Sunday, 30 January 2011

Official Google Blog: Google search and search engine spam

Google search and search engine spam

1/21/2011 09:00:00 AM
January brought a spate of stories about Google’s search quality. Reading through some of these recent articles, you might ask whether our search quality has gotten worse. The short answer is that according to the evaluation metrics that we’ve refined over more than a decade, Google’s search quality is better than it has ever been in terms of relevance, freshness and comprehensiveness. Today, English-language spam in Google’s results is less than half what it was five years ago, and spam in most other languages is even lower than in English. However, we have seen a slight uptick of spam in recent months, and while we’ve already made progress, we have new efforts underway to continue to improve our search quality.

Just as a reminder, webspam is junk you see in search results when websites try to cheat their way into higher positions in search results or otherwise violate search engine quality guidelines. A decade ago, the spam situation was so bad that search engines would regularly return off-topic webspam for many different searches. For the most part, Google has successfully beaten back that type of “pure webspam”—even while some spammers resort to sneakier or even illegal tactics such as hacking websites.

As we’ve increased both our size and freshness in recent months, we’ve naturally indexed a lot of good content and some spam as well. To respond to that challenge, we recently launched a redesigned document-level classifier that makes it harder for spammy on-page content to rank highly. The new classifier is better at detecting spam on individual web pages, e.g., repeated spammy words—the sort of phrases you tend to see in junky, automated, self-promoting blog comments. We’ve also radically improved our ability to detect hacked sites, which were a major source of spam in 2010. And we’re evaluating multiple changes that should help drive spam levels even lower, including one change that primarily affects sites that copy others’ content and sites with low levels of original content. We’ll continue to explore ways to reduce spam, including new ways for users to give more explicit feedback about spammy and low-quality sites.

Google is doing more to get rid of spam and webspam. This must be very good news for everyone - except of course the spammers themselves!

Friday, 28 January 2011

Article Writing Made Easy

Article Writing Tips

If you work online whether it is for profit or just for the fun of it, you will need to do some writing. But if you are anything like me, the thought of writing an article is enough to fill you with dread and make you freeze in your tracks.

I know a lot of people who really enjoy writing but lots of people do not. At least they don't like the though of having to write an article. I am one of those people who "hates" writing. Or at least I often dread the thought of writing an article or a blog post that I know needs to be done. But more often that not, once I get going and go with the flow, then things can work out fine.

If you are having trouble writing articles, then this webpage will give some good information. It talks about a method called Free Writing. Worth looking at!

Wednesday, 26 January 2011

Birds Frozen in Time - The Zen Birdfeeder

Birds Frozen in Time

With all the Blue Jays I have in my yard, when a hawk is in the area, I am usually notified with a cacophony of loud and urgent calls from these yard sentries.  But even without the warnings from the jays, if I see a woodpecker "frozen" in time, I know to look around for avian predators.

Frozen Hairy Woodpecker DSC_5706 Hairy Woodpecker

Woodpeckers are amongst those birds that will perch or cling perfectly still, sometimes for minutes on end, if there is (or they suspect there is) a hawk in the area.  Other birds like the jays and doves and juncos hurry off to get the heck out of Dodge, but Hairy Woodpeckers and Downy Woodpeckers will try to be inconspicous by not moving a muscle.

White breasted Nuthatch on suet log DSC_2111White-breasted Nuthatch

Other birds that I've seen freeze like this are both Red-breasted and White-breasted Nuthatches as well as Tufted Titmice.  They seem to wait until other birds resume their foraging and feeding activities before they become active again.

This is an interesting article by The Zen Birdfeeder. I often hear birds screeching loudly in the garden and know it signals a predator such as a large bird or a cat.

Would You Like A Natural Facelift Without Surgery?

Before A Natural Facelift Without Surgery


Are you starting to look your age? Do you look in the mirror and hardly recognise yourself? Are you getting crows feet around your eyes and a sagging jaw line?
It's a horrible feeling when you look in the mirror and a stranger stares back at you. You feel young in your mind and healthy in your body but just wish you had a face to match your youthful spirit.
No one likes the thought of getting old, but looking old is even worse. If you hate the way you look but do not like the idea of surgery - this could be the answer.

Uk Vets | Featured Vets in the UK

UK Vets

Featuring the Best Local Vets in the UK

Welcome to UK Vets.net

UK Vets.net proudly features the best local vets in the UK. We know the importance of finding a good vet to take care of your precious pets and we are here to help you with your search.

We specialize in helping local UK vets get found online, without breaking their budget.

If you are a local vet in the UK and are interested in our business website rentals, please feel free to contact us either by entering your details on the Contact Page or Click Here for more information.

