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Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Photos from SES San Jose and the Google Dance 2008

Written by Ross Dunn and published at 11:55 AM

Last week's Search Engine Strategies conference in San Jose was awesome! The content was exceptional - a cut above previous conferences - and the parties were a blast. To drive all of this home I invite you to check out the photos from the conference that I posted a few minutes ago.

A number of the photos include the following SEOs that you may know: John Carcutt, Darrell Long, Matt McGee, Andy Beal, Lisa Barone, Loren Baker, Leif Nissen, David Snyder, Jeff Quipp, Jennifer Osborne, Jeremiah Andrick, Daron Babin, Chris Boggs.

There are more photos to come too but for now enjoy!

by Ross Dunn, CEO, StepForth Web Marketing Inc.

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Monday, July 21, 2008
Unlimited Top Level Domains with with ICANN Approval

Written by Scott Van Achte and published at 3:16 PM

ICANN has recently approved a proposal to expand the availability of top level domains to virtually unlimited levels – at least if your pockets are deep enough.

On Monday the Wall Street Journal reported that businesses, or even individuals with money to burn will be able to apply for top level domain names using just about anything they want as the suffix.

What this means is, rather than the usual .com, or .ca extensions, companies could purchase the rights to brand name extensions such as “.google”, or “.ebay”, or if I was given a hefty raise and felt the need, I could spend a half million dollars and register “www.scott.vanachte”, (although I am not sure what I would do with such a pricey piece of online real estate).

Don’t get too excited however, according to ICANN it could be upwards of two years before the new domains are released, and with these vanity domains going for as much as a half million dollars, we are likely to only see them used by the big corporations until prices come down.

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Thursday, April 03, 2008
A Net Reality - Cybercrime & Punishment

Written by Brayden Reger and published at 3:43 PM

The evolution of the internet is anything but dull. It is a precarious world that is subject to the influence of both devious and altruistic actions. Just like any human society, there is chaos and there is order. Yet, what makes the cyberworld so unique is the opportunity for people to come together that may never have done so by traditional networks. Through communication on different websites and blogs, individuals can discover new ways to make mischief or find assistance in solving crimes.

Recently, there have been some particularly interesting happenings in Internetville that I’d like to share with StepForth’s loyal blog readers. Top of the list is the now infamous Craig’s List Hoax; where a man’s property was raided by car loads of people who had read a false ad on the popular classifieds site that stated - “Everything must go”. At first, it was unclear who perpetrated this spiteful and sinister act. Theories did exist. But, now that the dust has settled it seems clear to authorities who was responsible. As it turns out, the hoax was simply a creative attempt by thieves to cover their tracks.

Another unusual story that’s been unfolding over the net this week is the WOW, You’re a Moron fiasco. A tale which began when the victim of a burglary posted on his personal blog what had happened to him. What makes this story so fascinating is the reactions some readers had to the mans plight. They felt they needed to help the victim, so they decided to aid in tracking down the culprits. One blogger - a man from the UK - did some sleuthing and called a suspect’s house; yet, he only spoke with the boy’s mother. Plus, there have been an endless barrage of angry gamers pouncing on the prime suspect’s Xbox Live account since the victim made it public. A discovery the victim made after being contacted by a kid claiming he had his loot and was willing to ransom it back.

So far, all but a TV have been returned.

Surprisingly, this week had other examples of social networks assisting in the pursuit of justice. Such is the case with a collector car thief being tracked down and arrested due to the efforts of angry car blog members.

Stories likes these make me wonder what sort of shenanigans or crime solving tactics will occur next. Certainly helps make the argument that anything is possible… on the internet.

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Wednesday, December 19, 2007
A Few Excellent Posts of the Day

Written by Ross Dunn and published at 3:24 PM

Today I have been busy polishing off a feature article for tomorrow's SEO newsletter but in the midst of that I came across a few articles and posts that caught my eye:

  • My Twitter friend and social networker extroardinaire Tamar Weinberg wrote a great article that shows which social media networks she networks across different social sites:
    "How Do You Network On Social Sites?"

  • ResourceShelf has links to recently posted research papers by Google employees. These papers can be gems for foretelling the future of search: Recently Posted Research Papers and Biblographic Info by Googlers. Special thanks to Barry Schwartz and his helpful Tweet that brought me to this info.

  • The unofficial Facebook blog ("AF") discusses the incredible potential of social shopping heralded by Facebook's recent Beta test of a payment system. You will be hearing a LOT more about this very soon.

  • Did you know that Democrats "participate more fully in social technologies"? This is just one of the interesting nuggets found in this fascinating post by Josh Bernoff of Forrester Research: Social Profiles of Political Candidates. The posting has excellent information sourced from a Forrester research document.
by Ross Dunn, CEO, StepForth Web Marketing Inc.

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Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Free Teleseminar on EMail Marketing

Written by Ross Dunn and published at 11:59 AM

Marketing Sherpa is easily my favorite resource for reliable online marketing research. I have been a follower of this online resource for many years and it never fails to impress and educate me with its in-depth results.

Today I noticed that the Sherpa has announced a free teleseminar for December 19th where Sherpa Researchers Stefan Tornquist and Tim McAtee will be providing tips based on the results of their latest email marketing study.

I just received my confirmation for my signup. The seminar is titled: "Email 2008: Top 10 Research Findings and Practical Ways to Increase Email Performance."

I never know what kind of marketing gems I will learn from these seminars but I am looking forward to finding out. Email marketing is definitely a science and I have lots to learn.

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Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Obvious Email Spam is Still Successful

Written by Ross Dunn and published at 11:59 AM

This is an off-topic post that I felt could not be missed. The Register wrote today about a type of email spam that is extremely common and rather obvious BUT surprisingly it appears some Internet users are still falling for it. The article is worth the read if you have any concerns about what emails to read or not to read.

In Short
Emails that promise free games, windows security patches or updates, nude celebrity pictures, or anything that seems out of the ordinary should be deleted immediately.

A source in the Register article "recommends PC users do not open executable files attached to email messages from addresses they do not recognise or trust and to 'refrain from opening any message that purports to feature nude celebrities'."

