WebProNews

Tag: Search

  • Google Searches Go Colorful, 3D for LGBT Pride Month

    Google, always on the forefront of public support for LGBT rights, is once again celebrating LGBT pride month with a colorful search box that appears when certain queries are made.

    And this time, it’s 3D!

    LGBT-related searches such as LGBT, gay, gay marriage, lesbian, transgender, bisexual, homosexual, and queer will bring up the multi-colored, 3D search results box.

    Last year, Google displayed a multi-colored, rounded pattern under the search box and back in 2011 it was a curved rainbow on the right-hand side of the box. Google’s been doing this in support of LGBT pride month for the last 6 years.

    In 2011, President Obama called upon Americans to “observe this month by fighting prejudice and discrimination in their own lives and everywhere it exists.” Bill Clinton was the first U.S. President to make the declaration of June as LGBT pride month, doing so back in 2000.

    “At Google, we encourage people to bring their whole selves to work. In all of our 60 offices around the world, we are committed to cultivating a work environment where Googlers can be themselves and thrive. We also want our employees to have the same inclusive experience outside of the office, as they do at work, and for LGBT communities to be safe and to be accepted wherever they are,” the company has said in the past.

  • Facebook Generates Random Graph Searches with New “Browse” Feature

    Facebook wants you to discover all of the cool things that you can search for using the new Graph Search – so much so that they’re testing a link that will generate a new, random Graph Search query every time you click it.

    Some users are seeing a “Browse” link in the “Favorites” section on the left-hand side of their homepage. This is where you find it with the old news feed design. We can’t seem to find it anywhere within the new news feed design (which has only been rolled out to a very small fraction of users).

    Clicking on “Browse” directs users to facebook.com/discover-something-new.

    It generates a random Graph Search query, such as “Favorite book of my friends,” “Places that my friends visited,” “Video from my friends’ favorite TV shows,” and “Musicians liked by people who have interests similar to me.”

    It’s rather addictive, actually. There’s a seemingly limitless amount of unique searches that Facebook will generate for you. If you’re bored, you could definitely kill some time with this.

  • Google ‘Profiting Handsomely’ from Illegal Drug Sales, Says State Attorney General

    The National Association of Attorneys General, led by Mississippi AG Jim Hood, is accusing Google of “profiting handsomely from illegal behavior” by doing too little to remove search results for the buying and selling of illegal prescription drugs (and other illegal products).

    “On every check we have made, Google’s search engine gave us easy access to illegal goods including websites which offer dangerous drugs without a prescription, counterfeit goods of every description, and infringing copies of movies, music, software and games. This behavior means that Google is putting consumers at risk and facilitating wrongdoing, all while profiting handsomely from illegal behavior,” said Hood.

    Hood, speaking for the NAAG, has sent a letter to Google CEO Larry Page asking him to attend a meeting of the group on June 18th to address their concerns.

    The NAAG allege that Google is selective with their content removal – yanking pro-Nazi results in Germany, or blocking links to child pornography. They think that this proactive moderation means that Google has the ability, but not the desire to remove content related to “purchase of prescription drugs without a prescription or the downloading of pirated movies and songs.”

    The group is also targeting Google autocomplete, which allows phrases like “oxycontin without a script” to surface.

    Google has responded to the allegations, saying:

    We take the safety of our users very seriously and we’ve explained to Attorney General Hood how we enforce policies to combat rogue online pharmacies and counterfeit drugs. In the last two years, we’ve removed more than 3 million ads for illegal pharmacies, and we routinely remove videos that are flagged for violating YouTube’s Guidelines regarding dangerous or illegal content. We continue to work on this issue with industry partners and groups like the Center for Safe Internet Pharmacies.

    This challenge comes nearly two years after Google was forced to forfeit $500 million, per Justice Department order, for allowing Canadian pharmacies to target U.S. consumers in ads which resulted in “unlawful importation of controlled and non-controlled prescription drugs into the U.S.”

    [Mississippi Business Journal via Search Engine Land]

  • Google Launches New Image Extensions For AdWords Ads

    Google announced on Wednesday the addition of new image extensions for AdWords ads. These allow advertisers to make their ads more visual with pictures relevant to their offers, and potentially better attract the attention of customers.

    The extensions are currently in beta, and join Google’s growing list of extension options.

    “As the web evolves, Google users expect richer and more diverse content,” says Awaneesh Verma, Product Manager, Ad Formats. “More than one in six searches on Google today provide results with visual content. Image extensions will show in some cases when we determine that a search is likely for visual content. For example, it is more likely that your image extensions will show for a query like luxury car designs than locations of nearby car dealerships.”

    “You can choose the images that you want displayed with your search ads and send them to us for review,” Verma says. “You must have the necessary rights to the the images you wish to display with your ads. We encourage you to submit your images as we continue to experiment with and improve our visual ad formats.”

    For the time being, the new extensions are only available in English, but are available globally. You must fill out a form to apply to take part in the beta, however.

  • Pinterest Now Lets You Search You Own Pins, Makes Itself a Better Recipe Book, Wish List, and More

    Pinterest Now Lets You Search You Own Pins, Makes Itself a Better Recipe Book, Wish List, and More

    Pinterest has just announced a small but potentially useful new feature – the ability to filter search results to locate just your own personal pins.

    This feature could be especially useful to high-volume pinners who use their Pinterest account as a sort of depository for everything they want to do, eat, read, watch, buy, etc. in the near future.

    “When you type a word into the search bar – like San Francisco, beaches or BBQ – you can filter results by clicking “Just my pins”. We’ll show you everything you’ve pinned with that keyword in the pin description. Be sure to add words in your descriptions that will help you find that pin again,” says Pinterest Software Engineer Hui Xu.

    So, not only is Pinterest making it easier to find previous pins, but they’re suggesting that you do some better tagging. If you’re looking to use Pinterest as a recipe book, wish list, or other personal catalog, things have just gotten a lot easier.

    Pinterest says that they are currently rolling this out on the web, and it should also appear on mobile soon.

  • Foursquare Adds New Filtering Options to Search

    Foursquare has just released an update to their iOS app that lets users apply more filters to all of their searches.

    “Looking for a cheap brunch spot that your friends go to, but you haven’t tried yet? With new filtering options in Explore, you can narrow down your search results to find exactly what you’re looking for. Tap the search bar at the top of the screen, then select different options like, ‘price,’ ‘haven’t been,’ ‘saved’ or ‘open now’ to find the perfect spot,” says Foursquare.

    Before today’s update, Foursquare allowed users to narrow their searches in variety of ways – by category, trending places, recently opened locations, place they haven’t been before, places friends have been, and so on. With today’s update, Foursquare is letting users narrow their searches through multiple filters.

    Here’s what the new filter screen looks like. It’s accesible via a “filter” button when open up the search box.

    As you can see, users can now apply different filters at the same time, including price, previous check-ins, open now, and locations that are currently offering specials. You can sort your results by best match of by distance.

    Minor update? Maybe. But it’s a useful one. And it also falls in line with Foursquare’s recent push to become a true player in the local search game.

    You can grab the update today over at the App Store.

  • Google Talks Google+ And Search For 40 Minutes [Video]

    Google gave a presentation about Google+ and Search at Google I/O last week. With Google’s “social layer” becoming a bigger part of search and the larger Google ecosystem, this is probably one marketers will want to check out.

