Posted by randfishWith Cyber Monday just wrapping up, it's time for all of us procrastinators to get to work finding the perfect gifts for the geeks in our lives. Luckily, Mystery Guest and I have been doing some serious browsing this year, and figured we'd share our favorites from around the web. Frankly, I've been really disappointed with the standard geek gift guides from places like Engadget, Wired, and Amazon, so we just had to make our own.Unlike those mainstays, there's a lot of variety here - not just the standard Wii and iTouch crap. No. We've actually scoured the four corners of the web to come up with some really creative, innovative gifts that aren't on everyone else's must-buy list. If you want to be a champ and stand out from the crowd, this should really help. The other great part - most of this stuff is under the $50 mark, so no need to get super-splurgy if you're still paying off your AdWords account :)1. The Tokidoki Mozzarella Moofia Gang LeaderEveryone needs some desktop toys, and this is probably TokiDoki's best execution on a concept. $29.952. The Plastica Bento BoxFor those of us who have to eat lunch at the office for days in a row, a fancy Korean-style bento box is just the ticket. $38.003. The Monty Python Cow Catapult Deluxe SetIn my experience, programmers, designers, & SEOs in particular are in love with Monty Python's Holy Grail. This toy is subtle, yet effective :) $30.004. Bookmarks Made from Recycled Circuit BoardsEven if you're not into recycling, using old circuit boards to mark your place is hip. $8.005. Hard Drive Desk ClockYes, it's very geeky, but it's also a nice reminder that time runs out on all hard drives....so for goodness sake, back up your files! $29.996. H-Racer and Hydrogen StationHow cool is it that this toy actually runs on water? Very, very cool. $99.957. The Sun JarIf you're anything like those of us at SEOmoz, you desperately need more sunlight in your life. Seriously, in Seattle tonight, it was dark by 4:20pm. Practically intolerable. $44.008. Koffski Junior Gun-Shaped WalletYes, it's very expensive, and it will probably get you into huge trouble with airport security. However, it's probably worth it to look like a mob bodyguard everywhere you go. $265.009. Dosh Compartment WalletI know, I know, two wallets in a row. This design was just too cool to pass up, though, and the price is much more affordable. $60.0010. Demotivator CalendarsYeah, they've been around for years, but they're still a great gift to give. I've seen at least 3 people receive these and everyone loves 'em to death. Somehow, the irony never fades. $16-$110 (depending on size & framing)11. Silicone Travel Bottles These handy little buggers are regulation size to go in carry-on, so store the sundry liquid of your choice and breeze on through security in true geek style. $20.0012. The Onion's Gotcha Gift BoxesFake gifts are hilarious... Just make sure you get them something else, too. $17.9913. Shark Attack Silver NecklaceWe had to include some sort of jewelry, but this one's overboard (oh, the puns). Shark attack necklace = surefire conversation starter. $30.0014.  Personalized Sharpie PenSince you can create your own message on the pen, this becomes a really cool gift. We think "Do not attempt to write on this lettering" makes for a nice gag. $12.00+15. Dart Shaped Coat HooksWhat's great here is that the darts appear to simply be embedded in the wall, but unlike the set at that bar you got thrown out of in Memphis, they're supposed to be. $34.0016. Grabbing Hand Shaped Wall Mounted HookKinda eerie, right? I think this would go best in a place where you'd least expect it, like at knee level in the kitchen. Or maybe just at the entryway, where envious guests will stare in horror as you grab your jacket off the "hook." $76.0017. Offering Hand Shaped Wall Mounted Shelf/HookIf you're not into creepy hands emerging from the wall to grab things, how about creepy hands emerging from the wall to offer things? $76.0018. Sleek LCD Bathroom Scale & PedometerSeriously - no judgment calls here. I just know how much web workers like to stay in shape :) $84.9919. Voodoo Human Modeled Knife HolderVoodoo dolls are cool, but this one's useful and re-usable. That, and it's your chance to stab someone several times a day with no repercussions. $69.9920. Credit Card Bottle OpenerBottles stand no chance against what's in your wallet. The slickness of this move is guaranteed to have people saying "wow, you're really geeky, huh?" as they break their teeth or belt buckle. $26.0021. MOMA Georgio Fedon Business Card CaseTruly stylish, and quite useful, particularly when traveling to Asia on business, where etiquette demands the respect of business cards. $24.0022. NPR MapI've noticed that a lot of people in the field of web search are huge NPR fans. This map is a little less useful than humorous, but still a great gag gift for the NPR junkie. $7.5023. Magnetic Desk DotsPossibly one of the coolest and most multi-functional desk accessories around that's still mostly a toy. I can imagine spending hours of phone consultation time playing with these guys. $19.9524. Star Wars Princess Leia T-ShirtWe needed a few female-specific items, and Mystery Guest thinks this t-shirt from Delia's is a must-have. Strong in the force she is. $24.5025. Solar Laptop Battery ChargerSpendy, but handy. The case actually will replenish your laptop battery using sunlight. It takes a while, but hey, what else are you doing during Burning Man, right? $236-$39026. iPod/Multi-Device Solar Charger You may only need to charge an iPod, in which case, this little guy is considerably more portable. $99.9527. SuperGirl Undie SetMystery Guest often complains that most of the novelty underwear for women is in the form of a thong, rendering it virtually unwearable to most women. This set offers a far more usable cut and it's made from 100% awesome :) $37.9528. Shmaltz Jewbilation BrewWe needed to throw in some Hanukkah specific items and this He-Brew fits the bill nicely. Sarcastic, ironic, and utterly perfect for Red Sea Pedestrians like me. Prices Vary29. MOMA Store Sky UmbrellaI've loved this umbrella ever since I first saw it. The feeling of being out on a sunny day is actually quite effective for lifting those dreary winter moods. $48.0030. Cranium Poindexter CharacterIf he looks geeky, that's because he is. Now go check out the profession he claims - awesome, right? $4.95 (full disclosure, MG is employed at Cranium)31. LEGO Star Wars Millennium FalconThe Millennium Falcon in all its glory. Plus, you get to build it... Hold together baby. $369.9932. Flight of the Conchords MugSome of the web's most popular viral videos this year came from the Conchords. Celebrate