Search Engines and Internet Research

It's important to use multiple search engines for Internet research.

Their answers are usually very different. For example, the first page results of Google and Yahoo often have only a couple of results in common.

If you are searching for an "answer," or general information, one search engine is fine. But for more in depth research, perhaps about you, your company, or someone you're considering doing business with (or maybe even dating!), you need to use several search engines.

This was slammed home recently after I noticed that people kept coming to demop.com by searching on "fun persuasion speech topics" - apparently a popular search. I'm not in the first couple of pages of Google results, but My Blogging for Business speech is the #1 hit on Yahoo! Microsoft's search http://search.msn.com/ shows it as the #2 hit and AOL's search http://search.aol.com/ doesn't show it on the first few pages.

Google, Yahoo!, etc. are examples of general search engines. They will find blog information also, but it's worth checking blog specific search engines such as Technorati, Feedster, and Google Blog Search as well.

Don't be surprised if an interesting piece of information shows up in only one search engine, and NONE of the rest!!

Siberia is COLD in the Winter

So I arrived in Khanty-Mansisyk, Central Siberia, a few nights ago. It was minus 44 Celsius (even colder in Fahrenheit!).

They like heat here - a bit too much. The hotel room must have seriously been at least 85 degrees F. I opened the window - it froze open immediately! They moved us (2 little kids, wife, and I) to another room.

Today it's only minus 20 F, about minus 30 C, so we went for a long walk and played in the snow. My mother in law is also here - she is complaining that the beds are too hard.

Hmmm, Siberia, mid-winter, cold snap, and she's complaining about the beds?? At least the pool is heated here, and the food is good.

So, where is Khanty-Mansisyk?? From Europe, head to the center of Kazakshtan, take a left, and stop half way to the Artic Circle!

Dosbedonya for now,
Your Siberian Scribe,
Ted

Writing for an International Audience

Blogging reaches an international audience, and often collopquialisms and slang don't work across cultures or with those who don't read English as a first language. Even the differences between English and American are truly confusing. In England, I believe "very fine" is less desirable than "fine" - I never would have guessed!

It's something I think about as I blog, and "think" I do a good job, perhaps because I've travelled pretty widely and deal with people from other cultures on at least a weekly basis. A quick search of the web didn't find many resouces for writing well for a diverse international group - anyone have any good references of links?

That said, I leave tomorrow for Russia. I'll be here Sunday. Notice the high temperature of the day - MINUS 45 F right now.

There is Internet access in Siberia of course, although I hear that packets get very slow at minus 20 degrees and the Internet freezes solid at minus 50 - I hope NOT to find out!

If I'm not blogging much the next 2-3 weeks, just assume I'm in Siberia, and the Internet has frozen solid.

Blogging for Business Teleseminar today - free

Don't forget my free teleseminar on Blogging for Business, with Rick Frishman of Planned TV Arts, "Blogging for Authors, Solo Entrepreneurs, Consultants and other Small Businesses."

It's 2-3PM EST today, Wednesday, 18 January 2006.

Here's how to participate:
Please call 620-294-4000
Then press in the code: 222089#

Hope a lot of you can make it!

Factoid: A Book Blog is sometimes called a "Blook."
blogging for business

Hotel Keys hold personal data - Urban Myth

Hotel Keys and Personal Data - Urban Myth

I've heard over and over that hotel key cards often include personal data on them, such as name, address, credit card details, etc. I've somewhat doubted it, because why would hotel keys? What would the advantage be??

But I could neither confirm nor deny the rumor, and didn't worry especially since I keep my hotel key cards for my children - they love playing with them.

Computerworld has called this an "Urban Myth," like that story about the gay rapist Batman you've probably heard. They tested 100 cards and found no evidence whatsoever. Only US cards were tested, and it is certainly possible that other keycard systems, especially out of the US, might, although unlikely.

Read the article for the full details.

For more Urban Legends, check out Snopes.