This is a handy website if you are looking for a local uk vets for your pets.

Monday, 24 January 2011

The Dangers of Second Hand Cars

The Dangers of Second Hand Cars

No Comments. Post Your Comment

Buying a second hand car can seem like a good option as opposed to buying a brand new car. Brand new cars quickly lose their value as soon as they are driven away from the showroom.

But buying a used car can be fraught with hidden dangers. You may have found what you thought was a bargain and the car in question may look lovely with gleaming paintwork and sumptuous leather upholstery but what lies beneath the bonnet could be a very different matter.

Some of the things to beware of are:

Clocking
Clocking is a very common practice and involves reducing the mileage or turning back the odometer so it appears the car has done less miles than it actually has. The average car does 10,000 to 12,000 miles per year, so if you think the mileage is inconsistent with the age and condition of the car, then it is well worth investigating further.

Cut n Shut
Cut and shut is the term used when two different vehicles are welded together and made to look like one car. Both vehicles used are usually write offs and the back end of one is welded to the front of the other. These cars are unroadworthy and are likely to be extremely lethal in an accident.

If you buy a second hand car from a private individual and later find the car is faulty in some way, there is really not a lot you can do. Most private sales are on an “as seen” basis. If the seller refuses to give you your money back you could be stuck with a faulty vehicle as there is no legal obligation for the seller to ensure that the vehicle is fit for its intended use.

On the other hand if you go to a reputable car sales dealer, this will be a much safer option. A registered motor dealer does have an obligation to takes all steps reasonably and practically possible to ensure that the goods that they are selling are fit for their intended use.

If you are thinking of buying a second hand car, read this article first. There are lots of hazards for unsuspecting buyers, so do take precautionary measures and go to a reputable car sales dealer.

Sunday, 23 January 2011

Is Google's Search Quality The Best It's Ever Been? | WebProNews

"Today, English-language spam in Google's results is less than half what it was five years ago, and spam in most other languages is even lower than in English," said Cutts. "However, we have seen a slight uptick of spam in recent months, and while we’ve already made progress, we have new efforts underway to continue to improve our search quality."

Matt Cutts Talks Web Spam"As we've increased both our size and freshness in recent months, we’ve naturally indexed a lot of good content and some spam as well," explains Cutts. "To respond to that challenge, we recently launched a redesigned document-level classifier that makes it harder for spammy on-page content to rank highly. The new classifier is better at detecting spam on individual web pages, e.g., repeated spammy words—the sort of phrases you tend to see in junky, automated, self-promoting blog comments. We’ve also radically improved our ability to detect hacked sites, which were a major source of spam in 2010. And we’re evaluating multiple changes that should help drive spam levels even lower, including one change that primarily affects sites that copy others’ content and sites with low levels of original content. We’ll continue to explore ways to reduce spam, including new ways for users to give more explicit feedback about spammy and low-quality sites."

The post was in response to a lot of talk throughout the Blogosphere lately that Google is losing its edge in search - when it comes to relevancy and spam. Some of this was no doubt fueled by the recent launch of the spam clock from Blekko, which may not be on the minds of much of the general public, but that many influential bloggers in the search space are certainly aware of. 

Do you agree that Google's search quality is the best it has ever been?

Humanity Healing

I love this video by Humanity Healing

A group of people focusing their energy on sending out light to the world can set the stage for positive global transformation.

Saturday, 22 January 2011

Yew Court

Here at Yew Court the days have been dull and cold and winter seems to be lasting forever. But now at last there is some sunshine coming through here and there and the days are gradually getting longer, giving us the promise of the warm spring days to come.

There are still plenty of wild birds around, including lots of blackbirds, blue tits and great tits and of course our resident squirrel. It is lovely to see them all, it brightens the day.

We have been thinking for a while of buying a car and have been looking at the pros and cons. We have been looking on the internet at the used car sales to compare prices. But now with the threat of fuel prices increasing we are getting a bit dubious of the whole idea. Maybe one day.

Aw I love squirrels they are so funny, they make me laugh. I know some people consider them pests but the one in this photo looks really cute.

Friday, 21 January 2011

Should I Take My Puppy To Training Classes?

There is only so much benefit in taking your new puppy to training classes. Proper training requires a lifelong commitment and dedication. The member of the family who assumes responsibility for training your new puppy will soon be established as his new pack leader and master, who he will look to for guidance and leadership.

Dogs better understand short commands as opposed to long sentences and are more likely to respond and get used to one word commands, such as sit, stay, come and down. This is more effective than 'sit down, stay there', and 'get down' etc. You may have heard of clicker training and this is widely used at puppy training classes. The idea is to click the clicker gadget to coincide with positive behaviour. It is considered a way of letting your dog know that he has done something good.