accordingly. $9.9933. Homer Simpson and Spider Pig Action Figure SetIf you saw the Simpsons movie, you know how hard it is to get that spider pig song out of your head. Now, you can make it equally hard on everyone who stumbles across this flawless homage to the genius that is Homer. $15.9534. Finnish Dart SetYes, it's simple, and that's what makes it great. No complex, weird, British scoring rules, just simple, straightforward, Finnish darts. $48.0035. Lunar Excursion Module with StandI pretty much want one of these right now. Seriously, how cool is it to have a lunar module on your desk? $109.9936. MOMA USB 2.0 4-Port HubMore USB goodness, but this one's actually really useful, particularly if you have lots of connections on a laptop with only one port. The nifty swiveling design is just bonus. $25.0037. iRobot Programmable Scuba Washing RobotThe cool part is, it doesn't just clean up after you, it's also entirely programmable. $499.9938. Generation 1 Optimus Prime Re-Issue with TrailerSo. Damn. Cool. This one's actually even better than the one I have, because it comes with the full trailer. $199.9939. Alessi Parq Document Tray SetIf you've got to have paper in your office, at least store it stylishly. These desk trays are probably as cool as it gets in the world of filing 1.0. $39.0040. Handheld 20 Questions GameIt's way, way smarter than you think. $19.9541. Bluetooth Laser Virtual KeyboardThis is typical geek present fodder, but it's also amazingly cool, so onto the list it goes. $179.9942. USB Doomsday Device Launch ButtonHonestly, I'm not sure how much longer I can hold out before I need one of these. $49.9943. Staple-Free StaplerIf you're as afraid of getting your fingers stapled as I am, you'll want this bad boy. Inexpensive, and fun to use. $8.0044. MS Sidewinder MouseMicrosoft still makes some pretty awesome mice, and this one's near the top of the list. Whip it out at a conference with your laptop and enjoy the benefits of envious stares. $70.6545. Ninja Domo USB DriveThis is the coolest USB drive we found on the web. It's especially awesome for link ninjas, and thus, I expect that Jim Boykin will have to buy one for each of his crew :) $49.9546. Laptop Cool FeetWhy wouldn't you use these? $12.9547. Marshmallow Blaster GunsIf there's something more fun than a food fight with a roastable treat, sign me up. $17-$25.0048. Black Bar Anonymity SunglassesEver been in a photo you wish didn't find its way to Flickr. Welcome to Solutionsville, population: you. $10.0049. Paul Smith Designed Laptop BagThis is quite possibly the most stylish laptop bag I've seen. It's almost too good looking. $175.0050. Make Your Own Plush MonsterTechnically, they're on back order, but the concept here is amazing. You can design virtually anything, send in a drawing and FAO Schwartz will make it real. If your kids have ever sketched something amazing, here's your chance to bring it to life - very creative stuff. $249.00Now it's your turn - find some crazy cool gadgetry, toys, or gifts you'd like to share? Please throw them in the comments and feel free to link (and yes, self-promotion is OK, so long as it's relevant) :)p.s. Oh my... This post took nearly 4 hours to write, grab photos, and find links. It's now 3:55am... Doh!Do you like this post? YesNo

  Posted by Hamlet BatistaMany search marketers know about the ‘random surfer’ behind Google's PageRank (the real one, not the green bar also known as Google Toolbar PageRank). In Google’s own words, it’s described like this: PageRank can be thought of as a model of user behavior. We assume there is a "random surfer" who is given a web page at random and keeps clicking on links, never hitting "back" but eventually gets bored and starts on another random page. The probability that the random surfer visits a page is its PageRank. Put another way, the more links to a page, the more ‘votes’ it gets and the higher its PageRank. Adding more complexity to that idea, the votes are weighted by the PageRank of each linking page and tempered by the amount of links that referring page has. As Si Fiskinexpertly points out, there were some critical limitations to this early PageRank model. The final equation documented in the research paperincludes adjustments to correct the limitations, as you will understand by reading this post. Let me warn you that this post gets quite mathematical. Brace yourself!Limitations of the early PageRankThe limitations of the basic model are well documented: Rank Sinks. A rank sink occurs when a page does not link out. The PageRank values are calculated by running multiple iterations until the scores stabilize. Rank sinks monopolize scores by refusing to share. In the diagram below, Page C is a rank sink.Hoarding. Extending the concept of rank sinks, a group of pages that only link between each other will also monopolize PageRank. Wikipedia is a good example of this, as they use no-followwith all links to external sites. Pages D, E, and F are conspiring to hoard PageRank.Circular references. A couple of pages that only link between themselves and do not link to any other page. The iterative process will never converge, as the algorithm is trapped in a never-ending loop.Fortunately, these problems were identified early and were addressed by making two important adjustments.First adjustment: Stochasticity AdjustmentThe PageRank equation involves the use of summations, which is a very tedious process. The hyperlink structure of the Web can alternatively be modeled as a matrix (similar to an Excel spreadsheet). Let's call this matrix H. Matrices allow those summations to be converted into simpler vector-matrix multiplication, which doesn't require as much computation time. Matrices also take advantage of matrix algebra and Markov Chains theory. In matrix H, the rows and columns are pages and the value (0 or 1) at the intersections indicates whether or not there is a link between the pages. Instead of using 1 to indicate a link, we use 1/x, where x is the number of non-zero elements in each row. This strategy turns the non-zero values into probabilities, and creates a row substochastic matrix. Basically, this means that when you add the values of each row, some of the totals will equal 1 and the rest will equal zero. The zero totals happen because of the dangling nodesor rank sinks. For a row stochastic matrix all the rows must add up to 1.In addition to the problems mentioned above, leaving the matrix unmodified does not guarantee that the values will ever converge, no matter how many iterations are performed. In order to fix these problems, the first adjustment was introduced. It replaces all zero rows (dangling nodes/rank sinks) with 1/n eT (eT is a row vector of all 1s), making