So what is the big deal? After all it is just spam!? NO, when anyone opens this spam and clicks a link within it a malware program may be installed into the user's computer at which time the computer is added to a network of machines used to quietly send out even more SPAM. This type of attack is estimated to be responsible for up to 20% of the email SPAM we all receive today.

Please do your part and screen the email you open! In fact, I strongly recommend using a community-supported SPAM filtering program like Cloudmark Desktop (formerly Cloudmark SpamNet). Cloudmark costs only $3.40/mo. ($39.95/yr) and it does a great job of protecting my email from 95%+ of the 500-1000 SPAM I receive in a single day. My entire company has used Cloudmark to eliminate email SPAM for over 2 years and it has little or no error rate.

Sincerely, Ross Dunn, CEO
StepForth Web Marketing Inc.

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Tuesday, November 20, 2007
40 Languages for Google Custom Search

Written by Ross Dunn and published at 11:50 AM

StepForth has used Google's custom search for nearly a year now to allow a powerful but free search option for our website. Well it turns out Google's custom search is now available in 40 languages according to the a posting today at Google's Official Blog:
"Today, we're pleased to tell you that the Google Custom Search platform is available in 40 languages, in close to 80 countries worldwide. And now you can search your Custom Search engine (CSE) in the language of your choice. We hope to see more people creating useful CSEs -- we want to see more colo(u)red beams on the globe!"
Read on...

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Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Vampires are in Your Home!!

Written by Ross Dunn and published at 4:14 PM

an unrelated but sadistic looking vampire kitty!!!You heard me right! There are items in your house ‘sucking a nickel of every dollar's worth of the electricity that seeps from your home's outlets’. The items I speak about are the ones in “standby mode”, such as your computer or any type of electronic waiting for the touch of a hand to fire it up. This includes rechargeable and trickle charge devices for cell phones, tools, toothbrushes, and any idle appliance such as an oven, dvd player or microwave that displays a clock.

An average household in the US will pay an additional $200 per year due to electronics on standby which is why The Vampire Slayer Act of 2006 has been approved by the California Assembly.

For ways to conserve energy I found this site to be of value and informative.

As for vampires in your home, they may be the ones shouting “Trick or Treat” at your door tonight.

Happy Hallowe’en from all of us at StepForth!

by Anita Sperrer, Office Manager

Ps. The picture of the kitty was added by Ross because... well a picture of a vampire kitty just seemed to work in his crazy Halloween-filled mind.

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WordTracker Promotion Extended

Written by Ross Dunn and published at 1:46 PM

StepForth is happy to announce that we have all been afforded an extension until November 30th on the great 15% discount for annual subscriptions to WordTracker. If you have not already signed up then follow the directions below:

Visit this link and enter the discount
coupon code us-annual-15 to get 15% off


What is WordTracker?
WordTracker is a phenomenal keyword research tool that allows subscribers to find out which keywords drive the most interest online. With this information in tow subscribers can change their SEO and pay-per-click keyword targets to make more money.

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Friday, October 26, 2007
An Assortment of Interesting Stories for your Friday

Written by Ross Dunn and published at 12:01 PM

Here is a list of some articles that my staff and I came across today and thought worthy of sharing. Enjoy!

  • I, Cringely wrote an excellent article today describing Google's plans to host all of our applications. Cringely's insights are well founded in my opinion. This one is definitely well worth the read.

  • According to a mobile study released by Portio Research over half the worlds population will have a cell phone by 2009 and 75% of the population will have one by 2011.

  • "The Senate on Thursday night approved a seven-year extension of a moratorium on state and local taxes on Internet access." Honestly it is amazing to me that such a tax is even being considered - damn politicians!

  • "Google Inc. is confident that its $3.1 billion bid for online ad tracker DoubleClick will win over European and U.S. regulators." Personally I hope it doesn't go through simply because it has a very real possibility of giving Google a very damaging advantage over other search engines. I am still holding out hope that another player will steal more market share from Google because I prefer a more level playing field but I am well aware that is unlikely anytime soon.

And since we are approaching Halloween, here is something a little frightening for your day. A Zogby/463 Internet Attitudes poll states that 1 in 4 Americans feel the Internet is a decent substitute for a significant other for a period of time. Yikes. Oh and some other very interesting and occasionally boggling data was collected in the same poll so check it out for a laugh or two.

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Thursday, October 18, 2007
China Caught Redirecting Google and Yahoo Traffic to Baidu

Written by Ross Dunn and published at 2:27 PM

The Chinese communist flagAccording to TechCrunch today it appears that China is hijacking traffic that is meant to go to Yahoo and Google and transfering it to Baidu.com; China's banner search engine rife with legally (in China) ripped music and thick with communist party censorship.

Out of interest I tried surfing China's network using a Chinese-based proxy. I tested the network and definitely found many websites that were "unavailable" but Google, Yahoo and MSN were not being redirected on my tests... I guess the Chinese filters are playing favourites intermittently.

Harvard posted an interesting study on Internet cencorship in China they conducted in 2002 called an "Empirical Analysis of Internet Filtering in China". I find this topic fascinating and disturbing so it stole a little more time out of my day than I had expected. In the report they listed a sampling of sites banned in China along with the regularity in which they were blocked during their study. The list shows 126 websites including:

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Wednesday, October 03, 2007
The Top Websites in U.K. and France

Written by Ross Dunn and published at 9:39 AM

Today comScore released the latest statistics on the top websites in the United Kingdom and France for the month of August. This information provides a revealing glimpse into the minds of prospective European clientele.

Note: For more information or an interpretation of any stats click on the link below each image to visit the source page.

The results for each country are shown below:




Additionally the report provided charts for each of the properties that have seen the highest gains in traffic in comparison to the previous month (July 2007):





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Friday, September 07, 2007
Insight into Steve Job's iPhone Price Drop

Written by Ross Dunn and published at 10:39 AM

On Wednesday the news lines were afire as Apple's CEO Steve Jobs announced a $200 price slash on the iPhone. Ever since the announcement there has been rampant speculation on Job's move...

Why, why, why?

Well I came across a fantastic character profile on Bill Gates and Steve Jobs by Robert X. Cringely; a man with abnormally deep insight into both men. The article is fascinating and I strongly recommend the read. After all, these are two people who have serious influence over the technological world we live in.

