YouTube On Verge Of Supporting 1080p Video

YouTube will soon put even more distance between itself and its old reputation for being a repository of crummy-looking, user-generated content. Support for watching 1080p HD videos in full resolution is due to be introduced on Monday.

1080p is, in case you didn't know, the picture type associated with Blu-ray. It makes very minute details visible (hair and makeup teams were none too happy about its creation), and on YouTube, should simply allow for larger images, too.

Unfortunately, creating and displaying 1080p clips requires enough stuff that not everyone will be able to take part. Content creators who don't have fairly new cameras will be left out. Then, viewers who don't have fast Internet connections, fast computers, and large monitors should probably just stick to what was already available for the sake of not having clips stutter.

Still, YouTube's trying to make the switch easy on people. A post on the YouTube Blog stated, "[T]hose of you who have already uploaded in 1080p, don't worry. We're in the process of re-encoding your videos so we can show them the way you intended."

And the introduction of support for 1080p is important. In the long run, it'll provide an attractive option to professional content creators and advertisers, along with the obvious eye candy benefits for YouTube users.

Google Introduces New Drawing and Form Features for Docs

Google has launched some new features for Google Docs. They have made a couple improvements to drawings and added several new features to Forms.

As far as drawings, Google has made it easier for users to build flowcharts, by adding 20 new shapes for standard flowchart components. In addition, users now have more control over drawing text layout by supporting explicit line breaks in text boxes and text within shapes. The features can be accessed, by simply inserting a drawing into any document, spreadsheet, or presentation.

As far as forms, you can now gather responses for a group of similar questions in a new, compact grid format. The Grid question type lets users label several columns and create a limitless number of new rows. Row results appear in their own spreadsheet columns with their own summary charts.

The summary charts themselves actually have new formatting as well:

The form editor supports right-to-left text input now. “When you enter RTL text in the form editor, it will automatically switch the directionality of the form editor and rendered forms (similar to Gmail and other Google Apps),” explains User Interface Software Engineer Eric Bogs on the Google Docs blog. “This means your text and questions will flip directionality, making it easier for RTL users to create and use forms.”

Google Apps customers have two options for using forms within their organizations now. They can automatically collect respondents’ usernames as usual, and they can also now require sign-in to view a form.

Google Shares New Privacy Policy for Books

Google has introduced a new privacy policy for Google Books, to try and appease the critics of Google's enormous book indexing project. The company has also been in communication with the Federal Trade Commission, and has discussed both the new policy and a letter to the FTC on the Google Public Policy Blog.


Google is still waiting approval from the court on its settlement agreement with the Authors Guild and the Association of American Publishers, so some services discussed in the privacy policy don't even exist yet.

"Our privacy policies are usually based on detailed review of a final product -- and on weeks, months or years of careful work engineering the product itself to protect privacy," says Google Global Privacy Counsel Jane Horvath. "In this case, we've planned in advance for the protections that will later be built, and we've described some of those in the Google Books policy."

The privacy policy can be read here.

Windows 7 to run Faster

Microsoft and Intel share an age old partnership of working operating system with processors respectively. Intel is closely working with Microsoft to enable Windows 7 make the best of multi-core and multi-threading supporting chip line up for faster performance. Joakim Lialias, Intel alliance manager, posted about a feature called SMT parking that'll allow Windows 7 to be able to make the best of Intel Hyper threading Technology for 'enabling better performance on hyper-threaded, multi-core Intel processors'. Looks like Microsoft is competing against Apple's Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard that is capable of using multi-core CPU and GPUs.

When Intel rolled out multi-core chips, the industry stalwarts said that Windows platform and the applications
lacked potential to make best of multi-core CPUs. Apple recently announced new Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard with 64-bit computing, multi-CPU, GPGPU and OpenCL support. Basically, Snow Leopard is coded for making the best out of multi-core Intel processors for overall system performance and stability.

On the other hand, Microsoft too boasts of more stable Windows 7 and has tied up with Intel to make it work better with its multi-core processors. Lialias stated that Microsoft has worked closely with Intel on improving 'the boot/shutdown/sleep/resume times on Intel platforms during the development of Windows 7 to identify opportunities to optimize Intel drivers and BIOS as well as Windows 7'.

