our example for tech gadgets, search for "tech gadgets + affiliate programs”, without the quotes. Another, slightly better way is to go to associateprograms.com/search to look for affiliate programs in your niche.Bottom line? There is money to be made when you construct and promote your blog/website smartly.Yours for success in life.
Jim DeSantis

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Porn less popular than search

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For the first time in the history of the internet, more people are visiting search engines than adult-oriented websites.
In January, search engines accounted for 13.3 per cent of all UK internet visits, compared with 11.5 per cent for adult websites, according to internet monitoring company Hitwise.
According to Hitwise, this is a significant point in the development of the internet, as it shows that its commercial potential is starting to come to the fore.
"This marks an important point in the maturity of the internet, with mainstream consumer activities overtaking the early attractions of the internet," said Heather Hopkins, vice president of research for Hitwise UK.
Google is still by far the most popular search engine in the UK, according to Hitwise, with 78 per cent of search requests made through Google in January and February this year. Yahoo trailed in second place with just eight per cent. However, both companies reported an increase in the overall number of searches made. "It indicates that search engines have become the point of entry for the web, used to navigate to specific websites and to search for products and information,” said Hopkins.
Hitwise also found that different search engines were used for different types of search. For example, the terms 'car insurance' and 'weather' were more commonly used on Ask.com than Google or Yahoo.
"Whilst the audience of the leading search engines overlap to some extent, each also has a slightly unique profile of user. For example, Ask.com tends to attract a larger share of younger families than average whilst Yahoo Search attracts a larger share of visits from Northern Ireland and Scotland," said Hopkins.

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The Most Common Reason for Dropped Rankings: Duplication

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by Ross Dunn
Why write an entire article on something as simple as duplicate content? Well probably because it is not as simple as it sounds and many website owners find themselves in the grey area of duplication; where they don't know for sure whether they are risking rankings or not.The following is a sectional breakdown of the most common duplicate content issues we see defined from the standpoint of a question – hopefully making this article a little easier to read. After all, I have no illusions that reading up on duplicate content rules is excitingDUPLICATE WEBSITESDefinition: a duplicate website is a website that has many if not all of the same pages as another live website.Note: the following questions are based on a person who owns two websites that are duplicates.Q: "Why is a duplicate website such a bad idea?"A: The major search engines are constantly trying to improve the quality of their search engine results in an effort to provide the best quality content for users. When duplicate content is indexed by search engine spiders, valuable time and processing power is wasted. As a result, search engines have blocked sites that used duplicate content from their database, ultimately favouring the site that either had the content first, or I believe, the one site that has the greater online history. In addition, the major search engines have a bad taste after dealing with so much duplicate content created by spammers over the past several years. As a result, posting a duplicate website is an offense that can quite literally blacklist a domain; there are few things the search engine properties dislike more than being gamed by spammers.Q: "What should I do with my duplicate website then? Just delete it?"A: Deleting the site is the only option unless you want to create an entire new website with unique content and a unique purpose. That said, by deleting the website you can still ensure the effort you put into promoting the old site does not go to waste by pointing the domain to your new website's domain using a 301 redirect. A 301 is a term used to describe a server protocol which Google and other search engines will 'see' when they visit the old site. The protocol essentially says that your content from the old site can be found on the new site and that this is a permanent forwarding of all traffic. 301 redirects are by far the best way to minimize your losses from shutting down a website that just might have traffic or inbound links.Q: "Which website should I shut down? Is there anything I should consider first?"A: Yes, it is very important that you choose the website that has the most backlinks and has been online the longest. The reason I say this is that Google tends to favour entrenched websites; they have been around a while, are well backlinked and overall appear to have a positive history.Whatever your decision is, it is vital you understand switching a website to a new domain is a dangerous step. This is because of Google's famed 'sandbox'. The 'sandbox' is really only an overused turn of phrase that represents a portion of the Google algorithm which considers the age of the domain as a signifier of trust. Generally, new websites will require 6 months to a year before substantial rankings are evident; this is kind of a right of passage that Google appears to be enforcing on the average website. Sites that are obviously popular and quickly gain a load of legitimate link popularity will easily avoid the sandbox (because Google can not afford to miss a 'great' website) but this is not the common scenario.Q: "Will using a 301 redirect pass on the benefit of the deleted site's link popularity?"A: Link popularity is passed onto the other website when a 301 is used but how much this pass-over will benefit the website seems to fluctuate on a case-by-case basis. Usually the fluctuation is only present when popularity from one domain is passed to another with differing content/topic. In this case, since the link popularity is being redirected to an identical website I expect the benefit to be virtually lossless.DUPLICATE CONTENTDefinition: content appearing within a website that is duplicated elsewhere on the same website or elsewhere on the Internet.Q: "I need content for my website; can I just copy content from industry journals and benefit from that quality content?"A: No, aside from the copyright concerns of using content that is not yours, your rankings (if they exist) would suffer because it is highly likely the major search engines would detect the duplicate content. As a result, the page that you create may get flagged as duplicated and it would be ignored at the very least. The page could even devalue your site's overall credibility. Credibility is a critical component of Google's algorithm so sites with less credibility tend to have a harder time staying ('sticking' if you will) in a particular ranking.Q: "I use a content management system to manage my site and it uses a particular set of templates. These templates have some duplicate content within them and they are spread all throughout my website. Should I be worried?"A: No, in most cases the amount of duplicate content used within a template in a content management system (CMS) is negligible. If, however, you have a large number of pages created using a page where 90% of the text is duplicated and only 10% is unique you do have a reason to make some changes. In my opinion it is crucial that every page within a website be composed mostly of unique content with the exception of catalogues and shopping carts where text simply has to be reused over and over.Whatever your situation make certain that your site contains a large number of pages composed of unique content that has been well optimized by yourself or your search engine optimizer (SEO).Q: "How much of my page should be unique? Is there a standard ratio or percentage you can share?"A: There is no industry standard formula but if I had to state a percentage I would say a minimum of 70% of the page should be completely unique to thwart any concerns of duplication. You may be able to get away with less than 70% unique content but I would suggest this is playing with fire. Either way, this statistic is moot since every page you create needs to be created with the intention to provide a powerful resource; after all search engines are only a small part of the plan – you do need visitors to like what they see and buy your product or service!Q: "My blog currently has many different ways to find content and depending on the route a visitor may find the page is actually shown on a different URL (i.e. archives, search by label, etc.). In this scenario am I not in danger of a duplicate content penalty?" A: Yes and no. Yes that this is duplicated content but no you are not likely to be penalized by this simply because a majority of blogs offer these additional methods of finding content so it would be detrimental if search engines penalized this application right now. That said, search engines do have to have some way to handle this duplicate content. I expect when Google (picking the most advanced search engine) finds duplicate blog postings on a website its algorithm chooses the most popular posting as the primary page to provide in its ranking results. In other words, the posting URL that has the most number of inbound links or was spidered first will be the page that attains rankings.In the future I expect blog systems will offer an option to specifically add a NO INDEX tag to the top of posts located within the labelled search section. After all, every additional label I added to this article created a duplicate version which is something that I expect search engines will soon either ignore or require a NO INDEX tag.