Blogging Teleconference (free!) on Wed 2:00-3:00pm ET

"Blogging for Authors, Solo Entrepreneurs, Consultants and other Small Businesses."

I'll be doing a free teleconference (that means over the phone) with Rick Frishman of Planned Television Arts, this Wednesday at 2-3PM East Coast USA time, Wednesday January 18th.

Five things I'll talk about are:

• What are blogs and why you should care
• Concrete ways blogs can help your business
  • My results, and are they typical?
• Characteristics of all successful business blogs?
• How to promote and drive traffic to your blog
• The easiest way to get started

Here's how to participate:
Please call 620-294-4000
Then press in the code: 222089#

Hope many of you can attend.

I plan on having fun and I'll try to impart as much information as possible in an hour - this is certainly not a "infomercial" type teleseminar!

Anonymous Annoyance on the Internet now illegal in the USA

In an absurd move, the US has outlawed annoying people over the Internet without reviewing your true identity as part of the Violence Against Women and Department of Justice Reauthorization Act of 2005.

The law states “intent to annoy.” How can anyone be sure if I’m intending to annoy them? Maybe I was being funny or engaging in debate or discussion. Does telling someone they are a “stupid wrong-headed jerk” via a blog comment qualify? The stakes are high with an up to 2-year jail sentence.

So what is my true identity anyway? ted@demop.com? Ted Demopoulos? Do I need to attach my social security number or a good photo? And to whom must I reveal my true identity?

This has been called a “Blatantly Unconstitutional Law” by many. Something about freedom of speech . . .

Maybe this vague law will just be enforced selectively, so the Feds can go after bad people only, which is of course anyone they don’t like. That may include you or me . . .

Here is the Electronic Frontier Foundation's take on it.

Apple Intel iMac and Laptop ship soon

Steve Jobs unveiled new Intel powered Macs at his Macworld Expo keynote today.

They will ship next month, and by the end of 2006 Apple will be all Intel.
We previously talked about this and its implications here last May.

I took the somewhat extreme yet accurate position that:

"It represents a historic change in industry alliances which have always existed with nearly religious fervor. This is roughly analogous to the US getting its first Muslim president or Israel getting a non-Jewish Prime Minister."

Yup, Apple is a religion. Although not currently a Mac user, I am certainly a fan. Not surprisingly MacOS will NOT run on a standard PC.

The Mobile Worker

My car has died - I am stuck on the side of a lonely country road.

I have a busy morning planned - ten years ago this would have been a problem. Not now.

I called AAA from my cellphone, then rescheduled two meetings and made a couple of other time critical business calls. Didn't mention I was stranded on the side of the road as it doesn't matter.

Obviously I have my laptop with me, and have spent the last 20-30 minutes responding to emails that came in during the evening. I'm not on the Internet now, but don't really need to be to respond to emails - I'll send them later.

I also have a bunch of promotional material to write on my Blogging for Business book follow on plan; a course description on business blogging I'll be offering soon, three articles that need finishing, a proposal for a keynote on "Monitoring Blogs for Competitive Intelligence."

Also, should my laptop battery go dead (do I have the carpower cord for my Dell with me??), I've got a few hours of reading; the new class material for my SANS security class later this month and a fascinating book called 10 Rules for Strategic Innovators - From Idea to Execution by Vijay Govindarajan and Chris Trimble.

(towtruck arrives - finished post an hour later)

Ten years ago I would have been out walking. No cell phone to call for help - and certainly no coverage in this rural area. And if I had sat in my car, there would have been no business calls and no laptop to work on.

Things have obviously changed a lot, although winter in New Hampshire is STILL COLD :)

Will post part II later, on the towtruck driver's Internet entrepreneurial undertaking.
(note: I posted part II on my other blog as it's more appropriate there)

"The Pros and Pitfalls of Blogging" Panel Discussion

I’m looking forward to meeting and maybe even arguing with some of the leading New England area blogging experts at the New England Direct Marketing Association Dinner on Jan 19th in Waltham Mass, and hope to see and meet many of you there – the event is open to everyone although registration is required.