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Wednesday, September 05, 2007
iPhone Cost Slashed and Awesome iPod Touch Released

Written by Ross Dunn and published at 5:56 PM

I enjoyed a fantastic overview of a press conference presented by Steve Jobs today. Among other cool news such as a new line of iPods Steve Jobs announced huge price slashes on the iPhone (sorry those who already bought it!) and added a particularly cool product called the iPod Touch which looks identical to the iPhone but lacks the phone capabilities.

Complete with WiFi I expect the iPod Touch to be a new rage... I want one badly! I also expect the iPhone Touch will vastly increase the frequency of mobile search since it uses the far less expensive (or free) WiFi networks that seem ever-present in the big cities.

Check out the excellent coverage of this news event by Ryan Block of Engadget

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Additions to Google App's Expected Soon

Written by Ross Dunn and published at 5:54 PM

In today's information travels I came across some information about Google App's and its rumoured expansions over the coming months. Here are a few things you can expect that have me quite intrigued.
  1. Google is expected to add a wiki which will provide added collaborative functionality to Google Apps.

    Acquired by Google in October of 2006 JotSpot is an online wiki platform that (according to their FAQ) "allows you to create rich web-based spreadsheets, calendars, documents and photo galleries. It's as easy as using a word processor — you don't need to know HTML. Thousands of businesses are using JotSpot to manage projects, build an intranet, share files and stay in sync with colleagues and customers."

  2. Google's purchase of a company called Tonic Systems in April has prompted expectations of many who are eager to see Tonic's Java Powerpoint editing software added to Google App's. There is no telling when, or if, the full breadth of the Tonic platform will be integrated into Google but it is a logical move for the App's platform.

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Introducing Cuill the Secret Search Engine

Written by Ross Dunn and published at 5:44 PM

John Battelle's blog brought to my attention a startup called Cuill (pronounced "cool") that was created by some wealthy ex-Googlers that specialized in search technologies. Apparently the startup, and this is rumour, has already been approached by Google with a very appetizing offer.

As John Battelle said, the search engine must have some very attractive concepts for Google to jump in with an offer so soon. At this time the engine is not available for use, however, it is already gaining the attention of some prominent marketing professionals.

by Ross Dunn, CEO, StepForth Web Marketing Inc.
Celebrating 10 Years of Web Marketing Excellence

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Friday, August 31, 2007
Jim Hedger Leaves SiteProNews

Written by Ross Dunn and published at 11:18 AM

At the SiteProNews blog today Jim Hedger announced that his contract as the daily editor for SiteProNews was not renewed for another year.

The whole staff at StepForth wishes our friend and former in-house writer all the best as he refocuses his attentions on other partnerships and his company Markland Media based in Victoria, BC, Canada.

(Photo from SEO Atlanta's Flickr library)

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Thursday, August 30, 2007
The ULTIMATE Computer Lego

Written by Ross Dunn and published at 4:42 PM

Nerds and techies rejoice! BUG Labs has launched its official website where they released more detail on their flagship product that, in a sense, is like the ultimate Lego for nerds and techies :-)

In quarter 4 of 2007 BUGbase will be released which will allow inventors to create an infinite variety of gizmos and gadgets from programmable building blocks. The blocks are called modules and all connect to the BUGbase which is a "a fully programmable and "hackable" Linux computer, equipped with a fast CPU, 128MB RAM, built-in WiFi, rechargeable battery, USB, Ethernet, and a small LCD with button controls. It also has a tripod mount because, well, why not? Each BUGbase houses four connectors for users to combine any assortment of BUGmodules to create their ultimate gadget."

On their About Page, the Bug Labs team coins this concept as "Community Electronics" because in addition to being able to create your own custom gadget you can also share your code and learn from others in the online community called BUGnet. This innovative move by BUG could open up a whole new level of advancement in technology where the eccentric and brilliant minds of inventors join as one to continually advance this hardware and software to unimagined heights.

by Ross Dunn, CEO, StepForth Web Marketing Inc.
Celebrating 10 Years of Web Marketing Excellence

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Monday, August 27, 2007
The Gphone Hype

Written by Ross Dunn and published at 4:02 PM

News of the potential Google Phone (gPhone) has been slowly but surely taking over the net over the past 6 months or so. As of late, however, the hype is louder than ever since recent (supposedly more concrete) evidence has appeared of its existence. At this point there is simply too much hearsay to really know what the heck is going on but a bit part of my gut says this may just be the biggest bad rumor ever. Unfortunately the other half of my gut wonders why Google's Marissa Mayer never actually denied the existence of the gPhone at the latest Search Engine Strategies conference.

One thing is for sure, mobile Internet use is skyrocketing and Google undoubtedly wants a sure footing in this burgeoning industry. The question is... will they meddle with the Telcos by taking their own piece of the pie or just continue to supply the ingredients?

Here are some interesting threads if you want to keep up on the latest gPhone hype:
My Prediction: Okay I am going to have fun here and try to predict where Google is with the 'Gphone'... nowhere! Look it seems bleeming crazy for Google to move on a concept that could alienate their telco partners and put them into a vertical they have little or no experience in. If they do go somewhere with this I expect it will be by way of a partnership model with a leading innovative Telco.

What Google Might Do
Okay here is my serious prediction: I predict that Google will partner with a Telco to create a phone (or modify an existing one) that takes complete advantage of Google's current and upcoming web applications. The new phone will be priced well below competitors and after they get users hooked on it they will offer an innovative new concept where users receive better rates in exchange for a form of advertising (yes, advertising I mean come on, this is Google after all!). How the advertising is integrated will depend entirely on the physical layout of the phone, however, I would be blown away if the phone did not include an iPhone-like larger than life touch screen which would (theoretically) allow similar ads to what we experience now.

Google will likely make the home page default to a mobile Google page with optional personalization enabled; but they will stress the usefulness of personalization because it will enhance the user experience by providing higher quality results. The phones will become your daily update on all things online including weather, flash news, scheduling, where to go (using GPS built-in or optionally added), email... etc.

Oh and of course Google will not make these great phones available in Canada because Google likes to forget about their Northern neighbors.