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SEO Friendly Redesign

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by Mark Johnstone
A growing number of our potential clientele come to us with websites that have been up and running for some time. Most inquire about search engine placement services they want performed on their website. All too often we are seeing websites that have not been designed with even the simplest considerations for search engine friendliness. It is important to note that not all websites are created equal - some website designs will perform better when it comes to search engine placements than others.After a brief initial analysis with a client's website we have found that it usually falls into two categories. The first being websites having the ability to produce highly successful search engine placements. These types of websites do not appear to have any "road blocks" in place due to any design or structural flaws and generally they are suitable to begin an extensive SEO campaign. Everything is in place with the overall design structure for our team to perform the tasks needed to carry out a successful placement campaign.The second type of website we encounter are the ones that may or may not look atheistically pleasing and/or contain major site-wide structural flaws that can harm your placements. These are the clients we strongly recommend a website redesign for and is the topic for this article.Why not get the most "Bang for Your Buck" when it comes to spending your marketing dollars? A properly redesigned website will attract new visitors to your product or services and the search engines will be able to promptly and properly index your content, potentially resulting in better placements.This category of website often includes a variety of issues that can harm placements or even turn away visitors. When we asses a website redesign for a client we make good use of a quick checklist to give an on-the fly analysis of what potentially is wrong with the current design. When walking through the following list with a client, it is easier for them to visualize some of the fundamental flaws that they might have. The following is a snap shot of what we look for:1. NavigationThe type of navigation used on a website is perhaps one of the single most important factors when considering a redesign. Hardcore SEOs will always advocate the use of "text only" navigation on your website. There is no doubt that the search engines have little trouble following each page linked via this method, however one can be restricted atheistically on how the navigation looks to a visitor or search engine.A good rule of thumb if you incorporate a graphical method (or Flash) of navigation is to definitely include a link-only version of those links at the bottom of each page. For larger websites only include the top level of each section. The addition of a site map page is also a must and the listing of these links should be displayed as text.Regardless on how fantastic your website looks or how relevant your content might be, if the search engines cannot spider through and index this content - nobody will find it.2. ContentThe content itself should be clear and easy to read. Visitors to your site should not have to endlessly hunt to find what they are looking for. The proper organization of content will logically help you organize the all important titles or themes for each page. Make your best attempt to present one message per section (or page) when organizing your material.3. Doorway, Splash, and Hidden TextParticularly with older web designs we see designers and site owners alike have attempted to incorporate some very "old school" frowned-upon SEO tactics or design methods. These commonly include doorway pages, splash pages and the use of hidden text. To help with analyzing whether or not your site currently utilizes these "black hat" tactics read Jim Hedger's "The Top 10 Worst SEO Tactics"4. Cross Browser AccessibilityAlthough Internet Explorer still dominates as the number one browser there are other browsers to consider when considering a redesign. Thankfully this is not as big of an issue as it once was however take the time to view your current website in different browsers - flip between Internet Explorer and Firefox for example. Chances are you will see each browser has its own traits for displaying web pages. In some cases important elements of your design might be lost or not show up on as you intended.5. Focus of MessageSo many websites lack a concise message. Are people able to understand what you are trying to say? If we find that the answer is no, we inform the client that their site is a good candidate for a redesign. By addressing this issue it will greatly assist in developing successful strategies for a search engine placement component to your project. The use of organized and clear content does in fact open more doors for a wider scope when it comes to performing any SEO tactics on a website.6. Other "Nuts and Bolts"Quick LoadingDo visitors need to wait to view your website? Even graphically heavy websites should load quickly - images and content should not only look attractive but must also be optimized to load quickly for all visitors to your website.Page TitlesPage Titles are extremely important when considering your redesign. For additional detailed information on the importance of page titles corresponding to the actual page content read Ross Dunn's "Is Your Website Search Engine Friendly? Your Personal Checklist". Ross digs deeper into the subject and provides you with a guide to do a self analysis of your own website.Meta Content and Alternative ContentAlthough it is widely known that the inclusion of Meta Tags is not as important as it once was with the major search engines these days it still is prudent to have these included within the code of the site itself. We often come across high-end designs for companies of all sizes that do not even include Meta content.7. Templates - Off the Shelf SolutionsCurrently there are wide arrays of "Off the Shelf" website templates available online and there are definitely some templates that are better than others. One common problem with these templates is that you are somewhat restricted to the template itself. Unless you have a bit of graphical and design knowledge the final result will always be "what you see is what you get". By incorporating a custom design you will always have the flexibility to alter the look and feel without having to struggle with manipulating the template.So What do I do Now? Not to Panic ...It is important not to panic if you find your website falls into one or more of these design mistakes. Nine times out of ten the hard work you put into your initial design can be translated and or transplanted into a website that both works for your visitors and the search engines alike. Content and imagery can be reworked and optimized to fit properly into your newly created online presence along with additions that may fill holes that are found along the way.I am hoping the information I have provided assists you in determining if your current website is up to par for a maximized return with your search engine placements. If you wish to find out more or need to ask questions please feel free to contact me.

