Briefs: Google Search History Becomes Web History; Say Hello to couponlooker; Get Going with Upcoming.org;
+ Google Search History Expands, Becomes Web History
Danny Sullivan has the details on Search Engine Land. He writes:
Google’s Search History feature, which was switched on as a default option for many Google searchers in February, has now been renamed Web History to reflect how it has expanded to track what Google users do as the surf the web… Is this retroactive? IE, if you’ve had the toolbar for years, does all that history flow in? No — only web surfing history from when you enrolled in Web History will be logged.
Note: From what we can tell after running a few sample searches using Web History you are searching page content from a past date or? from the last crawl/update of Google. When you click a web history result, you see a live version of the page. When we searched a computer using Google Web History for the word “airport” we found a page from Jurist’s PaperChase dated July 14, 2006. When we clicked on the link to the page in Google Web History we were taken to the current version of the page. When we checked the the PaperChase archive we see the word “airports” on a post dated July 14, 2006.
Here’s another example:
1) Search for “Tokyo”
2) Note the page from Aug 4, 2005 via Jupitermedia.com
3) Note the text of the snippet: Dateline: Tokyo. I am just finishing 24 hours in Japan visiting with image partners
4) When we click on the link we are taken to the latest post from this weblog. Where did the words in the snippet come from? An April 17, 2007 post.
Finally, here’s a snippet we found while browsing dated Feb 26, 2006. You’ll see that the snippet from 2006 has info about the 2007 event. Via The Wayback Machine, we know that the 2006 page was live until at least April 14, 2006.
FWIW, Filangy (still online but no longer available, we miss it) cached all urls automatically (if selected). Yahoo’s MyWeb 2.0 also allows users to cache pages. However, MW2.0 will only save one page per URL. For example, you could only save www.CNN.com once, on a specific day and time. You would have to delete the cached copy and save it again to get a new version into your collection.
Finally, do you want/need to create your own archives (you download, save, search, etc.)? We’re big fans of HTTRACK and Local Website Archive. Both programs are free.
UPDATE: Danny Sullivan is looking into these issues When we know more we will update. Possibilities? A) We are doing something wrong. B) Today, Google will begin caching web history pages. C) Opening day and beta release jitters. Whatever the case may be, it’s a bit confusing at this hour.
+ Get Going with Upcoming (via Yahoo Search Blog)
+ Say Hello to couponLooker (via Greg Sterling@SEL)
“A one stop coupon shop.”
+ Clickfraud on Rise According to Click Forensics (via SEL)
See Also: Click Fraud Index
+ Blinkx offers search short-cut for TV shows (via News.com)
Direct to complete list of shows or look for the Watch TV Online logo. Btw, not every show is listed. For example, you will not find Law and Order Criminal Intent (it’s on iTunes) or The Jetsons available on In2TV from AOL. In fact, most In2TV material is not listed. The same goes for shows and clips from PBS. For example, keyword search (free) episodes of Nature or view complete episodes of and clips of Frontline (free). Finally, some of the pricing seems off. The page for Mythbusters gives a price of $25.87. Nope. You can purchase episodes for a $1.99 from iTunes.