Chrome: Google's New Web Browser

Google released the beta version of its new web browser today. It's called Chrome and you can download it here. Learn more about it here and here.

Certain features look interesting, like dynamic tabs, incognito mode and crash control. The safety features also appear to be quite impressive.

I'm really interested in the safety features, so I conducted a quick test with Chrome. I visited a site that I know contains malware to see if Chrome would stop me from visiting the URL (malware programs are particularly dangerous because they can infect your computer by simply visiting a URL.) Chrome performed well. It prevented me from visiting the URL, and offered a detailed explanation of the threat.

I can also report that Chrome is lightning fast: the application opens in a flash and browsing is effortless. This is based on my quick and dirty test. Who knows: it may slow down over time.

Chrome is only available for Windows XP and Vista. I'm going to take it for a more thorough test drive on my Windows XP machine later. I can't use it on my other machines since they run older versions of Windows.

If you decide to give it a try, feel free to post your comments here. Thanks!

Google "Expires" Some Old Penalties

Google has removed a very nasty penalty (or maybe penalties?) from a key website within my empire. Now that the penalty is gone, this particular site now ranks very well for the keywords I've been targeting for about 3 years.

I should be celebrating, but I'm not.

The way I see it, big G shouldn't have implemented those silly penalties in the first place. I'm certain the reason they decided to drop these penalties was because they realized sites with top notch content were being penalized so heavily that they could no longer be found in the top 100 for targeted keywords and keyphrases. What really bugs me is that it took them so long to realize that those penalties were...well...stupid. Google has some very smart people working at the Googleplex, so I guess I'm just very disappointed.

Webmasters Still Obsessed with PageRank

Matt Cutts blogged about the expired penalties on July 24th. At the time of this blog post, there were 245 comments. Most of the comments were about the latest PageRank update. So far, hardly anyone has been interested in discussing the expiration of penalties, even though that's the most significant Google SERP's-related news I've read in some time. PageRank is pretty much meaningless these days, yet site owners still obsess over it. I guess all those commenters own directories.

Dot-TV Domain Names @ $15.99 Each!

If you've been waiting for the right time to buy a Dot-TV domain name, you should stop by www.GoDaddy.com: right now you can get 'em for $15.99 each. That's a pretty good price considering that Godaddy's competitors charge at least twice that for Dot-TV names.

This Dot-TV sale isn't as good as the one GoDaddy had last August, when they were going for $9.99 each, but it's still pretty good. Hopefully we'll see these names below $10 again soon.

I have no idea when the current Dot-TV sale ends over at GoDaddy so if you plan on taking advantage of this sale, best not to procrastinate.

One of The Funniest Names for A Credit Card Site

I know from experience that finding the right name for a credit card site isn't easy. The competition for names is so intense that I chose to use country code top level domains (TLD's) for my sites.

For those who are still in love with dot-COM domain names, all I can say is: good luck. All the good names are taken and have either been developed or are being horded by domain investors.

Today I came across a credit card-related, dot-COM name that made me LOL. The name is CREDITVAN_DOT_COM. I'm chuckling just writing about it. Maybe its just me but, IMHO, this name sends the wrong message. It's like, "Yes, step into my dark yellow, 70's-era van and get credit! We have toys and candy inside!" I can imagine posters of Farrah Fawcett and tricked out Corvettes adorning the interior, along with lots of shag carpeting and maybe even a miniature disco ball. Good stuff!

If You Want A Domain Name, Take It, Or Else!

It doesn't pay to dither if you want a domain name. If you search for a name using any domain name registrar, and you end up leaving the name because you can't make up your mind about buying it, don't be surprised if the name gets registered by someone else shortly after your search. It's called domain sniffing, and it's a very controversial subject because many Internet regulars don't believe that it exists.

If you search for a domain name at Network Solutions, the company will lock the name for 4 days; try to register the name at another registrar and you'll find it unavailable for 96 hours or so. Netsol does this to protect legitimate domain consumers from sniffers and tasters, but some people think it's a unethical. Check out the discussion here.

My opinion: I'm 100% positive that domain sniffing exists, based on my own observations over the years. If you want a name, just go to www.GoDaddy.com or eNom.com and buy it. Names are cheap, so even if you end up dropping the name, it's no big deal (and you can take a tax deduction for the cost of your names, as they are a very legitimate business expense.) Imagine losing your perfect domain name to a domain sniffer, then, after about a year, receiving an email with an offer to sell the very same name to you for $X,XXX. It happens.