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Google's Personalized Search Debate

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Danny Sullivan does it again, with his in-depth look at Google’s new personalized search feature – Google Ramps up Personalized Search… great article. The topic of personalized search results is stirring up the SEO world - some say it’s a positive change, while others are suggesting it could potentially put a stop to SEO all together. Who’s right, who’s wrong, and what is personalized search anyway? Well here’s some basic information and my initial view on this topic.What if you had your own personalized search engine, that provided results based on your own past search behavior? What if one of your favorite websites has moved up in ranking because you visit it often? Well this is what Google is now offering - Google has just announced the launch of their new Personalized Search feature that will provide personalized results to you based on your past search history, which sites you click on most often and what topics you seem to search for on a consistent basis. Based on these behaviors, the personalized search feature will rank and provide specific results that relate to your trends as a user.This personalized search is a feature that will come with every new Google Account and you must be logged into your Google Account in order to use this feature. If you are not logged in, you will see the standard organic search results. For users who already have a Google account, you must enable this feature within your account.So that was a basic explanation of the process. For more information I highly suggest reading Danny Sullivan’s article (link provided below) as he dives into great detail or going through the Google Help Center for personalized search topics.Ok, so immediately this raises a few thoughts and theories in my head. It seems like we’re all going to be getting some sort of “batting average” based on our trends as a user while using the Google search engine. So if we do a search multiple times for a specific topic and click on site A five times but only click on site B one time, in theory, site A should rank higher than site B… well for me anyway, not for anyone else, unless their behavior was identical to mine.Now this makes sense but the ultimate question that comes to mind is – Does our "batting average" as an independent user, have any affect to other user’s personalized searching experience? If ten users all click on site A more often, does this mean that site A will begin to slowly increase for other users the first time they search and prior to them having any personalization on that topic?If this is the case, then will Google be morphing into some type of social community tagging system like Digg or Delicious? Will the ranking, trends and behaviors of other user's personalized search also affect my results, for the first time I search on a topic? If so, I think this is great news for the SEO world. Firstly, because this means that optimization of a website will be more strategic and analytical than it is today. Secondly, I believe it will greatly reduce spam, something that is a huge concern with the search engines today.So far so good – I’m definitely digging the idea of personalized search and believe, in theory, it could definitely change the SEO world for the better. However, there is one concern I have with this whole idea of personalized search. In an article from Out of My Gord – The Future of SEO in a Personalized Search Interface, the author Gord Hotchkiss states, “In Canada, we're already dealing with this as Google experiments with re-ordering organic search results based on Geo-targeting of user IP's. The same is true in the UK and other markets.” This idea concerns me. So this suggests that our results could potentially be based on our locality? I’m not sure I agree with the locality issue so much. Does this mean that if I type in “best wines”, I’m going to get results based on wine stores in New Jersey, since I reside in NJ and I have an IP address that’s geographically a NJ IP address?I’m not sure I like this. Perhaps I’m looking for a site with the best wines and I don’t care where the company resides? Perhaps I’m just looking to buy a nice bottle of wine and not going down the street to pickup a bottle from a local wine store? Am I now supposed to log out of my Google Account so I can use the standard organic search results? Isn’t this what Google Local is for anyway? I mean where do we draw the line here? Yes, in many cases, providing locality driven results will be a good thing but for the purposes of my argument I wanted to provide a ‘what if’ example.I’m curious to see where this personalized search takes us. As an SEO expert, I welcome any new changes to the SEO world as I always believe changes will continually bring exciting and new opportunities to take advantage of. As time moves on, how does Google’s idea of personalized search relate to Wikipedia’s new idea of a socially community-driven search engine? You can read my thoughts on this topic from my article – Wikiasari – The Future Search Engine to Rival Google.Click here to ready Danny Sullivan's in-depth look at Google's personalized search – Google Ramps up Personalized Search.Click here to automate your Google and Yahoo! Sitemaps today.

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ICANN Chief Hails Mobile as Avenue for Online Growth

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BANGALORE, India — During a recent visit to one of the subcontinent’s technology hubs, ICANN Chairman and Google Vice President Vinton Cerf told reporters that mobile technology and the proliferation of cellphones worldwide would account for the next big increase in Internet access.
According to Cerf, only one in six people on the planet have access to the Internet. With 1.1 billion people online and 2.5 billion people using mobile phones, Cerf said the future of the Internet is in the hands of cellphone users as next-generation devices come with Internet-enabled technology.
“There are an enormous number of applications available on mobiles,” Cerf said. “[But] you will get those other 5.5 billion people only when affordability increases and the cost of communication goes down. The mobile phone has become an important factor in the Internet revolution.”
One advantage Cerf said mobile has over computers is price, especially for users in developing countries such as China and India — the No. 1 and No. 2 most populous nations, respectively.
In India, where Cerf visited Google’s research and development facility, the mobile market is growing by close to 6 million users per month.
Less than 4 percent of Indians — about 40 million people — access the Internet using computers.
Last week, British telecom giant Vodafone Group won a bidding war for a controlling stake in India’s fourth largest mobile phone carrier — Hutchinson Telecommunications International. The deal, which analysts called a boon for Vodafone, cost the firm $11.1 billion for 16 percent of the booming Indian market.
Vodafone’s entry into the Indian market is expected to increase competition and further drop prices on mobile devices, something Cerf said will lead to greater numbers of Indians using cellphones to go online.
In the meantime, Cerf also took the opportunity to respond to critics of the Internet who say that cyberspace is rife with crime and vice.
Cerf called the Internet a mirror of the population who uses it and said that what exists in the world exists online and vice versa.

