Who will be next in search?
Is it possible to create a larger index than Google?
Can you change the landscape of search overnight?

The follow Big 3 (plus 1) are the leaders in search.

• Google
  
• Yahoo! Search
  
• Microsoft Live
• Ask

These guys are the reason we fret over Search Engine Optimization to ensure our websites get indexed. (Well, most of us just fret over Google.)

There is one guarantee about search - Changes are constant! Enter… a newcomer who announces they are the next search beast to be reckoned with.

Cuil

Cuil is a new search engine that claims it can index web pages significantly faster than Google. The interface for search results is similar to a 3-column magazine, sometimes showing thumbnail pictures inset into each article.

I wanted to learn more about Cuil, so I went to Google! Go, figure! I especially liked this snippet:

Cuil Stumbles out of the Gate - Jul 28, 2008

Stumble it did. It has the audience laughing!

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A couple friends asked for blogging advice recently, so I thought I’d share some basics about blogging platforms for those new to blogging, and how to decide between free vs. paid hosting.

DISCLAIMER: I’m not a blogging expert. It’s taken me over three years to “get it right” using WordPress, so I disclaim that I don’t have all the answers. The learning curve continues - guess I’m at the “Blogging 201″ level. I try to learn by my mistakes, so I’ll share my blogging mistakes with you. As my Mom used to tell me:

“Don’t do as I do. Do as I say do.”

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Our conversation makes up your brand. We talk about our experiences with your product, your services, your customer service reps, your employees… We talk about you. Your brand is our conversation! Our perceptions of your company affect how we talk about you, how we influence other people, and how we open our wallets. We put our money where our mouths are!

Branding & Reputation Management

A brand is what someone associates with something else.

• What do people associate with you? Is it positive?
• What is your company trying to project?
• Who are you in the minds of your audience?

I just attended an online seminar, a Twebinar titled, “Who Owns Your Brand?” This was the second of a Summer Series on Social Media by Chris Brogan (@chrisbrogan on Twitter).

Below are my top four nuggets from the Twebinar and my “take” on the importance of branding and reputation management.

Nugget 1: Social Media is like the Gutenberg Press for the Bible.

The Bible was once owned by the church. The people didn’t have access. Reading and interpretation of the Bible was controlled. The Gutenberg Press put the Bible into the hands of the people. It became cheap enough for them to have their own Bibles. Social Media and blogging have paralleled the power of information. Companies used to own and control their message. The Internet and blogging has redistributed control. We, the people, now have access - a voice. Continue Reading »