I have used this method myself to train my dogs in the past but in my own experience the clicker training seems to start off well but the puppy soon gets bored with the idea. I have found a more effective method and that is simply the puppy's favourite treat. The idea is to keep your puppy motivated during the training period and as soon as your puppy becomes bored then it is best to stop the training session. I have found that training sessions are more effective if they only last for about 45 minutes or so at any one time.

When you have discovered what your puppy's favourite treat is then training becomes much easier. I have found Garlic and Liver cake works really well. Dogs I have owned go crazy for it and it's a way I have found to get the puppy to do almost anything you want him to. It is important not to reward the puppy unless he has obeyed your command. The objective is to get your puppy to associate treats with good behaviour only.

This is a good article is you have a new puppy that is difficult to train. The article gives sound sound advice.

Thursday, 20 January 2011

Creating a Bucketlist - 119 Steps To Turning Your Life Around...

The Life of a Twenty-Something...

Life is finite. Your imagination and what you can accomplish within that time is infinite. 2010 proved to me that with the right focus, I could achieve any of the things in this lens, so whats going to happen in 2011?

"Are you where you want to be at this point in your life? If not, what's holding you back? Maybe you feel you could have achieved a bit more, or be living more comfortably financially? Maybe you long for a family or possibly missed the chance to be with the one person you believe to be Mr/Mrs Right?"

When I think back to a time before I started this bucket list, it wasn't a case of luck not being on my side or being at the right place at the right time, or even just having enough disposable funds, there was one fundemental thing missing and putting all of these aims, dreams and targets on paper has allowed me to grasp that missing thing and it wasn't what I expected it to be. That one thing is simply MOTIVATION. Some people naturally have motivation, that "Get up and Go" attitude meaning they jump out of bed each morning, refreshed and excited, and ready to take on the world. These people are successful and above all, happy. You are the only person who will make you truely happy and if something is bothering you or getting you down, you must do something about it. Don't rely on other people to do it for you. Just make a change, it doesn't have to be huge, just something that acts as a catalyst and I guarantee that sequentially, other things will fall into place.

This is a very interesting webpage. It's about a young guy and a list of all the things he would like to accomplish in his life. Well 118 things actually. These including bungee jumping, going to a West End show, learning how to do the rubix cube plus many more. He also talks about which things on the list he has already done. Great stuff!

Wednesday, 19 January 2011

Oyster Catcher Takes A Walk By The River | Digital Photography Shots

Oystercatcher on the beach

In a previous post called Birds on the Muddy River I published a photo of an Oystercatcher that was taken from quite a distance.

Oystercatcher strolling by the river

You can see him much better in these photos as he takes a walk by the river looking for food.

Oystercatcher taking a walk

Note his long orange beak, great for catching fish!

I love these photos of an Oystercatcher. Such a strange looking bird with a long orange beak.

Vets Hampshire | Featured Vet In Hampshire UK

Welcome to VetsHampshire.com

Vets Hampshire proudly features the best vet in the county. We know the importance of finding a good vet to take care of our precious pets and we are here to help you with your search.

Our featured vet in Hampshire as well as offering the best healthcare also offer nutritional advice and are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week for emergency treatments for the critically ill.

Our site offers some good tips on how to prepare anxious and nervous pets for their visit to the vets and other useful information that’s regularly updated for pet owners.

Do you have a cat or dog or some other pet? In that case you may find this site very useful. You will find lots of tips and informations about caring for your pets.

Tuesday, 18 January 2011

Car Sales Portsmouth | Portsmouth Car Sales

The Hidden Dangers of Car Sales

A large percentage of vehicles on the road and offered for sale have a hidden secret that many sellers would not want revealed. Although vehicle insurers together with vehicle manufacturers and law enforcement agencies have joined forces to fight vehicle crime and the statistics show a massive improvement in more recent times, car crime does still very much exist .Care should be exercised when purchasing a used vehicle, especially if the vehicle is being sold by a private individual or an auction site.

You may initially save money by buying a second hand car but if you are not very careful you could end up losing a lot of money. If you want some great tips and advice about buying a second hand car you can visit Car Sales Portsmouth.com

If you are thinking of buying a used car, read this webpage first for some tips and useful information.

Monday, 17 January 2011

ELO - The Way Life's Meant To Be

Another great video by ELO

Relax and enjoy!

Turn To Stone

Here is a great video from Jeff Lynn and ELO called Turn To Stone

Enjoy!

Google Adds Mobile Keywords To AdWords Tools

If you are finding it difficult to keep a track of what keywords will get you the best response on mobile devices Google has a solution for you. The search giant recently introduced an option in its keyword tool that will provide keyword suggestions for mobile searches helping marketers/advertisers to stay competitive.