    “In this session we’ll walk you through a series of techniques you can use to make your app and content shine on Google,” Google says in session description. “Using these techniques you can connect more directly with new and existing users on Google Search.”

  • Pinterest Adds Notifications, Mentions, and Better Search to Mobile

    Pinterest is one of those services that is not yet as potent on mobile as it is on the desktop. At this point, I do most of my tweeting and Facebooking on my mobile device – and I’m not alone. But not so with Pinterest. I know for a fact that many of my Pinterest-fiend friends simply choose to not bother with Pinterest at all unless they’re sitting in front of their desktops. It’s just plain easier that way – that convenient little pin button in your browser, multiple tabs to find all of your Pinterest-worthy content to pin, you know, the things that make Pinterest a breeze on the web.

    Today, Pinterest is taking steps to make the mobile experience better with updates to their iOS and Android apps. Pinterest for iOS v 2.4 and Pinterest for Android v 1.5 are now available.

    First up, Pinterest is unveiling new search suggestions inside the app.

    “We’ll now suggest search terms as you type on mobile. You can also see recent searches you made from other places, so if you searched for a soup recipe from your computer, you can do the same search when you’re at the grocery store with just your phone to help you. It’s easy to delete these searches from your settings if you want to,” says Pinterest.

    As you can see, searching for something like “apple” now yields suggestions for apple-related content. This also works with user search. It’s a small, but useful improvement.

    The other additions to come along with today’s update are a long time coming, quite frankly. With the new versions, you can now @ mention other users. Both iOS and Android users can now get notifications as well.

    “Now you can see who commented on your pin or mentioned you whenever you have your phone handy. And if you can’t get enough, we’re also introducing push notifications so you can find out what’s happening without even opening the Pinterest app,” says Pinterest.

    The iOS update also brings a couple of new features, including the ability to “pin from more places more easily from the web.” This amounts to a prominent “+” button on the homescreen that lets you enter in the url of the item you wish to pin. Not quite as easy as with the desktop version of Pinterest, with that handy pin button, but it does help. iOS users can also now invite friends to group boards from the app.

  • Play Atari’s Breakout in Google Image Search with This Awesome Easter Egg

    If you were planning on getting any more work done today, well, cancel those plans. Go to Google Image search and type “atari breakout.”

    Are you doing it yet?

    What you’ll find is a wonderful little Easter Egg from Google, who have turned the image search results for the classic Atari game into a fun little game of their own. Each time you complete a level, Google auto-generates another set of image results for you to bust. From our experience, it’s usually some sort of food like “milkshake” or dog like “mastiff.”

    Once you’re done busting up image blocks, you can share your high score on Google+. The game, while fun, doesn’t get any harder as you progress. So there will be some really high scores to beat, I’m sure.

    Atari’s Breakout first launched back in April of 1976, which means that it’s currently 37 years old. Nearly four decades old, simple as can be, but still addicting as hell – as any great arcade game should be.

    Link for the lazy.

  • Google Shows Weird Experiment On YouTube Search Results [Updated For Non-Juiciness]

    Update: “Nothing juicy to see here!”

    Some people (including myself and others around me) are seeing a weird message at the top of YouTube search results pages. It says: “Experiment: There may be confidential content in your search results. Please do not share outside Google.”

    YouTube experiment

    It is unclear what this experiment is exactly, but as reddit user tk338 suggests, “This is mere speculation, but it looks like something only employees should be seeing. Someone could have changed some privileges or something accidentally? In which case a privacy breach for Google!”

    Another user suggests that it could have something to do with new social media tie-ins.

    We’ve reached out to Google, and will update if we hear back.

    [via reddit]

  • Yahoo Has Some New Search Products Coming Our Way

    As it has indicated numerous times in the past, Yahoo still takes search seriously, even if it’s outsourcing its system to Microsoft these days (we’ll see how long that lasts). But in recent months, since former Googler Marissa Mayer took over at the helm, we’ve seen a renewed focus, or at least heard about one.

    In January, upon releasing the company’s Q4 earnings report, Mayer said, “Overall in search, it’s a key area of investment for us. We need to invest in a lot of interface improvements. All of the innovations in search are going to happen at the user interface level moving forward and we need to invest in those features both on the desktop and on mobile and I think both ultimately will be key plays for us.”

    A new report out from Bloomberg indicates that Yahoo is planning on unveiling some new search products over the coming months. While nothing specific is mentioned (other than SVP of Search, Laurie Mann, indicating that they have “some really cool things in the pipeline”), it is said that some of the new stuff is being developed “in tandem” with Microsoft, while some of it will be uniquely Yahoo’s.

    It’s been quite a while since Yahoo did anything really innovative in search, but let’s not forget (as I’m sure you haven’t) Mayer’s past. She was, after all, instrumental in the evolution of the Google we know today. Bloomberg quotes Mann:

    “As someone who works with Marissa literally every day, there is nothing more important to her than getting search right. She knows search better than pretty much anyone in the industry.”

    Mayer has expressed disappointment with its deal with Microsoft in recent months, but this week, news came out that Microsoft has extended its revenue guarantee to Yahoo, a guarantee it hasn’t done a great job of living up to in the past.

    image: An Evening with Marissa Mayer (YouTube)

  • Foursquare Redesigns Location Pages in Its Bid to Become a Leader in Local Search

    Foursquare knows that more and more people are visiting their location pages on the web. Back in October of last year, Foursquare launched a huge redesign of foursquare.com, and a big change to the way the site works: Non-members were allowed to use Foursquare’s “explore” feature.

    By opening up Foursquare’s data trove to everyone, they made a pretty big statement: We’re a big name in the location search game, and we want to challenge the likes of Yelp, Google Places, and Urbanspoon.

    Now, Foursquare is continuing to revamp itself with a new redesign of location pages on the site. They’re more photo-rich, informative, and indicative of a company who is seeing increased traffic to said pages.

    Here’s the current (old) pages design:

    And here’s the new design for location pages on Foursquare.com:

    What you’ll notice immediately is that photos have been given a much more prominent placement on the page. Also, the map has been moved from directly under the location name to the right-hand corner. In the new design, all of the pertinent information is front and center – the address, hours, rating, phone number, price, etc.

    Plus, all of the “similar” suggestions on the right-hand side have been given photos and ratings.

    Foursquare Web Engineering head Mike Singleton told The Next Web that Explore usage has double in the past two months. He also said that there are now some 50 million unique visitors to the site every month. Plenty of those are coming from non-members, who just happen to find Foursquare as a service to look up location information.

    And that’s exactly what Foursquare wants.

    The new design has yet to hit the web for all users, and we’re expecting an announcement from Foursquare in the near future. Foursquare knows that its future is in recommendations and detailed, competitive listings for all web users – not just check-ins and badges for members. This is what the company has been moving toward for the past year (remember that massive app update earlier this month?) and this is simply another step in that evolution.

  • Yahoo Ad Revenue Disappoints, But Paid Search Clicks Are Up

    Yahoo reported its Q1 earnings on Tuesday, with GAAP revenue at $1,140 million for the quarter. Revenue ex-TAC was $1,074 million.