the matrix stochastic. Let's call this modified matrix S. This matrix is the transition probability matrix for a Markov chain.Intuitively, this adjustment means that for pages that don't want to link out, the modified model automatically creates invisible links so that the algorithm never gets stuck; when the ‘random surfer’ enters a dangling node, he can hyperlink to any page at random.Second adjustment: Primitivity AdjustmentIn addition to solving the problems caused by rank sinks, it is desirable that the PageRank value of all pages is found quickly (in as few iterations as possible). Fortunately, applying the Power Method to a Markov matrix converges to a unique and positive vector called the stationary vector—in our case, the PageRank vector—as long as the matrix is stochastic, irreducible, and aperiodic. (Aperiodicity and irreducibility imply primitivity.)Intuitively, the primitive adjustment can be thought of as a random surfer that gets bored sometimes while following the hyperlink structure of the Web, and, instead of following links at random, enters a new URL in the browser navigation bar and continues from there. A proportion of the time he will be following links at random and a proportion of the time he will be 'teleporting' to a new URL.In order to model this mathematically, a new factor is introduced: α, a scalar between 0 and 1. Page and Brin originally defined α as 0.85. For this suggested α, it means that 85% of the time the surfer is following links at random, and 15% of the time he is entering new URLs in the browser bar. A new matrix is born from this adjustment. Let's call it G, the Google matrix.G = α S + (1 - α) 1/n eeT or G = α S + (1 - α) E, where E is the teleportation matrix. E = 1/n eeT (remember that eT is a row vector of all 1s)The teleporting is random because the teleportation matrix E = 1/n eeT is uniform, which means that the random surfer is equally likely to jump to any page when he teleports.ConclusionThanks to the this teleportation behavior of the random surfer and the invisible links that are introduced to compensate for rank sinks, I wouldn't worry much about sites not linking out or the effectiveness of PageRank-hoarding techniques. All these was observed and addressed back in 1998, and I am sure they are using far superior improvements to the PageRank algorithm today. For example, we remember that the Google index updates happened once per month (in part because of the time it took to compute the PageRank of all pages on the Web). Now we know that updates are incremental; most likely, Google has figured out a way to compute Page Rank partially or incrementally.If you managed to read and absorb all this, I am sure your head hurts as much as mine did writing and researching it. :-) I’ve tried hard to explain this in simpler terms, but unfortunately the math needs to be discussed to fully appreciate the details.Further readingMarkov chainsPage Rank research paperDeeper Insider Page RankGoogle's PageRank and Beyond: The Science of Search Engine RankingsDo you like this post? YesNo

  Posted by randfishUPDATE:  The party filled up very quickly so Reservations are now closed. Those of you wondering if you registered successfully can search for your name on this list. We're looking forward to seeing you all there!Next week, at Las Vegas' Pubcon Conference, SEOmoz is throwing a whole new kind of party. In the past, we've had tons of fun playing the parlor game, Werewolf (description & rules here), with Googlers, SEOs, Black Hats & industry mavens. It's the perfect combination of deceit, guile and yelling across a table. However, we've always felt that lynching villagers and biting victims was a little too 13th century for our tastes. Thus, we've updated the game of Werewolf with new cards, caricatures of popular industry figures and new titles and called it...Search Spam!In all, we've created 24 cards with caricatures of many favorite SEO personalities, given them clever titles, assigned them white hats, black hats (Rae insisted on being a black hat, so we had to oblige) and the powers to re-include or discover spammers.To find out who the other 21 participants are, and to get your very own set of Search Spam cards (limited print run!), you'll need to attend SEOmoz's Werewolf/Search Spam party (detail page) on Wednesday, December 5 from 8-10pm in the South Hall during Pubcon next week. Registration and space is, sadly, limited to 200 participants (plus special guests, including many of those caricatured), so we've created a registration formthat you can fill out here on SEOmoz's website:REGISTER for the SEOmoz Pubcon Werewolf/Search Spam PartyWe will be providing some drinks and possibly food as well (Scott's still working on all the details), and the party's right after Google's cocktail networking event, so you'll have plenty of opportunities to grab your beverage of choice ahead of time. Our friends over at Superb Hostingwill be giving away a year of dedicated hosting to be raffled off during the party as well - more details on that to come.Hope to see you all there!p.s. For those who might have a tough time reading the small print, Barry Schwartz'scard marks him as a 'White Hat of the Roundtable," Rae Hoffmannotes that you should "Never Mess with a Woman in a Black Hat," and Natala Menezes, in an ode to her furry companion, is a "White Hat, Cuba-ist." Credit to Mystery Guest for most of the titles.p.p.s. We loved the caricature concept so much that we've also gone for new business cards like these:Make sure to ask any mozzers you run into at the conference for a card and check us out in illustrated form :)Do you like this post? YesNo

  Posted by randfishI don't generally like to pick on Google, or anyone else in particular for that matter, but since the search giant is hitting on all cylinders, I think they can probably take a little nudge or two. I'm going to keep this short, sweet and to the point (and also very self-centric, because it's tough to effectively analyze everything that might have happened on someone else's site):A very popular post I wrote a few weeks back called "Google PageRank Losses for Hundreds of Websites" still hasn't been indexed. Yahoo! has it. Live has it. Google's visited it with their spider plenty... What gives? There's almost 1000 linkspointing to it. Hey look... We're back to ranking #2 for "recommended list" after we 301'd our old page to the Marketplace section. I'm going to go with the theory that we got penalized for having too much content in CSS hidden layers because we used drop-downs for the list of companies so the page wouldn't be huge. I'm trying to make it good for users, Google! Don't penalize for that! SEOmoz's Toolbar PageRank on