Google Adds Mobile Keywords To AdWords Tools
Google Adds Mobile Keywords To AdWords Tools

The reason behind Google introducing this new feature in their AdWords Keyword Tool is quite simple, the stats say it all:

  • Google recorded a 130% growth in mobile searches in the last quarter of 2010

  • Mobile search queries via Google have multiplied higher than five times over the last two years

  • Smartphone users search twice as much on Google than other mobile users
  • Until now, advertisers determined their keywords by inputting a search phrase they thought mobile phone searchers would use most frequently. This would produce the advertisers content on Google and the Adwords Keyword Tool would calculate an estimated monthly traffic numbers for those keywords plus others that it found to be similar.

    AdWords advertisers will now find a new feature in the advanced option of their keyword tool that will give better suggestions for their WAP (wireless application protocol) keywords i.e. better search query phrases to specifically target mobile and android phone users.

    This is an interesting article regarding how Google have added a new feature to their keyword tool so marketers will be able to determine the best keywords to aim at mobile phone users.

    Sunday, 16 January 2011

    Stumblin In

    This is a blast from the past  - Suzi Quatro & Chris Norman on Euro TV

    Great video!

    Saturday, 15 January 2011

    Me And My Pet Cats

    My Pet Cats


    As far back as I can remember there have always been cats in my life. When I was growing up there were always a cat around the house and sometimes kittens too. My brother and I used to love playing with the kittens, they were so cute and cuddly. We often had dogs too, but thats another story. Later on when I got married and we bought our first house, the first thing we did was to go out and buy a kitten. Her name was Kinky!
    Do you like cats? This is a heartwarming little story about pet cats.

    Feed carbs to the birds and lose weight | PoconoRecord.com

    January is the month of coming to terms with holiday overindulgence. While you concentrate on protein and vegetables, share your extra carbs with winter birds.
    Consider the fact that each tiny bird seed contains a bit of starch surrounded by a hard seed coat. If the bird does not crack the coat, its digestive system must break it down before the starch is available. That takes energy, often more than the seed itself contains. This illustrates why the old practice of scattering breadcrumbs for wild birds benefits them far more than offering wild birdseed.
    Feeding wild birds doesn't have to cost you money for seed. Kitchen scraps can offer far more nutrition than many commercial birdseed mixes. Consider how many starchy leftovers you compost, throw away or grind up in the garbage disposal. Winter birds would gobble these up, benefiting immediately from the quickly digested high-calorie load.
    Bread is the most traditional bird food. Birds will flock to a dinner roll, biscuit or cornbread. For smaller birds, consider breaking up bread in a blender, coffee grinder or food processor to a fine meal they can eat more quickly. Crumbly starches such as pie crust or cake are easy to break up with your fingertips.
    How often do you discard leftover pasta? The moisture in cooked pasta is much appreciated by birds in dry snowy climates where water sources froze over. Serve it heated from the microwave for a warmup meal.
    This is an interesting article about feeding wild birds. It explains how often kitchen scraps can be more nutritious than bird seeds and how bread, rice, pasta and cereals etc are all good food for the birds.

    Friday, 14 January 2011

    Choosing the Right Breed of Dog

    Making the decision about the breed of your first or next dog is one that needs to be made carefully with a great deal of thought. There are many different breeds but not all of them could be suited to your lifestyle and vice versa.

    A large percentage of dogs end up in a rescue facility because they were not suited to their owners who perhaps brought them into a home that wasn't suitable for a number of reasons. Often this happens because people struggle to resist the temptation of that cute little face, but remember that the cute little puppy will soon grow.

    To make it easier to choose the right breed you should do some research into the breeds that you like to make a shortlist. You should look at things from the dog's viewpoint as well as your own in the decision process too as adding a dog to your family has to be right for all concerned including the dog.

    Maybe a good starting point would be to decide exactly why you want to add a dog to your family. Think ahead in time and imagine what adding a dog to your family entails, especially if it's your first dog. Think about what you will do about your dog if your work keeps you out for long periods of time and nobody else is at home to care for it. What about when you want to go on holiday, what arrangements can you make for someone to look after your dog? Will your budget provide for healthcare for your new dog? Veterinary treatment can be expensive if there is no insurance cover in place to pick up the tab.

    Now that you are sure the important things and are able to cope with the downside of owning a dog, it's time to decide what breed would best suit you, and likewise the breed that you would be most suited to. This is also a very important choice to make and the best advice would be to shortlist the breeds you would like and then research them on the internet from reputable sites that can inform you of all the facts.