    The company posted GAAP income from operations at $186 million and Non-GAAP income from operations at $224 million.

    In the search department, GAAP revenue was $425 million for the quarter, down 10% from the same quarter last year, when it was $470 million. Search revenue ex-TAC was $409 million for the quarter, up 6% from $384 million for the first quarter of 2012.Paid Clicks (excluding Korea) increased by about 16% compared to the first quarter of 2012. Price-per-Click (excluding Korea) decreased by 7% for that time period.

    CEO Marissa Mayer said, “I’m pleased with Yahoo!’s performance in the first quarter. We saw continued stability in our business, strengthened our team, and started the year with fast execution against our products and partnerships. We are moving quickly to roll out beautifully designed, more intuitive experiences for our users. I’m confident that the improvements we’re making to our products will set up the Company for long-term growth.”

    As Yahoo News is reporting (okay, it’s just the AP), Yahoo’s earnings gain is being overshadowed by its ad slump. GAAP dsplay revenue dropped 11% year-over-year.

    Here’s the release in its entirety:

    SUNNYVALE, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ: YHOO) today reported results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2013.

    “Supplemental Financial Data and GAAP to Non-GAAP Reconciliations”

    Q1 2013
    GAAP revenue $1,140 million
    Revenue ex-TAC $1,074 million
    GAAP income from operations $186 million
    Non-GAAP income from operations* $224 million
    GAAP net earnings per diluted share $0.35
    Non-GAAP net earnings per diluted share* $0.38

    *Excludes stock-based compensation expense of $45 million.

    “I’m pleased with Yahoo!’s performance in the first quarter. We saw continued stability in our business, strengthened our team, and started the year with fast execution against our products and partnerships,” said Yahoo! CEO Marissa Mayer. “We are moving quickly to roll out beautifully designed, more intuitive experiences for our users. I’m confident that the improvements we’re making to our products will set up the Company for long-term growth.”

    GAAP revenue was $1,140 million for the first quarter of 2013, a 7 percent decrease from the first quarter of 2012. Revenue excluding traffic acquisition costs (“revenue ex-TAC”) was $1,074 million for the first quarter of 2013, flat compared to the first quarter of 2012.

    Adjusted EBITDA for the first quarter of 2013 was $386 million, flat compared to the same period of 2012.

    Commencing this quarter, Yahoo! is excluding stock-based compensation expense from its reported non-GAAP income from operations, non-GAAP net earnings and non-GAAP net earnings per diluted share. The relevant prior period amounts have been revised to exclude stock-based compensation expense to conform to the current presentation.

    GAAP income from operations increased 10 percent to $186 million in the first quarter of 2013, compared to $169 million in the first quarter of 2012. Non-GAAP income from operations was $224 million in the first quarter of 2013, compared to $231 million in the first quarter of 2012. Non-GAAP income from operations for the quarter would have been $179 million including stock-based compensation expense of $45 million.

    GAAP net earnings for the first quarter of 2013 was $390 million, a 36 percent increase from the same period of 2012. Non-GAAP net earnings for the first quarter of 2013 was $420 million, a 26 percent increase from the same period of 2012. Non-GAAP net earnings for the quarter would have been $386 million including stock-based compensation expense of $34 million, net of tax.

    GAAP net earnings per diluted share was $0.35 in the first quarter of 2013, compared to $0.23 in the first quarter of 2012. Non-GAAP net earnings per diluted share was $0.38 in the first quarter of 2013, compared to $0.27 in the first quarter of 2012. Non-GAAP net earnings per diluted share for the quarter would have been $0.35 per share including $0.03, net of tax, related to stock-based compensation.

    Business Highlights

    • Yahoo! launched its new, fast and personalized Yahoo.com experience, with a customizable news feed, infinite scroll, and intuitive interface optimized for mobile devices, tablets and the Web.
    • Yahoo! continued to improve the Mail experience, announcing a partnership with Dropbox to make it easier for users to share and store larger files as attachments.
    • Yahoo! acquired Snip.it, Alike, and Jybe, further accelerating the Company’s efforts to build world-class technology and engineering teams in mobile and personalization.
    • Yahoo! also announced the acquisition of Summly, a company that helps simplify the way we get information – making it faster, easier to read and more concise. As part of the acquisition, Yahoo! acquired Summly’s technology and intellectual property, which it plans to integrate across its mobile content experiences.
    • Yahoo! continued to invest in people, building out its executive team and recruiting exceptional talent from around the world. Yahoo! welcomed Sandy Gould, senior vice president of talent acquisition and development; and Bob Stohrer, senior vice president of brand creative.
    • The Company announced a global, non-exclusive agreement with Google to display ads on various Yahoo! Properties and certain co-branded sites using Google’s AdSense for Content and AdMob services. By adding Google to its list of world-class contextual ad partners, Yahoo! can serve users with ads that are even more meaningful and personal.
    • Yahoo! launched the second season of its acclaimed series, Burning Love. The popular series, which spoofs reality dating shows and features A-list comedians and stars, premiered on Yahoo! Screen and aired on cable television for the first time.

    First Quarter 2013 Financial Highlights

    Display:

    • GAAP display revenue was $455 million for the first quarter of 2013, an 11 percent decrease compared to $511 million for the first quarter of 2012.
    • Display revenue ex-TAC was $402 million for the first quarter of 2013, an 11 percent decrease compared to $454 million for the first quarter of 2012.
    • The Number of Ads Sold (excluding Korea) decreased approximately 7 percent compared to the first quarter of 2012.
    • Price-per-Ad (excluding Korea) decreased approximately 2 percent compared to the first quarter of 2012.

    Search:

    • GAAP search revenue was $425 million for the first quarter of 2013, a 10 percent decrease compared to $470 million for the first quarter of 2012.
    • Search revenue ex-TAC was $409 million for the first quarter of 2013, a 6 percent increase compared to $384 million for the first quarter of 2012.
    • Paid Clicks (excluding Korea) increased approximately 16 percent compared to the first quarter of 2012.
    • Price-per-Click (excluding Korea) decreased approximately 7 percent compared to the first quarter of 2012.

    Cash Balance:

    • Cash, cash equivalents, and investments in marketable debt securities were $5.4 billion as of March 31, 2013 compared to $6 billion as of December 31, 2012, a decrease of $0.6 billion.
    • During the first quarter of 2013, Yahoo! repurchased 38 million shares for $775 million.

    Conference Call

    Yahoo! will host a conference call to discuss first quarter 2013 results at 5 p.m. Eastern Time today. On the conference call, Yahoo! will also provide its business outlook for the second quarter and full year of 2013. A live Webcast of the conference call, together with supplemental financial information, can be accessed through the Company’s Investor Relations Website at http://investor.yahoo.com/results.cfm. In addition, an archive of the Webcast can be accessed through the same link. An audio replay of the call will be available for one week following the conference call by calling toll-free (855) 859-2056 or toll (404) 537-3406, conference ID number: 31852463.

    Non-GAAP Financial Measures

    This press release and its attachments include the following financial measures defined as non-GAAP financial measures by the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”): revenue ex-TAC; adjusted EBITDA; non-GAAP income from operations; non-GAAP net earnings; non-GAAP net earnings per share – diluted; and free cash flow.