What Do You Think?
Is the Gphone all a bunch of whooey or are you betting on it? Drop a note!

by Ross Dunn, CEO, StepForth Web Marketing Inc.
Celebrating 10 Years of Web Marketing Excellence

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Thursday, August 09, 2007
VoiceStar Acquired by Marchex - BREAKING NEWS

Written by Ross Dunn and published at 11:53 AM

BREAKING NEWS - According to an inside source VoiceStar, a leading phone-to-web marketing tracking and solutions provider has just been acquired by Marchex Search Marketing for an undisclosed sum.

Congratulations Marchex! From my dealings with VoiceStar so far and what I know of their incredible solutions this is one exceptional buy.

In the interest of full disclosure this news came first hand from a top VoiceStar employee but lacked details so I do not know whether the acquisition has completed or is in final talks but the phrase "we just got bought" was stated very succinctly.

------------
Update, 2:31 PST, August 9th.

Barry Schwartz just notified me that Greg Sterling over at Search Engine Land updated the public about an hour and a half after my release. Apparently the reported purchase came to the tune of $28 Million.

by Ross Dunn, CEO, StepForth Web Marketing Inc.
Celebrating 10 Years of Web Marketing Excellence

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Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Canadian Mobile Data Rates Are Appalling

Written by Ross Dunn and published at 4:05 PM

The Mobile Web is undoubtedly going to grow and grow until a mega industry takes shape; after all, there are simply too many people getting more and more addicted to instant information gratification. This fact is not lost on any country with a mobile network and Canada is no exception. Unfortunately for Canadians we are being suffocated by mobile data rates that are exceedingly more expensive than even a third world country like Rwanda. Unless our data rates come down you can bet that Canada will be left in the dust while the world of mobile commerce skyrockets.

Don't believe me? The chart below dramatically illustrates the appalling impact of a lack of Canadian competition.

A chart titled "The Travesty of Canadian Mobile Data Rates"

This chart and story was originally posted in April by a blogger by the name of Tom Purves. I came across it and I was struck dumb by the price gouging that this beautiful country is allowing (here are more stats courtesy of Tom). As a result, I thought I would do a little digging into the past of the CRTC (Canadian Radio and Telecommunication Commission) to see how they have handled this marketplace in the past. Unfortunately few answers were obtained... just more shock and outrage on my part. What I "loved" the most was this horrendous quotation from a 1994 announcement from the CRTC that they were opting out of regulating wireless rates:

Citing a "sufficient" level of competition in all of these markets, the agency said it will continue to oversee the setting of rates only in the case of wireless services provided directly by the nation's telephone companies. Otherwise, wireless services "are sufficiently competitive not to warrant regulation," it said. However, the CRTC also said it is "prepared to forbear from exercising some of its regulatory powers" over mobile wireless services provided directly by the telephone companies if they can show evidence of "the establishment of sufficient costing and marketing safeguards."
Although this quote is from 1994 it seems to be still in sync with the current CRTC Fact Sheet on Cellular (Wireless) Telephone Services. So what can I, as a Canadian, do now? I suppose I can only make a lot of noise by writing articles like this and furthering the message from Tom's original article.

One thing seems for sure... if Canada does not dramatically decrease its mobile data rates then us Canucks are going to enjoy fewer benefits of the growing Mobile Web.

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Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Facebook IPO Coming Soon

Written by Ross Dunn and published at 10:55 AM

As Paul Kedrosky noted today in his blog it appears undeniable that Facebook is positioning itself for an initial public offering (IPO). When? Who knows but their newly available job position for a "Stock Administration Manager" with "strong knowledge of SEC, FASB, and IRS rules and regulations relating to stock plans and insider trading..." is a good tip off that one will be coming within a year. With Facebook seemingly on the lips of every 20-30 something person I know (both in the tech sector and not), I would say this will be one very lucrative windfall for the current shareholders.

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Friday, June 08, 2007
View Live Data on Internet Usage Worldwide

Written by Ross Dunn and published at 2:33 PM

Akamai, which claims to route 20% of the Internet's traffic through its platform, has used this data to create a very interesting real-time view of Internet usage for news, retail, and music. What I found most intriguing was another report that shows real-time Internet usage data; just drag a viewing box over specific sections of the world to see where the most Internet usage is occurring. It is interesting how these statistics mirror the regional traffic statistics for many of StepForth's clientele.

Do you see correlations in this data and your site's regional traffic statistics? Perhaps, just perhaps, you will find markets to advertise in that you hadn't previously considered.

by Ross Dunn, CEO, StepForth SEO Services
Celebrating 10 Years of SEO Excellence

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Wednesday, May 23, 2007
SEO Lyrics Contest May Net You $1000

Written by Ross Dunn and published at 12:47 PM

My friend and fellow Canadian SEO company owner Jeff Quipp over at Search Engine People has launched a lyrics contest where one lucky person could win $1000 USD. The contest rules and details are listed here but here is a quick lowdown on this fun contest:

SEO Lyric Contest Overview:
  • Create a full lyrical song using terms from the SEO/SEM industry.
  • Contestant website's should be internet marketing related and have no bans or search engine penalties.
  • Song parodies are allowed but the source must be noted.
  • Entries will be evaluated "totally unscientifically" by a panel industry people (including myself - unless of course I enter something), social bookmarking votes, and comments.
  • The award will go to the "most popular and marketable submission".
  • Weird Al is completely prohibited from participating - purely out of principle.
  • A minimum of ten contestants must enter for the contest to take place.
  • The contest ends at midnight (wherever you are) June 21st, 2007.
  • etc. (see the complete rules for more detail)
An important note:
"You do not have to be an expert or experienced composer! Far from it. This is all about fun, and blowing off steam!"

Have you got the chops for prose? Give it a shot, it can't hurt! After all, winning a cool grand would definitely be a nice way to start the Summer.

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Wallstrip Owes Thanks to More Than Just YouTube

Written by Ross Dunn and published at 10:52 AM

Revver AdvertisementIt is always a pleasure to get feedback on my postings, especially from those who are intimately involved with the news I am reporting. In this case Trader Mike (Michael Seneadza), one of the first partners in Wallstrip posted the following comment to my recent posting (CBS Jumps on the Bandwagon and Purchases Wallstrip) that I felt was important to highlight:

"YouTube was just one of many platforms we used to distribute WallStrip. On our own site we initially used Revver and then moved to Blip. But the show was indeed uploaded to YouTube and other services daily."

