So, for whatever reason, some hoaxster seems to have mocked up an invitation to an Apple special event later this month. And the best part is watching the Web response go from the expected hysterical joy ("oh, geez, oh, geez, whatever it is it will be AWESOME") to the battle-hardened cynicism of the "dudes who can spot the Photoshop fake a mile away," and finally back to the wistful hoping for any Apple announcement of any kind. Sigh. Oh, Apple--how you have the Internet wrapped around your little iFinger.

Permalink | 7 comments

• Read also: Buzz
• Email to a friend | Print this post

Search engines have all the power these days. As in: cross them, and you die. Such is the fate of BMW.de, and possibly Ricoh.de, which both engaged in search engine optimization tactics that Google found deceptive. BMW is blacklisted, and Ricoh may be next. And the rest of the troops have fallen meekly into line.

Permalink | 6 comments

• Read also: Buzz
• Email to a friend | Print this post

The Consumerist is speculating that Nvidia may have hired undercover agents to seed forums with positive comments about its products. Nvidia claims the mag has it all wrong...other than the "NV fans" that it uses to "help educate people on the Web." Oh, boy. This ought to get interesting.

Permalink | 13 comments

• Read also: Buzz
• Email to a friend | Print this post

After launching the excellent AV500 Mobile DVR and the Gmini 402 Camcorder before the holidays, Archos didn't have much to show off at CES. However, it seems the company's doing well in the cut-throat portables arena with a 49% US sales growth and record overall growth in 2005 (according to an Archos press release). This brand has evolved a bit over the years but they have always been at the forefront of portable video. Expect some nice new releases in a couple of months.

Permalink | Post a comment

• Read also: MP3 players
• Email to a friend | Print this post

"Knowledge is power," Sir Francis Bacon noted long ago. That truth still holds, and it goes double for knowing how to get your Web site listed at the top of Google's search results. Search engine optimization, or SEO, has been a major buzz term for businesses that offer online services. In fact, large organizations often hire specialists dedicated to finding new ways of convincing search engines to give their sites higher rankings. SEO is as much an art as a science, and there is a fine line between encouraging a search engine to appropriately value the legitimate relevance of your site and entering into a deceptive ploy designed solely for increasing page views or selling ad impressions. Recently, Google claimed that Germany's BMW site crossed the line, and Google removed the offending site from its index. Aside from being another sign of how competitive the dot-com world has become, the energy that companies are devoting to optimizing their sites is also a good reminder of how lucrative a successful SEO strategy can be for your business. For some tips on how to optimize your Web site without defrauding search engines, check out our SEO Best Practices.

Permalink | 7 comments

• Read also: Work
• Email to a friend | Print this post