Bob Cargill will be moderating the panel and not letting us off easy. He is rumored to have some difficult questions and I’m sure we’ll have a range of viewpoints and opinions expressed. Bob writes the anewmarketingcommentator blog and knows his stuff -- I’m a regular reader.

Also on the panel besides myself will be:

Stephen Turcotte, President and Founder, Backbone Media
Julie Woods, Executive Vice President of Product Strategy, Cymfony
Steve Ustaris, Associate Media Director, Media Services, Carat Fusion

Registration is here, and includes a reception, dinner, and the program.

Others have been blogging on the event here here and here.

Hope to see you there! For those not local, I'll post a full report later.

RFID Tag Zapper

Destroying RFID Tags Made Easy

A lot has been written about RFID tags and their privacy implications. Looks like the plan is for everything to eventually have an RFID tag, from USA Passports (soon) to just about every consumer good known to man (soon also).

22C3 Private Investigations has come up with a RFID Zapper, which permanently disables RFID tags. Clearly a useful item for law abiding citizens with privacy concerns as well as criminals such as shop lifters.

They modify a disposable camera to produce the prototype RFID Zapper. Development is continuing but they seem to be temporarily out of RFID tags. Plans are to publish documentation that allows anyone to build their own RFID zapper.

Cool, but I'd like to build one inside of a functioning ballpoint pen! Batteries size seems to be the main concern.

Thanks to Bruce Schneier for this.

Google PC - no way says Google

According to Macworld UK, Google has denied it plans to introduce a Google PC and Walmart has also denied that they have plans to carry a Google PC.

The "Google PC" was a big deal as the seemingly non-existent box ran a non-Windows operating system, which would have certainly challenged Microsoft's dominance of the desktop. Ted Rap sources within Google also comment that they know "nothing about any Google PC or OS."

There are still rampant rumors that Google co-founder Larry Page will introduce some kind of hardware device during his keynote at the Las Vegas Consumer Electronics Show.

Google PCs and Google OS?

Google is rumored to be teaming up with Walmart to sell a "Google PC" which does NOT run Microsoft Windows! More news possibly Friday when Google co-founder Larry Page keynotes at the Las Vegas Consumer Electronics Show.

A cheap non-MS Windows box with a possibility of huge success is a clear threat to Microsoft. I'm certainly no Microsoft hater, but put bluntly, Windows is much more complex (and thereby less reliable and more subject to security problems) than 95% of everyone needs. Most users do not need Windows level of functionality -- or complexity.

If this Google PC actually happens, it can only be a good thing for consumers. I would expect 800 pound gorilla Microsoft to counter with a bare-bones Windows, and maybe buy Yahoo! as well in an attempt to defend against 800 pound gorilla Google.

I wonder if Vegas will be setting odds and taking bets? Who would you bet on, Google or Microsoft?


Thanks to SlashDot and The LA Times for the heads up.

Update: Google and Walmart deny Google PC rumors

Wikipedia tightens editing rules

I'm a big Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia, fan.

Wikipedia is changing its editing policies due to recent controversies, and I think this will only improve it!

"What we are doing in the long run is pursuing a model of having a stable versions and live versions" - Wikipedia founder, Jimmy Wales.

Wikipedia has also been "experimenting" by requiring contributors to pre-register.

Some of its entries have been less than objective, which is bound to happen since historically anyone can change anything.

Recently, former MTV VJ Adam Curry, considered by many to be the father of podcasting, or godfather of podcasting, or "Podfather," has been implicated in changing Wikipedia entries to highlight his accomplishments and diminish other's accomplishments in the development of podcasting. (what's podcasting? look it up in Wikipedia).

Wikipedia is also the worlds biggest wiki. What's a wiki?? - look it up in Wikipedia.

Who am I? No one - there's no Wikipedia entry for me. Hmmm, maybe "Leader of the free world, legendary deep thinker, a living legend to humanity, fat hairy Greek man, atrocious overeating carnivore, world class procrastinator . . ."