In addition, Mike noted "there's a list of sites where wallstrip is available over in the right column of wallstrip.com under 'Watch Wallstrip where YOU want!'"

So let me first say congratulations to those other great services that helped out Wallstrip become the success it is today. You deserve your time in the limelight and I am the last person who would have left you out purposely. The reason I noted YouTube with such prominence was two-fold: partly because it drove my point home that free popular video-sharing services like YouTube allowed Wallstrip to become the success it did so quickly. And more importantly in his announcement posting Howard Lindzon said "Google/YouTube have been great supporters of the show. Obviously a tremendous help."

Blip TV AdvertisementAll-in-all I doubt anyone would argue that Wallstrip would have been acquired so quickly without the social marketing aspects of online video sharing. That said, video sharing sites Revver and Blip also played a notable role in their success and I am glad to note them. In fact, thanks to Michael's comment I have now been exposed to both video sharing sites, new to my world; of which Blip.tv seems the most intriguing to me.

Thanks Trader Mike!





by Ross Dunn, CEO, StepForth SEO Services
Celebrating 10 Years of SEO Excellence

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Tuesday, May 22, 2007
CBS Jumps on the Bandwagon and Purchases Wallstrip

Written by Ross Dunn and published at 10:34 AM

This Monday CBS joined the acquisition bandwagon and bought the popular online video site Wallstrip.com. Purchased for a price in the single-digit millions (rumors are around $5 million but this has been disputed) after having been online for less than a year, Wallstrip is a fantastic success story. Investor & creator Howard Lindzon's blog announced the purchase and he sent his thanks to those involved.


Congrats Wallstrip!
Apart from the fact that Wallstrip deserves this good fortune (it IS a great site), what I find the most interesting is that Wallstrip's success came about, in part, thanks to Google. Yes, I said Google, and no Google did not have a financial stake in Wallstrip. Google owns YouTube and YouTube provided the free video hosting and feed services that allowed Wallstrip to function. It is fascinating that a free service can provide a platform where an idea can become an acquisition.

Wallstrip put out a clever announcement which Lindsay Campbell (one of the winners in this deal) hosts. It is definitely worth a viewing for a good laugh.

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Wednesday, May 09, 2007
eBay + StumbleUpon

Written by Ross Dunn and published at 11:37 AM

The social marketing and search engine world is buzzing over the potential acquisition of StumbleUpon by leading auction company eBay. The news of interest from eBay filtered into the news on April 18th with other potential suitors being AOL and Google but yesterday TechCrunch announced the acquisition by eBay is in "advanced talks" for a rumored $75 million.

$75 Million? Wow, it seems social marketing has ignited the passion over at eBay. After all, the first reports were a valuation of $40 - $45 Million back on April 18th.

Tech guru Om Malik over at GigaOm has an interesting hypothesis on eBay's intentions for this social bookmarking tool: "By marrying the toolbar to a Skype client, eBay can do an end-run around Google’s dominance of the search business. A simple search box inside the Skype client is all it would take."

Google continues to grow so quickly I find myself getting pumped when any company has the potential of knocking them down a peg or two. It is the kind of shake-up that makes life interesting - something that is vastly needing in the search engine realm. Furthermore eBay has my vote for success because I think it is a company familiar with winning the long race; a necessary trait if they decide to take on a giant like Google.

What is StumbleUpon?
"The StumbleUpon Toolbar is integrated with the user's browser to allow for one-click access to quality web sites. A simple 2-level rating system gives users the opportunity to pass on or give their opinion on any webpage with a single click. These ratings also connect people sharing unique combinations of interests. Stumblers share their favorite web sites and interact with other users to further improve their web surfing experience." (source, StumbleUpon.com)

I use StumbleUpon regularly and can confirm from my own experience that the quality of 'Stumbled' sites is very high. Indeed I have noticed distinct spikes in StepForth's website traffic whenever one of our SEO Blog articles are 'Stumbled' by users.

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Friday, May 04, 2007
The Search Engines Have Been Busy this Week - A Recap

Written by Ross Dunn and published at 11:44 AM

This week the search world has been rampant with news of buyouts and related rumors. Here is a snapshot of the events of interest:
  1. The Dow Jones is up for sale and rumors started by a connected analyst state that Google may be interested. I say "don't hold your breath." This is likely a tall tale. Here is another article from Bloomberg: "Dow Jones Holders Say Murdoch Bid May Trigger Auction (Update4)"

  2. Yahoo responds to Google's purchase of DoubleClick by purchasing the remaining shares of Right Media for $680 Million; an ad buying exchange very similar to DoubleClick.

  3. Microsoft has expressed interest in purchasing 24/7 Real Media; one of the few remaining media companies in the Internet advertising industry that have not already been snatched up. In fact, 24/7 Real Media appears to be the only advertising firm that would provide Microsoft with the ability to compete with Google and Yahoo in this advertising exchange space. According to a recent posting by the Houston Chronicle on 24/7's stock holdings these unconfirmed reports of a Microsoft buyout is creating uncertainty with investors so at this point there is no telling if the talks are going anywhere.

  4. Microsoft purchased ScreenTonic, a European mobile technology pioneer that specializes in advertising on the mobile web. Steve Berkowitz, Senior Vice President of Microsoft's Online Services Group had this to say, "the acquisition of ScreenTonic will be part of our long-term strategy to deliver ad experiences that map to the environment. Together, we will be able to provide relevant ads where consumers are, when they are actively engaged and communicating."

  5. Microsoft completed its acquisition of TellMe Networks, a company specializing in speech recognition, automated enterprise support services, and voice-enabled mobile search. The purchase was originally announced in March of 2007 and was touted by Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft as a way to "enable us to deliver a new wave of products and revolutionize human-computer interaction."
by Ross Dunn, CEO, StepForth SEO Services
Celebrating 10 Years of SEO Excellence

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Microsoft Buy Yahoo? YES PLEASE!

Written by Ross Dunn and published at 10:52 AM

Reputable sources say Microsoft has reopened negotiations with Yahoo to purchase the company or work with it in some way. Last year the same talks were going on but Yahoo's Terry Semel said his "impartial advice to Microsoft is that you have no chance,” Mr Semel said. “The search business has been formed.” The talks ceased and I was not expecting them to restart so soon.

