Last week I published an info graphic detailing who was suing whom in the mobile world. According to TechDirt that chart was based on inaccurate data provided in a NY Times article from March. It is much worse than originally envisioned. Here is TechDirt’s remake of the graphic showing known higher profile lawsuits:
Here are links to 10 posts I wrote this year about things that I found in patents and white papers from the search engines. I’ve included links to the patent filings and whitepapers as well, and included the date that each post was published in parentheses after the links to those posts. I broke them … Continue reading Loci 2009: Bill Slawski’s Important Patents of 2009 →
I have been reading Google’s Location Prominence Patent of late in search of a better understanding of the web related factors that affect Local ranking in Maps. This presentation augments the one made at SMXLocal in July. If time allows I will do a series on the underlying patent and its implications. Here is my … Continue reading SMXEast Presentation: A patent review of Maps Ranking Factors →
I have written a number of times about the OneBox: –Eyetracking Heatmap: How Searchers View the Google One Box –The Google “Onebox†on general search phrases The OneBox, in its many forms is very important as the primary interface that Google provides to local search and thus deserves attention. Bil Slawski has just published a … Continue reading OneBox patent summary from Bill Slawski →
In early September, Bill Slawski wrote a great review/summary/analysis of Google’s Local Search Patent Application. I reread it over the weekend* and felt the surge of epiphany flow over me as I recognized the theoretical underpinnings of Google Local search results. As Bill noted, Google Local is a “structure generation engine” that collects information from … Continue reading A summary of Bill Slawski’s Google Local Search Patent summary →
Since early August with the roll out of Critic Reviews and Top 10 Lists and with the recent rollout of Reviews from the web and a significant review snippet display upgrade, Google has been on a rich snippet tear. Here are some my thoughts, big and small, about these changes. Do you see these changes … Continue reading Thoughts on the Recent Rollout of Aggregate Reviews, Snippets & Critic Reviews in Google SERPS →
Several weeks ago Mary and I had a discussion at the Deep Dive at Local U about whether Google was using review sentiment in ranking. While I noted that the new patents for entity rank seemed to indicate that professional reviews might influence rank, that I had not seen any indication that sentiment as expressed within … Continue reading Google Local Restaurant Search Autofilters on Best, Cheapest Like Phrases →
I am a student of local. I read Google patents, I study legal documents. And I am reasonably a good speller. That doesn’t mean that I can spell Acxiom’s name correctly very often. Nor can I pronounce it. It is one of those corporate branding exercises that must have looked great on paper but never … Continue reading Why Acxiom Needs a New Name and Always Has →
Google just announced a new feature on mobile browsers, a chart showing the hours that a given business is popular. From their post: Do you ever find yourself trying to avoid long lines or wondering when is the best time to go grocery shopping, pick up coffee or hit the gym (hint: avoid Monday after … Continue reading Google Now Featuring a Location’s Popular Hours on Mobile Devices →
Re/code has just reported that Uber has hired Brian McClendon, the former co-head of Google Maps. McClendon has a storied history in the mapping world having created Keyhole and Google Earth and having marshalled many of the technical developments at Google Maps over the past 10 years. According to Wikipedia he holds 12 Map patents including … Continue reading Uber Hires Brian McClendon, (ex) Google VP of Maps →
Developing Knowledge about Local Search