SEO:
It’s not exactly news that Adobe Flash has a strained relationship with mobile technology and search spiders. However, Google is now taking new steps in campaigning against websites that use Flash. When the search engine’s algorithms detect that a website is using Flash, warnings will be displayed to mobile searchers under that site’s search result. Beneath the URL, a line of text will read, “Uses Flash. May not work on your device. Try anyway | Learn more.”To avoid having this message attached to your search results, Google suggests using HTML5 technology, which is universally supported.
Bing has launched their version of a Right To Be Forgotten request form, two months after the similarly-named EU mandate was established. Google introduced their own form about six weeks ago, but Bing’s does have its differences. In either case, both search engine companies are obligated to follow the European mandate and review every request that is submitted through these forms. Each request to Bing will give Microsoft enough details to decide whether they will remove content from their search listings or leave it.
Social Media:
Last weekend, Tumblr fans attended the inaugural DashCon, a user-organized event intended to bring other users of the blogging platform together to celebrate common interests. It was, objectively, a disaster. Between the convention’s unpaid fees, last-minute fundraising efforts, the absence of star guests, and a hilarious #BallPit hashtag, DashCon immediately became the subject of ridicule across the social media sphere.
Newsle, a machine learning startup based in San Francisco, has been acquired by LinkedIn. The company’s service sends news updates to its users about connections in their social networks. Whenever a connection is mentioned in the media, Newsle sends an email about it in near real-time. Chances are, this acquisition will aid in the development of LinkedIn’s new Connected app, whose features are strikingly similar to those of Newsle. Details of the deal are not yet disclosed.
Technology:
Thanks to a new partnership with Nielsen, the TV ratings measurement company, Facebook will soon be able to gather data on the shows its users watch and provide Nielsen with viewership information. This campaign is meant to give Nielsen a better idea of how people are using their devices to watch television shows, which has become more difficult as fewer people use actual televisions in their viewership. Nielsen has stated that all data will be anonymous and privacy-protected. The company claims they will only be collected the ages and genders of online viewers. Facebook will only see Nielsen code numbers without being told which shows they stand for.
According to a new research report, authored by the Chief Analyst of Jackdaw Research, iTunes revenue makes up the largest portion of sales in a category called “iTunes, Software and Services.”However, as digital music revenues drop because of the growth of subscription streaming services, revenue from iOS apps continues to rise. This is due in part to the cost of the apps themselves, as well as the growing popularity of in-app purchases for additional content. Though app sales haven’t yet made up for the decline in music sales, the potential for that to happen is very real.