The Wall Street Journal estimates Yahoo's value at 50 billion... is Microsoft really that eager? Apparently they just might be and it is likely a direct cause of their thwarted attempt to secure DoubleClick before Google did. Tired of being a follower I expect Microsoft will be making some very tempting offers to Semel this time around.

Okay, now it is time for what is likely to get a few people charged up. "YES PLEASE" is my way of saying that I hope the merger goes ahead because it will provide some shake up in the search engines - something I feel is much needed. It also helps that I have very little reason to believe Microsoft will add value to Yahoo which will hopefully will create a void for a newcomer.

What is your thought on this? Would you be all for a merger or against?

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Friday, April 27, 2007
A Wonderful Rant for You This Friday by Thomas Claburn

Written by Ross Dunn and published at 4:38 PM

This rant by Thomas Claburn at Information Week titled "Dear Microsoft: Enough With the Interactive TV" is funny and very well written. Also I agree with it totally. Enjoy!

My favorite excerpt is "TV needs interactivity like paintings need flavoring"..."Imagine all those people in the Louvre licking the Mona Lisa. It's not very appealing." PERFECT!

Kudos on the great rant Thomas!

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Thursday, April 26, 2007
Microsoft's Analytics Program Still in Alpha - "Project Gatineau"

Written by Ross Dunn and published at 11:34 AM

Back in January it was noted in a blog or two that Microsoft was working on creating an analytics platform in response to Google Analytics. This was a logical move after buying Deep Metrix, an analytics software company, last year. The background information on the Microsoft analytics platform code named "Gatineau" was sparse back in January and I am sad to say it is still sparse to this day. In fact, upon receiving a reply from Ian Thomas today, the lead of the project at Microsoft, I am sad to say the program appears to still be in the Alpha stage; but at least I am in the queue for testing the beta when it is available. Here is a link to the Gatineau login page; don't bother trying to login it doesn't work.

So what do we know about project Gatineau? Nothing but some snippets from Ian Thomas that points toward Microsoft having a few tricks up their sleeves (I haven't heard that before). The following is a quote from a comment Ian Thomas made in response to a discussion on his original blog posting on project Gatineau: "We think there's room in the market for another service of this nature; plus, we have some stuff up our sleeves that we hope you'll like and which will differentiate us from Google's and others' offerings." He went on to note that "we have more resources than DeepMetrix did (development team has more than quadrupled since the acquisition, for example), so hopefully we won't disappoint you."

How will it compare to Google Analytics? On the original blog posting Ian says "the target audience for this project is broadly similar to the target audience for Google Analytics - though it's emphatically not our intention simply to replicate the functionality within that product."

When is Gatineau supposed to become available? Ian stated we hope to release this product during 2007; however, we're extremely keen to avoid a repeat of Google's experience with Google Analytics, so we will be ramping up our user numbers gradually to make sure everyone has a good experience from a performance perspective."

Here's Hoping
I really hope Microsoft can pull off a working analytics program soon for their sake. It has been over a year since their acquisition of Deep Metrix (May 15, 2006) and they are still in the Alpha stage even with a significant sized staff at hand. When they do launch I hope their product offers enough unique functionality that its competitors like Google can't copy them within a month. At any rate, sorry I can't provide anything new or concrete but I look forward to additional news on Gatineau (including a better name) and will post news and replies from Ian as I receive them.


I Need to Vent!
I don't know about you but if I hear another claim from Microsoft that they have something amazing they are working on and they don't deliver I will have had it with them. They have enough money and brains over there that they undoubtedly do have amazing ideas but for some reason their corporate culture just kills their delivery by being too late (behind other innovators like Google) or delivering products too early without enough testing (thinking back to Windows 95 & Millennium). Here's praying that they deliver like they did with Windows XP (their best operating system to date IMHO, albeit late).

by Ross Dunn, CEO, StepForth SEO Services
Celebrating 10 Years of SEO Excellence
www.stepforth.com

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Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Remove the Alexa Toolbar Now - Feedback From Users

Written by Ross Dunn and published at 3:59 PM

I took a look at some of the Digg.com user responses to the ZD Net Alexa vs. Statsaholic lawsuit article and here is a taste of their passionate replies.

From user: Yorn
"When you're done reading that, please click the following link and uninstall Alexa toolbar:
http://www.alexa.com/site/help/?index=37

I'm not going to reinstall it till they drop the lawsuit *AND* issue a formal apology. We provide them their data, without us they wouldn't have a business, and yet they turn around and sue one of us."

From user: Disneynut
"I've already cancelled my Amazon Prime membership and am ready to cancel my affiliate membership with Amazon if they don't drop this crazy lawsuit. How can they have a workshop with independent developers while at the same time sue this guy for taking advantage of publicly accessible data... data that Amazon wants people to use to help me Amazon better."

From user: thekohser
"The fact that Amazon would sue over being jealous that an outside developer found a better way to render their publicly-released data, means that I won't be buying anything on Amazon for the rest of this year. I'll reconsider in 2008."

There are some heated discussions on the Digg posting which I recommend anyone read who has interest in all sides of this case. The other side makes some good points too but I personally think they are missing the boat; working with Alexaholic instead of suing them would have made far more sense from a fallout and financial standpoint:

From user: IanRReardon
"This guy is taking Alexa graphics and data and calling it his own. He is doing it outside the API and violating Alexa's trademark. Did you see his graphic before he changed his name. It was the Alexa logo with "aholic" at the end. Thats like me starting Google2, using googles exact logo and putting a multi colored 2 at the end.

I use to work at a search engine company and I know it cost Alexa MILLIONS to harvest and display that traffic data. This guy is just leaching onto it. Its totally not right. Even though he might have better features and option, it doesn't give him the right to capitalize off of Alexa's 10+ years of harvesting web data.

The API is a gift from Alexa. Alexa is saying, hey developers we're going to give you access to all this data, we just want you to use it this way. What the hell is wrong with that? Google makes you use its API to run programmatic queries. No one yells at google, its the same ."

