30
January
2008
I am a big fan of search. Almost all my information seeking behavior starts from a search. Page ranking matters a lot to me since that is the biggest factor when I evaluate the quality of a search engine.
Here is an interesting piece of reading from http://www.ecommercetimes.com/rsstory/61434.html?welcome=1201715809.
Myth: All I need to do is figure out the magic bullet, and I will be at the top of the search engine.
Fact: Search engines use over 200 factors to rank sites. No one factor will get you to the top. To get to the top, you must have a balanced search engine strategy encompassing many factors, both on page and off page. There is no magic bullet.
Myth: Search rankings are about link popularity. Get as many links as you can. Join Web rings, “free for all” (FFA) link exchanges, and get as many sites as you can to link to you through reciprocal linking back to them.
Fact: While link popularity is important if done correctly, Google is placing links under increasing scrutiny, and sheer volumes of inbound linking without regard to the source of the link and other factors hasn’t worked in years. It is not the raw number of links that matter, but the type of links. Links from trusted sites, relevant to your industry, with proper anchor text and relevant surrounding text and page content, to original content on your site are the ones that will help you.
FFA linking will most likely get you in trouble with the engines as they could interpret that as an attempt to spam the results. In addition to bleeding away all of your page rank to other sites, FFA linking will increase your chances of linking to a “bad neighborhood,” another thing which can get you into trouble. Never link to sites you do not know or with which you are not familiar. Remember, Google is smarter than you, you can’t fool them with unnatural linking schemes.
Myth: It’s all about “keyword density.” Be sure to repeat your keyword numerous times on your Web site. Keyword repetition increases keyword density and inflates your search engine ranking.
Fact: Structuring your page around some magic formula for key phrase density does nothing for you. Yes, your target key phrases should be included at least once on the page, as well as in your title and meta description elements, and in an H1 or H2 tag if possible. Other than that, forget about key phrase density. Create your Web content for human readers and write it so it makes sense to them. Whatever you do, avoid key phrase repetition, a known spamming technique sure to get you into trouble.
Myth: Repeated submissions to the search engines increase your rankings. It is a good idea to sign up for an automated submission service, which will regularly resubmit your site to 1,000 or more search engines each week.
Fact: Automated submissions are a violation of major search engines’ Terms of Inclusion and can get you into trouble. Search engines don’t need you to submit to them, set up a blog and get a few links to your site, and they will find you very quickly. Using Blogger.com, which is owned by Google, usually can get a new site indexed within a week. Just be sure to put a link on the blog to your site.
Myth: The meta keywords tag must include your target keywords. Search engines place heavy weight on this tag and use it to determine which keywords for which to rank your site.
Fact: Search engines that matter, such as Google, place zero weight on the keywords meta element due to historical spam. Yahoo appears to give it some small weight. In any event, use of the keyword meta element is of so little use, many SEO’s ignore it altogether.
Myth: Because links are so important to search rankings, I should go out and purchase a large number of paid links and submit to hundreds or thousands of directories in order to get more links to my site.
Fact: Google especially has cracked down hard on paid links in the last few months. To put it succinctly, they don’t pass page rank. If you want to buy a link from a site, only do it if you believe the link itself will be a good source of traffic (in other words, only do it for legitimate advertising purposes). Do not do it if your purpose is for that link to transfer page rank or increase your ranking, as it likely will not.
Additionally, hundreds of useless directories have been harshly penalized as well, so that links from within them are either not counted at all or given very little weight. Get links from a few well respected directories such as dmoz.org, Yahoo directory, Business.com, JoeAnt and others which have a manual review process. Automated submission services which submit to hundreds of directories are a waste of money.
Myth: I should write articles and submit them to article directories, because links from article directories have high page rank and are given great weight by the engines.