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.XXX Looking More Unlikely

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It seems that most of the directors at ICANN are concerned that the .xxx domain that has been proposed would not be embraced by the adult entertainment industry - this according to minutes from a February 12th ICANN board meeting that was released late Friday. ICM Registry Inc. has been fighting to get the .xxx domain approved for nearly 7 years and has faced opposition from religious groups, international governments as well as the adult industry. It seems nobody wants this thing to be approved.In the minutes it is revealed that the board agreed that "a majority of the board has serious concerns about whether the proposed .xxx domain has the support of a clearly-defined sponsored community as per the criteria for other sponsored top level domains." Only three ICANN directors stated that they had "no serious concerns" on this count - eight said they had concerns and the ICANN president "sat on the fence" and didn't make a decision either way.In order to get approval for a sponsored TLD you must show proof that you have substantial backing from the community you which to "serve" with that domain. For example - dot-mobi received major backing from the mobile telephony industry, but so far any support for .xxx from the adult industry seems minor and fleeting at most. ICANN's minutes show the same - of the 88 adult webmasters that contacted them during the public comment period, only 23 were in favor of .xxx - a 26% approval rating. From general public comments received only 16% were in favor, however most "against" comments were from individuals who were clearly anti-pornography in the first place - with over 55,000 e-mails of objection received via e-mail from an organized religious group.ICANN states that while last year it was the religious and conservative groups' concerns that blocked approval of the domain, this year it might just be the adult webmasters themselves that put the idea to a halt. Mainstream media is even reporting of the recent XBiz Hollywood event where discussion on the .xxx domain resulted in a standing ovation from attendees when asked that all those who were against the new domain applaud to show their objection.

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AmateurVideoCash Launches With New Program

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LOS ANGELES – AmateurVideoCash.com has launched an amateur video affiliate program.
AVC operates IWatchPornos.com, which offers leased video feeds.
AmateurVideoCash.com offers all kinds of girls — white, black, asian, co-ed girls, nude wives and all kinds of amateur offerings such as straight, girl/girl facials, oral and much much more.
AVS features Epoch Stats MPA3/Epoch hosted affiliate software. The program offers 60 percent rev share.

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TotemCash Touts Geotargeting Platform

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PARIS – TotemCash owner Rex Excoffier said that data gleaned from its proprietary geo-targeting platform, designed to measure billing performance from country to country, has resulted in a more comfortable buying experience for end users and higher conversion rates for company affiliates.
Excoffier felt it important to develop an in-house methodology for comparing the myriad processor options instead of relying on third-party data.
“We all know the importance of geo-targeting,” Excoffier said. “That’s well documented and has yielded fruit for everyone. At TotemCash, we wanted to dig deeper, get more precise. Which billers really performed, country to country, culture to culture? Were there discernable patterns? We wanted concrete answers.”
TotemCash programmers set about the task of creating a backend platform to answer these questions, a tool to gauge biller performance on a country by country basis. Successful transactions were compared alongside attempted transactions, and results were tabulated by region.
“Each biller has its own rules,” Excoffier said. "It’s a costly mistake to think they’re all the same. Some accept customers from Russia, others not. One processor might be ideal for micropayment processing in one country, but best for monthly billing in another.”
The new approach to billing has already been integrated into VideoHub.com, VirtuaGirl2.com and VirtuaGuy2.com.
The results, Excoffier reports, were immediate. Conversion rates jumped 7 percent across the board.
Excoffier also noted that the billing options are by no means fixed. They can be adjusted dynamically to conform to changes in the market and consumer preference.
Soon the company will release a multilingual, geo-banner system that displays sales tools in surfers’ native tongues.

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Playboy 4th Quarter Profits, Revenue Down

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NEW YORK, NY – Playboy Enterprises Inc. announced Tuesday that the company’s fourth quarter earnings fell 20-percent as the magazine division of Playboy continued to lose money, and earnings dropped for the TV division.According to reports from the Associated Press and Reuters news services, Playboy’s net income dropped to $3.7 million, approximately 11 cents per share, in comparison to net income of $4.6 million and earnings of 14 cents per share, in the same quarter for the previous year.“While the year clearly has been challenging for the domestic TV and magazine businesses, growth in our licensing, online, international TV and mobile initiatives support our belief that these businesses will drive the company’s performance going forward,” Playboy Chairman and Chief Executive Christie Hefner said in a statement released Tuesday.“Magazine trends, which include a weak newsstand market and competition for advertising from non-print media, are well documented,” Hefner added, also noting that the company’s television business also saw a decline in market share.Playboy’s reported revenue fell 5.3-percent, from $91.0 million in the fourth quarter last year to $86.2 million this year. According to Reuters Estimates, analysts were expecting revenues of $93.8 million, a shortfall of just over 8-percent.Playboy’s domestic television revenues dropped by approximately 18-percent for the fourth quarter, with higher revenue from its video-on-demand and Playboy TV subscriptions getting offset by lower cable and satellite pay-per-view revenues, the company reported Tuesday.Revenue from Playboy’s publishing division dropped by over 5-percent, to just over $25 million, according to Reuters.The licensing division, which generates approximately 10-percent of Playboy’s overall licensing, was one of the few bright spots in the reporting for the fourth quarter; revenue for the division totaled $8.9 million, compared with $7.5 million in Q4 last year.Tuesday’s reporting led to a decline of over 5% in Playboy’s shares, as the stock closed at $10.30 Tuesday, down from a Monday closing price of $10.87.

