The Big Wave Blog

Once again, Google shows us how much power it has.

United Airlines got a taste of the wrath of Google when their stock prices took a beating yesterday. Here is the timeline of events:

9:55 am CST: Bloomberg LP picks up a 2002 report that United Airlines is filing for bankruptcy. United shares fall from $11.75 to about $3, which is a record 70% loss of equity in 5 minutes!
10:08 am CST: NASDAQ halts trading to let United Airlines comment on the situation. United issues a denial of the outdated story.
11:30 am CST: Trading resumes, with shares trading at $10.92, down $1.38.

Chain of Misinformation: Who got it from whom?

Bloomberg 2008 → Securities Advisors Inc. Florida → South Florida Sun-Sentinel’s site → Chicago Sun Times Story 2002

Why did this happen?

Statement from Google:

“On Saturday, September 6th at 10:36 PM Pacific, the Google crawler discovered a new link on the Florida Sun-Sentinel website in a section of the most viewed stories labeled “Popular Stories: Business.” The link appeared in that section sometime after Googlebot’s last crawl at 10:17 PM; because the crawler saw this new link appear, it followed it to an article titled UAL Files for Bankruptcy. The article was indexed and then available through Google News search, but was not shown on our headlines pages. We removed this story from the Google News index as soon as we were notified that it had been linked to in error. It has been widely reported that many readers were unable to determine the original date of publication of this article, and our crawling was similarly unable to recognize that the article was old.”

In short: not our problem!

Ah, the possibilities….

Welcome to the world according to Google. Company fortunes can be wiped out in minutes. Panic selling could have created many millionaires who had prior knowledge of this Google indexing issue. (Who says someone didn’t?) Can you imagine the chaos that a Gordon Gekko “greed is good” rogue trader can create? Google simply blames the “crawler” for its mistakes.

Now more than ever, it’s crucial for all companies to understand how search engines work, no matter what they are selling (tomatoes or airplane tickets).

It never rains…

It always pours on the airlines. The reason this rumor was so believable is that the airline sector seems to be forever stuck in a jam. Just when you thought it could not get worse for them, Google temporary wiped out 70% of the value of the third largest airline in North America. And you think you have “Ranking Issues” on Google!

My last post, Alice in Browserland, has resulted in a lot of questions so I want to elaborate on the “Google Analytics vs. Internet Explorer 8″ issue. Here are some answers to the questions I received, and also my thoughts on how things might play out.

How does “Porno Mode” (aka “InPrivate Mode”) on Internet Explorer 8 work?

The “InPrivate” browsing feature in IE8 consists of two privacy elements:

1. InPrivate Browsing
   It allows browsing without leaving any trace. For example, you go from Salesforce.com (work-related) to Expedia (book that holiday) to Bank of America (check your balances) to clicking on some adult links you got from your buddies. When you use InPrivate browsing, officially you went nowhere once you have closed the browsing window! No entries in the browser history, no cookies, no cached files, no autocomplete or other information stored.
2. InPrivate Blocking
   This feature blocks the various utilities that track users across websites. The internet has gone from being an anonymous place to a user-tracking paradise since the invention of the browser “cookie” and JavaScript-based analytics programs. This new feature of IE8 makes sure that nobody (read Google) can find out what websites you are visiting in order to serve you better advertisements.

Do you have to activate “Porno/InPrivate” Mode?
Yes, you have to activate it. Microsoft would love to make this the default mode. However, there are users like me who have several passwords, bookmarks, etc, that they need to access on a regular basis. In addition, I don’t think InPrivate mode will be favorable for the business world. They do not want their employees to enter the web incognito like Jason Bourne and leave no trace of the websites they have browsed during the workday.

What are the chances of IE8 taking off?
Very good, actually. It has the muscle of the Microsoft Empire behind it. Remember when Microsoft massacred Netscape by preloading Explorer as the default browser on every new computer they sell? Their strength is in their numbers: 73% of the world uses Internet Explorer and they will all be “encouraged” to move or “upgrade” to IE 8.