Fact: Article directory links in and of themselves carry little to no weight. The engines are smart and know that people spam these directories with useless content just to get a link. If you want to get relevant, trusted links to your site that actually mean something, create useful, informative, or educational content that people will want to link to. Articles are one form of such content, but only if they are good enough to get picked up by other sites. Other content which can serve as link bait is video content, tools and widgets, product reviews, top 10 lists, and interesting or entertaining blogs.
ellen 
Search 
1 Comment »
18
October
2007
- From Terminator
ellen Uncategorized No Comments »
4
May
2007
by Robert Half Technology
There’s good news for those searching for jobs in the technology field. Business expansion and increasing investments in technology are driving demand for skilled information technology (IT) professionals across the United States. In fact, the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that 1.49 million new computer and IT-related jobs will be created between 2004 and 2014.
Following are some of the positions experiencing the greatest demand — and largest increases in base compensation — according to the Robert Half Technology 2007 Salary Guide, as well as an overview of the qualifications necessary to secure these jobs.
Software Developers
How much can you make? A shortage of skilled software developers means companies are willing to pay top dollar to recruit and retain these professionals. As a result, software developers will see the greatest salary gains of any job classification in 2007. Average starting salaries are expected to rise 5.1 percent, to between $60,250 and $94,750.
What are the typical duties? Software developers code, test and debug programs. They also work with analysts, engineers and quality assurance testers to coordinate and document application development and testing.
How can you get the job? Employers normally require a bachelor’s degree in computer science or a similar field and a minimum of two to three years of programming experience. Candidates with ActiveX, C#, Visual Basic, .NET or Java skills are the most marketable. In addition, software developers need to be detail oriented and have excellent problem-solving and analytical abilities. They also must possess strong communication skills and be able to work independently and in teams.
Web Developers
How much can you make? Web developers are in high demand as web-based tools, services and applications gain popularity. Average starting salaries are expected to be between $54,750 and $81,500 annually, an increase of 4.2 percent over 2006 levels.
What are the typical duties? This person gathers business requirements, develops specifications for web-based applications and provides technical assistance to web administrators. A web developer also may integrate Web sites with back-end systems and write test plans and report results.
How can you get the job? Candidates should have an in-depth understanding of Internet protocols and applications as well as business strategy. Employers typically require a bachelor’s degree in computer science or a related field, plus several years of web-related experience. Those with .NET, Ajax or Java skills are highly sought.
Data Warehouse Managers
How much can you make? Starting salaries will increase 4.2 percent in 2007, to the range of $85,500 to $113,500 annually.
What are the typical duties? Data warehouse managers design, develop and maintain data warehouses and data mart systems. They also work with database developers, administrators and managers to ensure that data systems conform to enterprise data architecture and strategy.
How can you get the job? This role requires proficiency in warehousing tools and architectures, as well as technical expertise in database languages and applications such as Oracle, SQL Server and DB2. A bachelor’s degree in computer science or the equivalent, along with five or more years of experience in a data warehousing environment and three or more years in technical personnel management, are typical prerequisites.
Project Managers
How much can you make? According to a 2006 study by the Society for Information Management, the top three skills sought by employers for midlevel IT hires are planning, budgeting and scheduling — the exact qualifications strong project managers possess. Consequently, project managers can expect starting salaries to rise 4.1 percent in 2007, to the range of $72,750 to $106,250 per year.
What are the typical duties? Professionals in this role manage the overall coordination of IT applications development projects, from planning through implementation. The job also entails setting project scope, priorities, budgets, deadlines and deliverable schedules, as well as facilitating discussions among various project stakeholders.
How can you get the job? Candidates must have experience with project management methodologies in order to oversee intricate, multifaceted projects. Typical requirements include a bachelor’s degree in an IT- or business-related field, a background in applications development, and five or more years of experience managing complex projects. Project management certifications, such as those from the Project Management Institute, also are valued by employers.
Applications Architects
How much can you make? Starting salaries will increase 4 percent in 2007, to the range of $80,000 to $112,750 annually.