    Revenue ex-TAC is GAAP revenue less traffic acquisition costs. Adjusted EBITDA, non-GAAP income from operations, non-GAAP net earnings and non-GAAP net earnings per share – diluted, exclude from the most comparable GAAP financial measures certain gains, losses, and expenses that we do not believe are indicative of ongoing results, and exclude stock-based compensation expense. Adjusted EBITDA also excludes taxes, depreciation, amortization of intangible assets, other income, net (which includes interest), earnings in equity interests, and net income attributable to noncontrolling interests. Free cash flow is GAAP net cash provided by operating activities (adjusted to include excess tax benefits from stock-based awards), less acquisition of property and equipment, net and dividends received from equity investees.

    These measures may be different than non-GAAP financial measures used by other companies. The presentation of this financial information is not intended to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for the financial information prepared and presented in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”). Explanations of the Company’s non-GAAP financial measures and reconciliations of these financial measures to the GAAP financial measures the Company considers most comparable are included in the accompanying “Note to Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements,” “Supplemental Financial Data and GAAP to Non-GAAP Reconciliations,” and “GAAP to Non-GAAP Reconciliations.”

    About Yahoo!

    Yahoo! is focused on making the world’s daily habits inspiring and entertaining. By creating highly personalized experiences for our users, we keep people connected to what matters most to them, across devices and around the world. In turn, we create value for advertisers by connecting them with the audiences that build their businesses. Yahoo! is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, and has offices located throughout the Americas, Asia Pacific (APAC) and the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) regions. For more information, visit the pressroom (pressroom.yahoo.net) or the company’s blog (yodel.yahoo.com).

    “Affiliates” refers to the third-party entities that have integrated Yahoo!’s advertising offerings into their Websites or other offerings (those Websites and other offerings, “Affiliate sites”).

    “Alibaba Group” means Alibaba Group Holding Limited.

    “Net earnings” means net income attributable to Yahoo! Inc., and “net earnings per diluted share” means net income attributable to Yahoo! Inc. common stockholders per share – diluted.

    “Number of Ads Sold” is defined as the total number of ads displayed, or impressions, for paying advertisers on Yahoo! Properties.

    “Paid Clicks” are defined as the total number of times an end-user clicks on a sponsored listing on Yahoo! Properties and Affiliate sites for which an advertiser pays on a per click basis.

    “Price-per-Ad” is defined as display revenue from Yahoo! Properties divided by our Number of Ads Sold.

    “Price-per-Click” is defined as search revenue divided by our Paid Clicks.

    Additional information about how “Number of Ads Sold,” “Paid Clicks,” “Price-per-Ad,” and “Price-per-Click” are defined and calculated is included under the caption “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2012, which is on file with the SEC and available on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. Due to the closure of the Korea business in the fourth quarter of 2012, “Number of Ads Sold”, “Paid Clicks”, “Price-per-Ad”, and “Price-per-Click,” as presented above, exclude the Korea market for all periods.

    “Search Agreement” refers to the Search and Advertising Services and Sales Agreement between Yahoo! and Microsoft Corporation, as amended.

    “TAC” refers to traffic acquisition costs. TAC consists of payments to Affiliates and payments made to companies that direct consumer and business traffic to Yahoo! Properties.

    “Yahoo! Properties” refers to the online properties and services that Yahoo! provides to users.

    This press release contains forward-looking statements concerning Yahoo!’s expected financial performance and Yahoo!’s strategic and operational plans (including, without limitation, the quotation from management). Risks and uncertainties may cause actual results to differ materially from the results predicted, and reported results should not be considered as an indication of future performance. The potential risks and uncertainties include, among others, acceptance by users of new products and services (including, without limitation, products and services for mobile devices and alternative platforms); Yahoo!’s ability to compete with new or existing competitors; reduction in spending by, or loss of, advertising customers; risks associated with the Search Agreement with Microsoft Corporation; risks related to Yahoo!’s regulatory environment; interruptions or delays in the provision of Yahoo!’s services; security breaches; risks related to joint ventures and the integration of acquisitions; risks related to Yahoo!’s international operations; adverse results in litigation; Yahoo!’s ability to protect its intellectual property and the value of its brands; dependence on third parties for technology, services, content, and distribution; and general economic conditions. All information set forth in this press release and its attachments is as of April 16, 2013. Yahoo! does not intend, and undertakes no duty, to update this information to reflect subsequent events or circumstances. More information about potential factors that could affect the Company’s business and financial results is included under the captions “Risk Factors” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2012, which is on file with the SEC and available on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. Additional information will also be set forth in those sections in Yahoo!’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2013, which will be filed with the SEC in the second quarter of 2013.

    Yahoo! and the Yahoo! logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Yahoo! Inc. All other names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

    Yahoo! Inc.
    Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets
    (in thousands)
    December 31, March 31,
    2012 2013
    ASSETS
    Current assets:
    Cash and cash equivalents $ 2,667,778 $ 1,174,633
    Short-term marketable debt securities 1,516,175 1,838,527
    Accounts receivable, net 1,008,448 943,658
    Prepaid expenses and other current assets 460,312 644,204
    Total current assets 5,652,713 4,601,022
    Long-term marketable debt securities 1,838,425 2,382,026
    Alibaba Group Preference Shares 816,261 830,925
    Property and equipment, net 1,685,845 1,612,690
    Goodwill 3,826,749 3,803,433
    Intangible assets, net 153,973 136,610
    Other long-term assets 289,130 239,427
    Investments in equity interests 2,840,157 2,884,846
    Total assets $ 17,103,253 $ 16,490,979
    LIABILITIES AND EQUITY
    Current liabilities:
    Accounts payable $ 184,831 $ 110,162
    Accrued expenses and other current liabilities 808,475 720,463
    Deferred revenue 296,926 308,462
    Total current liabilities 1,290,232 1,139,087
    Long-term deferred revenue 407,560 370,414
    Capital lease and other long-term liabilities 124,587 121,475
    Deferred and other long-term tax liabilities, net 675,271 674,077
    Total liabilities 2,497,650 2,305,053
    Total Yahoo! Inc. stockholders’ equity 14,560,200 14,139,915
    Noncontrolling interests 45,403 46,011
    Total equity 14,605,603 14,185,926
    Total liabilities and equity $ 17,103,253 $ 16,490,979

     

    Yahoo! Inc.
    Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income
    (in thousands, except per share amounts)
    Three Months Ended
    March 31,
    2012 2013
    Revenue $ 1,221,233 $ 1,140,368
    Operating expenses:
    Cost of revenue – traffic acquisition costs 144,091 66,068
    Cost of revenue – other 253,980 278,007
    Sales and marketing 285,267 257,019
    Product development 228,478 219,580
    General and administrative 124,271 133,421
    Amortization of intangibles 10,053 7,365
    Restructuring charges (reversals), net 5,717 (7,062 )
    Total operating expenses 1,051,857 954,398
    Income from operations 169,376 185,970
    Other income, net 2,278 17,072
    Income before income taxes and earnings in equity interests 171,654 203,042
    Provision for income taxes (56,419 ) (29,736 )
    Earnings in equity interests 172,243 217,588
    Net income 287,478 390,894
    Less: Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests (1,135 ) (609 )
    Net income attributable to Yahoo! Inc. $ 286,343 $ 390,285
    Net income attributable to Yahoo! Inc. common stockholders per share – diluted $ 0.23 $ 0.35
    Shares used in per share calculation – diluted 1,226,486 1,108,095
    Stock-based compensation expense by function:
    Cost of revenue – other $ 2,893 $ 3,578
    Sales and marketing 21,097 16,045
    Product development 19,471 8,263
    General and administrative 12,505 16,719
    Supplemental Financial Data:
    Revenue ex-TAC $ 1,077,142 $ 1,074,300
    Adjusted EBITDA $ 384,307 $ 385,605
    Free cash flow $ 195,823 $ 149,908