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Alexa Attempts to Crush Statsaholic After Copying Its Advances

Written by Ross Dunn and published at 2:50 PM

Amazon's bullying tactics make my blood pressure rise. Alexa (owned by Amazon) has chosen to file a lawsuit against Statsaholic.com for "stealing Alexa's proprietary data by disregarding the rules for Alexa's Web Services–through which Alexa makes certain proprietary data available in exchange for a fee–and instead simply taking the data and graphs he wants without permission." (source: PDF legal filings)

Statsaholic.com which was originally Alexaholic.com had been operating for over a year without issue and, in fact, Geoffrey Mack (Product Manager at Alexa) posted on the Alexa corporate blog that the latest enhancements to Alexa "may not be as cool as Alexaholic, but they are a significant improvement." Furthermore, Alan Graham of ZD Net noted "in the meantime, Alexa continued to make improvements to their site, many of which were seen to be directly copied from Alexaholic."

Well now that the improvements are complete and even though Geoffrey Mack changed his domain from Alexaholic to Statsaholic to avoide trademark issues, it seems Alexa has had enough of him and have filed a lawsuit to crush this enterprising web 2.0 developer. Alexa claims Statsaholic's "conduct has caused and will continue to cause damage to Alexa and an illicit gain of profit to Defendant, and is causing irreparable harm to Alexa for which there is no adequate remedy under the law."

Unbelievable! I salute Alan Graham for his well worded response to this backhanded move by Alexa:

"Excuse me? Little Ron Hornbaker…is causing giant Alexa irreparable harm? And the question that really begs to be asked is that why all of a sudden, over a year later, when Alexa had ample opportunity to address this issue, did they decide to do it now? The simple fact of the matter is that Ron Hornbaker built a better Alexa and as soon as it started to gain traction, and Alexa had already borrowed all the ideas it wanted from Alexaholic, they no longer needed it. Essentially, what Alexa wants from the lawsuit is to take ownership of the Alexaholic domain, stop Ron Hornbaker from accessing their site without written permission, damages which will go well into the hundreds of thousands, pay their legal fees, and crawl into a hole somewhere and never show his head again. ... Is this how we work together in this shiny new world of Web 2.0?"

Apparently Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon and owner of Alexa was a bit flabbergasted when the Alexaholic dispute was raised by Tim O'Reilly during a interview in front of a crowd of Web 2.0 companies (the interview will be here soon). In response to Tim's request that Alexa and Alexaholic find a way to get along (because they are both great websites) Jeff seemed to uncertainly stumble through a list of arguments about trademark rights and intellectual property.

All-in-all, I find it beyond sad that Alexa would target a great site like Statsaholic.com for infringement when it plainly compliments their own website. In fact, as was noted in other articles on this topic, Alexa's data (its lifeblood) is compiled entirely thanks to the kindness of volunteers who install their toolbar. So where does Alexa get off torturing a small website that has done nothing but provide improved (and very popular) access to this data? I am sure they could have worked with Statsaholic.com to create an amicable solution. I hope the Alexa staff involved in this suit have some sleepless nights as a result of the inevitable public backlash of their foolhardy bullying.


Related Articles and Sources on the Amazon (Alexa) vs. Alexaholic Story

by Ross Dunn, CEO, StepForth SEO Services
Celebrating 10 Years of SEO Excellence

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Friday, April 06, 2007
Search Engine Strategies is Next Week

Written by Ross Dunn and published at 12:26 AM

My apologies to my readers for such a quiet week on the StepForth SEO Blog and for the nonexistent newsletter. I have been very busy trying to catch up on open contracts and prepare for my adventure to New York next week for the Search Engine Strategies conference.

I promise I will make it up to you next week with coverage from the conference. There are plenty of topics to delve into but the ones that strike me the most interesting are:

  • The future of webmaster tools from search engines. Just how much information are they going to share and what is their ultimate intent? Google has already gone a lot further than I had ever expected.

  • Duplicate content considerations are a hot topic for many of my readers as evidenced by the jaw dropping volume of questions I received from my recent article "The Most Common Reason for Dropped Rankings: Duplication". Yahoo recently released its planned participation in the SES conference and Amit Kumar, Yahoo Engineering Manager will be discussing Duplicate Content and Multiple Site Issues. I hope to make it to that presentation and perhaps record it for my readers.

  • Personally, over the breadth of the show I will be keeping my eyes and ears open for the opinions of my peers regarding the future of SEO with Web 2.0. Where is Ajax going to take the user experience and what other technology will be juicing up the experience? With the current rate of search evolution it seems even the most loftiest guesses may have merit.
I still have yet to take the time and sit down to decide which presentations are MUSTS when in New York. Until then I will continue to prepare and get pumped for what will definitely be an information packed experience.

Ross Dunn, CEO, StepForth SEO Services
Celebrating 10 Years of SEO Excellence

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Monday, April 02, 2007
Ross Dunn Will Be at SES New York Next Week

Written by Ross Dunn and published at 2:35 PM

From the 9th to the 13th of April I will be attending Search Engine Strategies New York covering the festivities and breaking news on the StepForth SEO Blog.

If you happen to be at SES NY as well I hope you will come by and introduce yourself (if I don't do so first). I am excited to finally meet many of my SEO industry brethren and put some faces to the names and prior discussions from years past. Unfortunately I will not be a speaker at this SES due to significant cutbacks in programs this year but I am there representing StepForth's SEO Blog for which I am looking to setup interviews.

Interviews for the StepForth SEO Blog
The following is a list of the areas I am most interested in writing about for the StepForth SEO Blog:
  • Search engines small and large. The focus is on what sets your search engine apart from the others and where you expect the industry to go in the future.

  • Social media related businesses. I want to provide my readers and clients with some more insight into the newest advertising offerings and future innovations in this category.

  • Alternative online advertising. Do you represent a company with new or often overlooked advertising technology? I am all ears.
To submit your request for interview please email your pitch to "seoblog at stepforth dot com" and I will review your information and respond as soon as possible.

I look forward to meeting you next week.

Sincerely, Ross Dunn
CEO, StepForth SEO Services
Celebrating 10 Years of SEO Excellence

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Monday, March 26, 2007
Find Out if China is Censoring You

Written by Ross Dunn and published at 10:55 AM

China is a nation of strict censorship and the country has been rightfully dealt a wealth of criticism for this fact. As many of you know the Internet is carefully screened by China to ensure the proper 'facts' of life are fed to its people. So I wonder, what exactly does China consider worthy of censorship?