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The Internet SAFETY Act - Everything Old is New Again

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A Texas Republican has a bunch of "brand new and original" ideas that he has rolled up into what he calls the Internet SAFETY Act (Internet Stopping Adults Facilitating the Exploitation of Today's Youth). The first part of the plan is to require ISPs and providers to record the names and addresses of all subscribers and maintain records to help in sex offender investigations. The other part of that idea is to force ISPs to report any act of child pornography by fining providers that don't with $150,000 fines for the first offense and up to $300,000 for the second. ISPs that knowingly facilitate the transfer of child pornography would be hit with fines and up to 10 years in prison.Neither of these "brand new and original" ideas are unique - both have been tried in the past. The problem with such a law is making the ISP the "cop" to patrol all of the sites within their hosting network, a task that for some providers would be nearly impossible. It is clear that those who propose these laws have no idea as to the vast and layered infrastructure that is involved in web site hosting. While it is an excellent thought on the outside, it is something that would be very difficult to manage. As far as ISPs and providers that knowingly facilitate the transfer of such content - that might be an easier law to apply, if there is reasonable proof that the ISP was aware of the illegal content and it doesn't become a witch hunt.Another part of the SAFETY Act would be to "force" adult-oriented web sites to place "clearly identifiable marks or notices" into the HTML code. It's laughable for anyone who has ever spent any time online to assume that adult webmasters would have to be "forced" to put marks in their HTML - in fact, most webmasters have some sort of labeling set up. ICRA: Internet Content Rating Association (www.icra.org) which has been around for years and is used by parental blocking software programs such as the popular Net Nanny and other to determine content ratings. RTALabel.org, a new labeling program designed by the adult industry to provide further notification of adult content on a site. As far as reporting child pornographers, there is the well-known ASACP (Adult Sites Against Child Pornography) that works tirelessly with the government to crack down on child pornographers and exploiters - all programs supported and used regularly by adult webmasters.Something needs to be done to put these child pornographers and exploiters out of business, and while it might seem on the outside that the adult industries are a great place to start, those types of sites and those types of people are not a part of the adult industry. Adult webmasters, site owners and publishers have worked for YEARS to keep those people OUT of the industry, reporting them when they see them and removing them from anything connected to legitimate, legal, professional businesses.

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Politician Targets Social Networking Sites

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SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — State Sen. Matt Murphy has introduced his own local version of the Deleting Online Predators Act (DOPA). The law would restrict access to social networking sites.
Known as the Social Networking Website Prohibition Act, Murphy’s bill mimics the federal DOPA bill, which made its return this year after the U.S. Senate killed the proposed law late in 2006.
At the federal level, Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, introduced S.B. 49, dubbed “DOPA Jr.,” in January. The bill, which restricts access to social networking sites such as MySpace and blogs, uses the same language as the failed DOPA bill, with one key addition. According to a report on ZDNet, Stevens added language that had been part of a failed communications bill that required all sexually explicit websites to be labeled as such, or impose prison sentences on website operators who fail to comply.
While Murphy’s bill does not contain labeling language for sexually explicit websites, it does differ from Stevens’ federal proposal insofar as it restricts access to social networking sites from public computers — housed in schools and libraries — for both children and adults.
The Illinois bill also does not define the term “social networking,” effectively leaving the power to decide which sites will be off limits in the hands of the state’s top library and school officials.
The Illinois state attorney general has the power to file suit against those who violate the law.
Michael Stephens, an Illinois-based library and information science professor, came out against the bill on his blog. Expressing disbelief at what he called a “blanket prohibition, Stephens urged his fellow librarians to take action to stop the bill from becoming law.

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Forum Marketing Explained

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by Khemal Dole
Online forums are excellent for internet marketing, forums allow you to build a relationship and interact with your target market and also allow you to drive traffic to your website. Forums should be treated like a goldmine because that's exactly what they are.This article will show you how to use forums in your marketing campaigns. If you follow these simple steps then you will be able to take advantage of forums related to your niche.Find forums that are extremely relevant to your niche. It is no good going to a gardening forum and trying to sell them information about painting, it just wouldn't work, you need to find forums that are where your target customers would usually visit and hang out if you want to achieve the best results. You can find forums related to your niche by going to google and searching for "your market forum". There are thousands of forums all over the internet and there is more than likely one or more that will fit your exact needs, just have a look for them.Always read the rules and have a clear understanding of what is allowed and what is not allowed, if you are banned from a forum for breaking the rules, even if it is unintentionally, you will obviously not be able to use that forum to profit from. Know the rules and abide by them or you may lose a source of highly targetted customers.Contribute relevant and quality information. Your main goal for posting on a forum may be to gain email subscribers or make sales but you must treat it as though you are just there to talk and discuss topics on the subject, if you go to a forum and just make posts in order to gain exposure then you will not be rewarded and will probably find yourself banned quickly, instead you should only post when you have something of value to contribute or if you have something important to say on the subject in discussion. Treat it as though you are really talking to people face to face and try to build good relationships, this will be better for long term marketing.Stay away from "flame wars" as some people like to call them. A "flame war" is just another name for an argument taking place in a forum and arguing in a public forum is definitely not going to be good for your business, even if you feel strongly about it and think that most members would agree with you, it is simply best to stay away from arguments and just not get involved at all.Respect the administrators and moderators. These are the people that run the forum and keep everything in order, so it would be best to not get on the wrong side of them and try not to annoy them. These people have the power to ban you from a forum and in most cases they will do if they think they should. Respect the decisions these members make and do not argue with them.Look out for what the forum members want. Forums are excellent places for researching and finding out exactly what a market wants, there are posts about problems people have, things people want, things people are looking for, things people are not happy about and so on, all these things open up an opportunity for you to give them what they want. If multiple posts are being made about something and many people are in agreement then you should try and find a way to solve their problems and give them exactly what they are looking for.

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A Keynote Conversation with Google's Matt Cutts

