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My 2 featured articles for the week ending Dec. 9, 2005:

Archived blogs for the week of December 12, 2005

1066 - December 15, 2005 - 11.37 AM EST

Google launches music search feature

Google will be featuring links to songs and lyrics at the top of its results pages. Google's music section is designed to provide a more direct route to the content that most music fans want to see when they inquire about a singer or band, said Marissa Mayer, Google's director of Web products.

"We are addressing a deficiency in our Web search," she said. The new feature is slated to be implemented today.

The music section is similar in concept and placement to other special sections Google has created to make it easier to find information about airline flights, express freight shipments, news stories, movies and weather.

Posted on Businessblog™

1065 - December 15, 2005 - 5.34 PM EST

PriceGrabber.com acquired by GUS Plc

GUS Plc has acquired PriceGrabber.com for $485 million to add the U.S. provider of Internet comparison shopping services to its Experian credit checking facility.

"This acquisition further complements Experian's existing online operations, connecting consumers to businesses over the Internet", London-based GUS Plc said yesterday in a Regulatory News Service statement.

The transaction is being financed from existing bank facilities.

Posted on Businessblog™

1064 - December 14, 2005 - 9.32 AM EST

LookSmart and Local.com partner together

LookSmart and Local.com inked a deal to add LookSmart’s Furl.net bookmarking, similar to del.icio.us, that will power the Save feature on Local.com.

Furl.net allows users to save and organize pages found on Local.com, while the addition of Furl to the Local.com offerings creates a customized experience for the user, while driving repeat traffic to Local.com.

Simply stated, Local.com users can now bookmark and tag local business profiles and search results which are found in Local.com.

Posted on Businessblog™

1063 - December 13, 2005 - 11.01 AM EST

AOL reveals top searches for this year

AOL Search today released 2005’s top searches based on the topics that received the highest volume of online queries on AOLSearch.com, the AOL.com portal and the AOL service for this year.

"Millions of people search online through AOL Search for a wide spectrum of things, but there are those terms that are looked-up more frequently than others,” said Jim Riesenbach, senior vice president of AOL Search and Directional Media.

“From news and people that grab attention to popular products and common queries, the most searched for topics online during 2005 are a reflection of what was top of mind or what people wanted to find more information about."

“Lottery” emerged as the most searched word in 2005, followed by “horoscopes” (no. 2) and “tattoos” (no. 3).

New search terms that emerged in 2005 include the addictive puzzle “Sudoku,” the irregular minting of the new “Wisconsin Quarter” and the global music event “Live 8.”

Other top searches on AOL® Search during 2005 include:

Top Celebrities: Paris Thinks “That’s Hot”.

Hotel heiress, socialite, actress, author and all-around entrepreneur Paris Hilton was the most searched celebrity in 2005.

Last year, she came in second behind Britney Spears, and in 2003 she was third behind 50 Cent and Britney. After hovering in the no. 1 or no. 2 spot for four years running, Britney Spears slipped in searches in 2005, taking the fourth spot overall for celebrities. Oprah Winfrey (no. 2), Jessica Simpson (no. 3) and Lindsay Lohan (no. 5) rounded out the all-female top 5.

Most Searched Videos: Musicians, Movies and the News are “In Da Club”.

The ability to easily search videos online came on strong this year. 50 Cent rapped his way to no. 1 via the new AOL® Video Search, followed by other celebs and big news stories including Madonna (no. 4), the tsunami (no. 3) and Live 8 (no. 24). Star Wars was also a favorite this year, with the popular movie series taking tenth for most video searches.

The disappearance of Natalee Holloway in Aruba was the most searched news topic online in 2005. The deaths of public icons Pope John Paul II (no. 4) and Rosa Parks (no. 9) were also popular searches, and for the second straight year, hurricanes (no. 3) swirled their way into the top five most searched news topics, followed by "gas prices" (no. 5).

Celebrity Couples: Brangelina and TomKat.

This year saw a number of celebrity break-ups and hook-ups with Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston topping the list as the most searched celebrity couple. Brad made a second appearance in fourth place with current companion Angelina Jolie. Next, Donald Trump and Melania Knauss fired their way up to no. 2 with their lavish marriage and a baby on the way. Kenny Chesney and Renee Zellweger crooned their way up to no. 3 on the list before hitting a sour note and ending their brief marriage. One of the most talked-about couples of the year, Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, came in at no. 7.

Newcomer Danica Patrick raced onto the scene in 2005, and finished in the top spot for most-searched athlete. The second runner-up was Lance Armstrong, who pedaled his way up two spots from 2004, while tennis aces Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova and Anna Kournikova served their way into the top 10.

You can read AOL's report on the top searches for 2005 here.

Posted on Businessblog™

1062 - December 12, 2005 - 3.48 PM EST

Yahoo acquires bookmark site Del.icio.us

Yahoo has acquired the bookmarking site Del.icio.us. Specific financial terms of the deal weren't disclosed to the media.

Yahoo's acquisition comes less than a year after it acquired Flickr, an online photo-sharing site that derives its value from user interaction.

Launched in 2003 by Joshua Schachter, Del.icio.us uses a non-hierarchical keyword grouping system whereby users "tag" each of their Web bookmarks with a set of chosen keywords.

For Yahoo, Del.icio.us and Flickr represent an alternative approach to traditional Web search and its reliance on computer algorithms to determine relevance, said Eckhart Walther, vice president of product management at Yahoo Search.

"We now see search and online communities at the heart of our mission," Walther said.

As with Flickr, Yahoo will support the growth of Del.icio.us as an independent entity--helping to scale the site's infrastructure to meet demand--while using Del.icio.us' resources to enhance new and existing Yahoo products.

Posted on Businessblog™

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