     

    Yahoo! Inc.
    Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
    (in thousands)
    Three Months Ended
    March 31,
    2012 2013
    CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES:
    Net income $ 287,478 $ 390,894
    Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:
    Depreciation 122,750 143,864
    Amortization of intangible assets 31,345 18,410
    Stock-based compensation expense 55,966 44,605
    Non-cash restructuring charges – 547
    Accrued dividend income related to Alibaba Group Preference Shares – (20,251 )
    Dividends received from equity investees – 12,000
    Tax benefits from stock-based awards 1,014 9,537
    Excess tax benefits from stock-based awards (8,161 ) (12,807 )
    Deferred income taxes (4,399 ) (20,158 )
    Earnings in equity interests (172,243 ) (217,588 )
    (Gain) loss from sale of investments, assets, and other, net (3,857 ) 11,905
    Changes in assets and liabilities, net of effects of acquisitions:
    Accounts receivable, net 102,641 57,853
    Prepaid expenses and other (9,430 ) 19,707
    Accounts payable (42,442 ) (71,135 )
    Accrued expenses and other liabilities (43,988 ) (123,472 )
    Deferred revenue (19,221 ) (25,229 )
    Net cash provided by operating activities 297,453 218,682
    CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES:
    Acquisition of property and equipment, net (109,791 ) (69,581 )
    Purchases of marketable debt securities (176,220 ) (1,481,293 )
    Proceeds from sales of marketable debt securities 133,961 424,347
    Proceeds from maturities of marketable debt securities 77,700 183,100
    Purchases of intangible assets (1,802 ) (1,128 )
    Acquisitions, net of cash acquired – (10,147 )
    Other investing activities, net (7,280 ) 3,822
    Net cash used in investing activities (83,432 ) (950,880 )
    CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES:
    Proceeds from issuance of common stock, net 11,623 61,108
    Repurchases of common stock (70,500 ) (775,075 )
    Excess tax benefits from stock-based awards 8,161 12,807
    Tax withholdings related to net share settlements of restricted stock awards and restricted stock units (31,504 ) (43,689 )
    Other financing activities, net (1,013 ) (1,405 )
    Net cash used in financing activities (83,233 ) (746,254 )
    Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents 26,790 (14,693 )
    Net change in cash and cash equivalents 157,578 (1,493,145 )
    Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period 1,562,390 2,667,778
    Cash and cash equivalents, end of period $ 1,719,968 $ 1,174,633

     

    Yahoo! Inc.

    Note to Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements

    This press release and its attachments include the non-GAAP financial measures of revenue excluding traffic acquisition costs (“revenue ex-TAC”); adjusted EBITDA; non-GAAP income from operations; non-GAAP net earnings; non-GAAP net earnings per diluted share; and free cash flow, which are reconciled to revenue; net income attributable to Yahoo! Inc. (in the case of adjusted EBITDA and non-GAAP net earnings); income from operations; net income attributable to Yahoo! Inc. common stockholders per share – diluted; and net cash provided by operating activities, which we believe are the most comparable GAAP measures. We use these non-GAAP financial measures for internal managerial purposes and to facilitate period-to-period comparisons. We describe limitations specific to each non-GAAP financial measure below. Management generally compensates for limitations in the use of non-GAAP financial measures by relying on comparable GAAP financial measures and providing investors with a reconciliation of the non-GAAP financial measure to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure or measures. Further, management uses non-GAAP financial measures only in addition to and in conjunction with results presented in accordance with GAAP. We believe that these non-GAAP financial measures reflect an additional way of viewing aspects of our operations that, when viewed with our GAAP results, provide a more complete understanding of factors and trends affecting our business. These non-GAAP measures should be considered as a supplement to, and not as a substitute for, or superior to, revenue, net income attributable to Yahoo! Inc., income from operations, net income attributable to Yahoo! Inc. common stockholders per share – diluted, and net cash provided by operating activities calculated in accordance with GAAP.

    Revenue ex-TAC is a non-GAAP financial measure defined as GAAP revenue less TAC. TAC consists of payments made to third-party entities that have integrated our advertising offerings into their Websites or other offerings (those Websites and other offerings, “Affiliate sites”) and payments made to companies that direct consumer and business traffic to Yahoo!’s online properties and services (“Yahoo! Properties”). Based on the terms of the Search Agreement with Microsoft, Microsoft retains a revenue share of 12 percent of the net (after TAC) search revenue generated on Yahoo! Properties and Affiliate sites in transitioned markets. Yahoo! reports the net revenue it receives under the Search Agreement as revenue and no longer presents the associated TAC. Accordingly, for transitioned markets Yahoo! reports GAAP revenue associated with the Search Agreement on a net (after TAC) basis rather than a gross basis. For markets that have not yet transitioned, revenue continues to be recorded on a gross basis, and TAC is recorded as a part of operating expenses. We present revenue ex-TAC to provide investors a metric used by the Company for evaluation and decision-making purposes during the Microsoft transition and to provide investors with comparable revenue numbers when comparing periods preceding, during and following the transition period. A limitation of revenue ex-TAC is that it is a measure which we have defined for internal and investor purposes that may be unique to the Company, and therefore it may not enhance the comparability of our results to other companies in our industry who have similar business arrangements but address the impact of TAC differently. Management compensates for these limitations by also relying on the comparable GAAP financial measures of revenue and total operating expenses, which includes TAC in non-transitioned markets.

    Adjusted EBITDA is defined as net income attributable to Yahoo! Inc. before taxes, depreciation, amortization of intangible assets, stock-based compensation expense, other income, net (which includes interest), earnings in equity interests, net income attributable to noncontrolling interests and other gains, losses, and expenses that we do not believe are indicative of our ongoing results. Yahoo! presents adjusted EBITDA because the exclusion of certain gains, losses, and expenses facilitates comparisons of the operating performance of our Company on a period to period basis. Adjusted EBITDA has limitations as an analytical tool and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for results reported under GAAP. These limitations include: adjusted EBITDA does not reflect tax payments and such payments reflect a reduction in cash available to us; adjusted EBITDA does not reflect the periodic costs of certain capitalized tangible and intangible assets used in generating revenues in our businesses; adjusted EBITDA does not include stock-based compensation expense related to the Company’s workforce; adjusted EBITDA also excludes other income, net (which includes interest), earnings in equity interests, net income attributable to noncontrolling interests and other gains, losses, and expenses that we do not believe are indicative of our ongoing results, and these items may represent a reduction or increase in cash available to us; and adjusted EBITDA is a measure that may be unique to the Company, and therefore it may not enhance the comparability of our results to other companies in our industry. Management compensates for these limitations by also relying on the comparable GAAP financial measure of net income attributable to Yahoo! Inc., which includes taxes, depreciation, amortization, stock-based compensation expense, other income, net (which includes interest), earnings in equity interests, net income attributable to noncontrolling interests and the other gains, losses and expenses that are excluded from adjusted EBITDA.