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Chris: Matt you went to school on the east coast, how did you make it to the west coast and make it to google
Matt: My wife and I eloped to come to Google, he took classes in library and information sciences. Wrote to Google and asked how much do you have to pay. They finally wrote back and started negotiated for a position and he started at Google in 2000.
Chris: You’re head of the web spam team, take us through a typical day
Matt: I’m different, he really spends time in email and spotting trends. Look at bad search reports, and assess, what’s the worse things, how can we prioritize. What can we do to help the users.
Chris: Spam is in the eye of the beholder. They think it’s ok content, but it is spam. Where do you draw the line
Matt: That can be tough. Litmus test – what was the intent and how was it done. Spammy techniques – sneaky java scripts, techniques that are use help to determine the intent. Measuring how happy users are is important. Spam can be defined as noise, noise from your signal. Off topic spam – you type in your name and get porn. That isn’t in anybody’s interest.
Cookie cutter sites that don’t add any value – 50 sites that there’s now diversity. No value add for the customer. There are definitely shades – some are more serious and some less
Chris: You spend a lot of time on your blog . Can you clarify what’s going on with algorithm updates and index updates.
Matt: When I first started, it took a long time because it didn’t have checkpoint. In mid 2000 they went to a monthly update for 3-4 years, and people got a lot of value. With a monthly update, you get a lot of new things, and gets combined together, therefore things get ranked differently every month.
Then in 2003 we started incremental updates. This made things better.
Back when it was back
Now Google has Everflux, index update happens ever day. Then Google data pushes, can include daily but can also include 3-4 month information.
Search for “Barry Schwartz” use to show sitelinks but that changed last Friday. That’s a data push.
Then there’s algorithm updates – and those take longer to update
There’s always changes going on – majority happen everyday, then every few weeks data pushes happen, algo updates – those are large update and happen less frequently
Chris: You spend a lot of time debunking on your blog, What are some of your favorite things you’ve debunked?
Matt: Email from 9/11/2000, someone was showing up on a forum. “just got off the phone with Google and they said, advertising will help your rankings” – which was totally false
Tool bar – experiment anyone can run. Try things, to see how they are weighted, toolbar helped debunked a lot
Chris: Undetectable Spam is a recent thing you’ve debunked– what other stories do you have that are pretty interesting.
Matt: There was this guy who claimed there no way his cloaking could be detected because he used “super duper” cloaking. His “super duper” cloaking had pages name “Doorway-Page-Alta-Vista”, my mom could detect that.
Then sometimes people will email you – “link to my site, sell links on my site” or “try out our link buying program”. I follow up with these emails and ask “do you have any examples”, “can you show me some of your work?” They write back and supply me with a whole list of their websites you can buy links from,
Anything that someone claims in undetectable usually isn’t..
Then even Google itself gets email span claiming “We can increase the visibility of Google.com”
Chris: You’re involved with the Adversarial Information Retrieval group, can you talk about it? It helps to Fight Spam, can you give us some of your insight?
Matt: AIR Web usually happens with academic conferences, example of hopping on SIG IR, I’ve been involved with AIR Web for about 3-4 years. It essentially reviews papers. First were about taxonomy, now more quantitative. This year AIR Web is doing a Test Set. Now there’s an external test set that testers can use. The more the world knows about spam the better for the users
Chris: There is a trend we are seeing where the search engines are working together, sort of a Co-Opp-Itition?
Matt: Search Engines in general benefit from standards like robot.txt. That is just incredibly helpful. Although they compete very hard to have the best relevance. But at the same time, a regular webmaster shouldn’t have to deal with a lot of different things from everyone. It took about 10 years from robots to nofollow and then sitemaps followed very soon after and this is good fro a lot of people
Chris: Talk about what Google is doing, as we are seeing a trend toward s personalized search. To me it’s a great thing, gives me better results. But this is a huge threat to SEO. How do you go about optimizing a web page to personalization?
Matt: The beatuy of SEO is that is always changing and those people who can adapt and be ready for the changes, won’t have a problem with personalization. Black hat becomes a lot more difficult. Trying to find white hat SEO options such as Linkbaiting becomes more popular.
Personalization also means that there will no longer be one monolithic set of results in Google.
Lets go back to 2000, people were happy for 1 month (30 day updates). The difference with personalization – everyone can rank in some niche. Before you win big or you loose big. Now you can target specific niches. Trying to show up for your trophy phrase might now work as well – going after the long tail will be better with personalization. You can’t rank that (trophy keyword) for everyone anymore.
Searching for football in the UK as opposed to USA – you get soccer in the UK, and then NFLl in USA, as you should. Different languages will also affect personalization – big win for users. Figuring out the niches will be very important
Chris: Sounds like niches are more like local, and mobile are becoming big?
Matt: Danny [Sullivan] has long been preaching “don’t just go after just the search engines”. Now searchers are getting one boxes. Showing up in Google Local will be important. Too many people don’t look at their own site in a mobile – making small changes will make you ready for the next innovation
Chris: Google has to work in framework of different laws within different countries such as China. Google sensors results in China, but there’s a link right to google.com on that page. How do you balance the rights, and giving the unfiltered information, but abide by the country’s law
Matt: take me w/ a grain of salt, as this is not my area of expertise.
In 2002 Google received a DMCA complaint from Scientology, about a anti-Scientology site. Because of this we now have the a process of counter notification.
Next step – if the site is outside of the US, Google now include disclosures, with the DCMA information – so people can still get context.
It is tough, a lot of different laws, and Google does have to respect the law of the lands, but have to balance that with wanting to give users as much information that Google can.
Chris: Googlers in China very passionate about search. I’ve asked them what the biggest problem – organized crime – spamming is their biggest concerned, not censorship.
Matt: There’s a big focus on Chinese spam this year. Until you have a good service, that’s the focus. Search quality in every language is very important to all Googlers.
Chris: Daniel Branch claims you once worked at the CIA and that its part of what you do now, that you have a top secret clearance and that Google is in bed with the CIA. Can you comment to that?
Matt: When I was in college, I did a co-op tour with the CIA, where I worked for them for a semester and then went to classes for another. Part of that required getting a security clearance, however, that has lapsed now and it’s not active.
I really enjoy working at Google. There’s no need to worry about any black helicopters.
When the Department of Defense subpoenad Google, (one of over 30 companies) Google was the only one declined and I helped with that. Google, we viewed it as a violating our users’ privacy, the judge agreed..
Chris: So you’re not a spook?Matt: Nope, not a spook.
Chris: What tools do you like using?Matt: Google’s Browser Synch, Google browser synch lets you keep all of your bookmarks in synch at work or home. If you are worried about privacy you can encrypt it. My laptop died, right before coming to the UK, I easily got all my bookmarks back because of Google Browser Synch.
I also like Google Reader and GMAIL. I use to use Bloglines, but now I really like Google Reader.
Chris: You mentioned Ask’s Bloglines – what are other Non-Google tools do you use?Matt: Yahoo site explorer, I really like how you can explore the back links to your site. Google’s webmaster console now added that feature to webmaster toolset and continue to look for it to improve.
MSN image search – fun to be able to scroll and get fine detail
Ask’s Blogline and them hiring Gary Price was very smart. And Ask’s smart answers – how searching for a blogger you’ll get their rss feed links.
Chris: Most everybody here, is in extreme learning mode, going to go back home to improve – what single nugget of advice could you give to them?Matt: If I can only give one nugget – it would be to try out webmaster console because its great now and it will only get better. Show how long it takes pages to load, there’s info on back links and will even show some kind of spam penalties. It’s a one stop shop – points out Vanessa Fox– applauds Vanessa.
And now, an announcement, Webmaster Central is coming out of beta – Vanessa going to post on this. And Google webmaster blog is going to turn on comments – first Google blog to do this.
Chris: Google use to be monolithic and not say anything is that changing? That has changed a lot over the recent time, can you talk to that?Matt: Our first goal is our users, so we had deal with the spam first. We didn’t have a lot of people at Google so all the resources were dedicated to dealing with that. But after that was dealt with to a manageable degree, we wanted to give as much help, and advice as to webmasters to get better pages. So this is the trend Google is going to – before they couldn’t – now they are
Chris: The original computers that Larry & Sergei used to build Google was still operating when I last got a tour of Google, is this still the case?Matt: Not sure, even a machine that is relatively old still have use. We try to use them as long as possibly. But eventually they become a tax right off or donation.
Chris: Crystal ball time, where do you see Google going in the next 3-5 years?Matt: Fantastic question, in my own opinion – personalization, and localization. Also if you have your data, you can store it at Google. You can almost start your own business of 5-10 business for free. Google’s ambition to organize the worlds information, this is really where its going
Google desktop is also a huge benefit – no privacy issues. Helps to find old searches – makes things more accessible.

