PRISM is on the minds of many people this week. Subsequent to a whistleblower’s report, each of the companies mentioned in the report were quick to deny the NSA agency’s direct access to their servers. That doesn’t mean they don’t supply information to the authorities.
Whatever the truth of the matter, this does not surprise me at all, and I don’t know why so many seem shocked.
Don’t misunderstand me, I don’t agree with secretive snooping, and because it goes on doesn’t mean it is right.
I’m just as frustrated as most others, however, i’m just not as surprised.
The liberty and freedom of free individuals is paramount, and it’s a slippery slope travelled by the authorities, which, in a free society, are supposed to represent our own freedoms. That balance between our security and freedom is now badly soured, imho.
End of rant.
On an entirely different topic, we opened three new forums this week, and they are aimed at site design, marketing, and advertising in the mobile, smartphone and tablet sectors.
The new forums are:-
Native Mobile and Tablet Application Design and Development
Mobile Web Site Design and Development
Mobile and Tablet Advertising and Marketing
You'll find them in a category of their own.
Mobile Internet
You can help by contributing questions and answers in these new sectors.
Thank you.
The previous WebmasterWorld Weekly is here.
Welcome to this week's WebmasterWorld Weekly Roundup.
As if we didn't already know it, authorship profiles are important indicators, however, in the latest message from Google, there are strong indications that authorship profiles are becoming stronger indications of quality signals. Our thread is titled, "Google Strengthens its Message About rel="author" Authorship and SERPs Quality" Join in the discussion.
In a Google AdSense thread announcing that Google will show similar-sized ad units in 336 x 280, some WebmasterWorld Members are not impressed with the results. What do you think of the announcement, and how does it look on your site?
In WebmasterWorld's monthly look at Google's SERPs changes for June, there's a great deal of discussion over the latest movements. Join in the discussion and help us keep this a representative thread on movements and changes in the SERPs.
A web publisher has attributed the loss of links to link removal requests received by other web publishers spooked by Google's Penguin. Are you seeing similar collateral damage?
Bing made a significant announcement this week when is said, "Starting this fall with iOS 7, Bing will power Siri's new integrated web search." Out thread is titled, "Bing To Power Apple's Siri New Integrated Web Search"
For a while now, the real-time mapping company, Waze, has been the target of acquisitions, with Facebook and Google reportedly being on the trail. This week, Google announced it had secured the acquisition, no doubt to bolster it's own transit system information. Google said, "To help you outsmart traffic, today we're excited to announce we've closed the acquisition of Waze."
Facebook has confirmed it is rolling out clickable hashtag support. I'm not quite sure why we really need that, but, it's now a done deal.
This week, there was an interesting discussion where Members discuss how to keep forums from being banned by Google AdSense because of inappropriate User Generated Content. For inappropriate, that means spam.
Twitter announced it is opening up its analytics tools for all users. Previously, it was on available to advertisers.
Google's Matt Cutts has confirmed that there's a dance on again. This time it's Panda, and it rolls out monthly. Here we go again!
In the PRISM and NSA discussions, here are a few on WebmasterWorld
Microsoft, Google, Apple Deny Government 'direct access' to Servers
Europe's Commissioner Demands Answers Over PRISM Data Surveillance
Google Asks U.S. Government To Allow Publishing of More NSA Requests
Bing has created a new video devised to help people understand some common areas they can take action in to improve their product, ranking and traffic. "Bing Webmaster Tools Video and Business Chicken"
In other news stories this week:
Report: Google Wallet Is Costing Google With Every Transaction
Report: Google Still Letting Illegal Drug Ads Through
Yahoo ID Clearout By July 15
Reminder: July 1, 2013 .Org and .Net Price Increases
Do join in the conversations on these and other topics you may wish to raise.
Cheers
Neil
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WebmasterWorld Weekly Roundup June 13