    Non-GAAP income from operations is defined as income from operations excluding certain gains, losses, and expenses that we do not believe are indicative of our ongoing operating results and further adjusted to exclude stock-based compensation expense. Because of the variety of equity awards used by companies, the varying methodologies for determining stock-based compensation expense, and the subjective assumptions involved in those determinations, we believe excluding stock-based compensation expense enhances the ability of management and investors to understand the impact of stock-based compensation expense on income from operations. We consider non-GAAP income from operations to be a profitability measure which facilitates the forecasting of our operating results for future periods and allows for the comparison of our results to historical periods. A limitation of non-GAAP income from operations is that it does not include all items that impact our income from operations for the period. Management compensates for this limitation by also relying on the comparable GAAP financial measure of income from operations which includes the gains, losses, and expenses that are excluded from non-GAAP income from operations.

    Non-GAAP net earnings is defined as net income attributable to Yahoo! Inc. excluding certain gains, losses, expenses, and their related tax effects that we do not believe are indicative of our ongoing results and further adjusted to exclude stock-based compensation expense and its related tax effects. Because of the variety of equity awards used by companies, the varying methodologies for determining stock-based compensation expense, and the subjective assumptions involved in those determinations, we believe excluding stock-based compensation expense enhances the ability of management and investors to understand the impact of stock-based compensation expense on net income and net income per share. We consider non-GAAP net earnings and non-GAAP net earnings per diluted share to be profitability measures which facilitate the forecasting of our results for future periods and allow for the comparison of our results to historical periods. A limitation of non-GAAP net earnings and non-GAAP net earnings per diluted share is that they do not include all items that impact our net income and net income per diluted share for the period. Management compensates for this limitation by also relying on the comparable GAAP financial measures of net income attributable to Yahoo! Inc. and net income attributable to Yahoo! Inc. common stockholders per share – diluted, both of which include the gains, losses, expenses and related tax effects that are excluded from non-GAAP net earnings and non-GAAP net earnings per diluted share.

    Free cash flow is a non-GAAP financial measure defined as net cash provided by operating activities (adjusted to include excess tax benefits from stock-based awards), less acquisition of property and equipment, net and dividends received from equity investees. We consider free cash flow to be a liquidity measure which provides useful information to management and investors about the amount of cash generated by the business after the acquisition of property and equipment, which can then be used for strategic opportunities including, among others, investing in the Company’s business, making strategic acquisitions, strengthening the balance sheet, and repurchasing stock. A limitation of free cash flow is that it does not represent the total increase or decrease in the cash balance for the period. Management compensates for this limitation by also relying on the net change in cash and cash equivalents as presented in the Company’s unaudited condensed consolidated statements of cash flows prepared in accordance with GAAP which incorporates all cash movements during the period.

    Yahoo! Inc.
    Supplemental Financial Data and GAAP to Non-GAAP Reconciliations
    (in thousands)
    Three Months Ended
    March 31,
    2012 2013
    Revenue for groups of similar services:
    Display $ 511,217 $ 455,071
    Search 470,397 424,687
    Other 239,619 260,610
    Total revenue $ 1,221,233 $ 1,140,368
    Revenue excluding traffic acquisition costs (“revenue ex-TAC”) for groups of similar services:
    GAAP display revenue $ 511,217 $ 455,071
    TAC associated with display revenue (57,426 ) (53,047 )
    Display revenue ex-TAC $ 453,791 $ 402,024
    GAAP search revenue $ 470,397 $ 424,687
    TAC associated with search revenue for non-transitioned markets (86,665 ) (16,057 )
    Search revenue ex-TAC $ 383,732 $ 408,630
    Other GAAP revenue $ 239,619 $ 260,610
    TAC associated with other GAAP revenue – 3,036
    Other revenue ex-TAC $ 239,619 $ 263,646
    Revenue ex-TAC:
    GAAP revenue $ 1,221,233 $ 1,140,368
    TAC (144,091 ) (66,068 )
    Revenue ex-TAC $ 1,077,142 $ 1,074,300
    Revenue ex-TAC by segment:
    Americas:
    GAAP revenue $ 836,033 $ 842,195
    TAC (42,955 ) (37,522 )
    Revenue ex-TAC $ 793,078 $ 804,673
    EMEA:
    GAAP revenue $ 133,962 $ 94,824
    TAC (45,662 ) (11,536 )
    Revenue ex-TAC $ 88,300 $ 83,288
    Asia Pacific:
    GAAP revenue $ 251,238 $ 203,349
    TAC (55,474 ) (17,010 )
    Revenue ex-TAC $ 195,764 $ 186,339
    Total revenue ex-TAC $ 1,077,142 $ 1,074,300
    Direct costs by segment (1):
    Americas $ 179,225 $ 170,124
    EMEA 40,221 38,428
    Asia Pacific 51,491 55,014
    Global operating costs (2) 421,898 425,129
    Restructuring charges, net 5,717 (7,062 )
    Depreciation and amortization 153,248 162,092
    Stock-based compensation expense 55,966 44,605
    Income from operations $ 169,376 $ 185,970
    Reconciliation of net income attributable to Yahoo! Inc. to adjusted EBITDA:
    Net income attributable to Yahoo! Inc. $ 286,343 $ 390,285
    Depreciation and amortization 153,248 162,092
    Stock-based compensation expense 55,966 44,605
    Restructuring charges, net 5,717 (7,062 )
    Other income, net (2,278 ) (17,072 )
    Provision for income taxes 56,419 29,736
    Earnings in equity interests (172,243 ) (217,588 )
    Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests 1,135 609
    Adjusted EBITDA $ 384,307 $ 385,605
    Reconciliation of net cash provided by operating activities to free cash flow:
    Net cash provided by operating activities $ 297,453 $ 218,682
    Acquisition of property and equipment, net (109,791 ) (69,581 )
    Dividends received from equity investees – (12,000 )
    Excess tax benefits from stock-based awards 8,161 12,807
    Free cash flow $ 195,823 $ 149,908
    (1) Direct costs for each segment include cost of revenue (excluding TAC) and other operating expenses that are directly attributable to the segment such as employee compensation expense (excluding stock-based compensation expense), local sales and marketing expenses, and facilities expenses.
    (2) Global operating costs include product development, service engineering and operations, general and administrative, and other corporate expenses that are managed on a global basis and that are not directly attributable to any particular segment.