What are the typical duties? Applications architects design application components such as the user interface, middleware and infrastructure. They also may provide technical leadership to the applications development team, perform design and code reviews, and ensure that uniform enterprisewide application design standards are maintained.
How can you get the job? Candidates must possess technical expertise combined with excellent planning, coordination and communication skills. Employers typically require a bachelor’s degree in computer science or information systems and a minimum of eight years of related work experience. Those with knowledge of DB2, Oracle database products, XML or C++ are highly marketable.
For more information about hiring and salary trends, request a free copy of the Robert Half Technology 2007 Salary Guide by calling 1.800.793.5533.
With more than 100 locations in North America, Europe and Asia, Robert Half Technology is a leading provider of technology professionals for initiatives ranging from web development and multiplatform systems integration to network security and technical support. For more information, please visit www.rht.com.
Copyright 2007 Robert Half International.
ellen IT News, job No Comments »
11
February
2007
http://www.itworld.com/Man/2681/061207top10/
Megadeals signalled realignment in the IT industry and foreshadowed the Internet’s multimedia future. A much-delayed Vista debuted amid speculation that it would be the last of the old-school, big-bang product launches. As software giants announced support for Linux, and manufacturers switched chip allegiances, the open-source and chip industries were thrown into turmoil. 2006 was a transition year, as IT giants positioned themselves for a new era of global competition in the post-PC era. Here, not necessarily in order of importance, are the IDG News Service’s top 10 news stories of the year:
HP spy scandal: Board, and broad, implications
A board feud at Hewlett-Packard Co. hit the newspapers in September, leading to the resignation of Chairman Patricia Dunn. The board spat erupted over an investigation to see which board members leaked information — including arguments about the ouster of former Chief Executive Officer Carly Fiorina — to the press. The company used “pretexting,” where investigators pretend to be the people being investigated in order to access private information. Criminal charges were filed against Dunn, legal counsel Kevin Hunsaker and outside investigators. Users are unfazed: Under Mark Hurd, CEO and newly appointed chairman, HP has overtaken Dell Inc. as the leading PC maker and IBM Corp. as the biggest IT company in revenue terms. However, the scandal has broad implications. Congress may make pretexting a federal crime. Oversight of corporate governance is a rallying cry.
Microsoft cuts a deal with Novell: Embrace and devour?
Microsoft Corp.’s November deal with Linux distributor Novell Inc. created turmoil in the open-source world. Microsoft will offer sales and support for Novell’s Suse Linux, work on interoperability and indemnify Suse users and developers from potential Microsoft lawsuits against copyright infringement. Industry insiders say that Microsoft is driving wedges into the open-source community, protecting only some users from legal reprisals. The open-source world had already been rocked in October, when Oracle Corp.’s move to offer full support for Red Hat Linux had industry insiders worrying Red Hat Inc.’s business model would suffer. Ultimately though, the software giants’ embrace of Linux is a sign that no one can ignore open source. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said the impetus for the agreement came from customers. Though that’s an old line, there’s no doubt that open source has truly come of age.
Alcatel-Lucent: M&A mania grows
The merger of Alcatel SA and Lucent Technologies Inc., announced in April, formed a US$24 billion networking giant and signaled trends in global mergers and acquisitions. The hookup was necessary to face down competition in growth areas of the mature enterprise market — such as VOIP (voice over Internet Protocol) — while Chinese manufacturers put pressure on the West on the low end. 2006 is expected to yield 3,945 M&A deals, up from 3,455 in 2005 and the highest number ever, according to investment firm Innovation Advisors. Globalization and changing demand are fueling M&A in networking, the Internet, the chip industry and enterprise software. 2006 examples include Advanced Micro Devices Inc. and ATI Technologies Inc., Cisco Systems Inc. and Scientific-Atlanta Inc., Red Hat and JBoss Inc., and EMC Corp. and RSA Security Inc.