    For example you may like a to own a Great Dane but if you live in a high rise apartment block then it would hardly be fair to the Great Dane as they are a large breed and require a lot of space and regular access to a yard or garden.

    Another point worth noting is that it if you like your home to be kept spick and span at all times then how would you cope or react if you discovered that your dog has slobbered all over your windows and walls when it shakes its head?.

    How will your dog cope with children and babies tugging and squeezing them? It's something well worth finding out before making a final decision. Many incidents can be avoided if more thought is put into the choice of breed.

    These are just some of the factors that should be considered carefully before adding a dog to your family.

    This is an interesting article giving some good information on choosing the right breed of dog. So if you are thinking about getting a new puppy, this article is a must read!

    Thursday, 13 January 2011

    Vets Cornwall | Featured Vet in Cornwall

    Featured Vet in Cornwall

    UKVets.net proudly presents our featured Cornwall Vet and Vetinary Surgery. We know the importance of finding a good vet to take care of your precious pets and we are here to help you with your search.

    Our featured vet in Cornwall, as well as offering the best healthcare also offers nutritional advice and are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week for emergency treatments for the critically ill animal.

    Our site offers some good tips on how to prepare anxious and nervous pets for their visit to the vets and other useful information.

    If you live in Cornwall in the UK and are looking for a good vet for your pets, this website will give you some helpful information.

    Wednesday, 12 January 2011

    Can Yahoo Remain A Viable Company

    Yahoo, once the flourishing example of a technology giant, isn't doing as well as it once was. Some analysts and experts are even questioning the company's viability in the years to come, with the most pessimistic predicting a funeral within the next half of a decade. However, there's also plenty of controversy on that, and Yahoo may not be doing as poorly as you think.

    Can Yahoo Remain A Viable Company?
    Can Yahoo Remain A Viable Company?

    It's certainly a fact that Yahoo is on the decline in several departments. For one, their employee count has been cut, with the layoff of somewhere between 600 and 700 employees. This even resulted (we all suspect) in some temporary site glitches, such as the linking of images on the Yahoo home page to a pornographic image.

    This all came at the tail end of several technology forfeitures as well. Yahoo had already abandoned their advertisement management, and handed their search engine results management to Bing on a silver platter. Shortly after the layoffs, a leak also indicated that the company would be hacking and slashing at projects that weren't profitable " and that there were about a dozen of these in all.

    Is this the end for Yahoo? Well maybe not!

    What Is Physiotherapy and Is It Something You Should Consider for Your Pain?

    Whether due to trauma or repetitive motion, which over time can cause injury, the result is the same: pain and limited range of physical movement in that region of your body. The method you use for treatment is the focus of this article. We are human beings who dislike any deterioration in our health and most of us will look for the easiest and quickest means of relieving the discomfort. Against our better judgment, rather than seek the advice of a doctor, we open a bottle of something - generally speaking something that is available over the counter, in hopes of feeling normal and pain-free. While this is not the worst thing you can do, after all, many over the counter drugs contain an anti-inflammatory, which will assist in reducing the throbbing and swelling, depending upon the severity, you may need something more to encourage healthy tissue and/or muscle. If you are noticing that things are not improving, it is time to see what sort of rehabilitation physiotherapists can offer you. The last thing you want is something that is relatively simple to treat with physiotherapy becoming such a nuisance that you find yourself in constant pain or in need of surgery.

    Trauma

    If your pain is the result of sudden impact, perhaps a car accident or falling on an ice patch whilst walking, this is quickly identifiable. You experience trauma and whether it is immediate or does not occur for another two or three days, the site of the crash or blow swells and the discomfort is unbearable. Indeed, so much so, you are unable to ignore it. Quite often if you are unsuccessful in getting relief as quickly as you might like, you arrange a visit with your doctor who will suggest various forms of treatment, the most common of which is physiotherapy. This is excellent advice because quite frankly analgesics can only do so much. Although they do offer temporary relief, they are just that: temporary. Anything in pill form is designed to treat the symptoms, but to see any actual improvement in your overall health, if your doctor has suggested physiotherapy; you will see benefits that are not only immediate, but also permanent.

    Repetitive Motion Disorder/Syndrome

    What happens when one day, seemingly out of nowhere and for no discernible reason, you wake up with your wrists swollen or your knees aching or with a stiff elbow? Although you may not trace it to something specific, such as a fall or accident, you have pain and swelling that suggests you have some disability that must immediately be addressed. Indeed it was easy to reach into your highest cupboards the other day; today doing so causes you considerable agony. Maybe you found that when you work at the computer all day, as the majority of professionals do, over prolonged periods of time you notice that your wrists just hurt! An avid runner for many years, what used to give you relief from stress and be enjoyable is no longer either. "What happened?" you ask yourself.

