In addition to today’s Internet Marketing Monitor coverage, we felt these stories were worth pulling out of the multitude of news items for May 24, 2007:

The Chart: Fear of Google [Valleywag]

Unless you’ve just been ignoring the rest of the world, you’ve probably heard someone use the words “Google” and “domination” or “dominate” in close proximity to one another. It wasn’t always this way. How do I know? Besides the fact that I’ve been here longer than Google itself? Simple: Valleywag’s chart. Haha. It shows the increase in use of the words “Google” and “dominate” or “domination” over the past six years. And as Marketing Pilgrim points out, that trend is starting to make its way into the mainstream media. This can’t be good for Mountain View.

A Rebuttal to Neil Patel’s Social Media Landing Pages Article [Search Engine Guide]

I love a good, friendly debate. The issue here is the message behind an article Neil Patel wrote for Search Engine Land in which he advocates stripping the landing page for visitors from social media sites down to its bare essentials. Ads… navigation… links to social media… sponsored links… all must go. In the example he gives, what’s left is the content, a search box, and two buttons designed to appeal to nerdy (presumably Digg) visitors. Jennifer Laycock counters back for Search Engine Guide and asserts that your overall business is more important than the perfect social media landing page. In a point-by-point analysis, Laycock offers an alternative way to approach the subject without sacrificing your site or your self… and I completely agree with her position. While a little optimization and catering to different crowds can be beneficial, the degree to with Patel strips the very framework of a site away in order to please is just way too much. I’d rather turn a few social medialites off than put on a facade of something that I’m not. But that’s just me.

The Internet? You Mean That Old Thing Google Bought? [Google Watch]

First of all… the title? That’s funny! So is this: “Let’s just call the Internet Google and get it over with.” But as Steve Bryant points out, there’s only so much humor in that statement. As time goes on… it’s slowly starting to look that way. But like I’ve said in the past… the technology that Google acquires is second to the real reason they want to own everything. They care more about the demographics they can snag through most of these acquisitions than anything else.

We spent the first half of the day deleting the site. I spent the second half getting caught up. And then come to find out… it wasn’t that “newsy” of a day. I guess if you’re going to pick a day to completely wipe out your site a slow day is better than most!

Things will be back to normal tomorrow. So enjoy the afternoon, have a good night, and we’ll see you back here first thing tomorrow!