Google-YouTube: Convergence 2.0
Google Inc.’s ability to afford the $1.65 billion price tag for its acquisition of YouTube Inc., announced in October, underscored its status as the Internet’s superstar revenue generator. The deal itself confirmed video’s importance in the evolution of Web 2.0: the mashing together of user-generated content and multimedia applications. “Anybody who wasn’t interested in YouTube was either asleep or not being honest,” said Jonathan Miller, who was deposed as AOL LLC chairman after the Google-YouTube deal. Competitors scrambled. Lycos Inc. launched a movie-streaming service mixing elements of social networking and online video, while movie studios and TV networks rushed to put video online. Legal issues between Internet sites and content producers need to be worked out but one thing is for sure: convergence of video and the Net has hit prime time.
AOL search data release fans privacy debate
AOL’s July release of search log data on 658,000 subscribers, meant for research use, became a cause célèbre in the privacy-rights debate. Coming amid reports of corporate data leaks and phishing scams, it was yet another reminder of the general insecurity of data. The AOL records contained sensitive information like Social Security numbers. In September three people sued the company in what their lawyers claimed was the first such lawsuit seeking national class-action status. They asked the court to instruct AOL not to store users’ Web search records. But the request is not likely to be granted. Law enforcement officials want service providers to retain user logs to aid investigations, and new data retention rules may be proposed. The ability of technology to store an ever-increasing amount of data will ensure continuing debate. Jurisdictional issues also come into play as the U.S. and Europe clash over different privacy standards.
When batteries attack: The Great Battery Recall of 2006
It was the biggest recall in the history of IT and consumer electronics. Sparked by reports that lithium-ion batteries could short circuit and catch fire, Dell in August recalled more than 4 million laptop batteries. The move was soon followed by manufacturers around the world including Apple Computer Inc., Fujitsu Ltd., Hitachi Ltd., Lenovo Group Ltd. and Toshiba Corp. More than 8 million batteries were recalled, leading to yet another black eye in an annus horribilis for Sony Corp., the manufacturer of the faulty cells. The recall, startup costs for the delayed PlayStation 3 game console and poor PlayStation Portable sales pushed Sony’s operations into the red.
Mac on Intel: chip industry realigns
Apple’s January launch of the first Mac PCs running on Intel Corp. chips was historic. For decades, Apple’s insistence on going its own way has been its strength, and also its weakness: the company has traded seamlessly designed products for market share … at least, until the iPod came along. But Intel chips have breathed new life into the Mac line. A 30 percent jump in fiscal fourth-quarter Mac sales helped the company generate $546 million in profit and blow away analyst expectations. The company’s profit margin is great: in their last reported quarters, Dell had more than 300 percent greater revenue than Apple, but only 24 percent greater profit. Meanwhile, in a blow to Intel, Dell in May announced that it would for the first time use chips from Intel archival Advanced Micro Devices, in multiprocessor servers by the end of the year.
Patent wars singe BlackBerry
After the U.S Supreme Court declined in January to hear Research In Motion Ltd.’s appeal in its patent battle with NTP Inc., industry watchers started sounding the death knell for RIM’s BlackBerry. A $612.5 million March agreement between the companies, however, ensures that RIM will never have to worry about NTP patent claims again. The case is emblematic of the disruptions caused by patent disputes, which often lead to near-automatic injunctions that prevent companies from selling products that allegedly infringe on patents — even before final patent rulings have been made. Many industry insiders found wisdom in the U.S. Supreme Court’s May ruling that courts need to look at multiple factors instead of immediately awarding injunctions. The court sided with eBay Inc. in a patent infringement case brought by online auction company MercExchange LLC. But patent wars continue: NTP sued Palm Inc. in November.