Traditionally, System performance was boosted by overclocking the CPU clock to make the sequential application code run faster. Gradually, Intel implemented multiple cores on smaller silicon die, thereby giving more room for higher overall system performance. Not many major applications available today are able to make the best of the multi-core processors.

Apart from that, Intel-Microsoft team is also working to technologies that will make Windows 7 work faster on SSDs - obviously it's about netbooks and laptops. The process of read and write would be speedy on SSDs with a firmware update from Intel. In June, Intel had already rolled out graphics drivers supporting Windows 7 which supported DirectX 10. Microsoft has incorporated the upcoming DirectX 11 platform level graphics driver capabilities for splitting tasks to different cores for boosting graphical performance and application processing.

It's just the matter of time when the two titans - Windows 7 and Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard will battle against each other. This time, it would be on grounds of system performance, hardware acceleration and also system stability.

Resources: http://www.techtree.com/India/News/Microsoft_Intel_to_make_Windows_7_run_Faster/551-104853-580.html

Semantics for SEO

Semantics is the study of meaning and relationships and plays a role in SEO. Google makes its money from being successful at crawling, indexing, and ranking data. One important aspect of this procedure is being able to understand content in a manner that is more complex than keyword density. One way of doing this is Latent Semantics Analysis or LSA. Google may not use this exact approach, but Google is sure to use some similar system of semantic analysis to look at textual content.

Intro to SEO Semantics

By using semantics, search engines can have a basic understanding of the English language. There is an understanding of synonyms, antonyms, and polysemes. In addition, Google can relate niches and keywords. They’re able to develop complex relationships with keywords through their huge database of information and linking relationships.

For example, Google can understand the following relationships for a Make Money Online site.

Make Money Online

• Make Money
• Make Money Online
• Make Money Blogging
• Make Money on eBay

Internet Marketing

• Internet Marketing Services
• Online Marketing

Social Media Marketing

• Social Media
• Social Bookmarking
• Web 2.0
• Digg
• StumbleUpon

Blogging

• Blogger
• Wordpress
• Plugins
• RSS Feed

SEO

• Search Engine Optimization
• Link Building
• Article Marketing
• Directory Submissions
• Dofollow
• Nofollow

Google knows that the usage of any of the above keywords is related to the primary keyword of make money online. It can relate long tail keywords as well as related keywords and the long tails of those related keywords.

Role of Semantics when Writing for Search Engines

Knowing that Google uses semantics is important when writing your site’s content and building links. You should use this knowledge to solidify your page’s focus on a keyword.

Quick Note on Keyword Density

Google content analysis is more advanced than keyword density. Do not stress keyword density. Keyword density will not help you rank higher. Anyone still teaching you to achieve a certain density is wrong. Keyword usage is important, but there is no set density that you should target. Simply use it naturally, but ideas like LSA move Google away from basic keyword density analysis. Keyword density is not a direct measure of relevancy. The usage of a keyword 10 times does not make it more relevant than a page that uses its keyword 3 times. If anything, the over usage of a keyword can hurt your rankings. The usage of semantics can be used to determine if a site is using natural language. An over optimized keyword stuffed page does not use natural language and may hurt your rankings.

Use Long Tails

Instead of trying to use your primary keyword over and over, use long tails. Research your keyword before you write your article to determine long tail keywords. Select two or three long tails that have your main keyword as their parent keyword. Use them in your content to support your main keyword and do it without keyword spamming. Not only does this create natural content, but this increases the number of terms you can rank for. You can now work your primary keyword as well as the long tails.

Related Terms

In addition to long tails, use related keywords. If you’re writing about SEO, talk about internet marketing. If you talk about McDonalds, talk about hamburgers. If you talk about hamburgers, discuss hot dogs. If Apple, discuss Mac and Ipod. These related terms will support your main keyword because Google understands the relationship. In addition, it will increase the number of keywords you can rank for.