our homepagedropped from a 7 to a 6. I had assumed that because it occurred during the normal PR update, and not 2 days beforehand when paid link sites were hit, it was a natural drop. However, logging into Webmaster Tools today, I note that the homepage has gained almost 10,000 new inbound links since I last checked a few months back... Seems awful fishy. Speaking of Webmaster Central Tools - what the heck is this?Thanks to the comments, I realize how dumb I must have looked for this one. It's actually just a script from Joost de Valk, available here:)Last thing on Webmaster Central - in that links section, why not offer a "sort by" option? I know I can download to Excel, but it's such a comparative pain, and it seems like the kind of thing that would take a programmer 20 minutes to add. I've heard lots of folks ask for it... Blogsearch is such a joke! I can find three copies of our content on junky splogsthat no one ever links to within 10 seconds of posting a new entry on SEOmoz, but even 2 or 3 days after publishing content here, blogsearch still hasn't picked it up. Yet, supposedly, according to Google's own reader stats, we're one of the top 50or so feeds on the web (Techcrunch's list). If you were serious about removing paid links from passing value, this pagewouldn't rank anywhere for the term "SEO." Take a look at who is linking to the domain and the page and why. There's so many dozens of visible examples of this "paid network" sort of effect on the web, it's hard to believe no one's written an exposé yet (technically, SEOChat is doing the same thing, but they've been in the top spot for so many years they've earned lots of natural link goodness, too). You know who really should be ranking there? This guy. Yahoo! and Live both have him in the top 10 :) After Dave Naylor wrote about this ".com" problemand this search results problem, I figured you'd take the time to figure out what's going on with it, but wow, still happening. One of those issues is 6 months old! Thisis a relevance problem Thisis a relevance problem This is a relevance problem (and a potential copyright violation, but we'll letSarah worry about that) If there are 2.43 million results for this query, why show only up to result 893, even with &filter=0? OK, I've got lots more, but that's probably enough for tonight. I do, however, have one request for the readers here, though, which is to please go ahead and add your personal gripes on sites you can share in the comments. I think it would be tremendously valuable to see where common issues occur.Technorati Tagsgoogle, seo, seomoz, relevancy, search enginesDo you like this post? YesNo

  Posted by FluxxToday I'm pleased to announce the release of Private Messaginghere at SEOmoz.  Starting now, you'll be able to private message other users using the sexy "Private Message This User" button (pictured on the right) on their profile page.  You're also able to compose a message without clicking the button at the Write a Messagepage.  Just start typing in the username of the person you're trying to message and the right person should come up automagically.NOTE:If you're unable to see the private message button on a users profile page, most likely you have cached our stylesheet.  To fix this, hold down the "Shift" key and click the refresh button.  That should cause you to reload the stylesheet and show the image.Once you receive a new private message, you'll get an email notifying you of the message and offering a direct link to go view the message.  Controls over email notification, along with controls to either accept/deny all private messages entirely, are both available on your Edit Accountpage in your profile.  Currently everyone is set up to receive private messages and receive email notification.As with all new features that we launch here at SEOmoz, your feedback is welcome.  Please let me know about any bugs or problems you encounter while using private messaging.  Also, we already have some feature additions on our to do list for the PM system, but feel free to suggest others you think would be helpful.Also, I wanted to give you a sneak peek at the next SEOmoz product that we have coming down the pipeline.  Expect a release in the upcoming few days.It's gonna be rad. :)Technorati Tagsseomoz, private messagingDo you like this post? YesNo

  Posted by Sarah Bird, EsquireMay It Please the Mozzers,Apparently I'm on a bit of a copyright kick these days. Copyright is stuck in my head like an annoying song. Does this ever happen to you? No, seriously. There were some excellent follow-up questions and concerns raised after my last post on international copyright issues. For example, folks had important questions about whether copyright can effectively protect "the little guy" given the costs of suit and what you could gain from filing suit. I want to touch on these issues while giving you some "Best Practices."Still not convinced that this is worth a read? How about scare tactics? Did you know that the difference between registration and non-registration could be you owing your attorney 15k versus you getting $150,000 in statutory damages? That's right. If you don't register, you could end up in the hole, even if you win. Alternatively, you could register, get your attorneys' fees paid for and maybe actually get some cash back in your pocket. I think this post is worth your time, don't you? So, let's all take a deep breath, grab our caffeinated beverages of choice, and jump back into the exciting and riveting world of copyright registration. Here's what I want to cover:What the schmee can I copyright?How trademark is like copyright and how trademark is notlike copyrightIf my original content is automatically protected, then why on earth would I go through the trouble of registering it and putting a notice on all my pages? I have other things to do with my time!What exactly is "notice of copyright" and is this the same thing as registering my copyright?What should my copyright notice contain?How do I register my online copyright?What?! I need to "deposit" my online content?!Do I need an attorney to register my copyright?Can I wait until after I want to sue someone to register?I never, ever want to go through the trauma of trial, so what do I care about statutory damages?What to do if you just can't get enough of copyright lawOh, I almost forgot the obligatory CYA paragraph: I am not giving you and cannot give you legal advice. Legal advice is applying the law to a specific set of facts. I am giving you information about the law. If you have a copyright issue, I urge you to seek qualified legal counsel. (Phew. I'm rather attached to my bar license and don't fancy losing it over you lot.)Let's do this.