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Google News Found Guilty of Copyright Violation

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A Belgian judge found in favor Belgian newspaper publishers in the copyright case against Google News. The publishers charged that Google unfairly profited by posting short extracts of their stores on its web sites. Google appealed the first ruling, which came from Court of First Instance in Brussels, which had required Google to remove the content from Belgium's French and German newspapers from its site. But the judge today upheld the ruling saying, "Google cannot claim to be an exception under copyright law."Many believe this is the beginning of a long war against search engines, opening the door to future lawsuits that would limit the ability of European engines to display copyrighted material on their sites. Google told the press that it was "disappointed with the decision," noting that it planned to file yet another appeal. "We believe Google News is entirely legal," its spokesperson stated to the media, restating that the snippet quoted from the Belgian newspaper stories were meant to direct users to click through to the newspaper's site to read the full story content.While the ruling was upheld, the fines were reduced significantly, from nearly $2million per day for each day the content was not removed to approximately $33,000 per day.MSN and Yahoo are likely next on the chopping block as the Belgian paper has also made complaints against them, however so far only filing legal action against Google. Microsoft stated today that it would "provisionally" remove all links to the Belgian newspaper rather than sort it out in court.Google has delayed its launch of Google News to readers in Denmark after newspapers there demanded a system that would allow them to opt-in or out of Google's service rather than be crawled automatically by the news search feature. Google Images is also the target of European wrath as a Norwegian media group is publicly objecting to the way that Google reuses their news photos. A spokesman for the European Commission stated that the commission might be taking a closer look at copyright laws in Europe as a direct result of the Google ruling.

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Hacker Cracks HD DVD, Blu-ray Protections

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SHERMAN OAKS, Calif. — A hacker on the popular Doom9.com message forum has cracked the processing keys for both Blu-ray and HD DVD discs. By breaking the key, encrypted content can be extracted from both of the next-gen formats.
Hackers had previously broken a more cumbersome key in early January, but this new crack makes it easier to rip the content off the disc.
The hacker, who goes by Arnezami on Doom9.com, expanded the breach to unlock all Advanced-Access-Content System-protected content. AACS is an extra security layer, which prevents high-definition discs from illegal copying by restricting which devices can play them.
“AACS took years to develop and it has been broken in weeks,” BoingBoing.com reporter Cory Doctorow said. “The developers spent billions, the hackers spent pennies.”
Arnezami has posted cracks to movies such as “Constantine,” “Lady in the Water,” “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang,” “Mission Impossible 3” and “Miami Vice.”
Doctorow predicts a bleak future for copy protection. Once the cat is out of the bag and encrypted content can be hacked, extracted and posted on BitTorrent or other file sharing services, there are very limited means for plugging the holes the hackers created.
It typically takes electronics manufacturers longer to issue a security patch than it does for hackers to crack it.
“There is no future in which bits will get harder to copy,” Doctorow said. “Instead of spending billions on technologies that attack paying customers, the studios should be confronting that reality and figuring out how to make a living in a world where copying will get easier and easier. They’re like blacksmiths meeting to figure out how to protect the horseshoe racket by sabotaging railroads.”

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IE and Firefox cough up hard drive contents

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By Dan Goodin in San Francisco
The latest versions of Internet Explorer and Firefox on Windows and (in the case of Firefox) Unix systems are vulnerable to attacks that could reveal the contents of sensitive files residing on a victim's hard drives.
The vulnerability resides in the functionality that allows the browsers to upload files to a remote server. It requires a victim to visit a booby-trapped website and enter text with certain characters in a comment interface or other input field.
Demonstration exploits, one for IE and the other for Firefox, show how typing a simple string into a message box reveals a Windows user's boot.ini file.
Petko D. Petkov, a researcher who has investigated the vulnerability, says similar techniques could be used to reveal more sensitive files on Windows or Unix-based machines, for example C:\WINDOWS\system32\config\SAM in the former or /etc/passwd in the latter.
The vulnerability in Firefox was tested with versions 2.0 and 1.5. It is a variant of a bug that was reported on Bugzilla as early as 2000, according to Michal Zalewski, who is credited with discovering the flaw in that browser.
Petkov is believed to have first determined that IE 7 is also vulnerable. ®
A Microsoft spokesman said the company is investigating the report. Initial findings by Microsoft's security team are consistent with the report, specifically that "an attacker could gain access to user files if the location of a given file is already known" and would then have to convince the victim to enter the location of that file in a Web page.

