The Battle Between Google & Microsoft Over Kai-Fu Lee Rages On
(August 30, 2005 - News.com)
In the continuing saga over Google hiring Kai-Fu Lee to head up a new China research center, Google has asked a federal judge in California to rule that Lee's contract with Microsoft is unenforceable and that the researcher should be allowed to join Google unfettered by the terms of his employment deal.

What is RSS, and Why Should You Care?
(August 30, 2005 - SearchDay)
This week, SearchDay takes a close look at RSS, a web publishing format that's transforming information delivery for both publishers and users.

Google Anything, So Long as It's Not Google
(August 29, 2005 - The New York Times)
If you were Google's C.E.O., wouldn't you Google yourself? Would you be surprised to discover that information about your personal and financial life are so readily available? So why, if you're Eric E. Schmidt, the chairman and chief executive of Google, a soft-spoken person without a history of intemperate action, do you furiously strike at the poor messenger who delivers the news that your company's search service works very well indeed?

Google vs. Everyone Else?
(August 26, 2005 - Business Week Online)
"Its lips are sealed, but its moves rattle everyone from Microsoft to eBay." A look beyond the typical "Google vs. Microsoft" debate to speculate on possible Google vs. Motorola, Google vs. Verizon, and Google vs. eBay wars as well.

AOL News Joins the Big League of News Search Engines
(August 25, 2005 - SearchDay)
AOL News has quietly and quickly sprinted into place as a leading news search engine, joining Yahoo News, Google News and Topix.net as a primary destination for online news.

A Closer Look at Yahoo Audio Search
(August 23, 2005 - SearchDay)
Yahoo's recently released audio search engine is an impressive tool for both searcher and music/audio junkies, but this first beta release has rough edges and there is still room for improvement.

Google Desktop Search 2 Offers New Sidebar Widgets, Outlook Integration & More
(August 22, 2005 - Search Engine Watch Blog)
Google has released a new version of its desktop search tool. Now in beta, Google Desktop Search 2 offers features such as integration with Outlook, indexing of email at Gmail, a sidebar with nifty widgets to display photos, headlines, RSS feed and a virtual scratch pad.

Yahoo! Local Gets an Overhaul
(August 18, 2005 - Search Engine Guide)
The folks over at Yahoo! showed that they care about more than size when they unveiled the new version of Yahoo! Local. The idea was to create a more user-driven set of local content for cities across the United States while taking advantage of Yahoo!'s existing mapping, news and directory content.

Screw Size! I Dare Google & Yahoo To Report On Relevancy
(August 16, 2005 - SearchDay)
Ah, summer. Time to play on the beach, head out on vacation and if you're a search engine, announce to the world that you've got the largest index.

Amazon A9 takes It To the Streets
(August 16, 2005 - CNET News)
Amazon.com is merging photographs and maps in a new search service that offers virtual tours of two dozen U.S. cities.

Yahoo May Launch VoIP
(August 15, 2005 - Red Herring)
Yahoo will introduce a VoIP service in the next two weeks, according to a prominent Internet analyst, in a move intended to give the Internet media company an edge over its rivals.

Google Loses AdWords Trade Mark Case in the US
(August 15, 2005 - OUT-LAW News)
A US district court has ruled against Google in a trade mark action over the sale of the terms “Geico” and “Geico Direct” in AdWords, its keyword advertising service. The judge found that there was infringement where the terms were used in the text of sponsored ads.

Google Gives Publishers More AdSense Control
(August 11, 2005 - mediapost.com)
Google is testing an AdSense program that will give publishers more control over the ads shown on their sites, allowing them to submit demographic and psychographic data about their audiences.

Why Yahoo Bought Konfabulator
(August 10, 2005 - SearchDay)
Currently, developers can create Widgets that tap into just about any open data source on the Web. Rose is emphatic that Yahoo maintain this open access going forward. He also said that we'll soon be seeing a whole slew of Widgets that expose parts of the Yahoo network that are relatively hidden away.

Barry Diller Helps Ask Jeeves Get in Shape
(August 9, 2005 - News.com)
Now that it's part of media mogul Barry Diller's InterActiveCorp, the Ask Jeeves butler is shaping up, cutting back on sponsored results that bloated its site and increasing more relevant links, according to the search engine's CEO.

Our Blog is Growing Up – And So Has Our Index
(August 9, 2005 - Yahoo! Search Blog)
We have grown our index and just reached a significant milestone at Yahoo! Search – our index now provides access to over 20 billion items.

Yahoo Publisher Network: A One-Way Street?
(August 4, 2005 - Traffick)
Short term, it means a revenue boost for Yahoo, and probably a leveling off of Google's AdSense revenue. But if either company is thinking about their long-term health, they will begin to hack off the diseased parts of the "long ad tail." Advertisers are watching and not necessarily liking what they see.

McDonalds is The Root of All Evil
(August 3, 2005 - In Search of Stuff)
The sad fact is that many people want to spam. Yep, I said it. Those innocent newbies often want to spam. A long, slow climb to the top is boring and takes time and work, and they want the fast track.

Ask Jeeves Again Cuts Back on Paid Listings
(August 3, 2005 - ClickZ)
InterActiveCorp plans to further cut the number of paid search links appearing in Ask Jeeves' search results, the company announced during its Q2 earnings call yesterday.

Search Engine Results Continuing to Diverge
(August 2, 2005 - SearchDay)
A new study suggests that the overlap between search engine results is less than it was even a few months ago, and that the voices of each engine are growing even more unique.

New Ask Jeeves Sponsored Listings Program Lets More Advertisers Buy Direct
(August 1, 2005 - SearchDay)
After weeks of rumors, Ask Jeeves unveiled a new automated paid listings service today -- Ask Jeeves Sponsored Listings -- that will allow anyone to purchase ads directly on the Ask Jeeves network rather than having to buy placement via Google or work through an Ask Jeeves account rep.

LookSmart Losses Widen
(August 1, 2005 - ClickZ)
LookSmart's second quarter results were mixed," said CEO David Hills. "The top-line was negatively impacted by our ongoing efforts to streamline our network to focus on productive traffic. We now have a better performing and higher value ad network.