Vista delays …. and launches
After numerous delays, Microsoft in November launched Vista, along with Office 2007 and Exchange 2007. Though Microsoft CEO Ballmer called it “the biggest launch in our company’s history,” it didn’t have that feel. Consumer versions of Vista and Office won’t be available until the New Year, thus missing the holiday buying season. The products are important: among many other things, the level of interoperability among them is greater than ever before. But the launch may go down in history for another reason: it could be the last of the traditional big products launches. With more people tapping into hosted applications, Google experimenting with Internet-based productivity applications and users receiving a steady stream of product updates over the Web, big-bang launches may fade into the past.
Gates steps back … to plunge into philanthropy
Bill Gates’ June announcement that he will step out of his daily role at Microsoft in July 2008 was a milestone that comes at a transition time. While he will remain chairman, Gates will focus on philanthropy. Microsoft was rarely if ever a first mover, as for example Apple has been. But by combining technical acumen and business brilliance, Gates embodied the quintessentially American entrepreneurial knack of seizing a great idea and commercializing it beyond people’s wildest dreams. His deal to provide the operating system for the IBM PC in 1981 fueled the personal computing revolution. Over the next 25 years Gates led Microsoft to embrace the graphical interface and bring it to the masses, conquer the desktop market, and ultimately navigate the shoals of the Internet era. Microsoft faces further battles in the Internet age, against Google and other companies that will spring up. Meanwhile the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has assets of about $30 billion. The world watches to see if Gates can revitalize philanthropy, as he did computing.
Chinese translation: http://searchexchange.techtarget.com.cn/news/358/2708858.shtml
近日，IDG评出了2006年业界10大新闻，次序不按事件的重要性排列。
一、惠普电话门丑闻：今年9月，惠普公司内部调查丑闻在媒体暴光，导致公司主席邓恩下课。”电话门”的起因是2005年初，惠普董事会秘密开会 讨论是否撤换当时的首席执行官卡莉·费奥瑞娜(Carly Fiorina)，有人将消息透露给了媒体。虽然2005年2月惠普公司解雇了费奥瑞娜，但该公司试图找到向媒体泄密者的热情却一直没有减退。年初，惠普 雇佣的私家侦探利用公司董事和相关记者等至少12人的社会保险号码，从美国电话电报公司骗得了这些人的电话记录。但这一行动被指控”触犯了隐私权”，美国 国会、联邦和州政府的一些机构近来已经开始调查此事。