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Web Analysts Ponder Vagaries of Type-In Surfing, Web Searches for Well-Known Sites

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CYBERSPACE – Why, if a surfer knows he or she wants to go to Yahoo.com, would they first go to Google.com and search for “Yahoo,” or even “Yahoo.com?”Stan Schroeder of FranticIndustries.com notes that “lately many users have all but stopped typing domain names directly in the web browser, and started using Google instead. Instead of writing ‘myspace.com’ as the address, they write ‘myspace’ into Google.”Schroeder notes that many of the terms among Google’s top search terms, like “bebo,” “facebook,” “amazon,” “myspace” and other well-known websites “aren’t really searches at all – these terms are mostly written by users who know exactly which page they want, but they’ve gotten used to using Google instead of the address bar.”DailyDomainer.com suggests one cause for the recent up-tick could be the way that some browsers handle incomplete strings entered into the address bar.“Entering a term like ‘yahoo’ (without the .com extension) into the Firefox address bar actually performs a Google search and redirects the user to the top search result,” notes DailyDomainer.com. “Some people are using this shortcut intentionally, while others know nothing about domains and believe that this is the way the Internet is supposed to work.”DailyDomainer further notes that the Google toolbar, which has been installed by many users worldwide, is easily confused with the address bar, which may contribute to significant accidental searching.Also noted in Web trends for 2006 was the tendency of many surfers to forego use of search engines entirely, and navigate by simply enter the subject they are looking for directly into their browser’s address bar, with .com appended to the end of the term.“While search engine traffic is an essential part of any popular website’s success formula, branding and direct navigation may be just as important,” observes DailyDomainer, adding that “Domainers know that .com domains typically value 10 to 20 times as much as their .net and .org counterparts, not only because they are more brandable, but also because they get accidental traffic originally destined for all other extensions.”What do these trends mean for the adult industry? The trends likely are not as significant within the adult sphere as they are in the realm of “mainstream,” non-adult sites; while search engine traffic is still a prized commodity, the competition for frequently-queried terms is intense, and good type-in domains are hard to come by in this day and age.The data could provide one clue, however, why the conversion ratios subscription adult sites see from search engine traffic are not what they once were. If current members, in large numbers, are returning to the sites to which they already subscribe via searching for those sites via Google and other major search engines, this practice has the effect of creating an illusion of new, “unsold” customers.

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FTC to Investigate ISP Broadband Speed Claims

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WASHINGTON — According to Federal Trade Commission chairwoman Deborah Platt Majoras, the agency is going to begin investigating the speed claims of Internet service providers’ broadband networks.
The FTC is looking to hold ISPs accountable for any false or deceptive representations to consumers concerning the speeds of the networks companies advertise their customers as receiving.
The FTC’s Division of Marketing Practices assistant director Lisa Hone told SFGate that she thinks that “speed will be one of the primary issues that will be addressed” during the FTC’s two-day workshop examining Internet business practices in Aspen, Colo., later this week.
Consumer advocates have honed in on the “up to” remarks ISPs include in commercials, as in, for the monthly fee, customers can access broadband speeds “up to” a certain number. This creates a certain expectation of maximum service, but in reality, customers might be getting speeds far slower and the company is not held accountable, advocacy groups argue.
“Are broadband providers providing what they say, and how can their subscribers and regulatory authorities determine whether or not they are providing what they say they are providing?” Hone asked.
Tracking the ISP’s claims of network speed for the end user can be a complicated issue Jacqui Cheng of ARSTechnica.com said. Consumer broadband speed can be complicated by a number of factors, including the number of computers sharing the same access point, distance from the ISP’s strongest pipes and one’s own home network.
University of Colorado professor Philip Weiser said the FTC’s first step should be to “come up with some understandable set of metrics, average speeds, not exact promises,” he told SFGate.com.

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Google - this internet won't scale

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By Andrew Orlowski

Google's TV chief has admitted the internet is crap for TV. Speaking to the Cable Europe Congress in Amsterdam, Vincent Dureau told attendees:
"The web infrastructure, and even Google's [infrastructure]...doesn't scale. It's not going to offer the quality of service that consumers expect."
Dureau, is head of TV technology at the ad giant. He candidly admitted that his own YouTube video service was part of the problem.
Engineers point to two different problems with today's internet. The bandwidth is too low, but more acutely, latency and "jitter" mean the quality of the viewing experience is severely compromised. If an email program, or even one of Google's YouTube's Flash-based movies is forced to wait for a second, no one notices. But if a movie keeps hiccuping, no one will use the service again.
Adding to the dilemma is the question of who will invest to fix these problems - and who will end up paying for that investment?
Deloitte and Touche's recently-published Telecoms Predictions report for 2007 contains a gloomy prediction that escaped almost everyone's attention. Deloitte's authors touch on the economics of the "net neutrality" debate, with respect to investment, advising partisans to calm down.
"Clearly, something has to change in the economics of internet access, such that network operators and ISPs can continue to invest in new infrastructure and maintain service quality, and consumers can continue to enjoy the internet as they know it today."
That caught the attention of pundits. The conclusion, however, didn't.
Prices are likely to have to rise, if not for the sake of preserving neutrality a the retail consumer end of the market, then for the sake of allowing telecommunications companies, ISPs, and backbone providers, greater headroom for investment in new capacity.
Precipitous downward pressure on backbone interconnect prices, paid by internet companies, ISPs and telecommunications firms, has left IP backbone providers with little incentive to light existing and new fiber.
The net neutrality debate will likely be overshadowed by a more critical debate about the long-term viability of the internet as a whole [our emphasis]. All involved may have to revisit pricing policies, including those facing retail customers, in order to ensure that the internet as we know it today continues to flourish.
So the internet, that great destroyer of businesses, may itself face a Darwinian extinction - because it can't generate enough business to ensure its own survival. ®

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