Does your website fall into China's wastebasket?
The Great Firewall of China is a website that is designed to tell you if your website is blocked in China. Try it yourself and see if your website is a banned substance. Although it is not now, I expect that the StepForth SEO Blog will be banned very soon thanks to this posting.

Here is just a sampling of sites that are completely blocked in China:
  • Wikipedia (www.wikipedia.com)
  • The New York Times (nytimes.com)
  • The BBC News (news.bbc.co.uk)
  • Amnesty International (amnesty.org)
I found other site examples but they were not always banned, it seems site-wide censorship may occur only at certain times or connectivity issues are to blame. The other possibility is China is providing a slightly kinder viewpoint for users of the greatfirewallofchina.org. After all, they are bound to have noted this site's existence and heightened popularity.

- Thanks to Jeremy Zawodny's blog for the heads up on the great wall website.

Ross Dunn, CEO, StepForth SEO Services
Celebrating 10 Years of SEO Excellence

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This SEO News was posted by Ross Dunn @ 10:55 AM.

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Tuesday, March 20, 2007
What Happened at RegisterFly and How to Protect Your Domains

Written by Ross Dunn and published at 9:48 AM

On March 16th, the International Corporation for Assigned Names & Numbers (ICANN) publicly de-accredited the domain registrar RegisterFly.com for fundamental contractual breaches. BusinessWeek Online appropriately called the RegisterFly.com debacle a "Train wreck" and although this is not SEO-related I think StepForth SEO Blog readers should be kept in the know about this situation. Perhaps this post will help you protect your domain(s) and ultimately your livelihoods from future train wrecks. To that end, I have outlined some tips at the end of this post that will serve as a checklist to help protect you.

So What Happened at RegisterFly.com?
Near as I can tell it all began when the owners of the company began a power struggle that ultimately eroded customer support to appalling levels. As a result, customers were not able to transfer or renew their domains and in some cases personal information on their domains were even switched to reflect RegisterFly ownership.

Here is a comment from the BusinessWeek article that speaks volumes of the bad will well-earned by RegisterFly.com:

"This has been a travesty. The transfer system was designed to work between two trusted registrars and completely breaks down when one has gone bad. RegisterFly has held customers hostage by not providing the "auth codes," by arbitrarily locking domain names, by changing the "Whois" info, and by arbitrarily putting your domain into "ProtectFly", their service to protect your identity but also keeps you from transferring your name.

We have lost domains and, more importantly, production Web sites have just gone dead, heading to a RegisterFly parking page instead. Try explaining this to customers depending on these sites for their business. RegisterFly's debacle has ruined businesses and lives. And this could have all been avoided with a better process in place and more in-depth criteria for accreditation. This process must be improved before the Internet can truly be used for mission-critical applications."

What Has ICANN Done to Help?
The International Corporation for Assigned Names & Numbers (ICANN) came under severe criticism as a result of RegisterFly.com's actions because affected domain owners were frustrated ICANN took so long to act. Unfortunately it appears that the domain registration system has some serious flaws because ICANN, which is the only authoritative body in charge of domains, had little power to wield. Here is a March 7th excerpt from the ICANN Ombudsman Blog that provides some insight into ICANN's efforts:

"ICANN is not a regulator. We rely mainly on contract law. We do not condone in any way whatsoever RegisterFly’s business practice and behaviour.

The options for customers to transfer their names to another registrar at this stage are limited. We will advise if we have more information on this point. Last Friday, ICANN convened a telephone conference among those needed to implement a plan that will help cease unintended deletions. This will prevent names from being deleted from the registry and becoming available for re-registration by others. RegisterFly has assured us (for what that is worth) that they will process such requests as soon as they are again technically operational. We will keep a close eye on this.

We do hope this information is helpful and provides some small level of comfort in what is clearly a stressful time for registrants and others affected by these events. Check in at both here and at our website www.icann.org where these issues (amongst others) are being discussed."

For what it is worth, ICANN's 16th of March posting announcing the de-accreditation of RegisterFly also indicated that "ICANN intends to hold a forum to discuss the reform of the Accreditation policy and process at its Lisbon meeting in a week's time." What will come of this meeting is uncertain but there is no doubt that ICANN needs a far larger stick to wield at future companies like RegisterFly.

Protecting Your Domains
Big thanks to jtara's post at WebmasterWorld for some of these points:
  1. Do your due diligence and check on the reputations of your prospective registrar before registering domains with them. Try searching with their name followed by "complaint" or any other related words and see if you find anything alarming. Most large registrars will have a complaint or two which is understandable but definitely go the other way if you too many or if, in the worst case scenario, you see a movement such as www.registerflies.com.
  2. Do NOT host your website with your registrar or use their DNS records because any downtime on their part may turn your website into a 404.
  3. Be careful registering your domain with a hosting company. Just like a registrar, a hosting company can leave you in hot water if it goes South. Generally hosting companies are just resellers of domains so all is not lost; with some effort you may be able to skirt around the hosting company and contact the core domain registrar.
  4. If you must make your whois information private then use a 3rd party privacy service - one that is not directly affiliated with your registrar. This way you can be reasonably sure that your privacy options are under your control only.
  5. Do NOT allow your registrar or hosting company to have any stake in your domain whois records. For example, making a hosting company contact the Admin of your domain opens you up to potential problems.
  6. Make certain your whois information is accurate so you can be contacted should complications arise. You are out of luck if privacy is in effect but that should be an understood sacrifice of such a specialized service.
  7. Register important domains for a few years instead of just one so that you can be sure you will not lose your domain to renewal should you find yourself with a bad registrar.
Closing Remarks
My heart goes out to all of those affected by this horrid situation. The idea that clients of RegisterFly may have lost domains after investing thousands of hours and dollars in their website - is a sobering thought. I can only hope that those most painfully affected by this mess get some justice - better late than never. Sincerely, Ross Dunn, CEO, StepForth SEO Services

PS. I don't think this post would be complete without a creative video that YouTube user "hd1080i" used to put the RegisterFly events into perspective.



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