New Yahoo! Index Update

The good folks at Yahoo! are currently rolling out a new update for their search index. There's no way to know exactly when the latest update will be completed, but it should be done by tomorrow or Thursday.

From my perspective, this latest update isn't looking too good (so far.) The last one was better, IMHO.

Google Wipes Out An Internet Cottage Industry

Google has just wiped out an entire Internet cottage industry: selling text links. Sites that are known to sell links are being penalized like crazy with the latest Google Pagerank update, with some sites dropping from PR7 to PR0.

Is this a good thing? Maybe. But, from my perspective, it's a raw deal.

I have a site that ranks well in Google for competitive keyphrases, despite having pages with low or no Pagerank. However, another site of mine used to have PR on many pages, but now has PR0 on all pages. Never sold links on it, all original content and the site has plenty of quality incoming links. The site is still being indexed (according to Google's Webmaster Tools), so I know it's not officially banned by Google, but it doesn't rank for anything, so, in essence, it might as well be. This situation is frustrating, not because I'm some bitter Internet publisher with a new site that contains crappy content, but because the site has age, and my content is much better than most sites that rank above me. And I know my site's content is good, because I'm constantly finding new (and unsolicited) links from very respectable sites -- and that's the kind of proof that Google should acknowledge, n'est ce pas?

My site has been sodomized, without the benefit of K-Y or a reach-around. I am being forced to perform Adwords fellatio on Google, and I don't like the taste. Yep.

Once again, the folks at Google have found a way to alienate this webmaster. But don't worry, G, we're still friends (yes, I like to pretend that you care.) I love Gmail and Analytics and Google Maps, and I'm still impressed with how sophisticated yet user-friendly the Adwords platform is. I just hope big G shows my neglected sites some love in the near future.

For the record: I don't have an issue with Google trying to maintain the quality of its index. I do have a problem, however, with the hypocrisy of certain methods the company is employing. It appears that Google is penalizing sites that sell links to pass on Pagerank, but do you think that they are penalizing sites like Business.com or Yahoo!? These sites sell links that pass on Pagerank, and they charge a lot more than most sites that Google is currently penalizing.

Another Yahoo Index Update

If you haven't used Yahoo Search lately, give it a try. The folks at Y! have just rolled out another index update, and the SERP's are looking very good; good as in relevant! Y! is now a serious competitor for search, which I'm very happy about, because I'm tired of smoking that Google stuff. Of course, I'm still going to use Google, but when you're doing research, it's always best to have access to multiple sources of information, because research just isn't research if you rely on one information source. Yep.

Looks like Y! is updating their index every month now, and that's a good thing. Regular updates will help keep the spammers from taking over the Y! SERP's. Wading through spam is such a waste of time, and there are few things I hate more than wasting my time!.

Have you tried Live Search lately? I don't know what those guys are smoking, but I wouldn't mind gettin' some for New Year's Eve. A real shame, considering how deep Micro$oft's pockets are. M$ should just throw in the towel and buy Y!

New Yahoo! Update: Check Your Rankings!

The folks at Yahoo! have just rolled out a new update for their search index. I'm seeing some nice improvements in many areas this time around. So far, this update looks much better than the last one. FYI: it may take a day or two for the update to completely settle so you may want to check your rankings over the next couple of days.

You can let Yahoo! know how you feel about their latest update by posting a comment at the Yahoo! Search Blog.

The Cheapest Dot-TV Price I've Ever Seen!

I'm a big fan of Dot-TV names. I've invested in many, and developed a few. The only prohibitive thing about the Dot-TV namespace -- IMHO -- is the cost of registration. Dot-TV names usually go for $30-$35 or more per year; the price can sometimes drop into the $20 neighborhood at GoDaddy or Enom once in a while, but not often.

So imagine my surprise to find (thanks to a recent Namepros.com thread) that www.GoDaddy.com is selling Dot-TV domain names for just $9.99! That's a truly exciting price. Unfortunately for me I don't have any .TV names I want to register right now, so I'm going to miss the party this time.

I didn't receive an email notice about the sale yet, but it's on, so if you're going to take advantage of it, then don't hesitate, as I have no idea when the sale will end. Enjoy!