    When symptoms such as these cannot be traced back to a specific event, the likely culprit can often be a repetitive motion syndrome, such as carpel tunnel disorder or tendonitis. What has occurred in this instance is that with the continued motion of running, typing, playing tennis or something along these lines that is repeated numerous times throughout the day over a period of years has caused injury to that region of your body. Again, similar to a sudden impact injury, we are inclined to first self medicate with a pill and when this proves useless, we see a doctor. He or she will more often than not suggest you see a group of physiotherapists who will work wonders on your health and suggest a specific form of treatment to rid you of your

    An interesting article that explains about the benefits of physiotherapy treatment.

    Tuesday, 11 January 2011

    Dear Google...Stop Making Me Look Like a Fool!

    Dear Google,

    I'm tired of you making me look like a fool.

    I've spent a good portion of the last 10 years patiently explaining to business owners and budding SEO enthusiasts that the key to being found in Google is to have one, great, Photo Credit: Eschipulall-encompassing website. That throwing up multiple keyword-rich domain doorway sites is a fool's errand. That writing crappy articles and submitting them to networks full of other crappy articles is a waste of time and bandwidth. That keyword-stuffed gibberish on your website just makes it look stupid. That link farms are spammy.

    And I really thought that by 2010 all of the above would be 100% true. And yet they're not. I'm not sure if they're even 50% true.

    Now don't go telling me that you'll eventually catch all that stuff – because that's what you've been saying for years and yet you don't. Even when it's repeatedly pointed out to you. I just don't believe you anymore. I see the same search engine spam showing up today that I saw and pointed out 5 years ago. I see keyword domains and URLs that have nothing of value, yet they show up highly in the search results only because the URL matches exactly. I see fake links trumping natural links everywhere I turn. I see how one company with 10 similar but different websites can dominate the top 20 results.

    The worst part is how you've single-handedly created the entire link-building and link-buying industries. Link building is the most distasteful, horrible act to have to perform for a website. It's unnatural and something that should not even exist. Which is why I've always told people to have a link-worthy site and get the word out about it to the right people (through marketing) and they'd receive great links.

    But you've made a liar out of me. While that naïve suggestion can definitely bring links to a website, they rarely have the best anchor text that you require. You put way too much stock in anchor text, which one rarely receives through natural links. This in turn forces people to beg for or buy the "unnatural" links that you claim to dislike, but are secretly in love with.

    This is an interesting article about Google search results. Will we ever understand Google?

    Monday, 10 January 2011

    The UK's unluckiest houses -  Home Insurance | MSN Money UK

    The UK's unluckiest houses

    Latest research reveals which house numbers are the unluckiest following a higher number of home insurance claims.

    The country's unluckiest homes(Image: PA Photos)

    The house number 243 is officially the unluckiest in the country, according to Confused.com.

    Using data from Halifax home insurance, Confused.com found that almost 45% of those with this door number have made some form of home insurance claim since January 2007, representing the largest proportion of claimants compared to any other number.

    The table below shows the top 10 door numbers for home insurance claims in the last three years. Surprisingly, number 13 comes in at position 182, with only 18% of homeowners from this number having made a claim in the same period.

    Compare home insurance policies today

    PositionDoor number% of homes which
    have made a home insurance
    claim since January 2007
    124344.76%
    220136.60%
    3134.26%
    419025.80%
    524024.00%
    624122.66%
    722122.35%
    821722.04%
    921821.79%
    1012121.73%

    Does your house have an unlucky number?

    Search Results Improve With User Behavior Data

    Have you ever wondered if search results would change if you were behind the control of the wheel of a search engine? Would keywords matter to you? Would your index of sites look and perform differently? Believe it or not, this is the subject of  various research. I wrote about it for Search Engine Land, in today's column...

    Search Results Improve With User Behavior Data
    Search Results Improve With User Behavior Data

    ..., called How Human Factors May Affect Information Indexing And Retrieval.

    Here are some parts of the article:

    If you were to ask a search engine marketer what their main goal is for their type of work, they may tell you, We want our clients' web site to come up first in search results.

    To make their days more challenging, they may monitor popular keywords, create landing pages which are tightly focused on one topic, and study search patterns to see where they can make changes to their internet marketing strategies.

    When you ask a user experience web designer what their prime objective might be, they may explain they want their web pages to convert inbound traffic (likely from search engines) to the completion of a goal task such as purchasing, signing up for something, or getting sales leads.

    Ask a person who is not a marketer or web designer what their main wish for information seeking or online ordering is and they could tell you they want their minds read so that their search results offer instant, perfect choices.