>> What the schmee can I copyright?In the online context, you can claim copyright for your original content, including text, graphics, and sound. This includes your emails, your blog posts, and your webpages filled with original content. This is the general rule. Now let's talk about the exceptions.     ⇒ Exceptions to CopyrightCopyright does not protect ideas, procedures, systems, or methods of operation. Thus, copyright does not protect my ideas for future blog posts or my delicious recipe for smoked cake. Copyright does not protect facts and purely mechanical, clerical content. The phone book is a great example of this.Copyright does not protect really trite content. Pop music titles/lyrics are often banal to the extreme. If you wrote a song with the lyric "I love you baby," don't count on copyright protection. Copyright does not protect content that is in the public domain. What the schmee is in the public domain? This deserves a more detailed post down the road, but generally it's content that is very old and the copyright has expired. There are a lot of different rules that determine how long copyright will lasts. Thus, I have to break out the "it depends" answer. But if the content was first published before 1923, it's in the public domain by now.Copyright does not protect content authored by the U.S. government. Thus, we can quote government reports, laws, etc. extensively without crediting the U.S. federal government. Interestingly, this is not true about other governments; the U.K. for example.Copyright also does not protect so-called "fair uses." This is definitely the topic of a future post because it is an important, controversial, and evolving concept. To put it generally, you can use other people's copyrighted materials, but only for fair uses such as news reporting and teaching. In the U.S. you can also use other people's material for parody. (Yay!)>> How trademark is like copyright and How trademark is notlike copyrightI want to briefly address the distinction between trademark and copyright because there is a special relationship between them in the advertising context. These concepts are easily confused for SEMs because they are often used in conjunction. Trademark and copyright are similar because both are legal regimes designed to protect tangible intellectual copyright. Trademark is not like copyright because trademark is designed to protect branding, one specific form of IP. Copyright, on the other hand, protects content more generally. Thus, trademark is more likely to cover names and short phrases. The common example here is Kleenex. "Kleenex" is a brand name protected by trademark law. It is not original content protected by copyright.I am talking today exclusively about copyright, but you should know that if you ever get sued for a copyright related issue, there will probably be a trademark claim in there too. >> If my original content is automatically protected, then why on earth would I go through the trouble of registering it and putting a notice on all my pages? I have other things to do with my time!It's true that your original content is automatically protected by copyright law even if you never give notice that it's protected and you never register it. You'll hear me say this and you'll read about it all over the web. Consequently, people don't go through the extra steps of drafting notice provisions and registering their copyright.This is a major problem because notice and registration are what give U.S. copyright law teeth. Sure, you're protected without it, but what kind of protection is it if all you get at the end of the lawsuit is a piece of paper from a judge telling you that you were right and a large bill from your attorney. Such a pyrrhicvictory is not the way to run a business.In order to really benefit from copyright law, you need to give notice and register your content. If you do these things, then you can take advantage of the law's provisions providing that the infringer must pay the copyright holder's attorneys' fees (yay!) and you can get money awards without having to hire a team of expensive experts to testify about how you were harmed financially. By giving notice of your copyright claims and registering your content with U.S. Copyright office, you are making the copyright laws work for you. >> What exactly is "notice of copyright" and is this the same thing as registering my copyright? "Notice of copyright" is a short statement that informs would-be infringers that your work is protected. Giving notice of copyright is not the same thing as registering your copyright with the U.S. copyright office. However, it is something relatively simple that you can and should do to protect your interests. By giving notice to the world that your content is protected, you eliminate the infringer's potential defense that the theft was unintentional. How can the defendant successfully argue that she "didn't know" the content belonged to someone else if it states in plain view that the content belongs to someone? She can't. If she can't demonstrate that the infringement was unintentional, you have a better chance of proving that it was "willful." If you can prove it was willful, then Ka-Ching! You get more statutory damages. Best Practice: Even if you're too lazy to go through the registration procedures, you can and should AT LEAST be providing copyright notice on your material. >> What should my copyright notice contain?It doesn't have to be a treatise, but it should communicate the following:    1. The fact that the content is copyright protectedUm, yeah. It should state the work is protected. [Duh. Aren't you glad you're still reading this?] You can do this with many words: "This work is owned and copyright protected." Alternatively, you could do this with as little as the symbol: © [note: this approach has global appeal for our non-English speaking friends.]I'm partial to the elegant and simple approach: "Copyright"I think that abbreviations are tacky, but I'm snobby about things like legal notices: "Copr." [boo!]If you want to go for the TKO, include both: "Copyright ©"    2. Who owns the contentThis is the original author. If you wrote it on your personal time for personal uses, then you're the owner. If you wrote it for work, then your employer owns it. For example, I'm drafting this post, but SEOmoz, Inc. retains the copyright to it. SEOmoz, Inc. is on the copyright notice, not Sarah Bird.If multiple people work on the content, you list them all: "Copyright 2007 by John Doe and Jane Doe."    3. When the content was first publishedObviously, for first publications, this is pretty easy. For example, the date for this post will be November 29, 2007.Now, when I revise this post a year from