     

    Yahoo! Inc.
    GAAP to Non-GAAP Reconciliations
    (in thousands, except per share amounts)
    Three Months Ended
    March 31,
    2012 2013
    GAAP income from operations $ 169,376 $ 185,970
    (a) Restructuring charges, net 5,717 (7,062 )
    (b) Stock-based compensation expense 55,966 44,605
    Non-GAAP income from operations (3) $ 231,059 $ 223,513
    GAAP net income attributable to Yahoo! Inc. $ 286,343 $ 390,285
    (a) Restructuring charges, net 5,717 (7,062 )
    (b) Stock-based compensation expense 55,966 44,605
    (c) To adjust the provision for income taxes to exclude the tax impact of items (a) and (b) above for the three months ended March 31, 2012 and 2013 (14,444 ) (7,646 )
    Non-GAAP net earnings (4) $ 333,582 $ 420,182
    GAAP net income attributable to Yahoo! Inc. common stockholders per share – diluted $ 0.23 $ 0.35
    Non-GAAP net earnings per share – diluted (4) $ 0.27 $ 0.38
    Shares used in per share calculation – diluted 1,226,486 1,108,095
    (3) Commencing in 2013, non-GAAP income from operations excludes stock-based compensation expense. Prior period amounts have been revised to conform to the current presentation.
    (4) Commencing in 2013, non-GAAP net earnings and non-GAAP net earnings per share – diluted exclude stock-based compensation expense and its related tax effects. Prior period amounts have been revised to conform to the current presentation.

  • Google Mobile Results Get Expandable Sitelinks, ‘Quick View’ Badges

    Google announced a couple of updates to its mobile search results today. One is for expandable site links like these:

    Quick View

    “When you’re searching for information on the go, speed matters,” write software engineers Hiroshi Mizuno and Alex Fischer on Google’s Inside Search blog. “If you want to check out Rotten Tomatoes for a new movie to go see with your friends, you might not want to navigate through the Rotten Tomatoes homepage to find the list of top movies while your friends are anxiously waiting. Now, there’s a faster way to get to the Rotten Tomatoes page with just the info you need most — just look for a new quick link for “In Theaters” underneath the main Rotten Tomatoes link when you search on your mobile phone. You’ll see these expandable sitelinks appear for many sites to help you get to a specific section quickly.”

    The other new feature is the addition of “quick view” badges next to some results.

    Quick View

    Quick View

    “Say you’re new to poker or need a quick refresh on hands — just search for ‘poker hands’, and you can now click the blue badge and see a quick view of the Wikipedia page listing out the poker hands immediately,” the engineers say.

    This is considered an experimental feature, and currently just works with Wikipedia results, but Google says it will expand this in time.

  • Bing Suggests You Search for ‘Sex Games for Kids’ and a Bunch of Other Questionable Queries

    Updated with comment from Microsoft below.

    Like Google, Yahoo, and most other search engines, Bing offers to autocomplete queries in their search box. While Google calls this feature “autocomplete,” Bing calls it “search suggestions.”

    Well, it looks like Bing is suggesting that you search for some pretty disturbing stuff.

    I was pointed in the right direction thanks to a reddit post. “Why don’t you have a seat over there, Bing,” it read, referencing Dateline NBC host Chris Hansen’s famous line on the show To Catch a Predator.

    Ok, I’ll bite. Here’s what Bing’s search suggestions suggest:

    Say what? It appears that Bing is suggesting that I search for “sex games for kids,” and “sex games for kids in bed” and “sex games online for children.” Hm, ok then.

    Digging a little deeper with the questionable queries produced similar results. For instance, here’s what Bing suggests when you search for “sex kids”:

    And here’s a Bing search for “sex child…”:

    Even worse, here are Bing’s suggestions for what I’m sure is one of their (and any search engine’s) most popular single-word queries, “sex”:

    Damnit, Bing.

    Also, changing your SafeSearch settings to strict does nothing to eliminate these results. When you think about it, it would probably look even worse for Bing if it did, because that would indicate that Bing felt that a search suggestion like “sex games for kids in bed” was an appropriate suggestion for a moderate level SafeSearch.

    “Still seeing inappropriate content? SafeSearch uses advanced technology to filter adult content, but it won’t catch everything. If SafeSearch is set to Strict or Moderate and you’re seeing adult content, tell us about it so we can filter it in the future,” says Bing.

    But this isn’t a SafeSearch problem, this is a search suggestions problem. You can turn search suggestions off in your settings, but by default they are on. That means that the average person that pulls up bing.com and searches for “sex g…” sees these questionable suggestions.

    Now, I guess the next big question is whether or not Bing has a responsibility to filter out these search suggestions.

    On one hand you could make the argument that Bing doesn’t have to manually edit which search suggestions it gives for particular queries. The suggestions are clearly based upon popular and recent searches from the Bing community – and if that’s what they’re searching for then hey – let it be.

    On the other hand, Google limits its autocomplete results. Here’s what you’ll see when you search “sex games” on Google:

    And here’s what you see when you search “sex kid”:

    As you know, Google also censors other questionable searches. They won’t give you suggestions for sexual terms like “boobs” or “pussy,” and they won’t even display curse words like “fuck” or “shit” in autocomplete results.

    They also censor any search that has to do with the illegal downloading of copyright protected content. For instance, “game of thrones torrent” won’t autocomplete.

    Over on Bing, it’s a totally different story:

    Bing doesn’t really filter any of the types of searches that Google does. Last year, we pointed out that Bing was suggesting painless ways to kill yourself while Google was displaying the suicide prevention hotline.So, if they’re going with a true hands-off approach to any sort of search suggestion censoring, what’s different about queries about sex games for kids?

    Well, it’s the “c’mon, dude” argument I guess. As in, Bing…c’mon dude. It doesn’t help that instead of “autocomplete,” Bing’s version of the technology is called “search suggestions.” So, when you think about it, Bing is suggesting that you search for “sex kids movies” and “sex games with kids in bed.”

    C’mon, dude.

    I’ve reached out to Bing for comment and will update when I hear back.

    UPDATE:

    As you know, Facebook partners with Bing for their search results. And you can find the same questionable suggestions inside Graph Search results:

    UPDATE 2: A Microsoft spokesperson has given me this:

    “We’re reviewing the guidelines for search suggestions related to this type of query.”

    Well have to see if anything changes.

  • Foursquare 6.0 Launches As a True Local Search and Recommendation App

    Foursquare has been improving their service in the hopes of “moving beyond the check-in” for some time now. Today, they’ve released the all new Foursquare version 6.0 for both iOS and Android. With this update, search and recommendations (what Foursquare calls “Explore”) is now a bigger part of the experience than ever.

    Here’s how Foursquare describes all the changes they’ve made to the app:

    With the new Foursquare 6.0, we’re crunching all our data to show the best of what’s nearby, anywhere in the world, the second you open up the app. To help you discover all this, we totally redesigned the Foursquare app into four main sections. Here’s what you’ll see:

    Search is now front-and-center at the top, so you can quickly find what you’re craving, or see things like trending places (in real-time) and top picks. Below that, you’ll see a map with nearby friends and interesting places highlighted. Tap on the map to expand it so you can see great places around you. After that, we show you the best things at that moment – our top personalized recommendations, along with your friends’ check-ins around the world. And, at the bottom, we have the new check-in button, for when you want to share and remember the places you go to.

    Gone are the three tabs at the bottom of the screen that graced the previous versions (friends, explore, and me). Explore and your friend feed is all contained in the main feed, with search front and center. This is your “Home” screen. To access your profile and history, to-do lists, and more – just swipe right.

    “Our goal with the new Foursquare is to reveal more of the world around you the moment you open up the app, and help you find exactly what you’re craving,” says Foursquare.

