Filed under: Internet, Text, Google, Search
Google isn't buying Twitter, but I wish they would
Ok, maybe TechCrunch blew it again (they certainly have enough other sites talking this morning). Maybe Google isn't in "late stage talks" with Twitter regarding a purchase, but I sure wish they were. Oh well, that's what happens when you cite "unnamed sources."
Reality aside, the move could make sense for Google, who already command more than 60% of the search market. Twitter's rapid rise in popularity and use has left it bursting at the seams with content yet there's still no profit making going on. Who better to step in and turn a giant pile of searchable data into a steady stream of cash than Google?
Although, since the content is already on the web anyway, why would Google need to buy Twitter? Once they figure out a better way to integrate Twitter results, they can monetize it with AdSense like everything else on the Internet.
I, for one, would love to see this happen anyway. Maybe Google would put together a Labs team and start rolling out test features like an auto-refreshing home page, the ability to selectively hide @replies or filter specific keywords, and a search feature that isn't quite so clumsy.
Hell, Twitter has been teasing us with search on the home page for months and it's still being handed out like the key to the executive washroom. The rest of us have to be content with installing Userscripts to hack in the functionality ourselves. Maybe we'd see that change if someone else entered the picture.
It would also be nice to kiss the damned Fail Whale goodbye forever, and if anyone has the ability to do that, it's Google - what with all those fancy, hand-made servers they have at their disposal.
If nothing else, it would certainly be fun to see an off-target post by TechCrunch actually come full-circle and become true.
Reality aside, the move could make sense for Google, who already command more than 60% of the search market. Twitter's rapid rise in popularity and use has left it bursting at the seams with content yet there's still no profit making going on. Who better to step in and turn a giant pile of searchable data into a steady stream of cash than Google?
Although, since the content is already on the web anyway, why would Google need to buy Twitter? Once they figure out a better way to integrate Twitter results, they can monetize it with AdSense like everything else on the Internet.
I, for one, would love to see this happen anyway. Maybe Google would put together a Labs team and start rolling out test features like an auto-refreshing home page, the ability to selectively hide @replies or filter specific keywords, and a search feature that isn't quite so clumsy.
Hell, Twitter has been teasing us with search on the home page for months and it's still being handed out like the key to the executive washroom. The rest of us have to be content with installing Userscripts to hack in the functionality ourselves. Maybe we'd see that change if someone else entered the picture.
It would also be nice to kiss the damned Fail Whale goodbye forever, and if anyone has the ability to do that, it's Google - what with all those fancy, hand-made servers they have at their disposal.
If nothing else, it would certainly be fun to see an off-target post by TechCrunch actually come full-circle and become true.
I haven't met two small business owners in a meeting where one doesn't ask how to get his or her site to the top of the Google search results list. There are transparent reasons for wanting to be first: you get more clicks, your business seems important, clicks convert into business, and your Internet traffic can skyrocket. What's the magic formula for getting to the top?
We mentioned a few weeks ago 
With Halloween fast approaching, it's a great time to get in some practice defending your territory against zombies. In Graveyard Shift, you take aim at zombies and other creepy-crawlies, blasting them into splatters of cartoony green guts. It's a casual first-person shooter, and it's very easy to get the hang of - use the mouse to aim, click to fire. Graveyard Shift has at least 15 levels, and it might even have some secret stages I haven't unlocked yet.
They key to getting good at Graveyard Shift is learning to use ...