now, I will include the date of revision andthe date of the original post: Copyright by SEOmoz, Inc. Originally published November 29, 2007. Revised on November 30, 2008. And if I obsessively tweak with this post every day for the next year, I just might write: Copyright by SEOmoz, Inc. November 2007 to November 2008. Some people like to go crazy nuts and do the date in Roman numerals. This approach is classy, but I just don't want to work that hard. But that's just me. >> How do I register my online copyright?Register your online copyright at the U.S. copyright office. This involves filling out some forms, paying some money, and sending all the materials and copies to the copyright office. I don't want to go into too much detail about the registration process because the process changes and you can all read, so I'll just refer you to the U.S. copyright office's websiteand tell you the following general things:    1. Get the right form.Assuming that most of you are going to be registering content for websites, and assuming that the content is predominantly text (as opposed to graphics or music), you're probably going to use the Form TX. This is a basic fill-in-the-blanks process. You will need to know things such as the title of the work, a description of the content, the name and nationality of the author, the identity of any known claimants to the work, and whether the work is a revised copy, a derivative, or a compilation. Here's some more specific advice. Remember that this may be used in court some day. It should be legible and it should be accurate. Take special care in writing down the correct legal name of the owner. Don't approximate here. Also, if the owner is a corporate entity, you do not need to include a date of birth, even though they have incorporation date. [Don't get cheeky with the form!] Also, for the love of all that is sacred, please keep a copy of everything you send. Also, when describing your content, don't just say "website." Indicate the kind of content on the website. For example, SEOmoz.org could describe its content as "Primarily text and some graphics published as a website." You would be wise to ask, "What exactly am I registering? A whole site? A Page? A blog?" Well, yet again, the law has not caught up with the technology. In fact, the copyright office isn't even publishing a policy clarifying the issue. But if you can get someone on the line, they will tell you to go ahead and copyright the whole website so long as it is not gigantic. You could also choose to do it a page at a time. For example, you will probably need tostart by registering your whole website. Then, as you add content, you have to register the new content. You can't re-register the content that's already been submitted and accepted before. So, don't update your website registration for minor revisions, only for substantive changes.Blogs are also a problem for the current system. They don't fit well into the policies for copyrighting other kinds of serials (magazines, newspapers, journals). Thus, while it's not entirely practical to register a new post every time you publish, you should be registering the new entries. One approach is to register all of your new materials on your website/blog every three months. Remember that you cannot re-register content that has been previously registered (or, shouldn't anyway). Thus, you only need to register your new content. One thing is certain: we can expect substantial overhauls in copyright registration policies in the future. The current methods are simply impractical for our current media. I promise to keep you all updated.    2. Pay the Fee. There is a charge for registering copyright. Currently the charge is $45 per work. Thus, you probably don't want to register every email, but you do want to register your more valuable content.    3. Mail in copies of the work, the fee, and the application. Make two copies of your work. These are deposited at the copyright office. Package your copies, the money, and the form, and mail to the copyright office at the address noted here. Your package is going to be pawed through by all kinds of people, so make sure everything is stapled together and that you send your CD in a sturdy case. It never ceases to amaze me how much stuff gets "lost" or "ruined" in the mail.If you want more detailed information on registering online works, go straight to the fount of knowledge, circular 66. >> What?! I need to "deposit" my online content?! Yes. That's part of the process. It gets worse: the U.S. copyright office doesn't allow you to electronically register anything yet. Rumor has it that CORRDS (Copyright Office Electronic Registration, Recordation, and Deposit System) is under development, but not yet operational. The copyright office is looking for beta testers if you are interested.  Until CORRDS is operational, you've got to send in a paper print-out [the horror!] or a CD of the materials. These materials will not be returned. And they may be scanned for anthrax.>> Do I need an attorney to register my copyright? Probably not. It depends on how much your time is worth and the nature of your project. If you're trying to copyright something pretty standard, such as a webpage with all original content, you probably don't need expert advice. But if you're trying to make a compilation of other people's work, or revise some previously copyrighted work, you should probably consult with an attorney. >> Can I wait until after I want to sue someone to register? You can register your copyright after infringement, but you won't be able to benefit from the attorneys' fees and statutory damages provisions. Since these provisions are what make copyright suits financially viable for most people, you must must must register before infringement. >>I never, ever want to go through the trauma of trial, so what do I care about statutory damages?If you're thinking that you would never file suit against someone, so this doesn't really apply to you, think again. There are two theories of why this is important to do, even if you never step foot in a courtroom.