    The human factor

    Sunday, 9 January 2011

    Vets in Brighton | Featured Vet in Brighton

    Featured Vet in Brighton

    VetsinBrighton.co.uk is proud to bring you our featured vets for Brighton and surrounding areas.

    The decision to find a Vet to take care of your precious pets in their time of need is an important one and we are here to help.

    Our recommended Vet provides healthcare for pets and all animals as well as nutritional advice, preventative healthcare advice and is available 24/7 to care for pets in need of emergency treatment and the critically ill.

    Your pets deserve the best.

    If you are looking for a vet in the Brighton area of the UK, check out this website.

    Saturday, 8 January 2011

    10 ways to exercise (without exercising) -  MSN Life and Style - MSN UK

    There's only one way to lose weight - burn more calories than you eat. So thank goodness there are so many different ways to burn calories without going within sniffing distance of a gym!

    A woman shopping in the sales(Rex Features)

    "If you're serious about losing weight, you need to find a way to do it that's enjoyable," says personal fitness trainer Ray Klerck, (www.rayklerck.com.) "Once you've found an activity that gets you pumped with excitement, losing weight will be as easy as, er, pie."

    Spend some money

    If you got some shopping vouchers for Christmas, now is the time to spend them. Because after an hour of shopping, it's not just your wallet that'll feel lighter, your body will too! In fact, you'll burn 184 calories in sixty minutes*.

    "When out shopping, you're either standing or walking the entire time," says Klerck. "So although it's not aerobic exercise, you'll still work off a decent number of calories. If you're carrying some heavy shopping bags, then you'll also be getting some lifting exercise too."

    Sounds like my type of exercise!

    Make love happen - MSN dating & personals

    The worst things women say to men

    The awful thing about early-date nerves is that it can turn your brain into mush. Worse yet, the more you like your date, the more eager you are to come across cool, calm and collected and the more likely it seems to be that you’ll slip up at some point in the old chit-chat stakes.
    In any ordinary circumstance it is easy enough to access the rules of social etiquette that help you get by, but cut to the nerve-ridden date scene and faux pas are a-flowing.
    Whether you’ve been on the receiving end of ill-advised banter, or you’re guilty of blurting out the Freudian slips yourself, here’s the worst of what real-life daters have dished out and got back.

    “I had to give up ballet dancing because my boobs were too big.”

    “I like you. You remind me of my dad.”

    “I know that every man I meet wants to sleep with me.”

    “I cheated on my ex, it wasn’t really working anyway.”

    “I’d love to take you shopping. Project!”

    “Have you ever considered shaving off your beard?”

    “I used to be a model. When I was 12.”

    “Men always talk to my breasts.”

    “Absolutely nothing gets in the way of Corrie. Ever.”

    “I don’t have any male friends. They always end up falling in love with me.”

    “I don’t have any female friends. They always end up jealous of me.”

    Some of the worse things women say to men! lol!

    Ipswich Local Business | Featuring Local Businesses in Ipswich

    Features local business in the Ipswich and surrounding areas of the UK

    Friday, 7 January 2011

    Is Your Broken Relationship Worth Saving? | Broken Relationship Advice

    When you break up with someone you love it really hurts.  You have all that history together and you remember all the good times you once shared and all the happy memories you have of your time together.  You feel so heartbroken and try to figure out what went wrong.

    But sometimes a relationship ends simply because it has come to the natural end of its life.  I believe some relationships have a limited time, it doesn’t mean the relationship was bad or worthless, it can simply mean that you are now moving in different directions and want different things from life.

    Is trying to hold on to a broken relationship really worth it What do you think?

    Thursday, 6 January 2011

    Tell Her She Looks Wonderful Tonight

    Bring some romance back into your life!

    Samsung LN55B650 HDTV - A Review

    I Love My Samsung 55-inch LN55B650 HDTV 

    To be honest I don't always take kindly to changes and "new fangled things" but my old television was wearing out and in the end I had buy a new one and then decide which one. After much research and procrastination I decided on a Samsung 55-inch LN55B650 HDTV

    Well what can I say? It was very easy to set up and I was blown away by the incredible picture quality! It's just like being at the movies. I feel I could almost step into the picture. OMG you can't drag me away from the TV now.

    I really love the red touch of colour design, it looks great in my living room, so stylish yet subtle.

    Why not treat yourself to a new Samsung HDTV - Go on, you know you want to.

    Wednesday, 5 January 2011

    Vets Ipswich | Featured Vet In Ipswich

    Featured Vet in Ipswich

    IpswichLocalBusiness.com proudly presents our featured Ipswich Vet and Vetinary Surgery.

    Finding the right vet to treat your precious pets and animals is an important decision to make.