二、微软联姻Novell：11月，微软与NOVELL达成合作协议，在开源世界引起了不小的波澜。根据双方达成的合作协议，微软与 Novell将进行全面的合作，微软将为由Novell销售的SUSE Linux操作系统提供销售支持。双方还同意开发相关技术，让用户可以更加方便地在他们的计算平台上运行SuSe Linux操作系统和Windows操作系统。微软主帅鲍尔默在书面声明中称：”有人说，我们两家公司不可能进行合作，但是事实将说明一切，这是一种新的 模式，是我们之间关系的一个真正的发展，我想客户不久就会发现我们之间的合作可以极大地提高各自的竞争力。”
三、阿尔卡特郎讯合并：今年4月，阿尔卡特郎讯宣布合并，240亿美元的网络电信巨头出笼，也引发了业内全球并购和收购的狂潮。今年，阿郎巨人 在VOIP等市场将面临严峻的挑战，而中国电信设备厂商则会在低端市场对其形成压力。据投资公司创新投资者分析，2006年全球的并购案达到了3945 起，而2005年为3455起。全球华趋势推动了电信、互联网、芯片和企业软件市场的并购。比如，AMD收购ATI，思科收购科技亚特兰大，红帽收购 JBoss，EMC收购RDA安全公司等等。
四、Google收购YouTube：10月，Google以16.5亿美元的价格收购YouTube，表明视频业务在各大巨头转型Web 2.0方面的重要性。Google公司总裁埃里克·施密特说：”YouTube团队打造了一个美妙而强大的媒体平台，补充了Google整合全球信息，使 其为每个人所用，让所有人受益的使命。两家公司有着相同的价值观，我们都始终把用户放在第一位，致力于以创新改善用户体验。我们将联手向用户、内容拥有者 和广告主提供更加强大媒体娱乐服务。”
五、AOL搜索数据泄漏，引发用户隐私之争：今年7月，业内称AOL在其网站上走泄了该公司约65.8万匿名用户在3个月期间所进行的2000 万份左右的搜索信息，相当于同期搜索量的0.3%以上。这一疏忽已在网上招致铺天盖地有关个人隐私权利的批评，美国司法部介入调查。此外，雅虎和微软 MSN也在传唤之列，而且在不同程度上满足了美国政府的要求。
六、电池召回事件：2006年，发生了IT历史和消费电子历史上最大规模的电池召回事件。由于笔记本锂电池引起短路，产生火花，戴尔于8月份召 回了400万部笔记本电池，随后苹果、富士通、日立、联想和东芝也相继召回了800万电池，使电池生产厂商索尼面临极大的困境。电池召回事件，导致索尼 PS3游戏机的推迟上市，使索尼公司赢利出现赤字。
七、苹果转”芯”英特尔：今年1月，苹果推出第一款采用英特尔芯片的MAC电脑，开始历史先河。多年以来，苹果一直固执己见，采用IBM的芯片 产品。这也成为苹果的弱点，市场份额一直没有起色。英特尔芯片将为苹果注入生机与活力。今年第四季度，苹果MAC电脑的销售增长了30%，公司创利约 5.46亿美元，打消了业界对其转芯的疑虑。戴尔公司的收入是苹果的300%，但其利润只有24%。同时，戴尔也宣布采用AMD的芯片，对英特尔造成沉重 打击。
八、版权之争拷问黑莓：2月1日，美国专利与商标局驳回了NTP公司对存在争议的第五个专利的要求权，RIM取得的了暂时的胜利，NTP目前是 该专利的拥有者。3月，双方最终达成了和解协议，RIM公司将支付6.125亿美元的赔偿给NTP公司，而NTP公司也将撤销对RIM公司的一切控诉。同 时，RIM公司也将得到NTP公司专利技术的永久许可。
这次的永久专利许可包括了RIM公司的所有产品、服务和技术，RIM公司及其合作伙伴将再无后顾之忧地向客户们提供黑莓电子邮件产品和服务。同时，业内的其它版权之争仍在继续。11月，NTP起诉Palm公司。
九、Vista推迟上市：经过了多次的推迟后，微软于今年11月宣布推出VISTA操作系统，同时还推出了OFFICE 2007和EXCHANGE 2007。鲍尔默称，”这是公司历史上最大规模的上市活动”。实际上，这些产品的上市并未引起太大的反映。因为消费版本的VISTA和OFFICE在新年 前才能推出。VISTA无疑是一款重量级的产品，其兼容性大大提升。VISTA上市成为历史上规模最大的一起，可能还有一个原因：它可能会成为最后一款传 统意义上的重要产品上市，因为越来越多的用户开始选择在线应用程序，GOOGLE正在测试基于网络的产品应用，用户也可以通过上网进行产品升级。
十、盖茨淡出微软，转身慈善事业：今年6月，盖茨宣布2008年7月将完成退出微软，这是微软转型的一个标志。今后，盖茨仍会是公司的主席，但 主要关注于慈善事业。在过去的25年间，盖茨领导微软走向大众市场，成为桌面霸主，并开创了互联网时代。未来，微软会面临GOOGLE和其它公司的强大压 力。目前，盖茨基金会的资产达到了300亿美元，世界在期待，他是否能使慈善世界焕发活力，如同他在软件世界一样。
ellen IT News 1 Comment »
1
February
2007
Well, I have to admit this is not my first post. I deleted my “hello world” post after it was published successfully. I hope you enjoy your experience in my blog! 
ellen misc No Comments »