What’s with all this new innovation from Microsoft?
The master plan behind launching Internet Explorer 8 is not to better the World Wide Web or improve internet privacy. Microsoft wants to go after Google’s lunch, which happens to be its advertisement serving platform. This platform relies heavily on Analytics to ensure that the right advertisements are served to each user based on the user’s history and preferences. This is what has made Google the powerhouse it is today. They give you the best ROI on your advertising dollars by serving your ads to your target audience.

What about Google Analytics?
Google is the master of preemptive strikes. As I type this, not only have they launched their own browser but are probably working on a solution for Google Analytics. Nothing official about these modifications has been made public.

Is Chrome good/safe for download?
If you have been using search engines for a while, chances are that Google already knows enough about you. There is no harm in giving in to the Google machine. It’s an open source browser with very good JavaScript processing capabilities. In additon, it’s “multithread” feature means that one of your tabs won’t crash the entire browser session. It’s still in early beta mode, so don’t be afraid to take it for a spin. Who knows, you might fall in browser-love!

In Summary…

Both Microsoft and Google have transformed the basic browser into a new kind of weaponry. The browsers choices we make today will determine how these two companies will transform the Computing and Internet landscape in the near future. Personally, I love Firefox and will remain a loyal user.

You’re already in Browserland - just make sure you enter through the right rabbithole.

Here is the latest from Browserland (my new word of the day): What’s Google got to do with it, you ask? Hold that thought, and I will get back to answer it in a bit.

First, welcome to the world as viewed through IE8.

Here are some of its features:

• Full compliance with CSS 2.1, HTML 4.01, as well as steps toward implementing HTML 5. In simpler terms, Microsoft is putting support for established Web standards as its first page-rendering choice, and Microsoft-specific standards only after that. Simply put, they put themselves second..wow.

• Accelerators that allow you to take rapid action on any selected word or phrase on a website (ex: generate maps, directions) without leaving the page. Very nice.

• Browsing “InPrivate”- Microsoft IE8 feature that enables users to browse the web without leaving traces of browsing history, URLs visited, or search queries. Basically, it erases all signs of websites they viewed.

Ah, welcome to “Porno Mode”!

How convenient! Can you imagine the relief pornography surfers are about to experience?

Several tech magazines have dubbed InPrivate “Porno Mode.” However, jokes aside, Microsoft is not really trying to accommodate privacy nuts or porn connoisseurs. The real target here is Google. Now I’m coming back to my opening statement about arch-nemesis Google. Guess what else “InPrivate” browsing blocks? Answer: Google Analytics. This is a very well executed sneak attack on one of my favorite (free) analytics programs.

But wait… Google Chrome is here!

I mentioned in my previous post that Microsoft already has over 70% of the browser market. By blocking Google Analytics, they can now inflict some major pain on search engine marketing agencies and individuals using it to track performance of their campaigns.

IE 8 mission accomplished? Not really….

Google, the master of preemptive strikes, released a beta version of its own browser to rival Internet Explorer and Firefox. It’s called Chrome (Download here to take it for a spin).

On the surface, the main reason for launching Chrome may appear to be blocking Microsoft from gaining entry into the online advertising marketplace via IE 8. But if you think harder, it becomes clear that that the real pie in the sky for Google is to rid the world of the Windows operating system. Chrome has been hailed as a wonderful reader of a programming language called JavaScript.

Google thinks of Chrome as more than a plain web browser - it’s a platform for running web applications. They are on a clear mission here to end Microsoft’s world domination and establish their own.

Now the readers can see how deep the rabbit hole is when Alice tries to enter Browserland!

It was great to be in Anaheim to deliver the Leading Practices in Search Marketing: Basic & Advanced Sessions. I really enjoyed the crowd and received some very good feedback and questions.

I would like to thank all the attendees for their wonderful comments. I always look forward to bringing educational sessions to the area. This series of Search Marketing sessions has been very well received, and I really appreciate CHLA for inviting us to deliver this program to their members.

My next speaking engagement for CHLA will be at their Annual Northern California Trade show:

Northern California Hotel & Lodging Conference
September 18, 2008 10:00 am – 11:15 am
Doubletree San Jose, San Jose, CA

Click here to register and catch up with me in San Jose!