⇒ Deterrence. The deterrence theory is that potential infringers will be less likely to steal your material if they know they may have to pay statutory damages. Further, they will be deterred by the sheer intimidation of having to potentially defend against a foe who has been on the offensive in protecting their IP. That's right. You will stun them into inaction by your sheer genius! I'm not sure I believe this theory because it assumes that people who steal copyright understand the finer subtleties of copyright law. Do people who knowingly infringe check whether the IP they are planning on stealing is registered first? This doesn't seem realistic to me. I think most [I didn't say "all"] infringers are either (1)  innocent  (i.e., they are uninformed about the law) or (2) run spam farms from foreign countries and are relying on those complicated jurisdiction and conflict of laws rules to protect them. ⇒ Settlement.The settlement theory is that your case is much more likely to settle if the stakes are higher for the guy faced with defending the claim. I've seen this in action and it's definitely part of the settlement equation. This factor should be enough to motivate you to register your more valuable material. For  example, imagine that Tybalt is on the defending side of this equation. Perhaps  he copied large portions of something brilliant Mercutio wrote and mixed it in with some of his own ideas. Tybalt then posted the materials on his personal blog. Let's say that Mercutio files suit against Tybalt for copyright infringement. Now, if Mercutio never registered his copyright, Tybalt might choose to defend the case because he thinks he has a pretty good shot of defending the suit under the "fair use" doctrine. Further, Tybalt knows that Mercutio is going to have a really hard time convincing a judge to give him lots of money, even if he does prove that Tybalt's conduct infringed his copyright. After all, besides being offended, how has Mercutio been hurt by the infringement? How can Mercutio translate his hurt into provable, monetary damages to the judge? It's not easy. Thus, Tybalt knows that Mercutio's attorneys are going to tell Mercutio that this is not a good case to take to trial and that if Tybalt doesn't agree to settle, he should probably just drop the suit. Tybalt is more willing to risk going to trial because the potential outcome is not so very bad. One the other hand, let's assume that Mercutio read his SEOmoz blog religiously and had timely registered his content. In that case, Tybalt's attorneys would be telling him that it's not worth risking a loss at trial because Tybalt could end up having to pay Mercutio's attorneys' fees and tens of thousands of dollars in statutory damages (all this in addition to his own attorneys' fees! Holy bankruptcy, Batman!). Even if Tybalt had a sporting chance to prove to a judge that his use of Mercutio's material was fair use, it's not worth the risk considering the potential outcomes. Tybalt would be well-advised to swallow his pride and pay Mercutio some nuisance settlement amount.Thus, these statutory fees go a long way towards keeping people out of court simply by raising the stakes. I submit to you that this is often good thing. I happen to enjoy trials, but I know that my clients have not enjoyed trials, even when they had a good case. Trial is harrowing and there is a lot of "waste" towards attorneys fees. Is this justice? Probably not. But is it the best outcome considering all the factors? Probably so.  >> I just can't get enough.If you too just can't get enough of copyright and you're a fan of funny cartoons, then check out this vidput out by the U.S. government. Great for getting your kiddies on the path to Nerddom. Alright folks. I hope that I've scared some of you into action. If you put copyright notices on all of your work and register your valuable content, your future attorney will thank you. Thanks again for your attention. I know copyright isn't the sexiest topic in the world, but it may be one of the most important for people in communication professions. Please keep your questions and comments coming along. I really enjoy the feedback and direction from the community. Best Regards,SarahDo you like this post? YesNo

  Posted by great scott!We've got a doozie for you this week folks. Search Engine Land's very own Danny Sullivan dropped by the Mozplex for a little Whiteboard Friday guest spot. Before I knew it, the camera batteries were running dry and he and Rand had talked for almost an hour, so this is going to be a multi-part Whiteboard extravaganza!In Part I, Danny & Rand discuss Facebook's new ad strategy and what it could mean for search, including discussion of why advertisers are so gung-ho to adopt new, gimmicky ad channels while only begrudgingly adopting search.I'll try to have Part II (of five or six) up by the end of the day.UPDATE FROM RAND:Here's a link to Danny's article on AdAge - Forget Facebook, Search Ads Are the Revolution. Also - here's the Facebook Social Ads page. I think we at SEOmoz will probably try to do some Facebook advertising in the near future to give it a test, but until then, Jon Mendez covers the subject admirablywith a case study on his blog -Do you like this post? YesNo

  Posted by great scott!As promised, here's a bonus edition of Whiteboard Friday, Part II of Rand's interview with the one, the only, Danny Sullivan.  Part II covers what Danny would like to label "Search 3.0," that is to say Vertical Search, Universal Search, Integrated Search, Blended Search, etc (of course, most of those are trademarked, hence the need for a generic term like Search 3.0).Beyond 3.0, the guys go on to discuss what may evolve in the future into Search 4.0, 5.0 and beyond. Oh, and Danny makes a colossal effin' mess of the whiteboard.We'll bring you the rest of this interview (parts 3-5) next week, as we'll all be at Pubcon. I may also hit you with some other video content throughout the week because what happens in Vegas, stays on video ;-)Do you like this post? YesNo

  Posted by randfishThis week, the SEOmoz crew and I are heading to Pubcon in Las Vegas for one of the search industry's more advanced conferences. However, before departing, I felt an irresistable urge to do some coverage of a tough competition from the world of search marketing and use it to illustrate how search-savvy analysts can use the engines to get insight about multiple brands in an industry.The inspiration for this comes from two sources, both worth a read - this interview from Lee Odden with Kevin Ryan & Kevin Heislerfrom Search Engine Strategies & SearchEngineWatch (respectively - and this one - SEL vs. SEW: And the Winner Is?by Matt McGee. The interview suggests to me that there's is considerable defensiveness, hubris and contention over the competing conference series, and Matt's post (along with the water cooler gossip of lots more threadson the subject) tells me the search industry is particularly fascinated by the conflict (no surprise, as our niche has a seemingly unquenchable thirst for drama).First off, I want to take issue with Matt McGee's post. Matt's an incredibly smart guy, but I think he does a bit of disservice by using a single metric to calculate a brand's reach in comparison to another. Yes, comparing feed subscriptions through Bloglines over time is