    Our recommended Vet will provide healthcare services for your animals, from routine nutritional advice, preventative healthcare to 24 hour emergency care for the critically ill.

    Your pets and animals are in safe hand with us.

    This website gives helpful advice and information on finding a vet. If you live in the Ipswich area of the UK then look no further.

    Tuesday, 4 January 2011

    Ashcroft Cache Creek Journal - Fresh fallen snow brings quiet introspection

    We have a mountain in our valley that, like Cornwall Mountain southwest of Ashcroft, is the weathermark of nature’s every mood.

    The mountain northeast of Cache Creek is nameless. Strange, that it has no name. Its perimeters are marked by two valleys and a network of timeworn hills. The mountain rears, layer after layer, for several hundreds of feet. Its topmost layers are thick with jackpine. Its slopes are studded with evergreen. Canyons and gorges cut through the mountain side. And its narrow benches, green in summer, yellow ochre in the Fall, and pocked with ranches, are covered in a blanket of snow in winter.

    Snow reached our river valley in December. Inches thick in some spots, like the gnarled branches of wild willows the local call Indian willows, that overhang the Bonaparte. On the wild shrubs along the river, snow was a lace collar, feathery and light as air. Wild birds flitted, nested, and darted above the river continuously throughout the day.

    Snow is always the gentlest of mantles at this time of the year. It only hardens into icy sheets later, threatening life and limb. Just before the winter solstice, the sky, snow, mountain and river emerge in one curtain, because snow covers the whole - as a painter’s brush will carry the colour over the whole canvas, unifying forms and textures.

    This is an article about snow and the changes it brings to the scenery. Beautifully written!

    Beautiful Flowers to Brighten the Day | Digital Photography Shots

    bouquet of flowers

    During the long winter months a beautiful bouquet of flowers

    pink daisy

    will brighten the day and remind us of that  summer

    white daisies

    There is nothing like a bunch of flowers to cheer us up and bring back the colour in our lives.

    Monday, 3 January 2011

    Car Sales Portsmouth

    Featured Car Sales Portsmouth

    CarSalesPortsmouth.com is proud to feature our premier choice of used Car Sales Dealer in the Portsmouth, Hampshire and surrounding area of the UK.

    We can help you avoid the pitfalls often encountered when purchasing a used car and help you to find a highly recommended and trustworthy local Portsmouth Car Dealer with a big selection of all makes and models to suit all budgets.

    If you're looking to find a reputable and trustworthy Used Car Dealer in the Portsmouth area of UK, your search is over.

    If you are looking for a Car Sales Dealer in the Portsmouth area of the UK then this website will give you some useful tips and information.

    Sunday, 2 January 2011

    The Things Google Did in 2010 (The First Quarter) | WebProNews

    January 

    Google Nexus OneGoogle kicked off the year unveiling the Nexus One (and its ill-fated store), and providing books to the makers of the Alex eReader device. The company shared a proposal for a white spaces database, added chat to Translator Kit,  launched the "Near me Now" feature for iPhone and Android, showing nearby businesses by category based on the user's location, and tailored mobile search suggestions to location. Then it was discovered that Google had applied for approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for the right to purchase and monetize energy. 

    Google Fast Flip became available at the bottom of Google News, "Google" was declared the word of the decade, and Google Friend Connect became available for the Drupal and Joomla content management systems (this could be significant to Google's social strategy). Google was granted a patent for "Claiming Real Estate in Panoramic or 3D Mapping Environments for Advertising" leading to speculation that the company could sell ads on billboard imagery throughout Google Maps Street View. Google Docs began offering the ability to upload files of any type, with a total storage limit of 1GB.

    Google was targeted in an attack that led to the whole situation with Google and China that has dominated many headlines throughout the year. Google announced on its blog that it would no longer censor search results on Google.cn. This led to a great deal of back and forth between Google and China. 

    Looks like Google had a very busy year in 2010. I wonder what they will get up to in 2011.

    Saturday, 1 January 2011

    Digital Photography Tips and Tutorials

    Weekly Assignment
    Apologies for the delay in posting the winners from the Holiday Decorations assignment. Over the Christmas holiday our servers decided that they deserved a break, so we were experiencing some technical difficulties. However, without further delay we have the winners for Holiday Decorations. Our winner this week was Obijuan’s “My Pretty Ball”. This one stood out to us. While it was one of many ornament shots, the use of the light trails around the ornament was different from the usual. Our first runner up was CallMeJag’s “Christmas Bokeh”. Shaped bokeh gets pretty popular around Christmas, but it can be difficult to make it look good. This shot was simple, and the colours worked well. And although the bokeh was the subject, in this case it worked because of …

    Digital Photography Tips - The winners for Holiday Decorations.