    And to that end, Foursquare has completely redesigned both their iOS and Android apps to help achieve what the company has been working toward the last couple of years – moving beyond the check-in.

    You may have heard that phrase a lot in reference to Foursquare in the past year or so, and with good reason. Foursquare launched back in 2009 with a focus on check-ins – and that’s about it. You checked in, earned some points, and maybe unlocked a badge. Yes, the app had a small social networking element to it – in that you could track your friends’ check-ins and see how you stacked up on a points leaderboard. And yes, you could browse nearby places. But in 2009, nobody would have called Foursquare a “local search” app. And they certainly wouldn’t have called it a premier place for “local discovery.”

    Like I said before, Foursquare hasn’t just launched version 6.0, with its heavy focus on local search and recommendations, out of the blue. There has been a long march to this new vision of Foursquare. Let’s look at that march, starting about a year ago when Foursquare unveiled the “all new Foursquare.”

    That update brought a completely redesigned friend feed to the mix – with larger photos, more information on tips, comments, and the ability to “like” individual check-ins. But the real work was done on the Explore tab. Foursquare integrated even more of their millions of data points to give users a better idea about what was going on around them, and why they should frequent nearby locations. The Explore tab began to notify users of nearby specials, “top picks” that ranked venues on the popularity in the Foursquare community. They added new categories to search like “food,” “nightlife,” and “trending,” all of which relied heavily on you and your friends’ past check-in data.

    “This isn’t just a fresh coat of paint, it’s a whole new app. And, as such, it’s just the beginning. We’ve got lots more coming…” said Foursquare at the time.

    Shortly after that, Foursquare updated their app to improve the map and give it even more search categories. Then, they introduced a new kind of rating for venues – a number between 1 and 10 that is based on user likes. Later, they added a “recently opened” category to the Explore tab. A few weeks after that, location pages were improved with larger, highlighted location photos. In the past couple of months, Foursquare crammed even more recommendations onto the Explore tab and bolstered the info on venue pages.

    See what I’m saying? Foursquare has made tons of small tweaks leading up to this new Foursquare, one that truly looks and feels like a culmination of Foursquare’s true goal of becoming a top local search and recommendation engine to compete with the likes of Yelp, Urbanspoon, and yes, Facebook.

    Of course, Foursquare isn’t abandoning the check-in. The check-in is one of the metrics that powers the service. Without it, the whole recommendation engine falls apart. That’s why you’ll see an ever-present check-in icon front and center at the bottom of your feed at all times.

    To survive, Foursquare cannot simply be about the check-in. It has to be more. This update shows that it is more – a lot more. But whether or not users recognize this is left to be seen. You can grab the update today in the App Store and Google Play.

  • Gmail Rolls Out Past Search Autocomplete, Contact Thumbnails

    Google is shipping an update to Gmail that should make it easier to locate that email that you just searched for the other day.

    Starting today, Google begins the global rollout of new autocomplete predictions for your past Gmail searches.

    “If you’ve searched your email for ‘supercalifragilisticexpialidocious’ or other lengthy phrases, it just got easier to find what you’re looking for. Autocomplete predictions in Gmail may now include your past Gmail searches,” says Google.

    Also rolling out – contact thumbnails in Gmail search:

    Google says that the global rollout of both of these features will take a few days and it even includes Google Apps for Business customers.

    We think that these updates will probably go over a little better than the last update to hit Gmail. Last week, Google began pushing the new compose box to all users and there was a audible groan from a good portion of the Gmail-usiing population.

  • Facebook Tests Pre-Graph Search Era White Search Box

    Facebook appears to be testing a new look for the search bar that more closely resembles the old white search box of old, as opposed to the box-less blue bar of the new Graph Search.

    Those who have been switched over to Graph Search since Facebook launched the product back in January have probably recognized that the search box at the top of the page isn’t really a search box. It’s simply the words “search for people, places, and things” imposed on the blue bar.

    This test puts the white search box back into the picture, while still maintaing the Graph Search functionality.

    Like any Facebook test (and there are a lot going on at any given time), one can only speculate as to the company’s motivations behind it. Is Graph Search adoption falling short of Facebook’s expectations? Is it possible that the new Graph Search look isn’t prompting people to search – because it doesn’t really have a defined search box?

    Maybe they’ve simply received some feedback that this new look is more aesthetically pleasing.

    Either way, this appears to be a small test. We’ve reached out to Facebook for confirmation and will let you know when they get back to us.

    And yes, we know that some people still don’t have Graph Search yet. These people still see the newer search bar, but without the Graph Search functionality. Graph Search, like the new news feed, and like the new Timeline, is being rolled out very slowly. Facebook says they want to get it right.

  • Bing’s New SEO Tags Let You Tell Them Exactly Where You Should Rank (April Fools’)

    Attention SEOs: Bing is finally rewarding you for all your hard work. Starting today, new Bing SEO tags let you tell Bing exactly where your page should rank. Easy as that.

    The new SEO tags cut out the middleman and let you insert a couple of tags into your page code that direct Bing as to where to place you on results pages. There are two new tags, “set to position” and “must be before.”

    <link rel=”SEO” query=”weather” set_to_position=”2″ />

    <link rel=”SEO” must_be_before=”*.mycompetitor.com/*” />

    Now you can make sure that your page always ranks on spot ahead of your competitor’s page. It’s so easy!

    Along the way, some SEOs abused the systems to try to game the results. Back and forth for years, the engines and so-called “black hat” SEOs have waged a behind-the-scenes battle to position content on the Search Results pages. It’s pretty easy for the engine to win this battle in the long run, though, as we own the pages.

    As time has progressed, we’ve been able to tackle spamming issues at many levels. In most cases today, most websites follow the known best practices and simply do the right thing. They’re too busy running a business to try trickery to rank better, trusting we will sort the rankings properly. And now it’s time to reward that trust and your hard work.

    For a year, you’ll only be able to use one “must_be_before” tag, so choose wisely. Bing says that next April 1st, they’ll give you 50!

    “To ensure compliance with this request, should you insert more than one “must_be_before” tag this year, we’ll simply contact your host and arrange for the server hosting your site to be put into a low-earth orbit for the following 365 days.”

    Harsh.

    For more April Fools’ Day prank fun, check here.

  • Bing Adds Time Period Sorting To Search Results

    Bing has added a new way for users to sort their search results by time period. You can sort by “Past 24 hours” to see the top links that have surfaced during the last day, for example. You can also search by “Past week” and “Past Month”.

    “At Bing, our goal is to give you the most comprehensive and trustworthy set of search results so you can get more done,” says Bing Principal Development Manager, Dr. Walter Sun. “Behind the scenes, we spend a lot of time and computational horsepower to ensure that you are getting fresh and topical search results as they happen.”

    “Now whenever you search, you will see a filter at the top of the results page which lets you narrow down your search based on time period,” he says.

    Sort bing results

    Google has a similar feature, and gives you more options: Any time, past hour, past 24 hours, past week, past month, past year, and custom range.

    Google Sort results

    The feature, however, is hidden under “more search tools,” and probably isn’t used incredibly often. I do like Bing’s approach to putting it right in the forefront. Search engines, especially Google often place a little too much emphasis on freshness in search results for my taste, so it’s nice to be able to give a time period.