a reasonable data point to use, but when so much information is available at our fingertips, shouldn't we go all the way?Here's how I'd analyze competing brands in the search marketing space:First, you want to see where the overlaps are between the businesses. From the chart above, I'd say that SEW and SELand are directly competitive, as are SMExpo,SES & Pubcon. The other businesses target similar groups, but probably don't overlap to the same degree. The founding year is very important, because it will help us as we look at comparative data to make guesses about the speed of growth or stagnation.Here's a key to the data columns above:URL- the domain of the various properties (note that I've shortened these to fit) G#s (6m)- the number of Google results for a search for the domain name (including the extension) for the last 6 months, excluding the domain itself. Here's an example of how to perform this search - "searchenginewatch.com" -site:searchenginewatch.com. G#s (3m)- as above, but for only the last 3 months GBlog (All)- a Google Blog Searchfor the domain name, excluding the domain itself, on the default settings (no particular timeline). GBlog (1m)- as above, but for only posts that have appeared in the past month. GPR- PageRank of the domain homepage as reported by the Google Toolbar. This data gives us insight into the prevalence of mentions for the various domains. By referring back to this data, we can draw some conclusions about domain and brand popularity in general, including the respective brand penetration and saturation as well as an idea of who's "gaining" ground and how quickly.Again, some quick bullet points to explain the columns:URL- This is the same as the above chart. MS Links- Live says they're shutting down their link searches again in a few weeks, so I'm lucky to have this data. The format used for the search is +linkdomain:searchenginewatch.com-site:searchenginewatch.com to remove internal links. QUICK NOTE - The numbers here jump around so much that they may not be valuable. I just ran 3 queries for the searchenginewatch domain and got results ranging from 600K to 3.5million. Yahoo! Links- This link data comes courtesy of Yahoo! Site Explorer, where the search is performed with the parameters that include external links onyl to any page on the domain. The numeric data here appears far more reliable than the Microsoft/Live link data. Trati Auth- This is Technorati's Authority number, which derives from the number of individual, unique blogs that have linked to a site in the past 90 days. GfdSbs- Google's feed subscriber numbers, which can be found by searching for domains inside Google Reader. BLSbs- Bloglines' subscription numbers which derive, as above, from searches performed inside Bloglines. This data is a bit more domain and SEO-centric, but it also tells a great story about the success of the various domains from a web marketing perspective. Link data and feed subscribers are going to be highest for sources reporting the news and offering popular blogs, but even the secondary sites make for interesting comparisons between one another.Key to the Above Chart:Brand Name- this is the exact term or phrase I used to perform queries. In some cases, such as "search engine strategies" and "information world review," it appeared from the results that many mentions were meant to be general, rather than representative of the brands, but I've included the data nonetheless. G#s (6m)- A search at Google, restricted to the last 6 months, for the brand name term or phrase. G#s (3m)- As above, but for only the last 3 months. GBlog (All)- A Google Blog Searchfor the brand term/phrase using the default settings (no time frame). GBlog (1m)- As above, but limited to blog posts from the last 1 month. As much as the website metrics are valuable, the brand names themselves can sometimes provide even more insight. After all, not everyone is going to use the domain name when talking about a conference series or brand, nor will they all link. Thus, looking at brand mentions over the past few months can provide valuable competitive analysis.The numbers in this last chart come from the posted member numbers on pages like SEWatch Forum Members, Sphinn Members, an educated guess about WebMasterWorld & SEOmoz's internal figures. The "user engagement" data is a pure guess on my part, based on the amount of user-generated content and activity on the sites. The last column, brand recognition, is also a pure guess, based on my experience of talking to, emailing and visiting folks in the search marketing world.This kind of data is valuable because it helps us realize the level of interaction users have with these various sites on a regular basis. Not every site is going to have data like this, but if you're analyzing competing domains that offer user engagement, don't overlook this information.Takeaways from this analysis:Third Door's Search Engine Land property is clearly a runaway hit. According to nearly every metric above, it's taken only a year to grow to a size similar to SearchEngineWatch, though the latter had a ten year lead. Search Marketing Expo isn't yet of comparable size to Pubcon or SES, but again, the growth rate over the past 6 months (the first SMX was June of 2007) would indicate that if it stays on this path for 2-3 years, it could leapfrog both. It would appear that Third Door Properties and SEOmoz both have faster growth curves than either of the other two (although SEOmoz doesn't really compete directly with any of these sites). Between the two, however, Third Door is clearly on the faster path of growth. Revisitingthese numbers in 6 and 12 months would probably be incredibly interesting :) Hopefully this example serves not only to satiate the curiuosity of search marketers wondering about the X vs. Y battles, but also illustrates how to perform a more robust competitive analysis on domains and brands.BTW - As a pre-emptive strike against the inevitable, let me point out that I have good cause not to trust any data from Alexa, QuantCast or Competeand I would suggest that savvy brand analysts stay away from these services until they prove themselves to have greater accuracy.FULL DISCLOSURE:Although we at SEOmoz don't directly profit from any of the conference series or businesses mentioned above, we have had professional and financial relationships with all three organizations in the past, and have currently active relationships with both Pubcon & Third Door Media's properties.p.s.Joe still has a few tickets leftfor shows in Vegas tomorrow night, so if you're itchin' to see Spamalot or Blue Man Group, make sure to visit his blog.Do you like this post? 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