Role of Semantics when Link Building

The classic advice of varying your anchor text. If you get too many links with the same anchor text, Google will consider it a Google bomb. Varying anchor text is important for two reasons. First, it looks natural. Having the same anchor text is a sign of self generated links. Second, semantics comes into play. You can use related anchor text to support your primary target keyword.

A post about BANS (Build a Niche Store) could use any of the follow keyword(s) as anchor text and still support the primary keyword.

• BANS
• BANS site
• BANS ebay
• Build A Niche Store
• Make Money on eBay
• Make Money Online
• eBay Niche Store
• Build an Online Store
• eBay Affiliate

Google understands that all of these keywords are related.

Dominating Multiple Long Tails Keywords

By using this approach instead of keyword stuffing one keyword phrase, you’re able to dominate multiple keyword listings for long tails. You can rank for many long tails by simply mentioning the keyword. Instead of repeating one keyword phase over and over, use semantically related keywords. This will reinforce your main keyword while also increasing the number of long tails you can rank for. As your page gains authority for the main keyword, your authority for the semantically related keywords will also increase. And the opposite is also true, as you gain authority for the semantically related keywords, your authority for the main keyword increases.

Conclusion

Understanding that Google uses semantics to evaluate content can help you improve your on site SEO. Simple measures like keyword density are out dated and should not be used to determine how targeted a page is. So when developing content, consider developing a list of long tails and related keywords that you can sprinkle through your content to help support your targeted keyword.

3 SEO Services That Make a Difference

Web-based business owners understand the importance of visibility. If a potential customer can’t find your store, how is he going to purchase your product or service? And since many people are using the internet, even for local searches, the importance of online visibility has never been greater. The way to guarantee that visibility is search engine optimization (SEO). SEO encompasses all of the tasks that a web-based business owner completes in order to ensure that his business appears at the top of the search engine results page when a potential customer conducts an internet search using words that are relevant to the business owner’s products or services.

There are two ways to go about these tasks. The first is for the web-based business owner to complete them himself. This can be very time-consuming, and SEO can be a steep learning curve. The second option is for the web-based business owner to hire an SEO professional for search engine optimization services. This is the optimal choice for business owners who don’t have the necessary skills to complete SEO tasks, or don’t have time to learn them. In this case, the services of an SEO professional can be invaluable. If you’re busy with the details of setting up your own business, you probably don’t have time to learn everything there is to know about search engine optimization. Here are 3 SEO services that will make a difference in the success of your online business:

1. Keywords. Keywords are one of the primary focuses of search engine optimization. SEO professional know how to determine which keywords potential customers use to search the web for products and services similar to yours, and they can write relevant, compelling website copy that makes the most of those keywords. While it may seem simple to choose appropriate keywords, SEO professionals can use keywords in combinations and variations that make them very effective.

2. Website Creation. There’s no sense in driving traffic to your website if doesn’t look professional and if it doesn’t make it easy for potential customers to find what they’re looking for. SEO services include website design, an easy-to-navigate layout, and features and tools that make it easier for customers to find out more about what they’re interested in and then buy it.

3. Search Engine Results. Top placement on the search engine results page is the result of many different SEO tasks done in concert with one another. Not only do you need on-site optimization, but you also need backlinks from quality websites and relevant copy in which to use your keywords. SEO professionals know exactly how to use all possible tools to ensure that your website receives a high placement on the search engine results page.

In addition to these three SEO services, SEO professionals also know which SEO tactics to avoid. Using sketchy tactics to increase your search engine ranking can get your site penalized by, or even banned from, the search engines. While some individuals use these ‘black hat’ tactics purposefully, other inexperienced business owners may use them without even knowing that they are viewed as questionable by the search engines.

Hiring an SEO professional can therefore help you avoid two major issues. The first is using questionable SEO techniques, and the second is wasting time trying to master the ins and outs of SEO yourself. Your competitors are optimizing their websites. If you aren’t doing the same, right now, then you’re losing customers because they’re finding your competitors on the search engines instead of finding you. It can take up to several months before you see the results of your SEO endeavors, so the sooner you start, the sooner you will reap the benefits.

So don’t waste anymore time. Hire an SEO professional and see what a difference it makes for your business.