It sounds bizarre, almost counterintuitive, but many of best minds in the world of SEO appear to be rallying around the idea that submitting a feed to Google Sitemaps and Yahoo! Site Explorer is actually a terrible idea. The logic behind the practice is simple, if you follow the steps:
Without sitemaps, a search engine visits your site's pages through links on and off the site, indexing and ranking those pages it deems worthy of being indexed and ranked.
When a search engine crawls your site and fails to index particluar pages, you have a signal from the engines that those pages lack the necessary components for inclusion, be they architectural, link strength, content-related, etc.
Sitemaps enables search engine to crawl and index pages that they might not ordinarily include in a normal crawl process.
If a page lacks the link juice, internally or externally, or has content that engines wouldn't normally deem worthy of indexing, Sitemaps may overlook these weaknesses and include those pages in their indices.
Why are so many SEOs recommending against submitting a feed to Sitemaps? Because the data you get from the natural crawl IS valuable, and submitting an XML feed (or any other format) can cause that natural process of inclusion to be lost. If a page isn't accessible, doesn't carry enough link juice, or lacks unique, valuable content, I want to know about it, and the Sitemaps process can be a hinderance.
Enormously big sites, who will see more value from having thousands of extra pages included in the index, even if it means a few stragglers are left behind are exempt from this rule. So, too, are sites managed by a team who is unwilling or unable to take the time to detect and fix omissions.
Don't get me wrong - Sitemap submission is an amazing and valuable tool in a webmaster's arsenal, but it's also one that should be wielded with careful knowledge of the side effects. I'd love to hear your opinions on the subject.
BTW - Full credit to DaveN for first introducing me to this idea back in Chicago.
http://www.seomoz.org/blog/expert-advice-on-google-sitemaps-verify-but-dont-submit
Thursday, February 22, 2007
My Advice on Google Sitemaps - Verify, but Don't Submit
Vista Transformation Pack
Overview
I’m pretty sure you must know and have seen Windows Vista before. It looks really nice for major GUI updates. Many people who have seen it wish to get Vista-style looks for their operating system. It might sounds stupid to say this since you all know what it is but just bear it
This program will transform your Windows user interface to ultimate Windows Vista alike looks that everyone will never notice it’s the same old Windows XP (or 2003)
Features
Vista Transformation Pack will replace many of the resources in Windows XP/Windows Server 2003. It can change such things as:
» Boot screen
» Welcome Screen / Logon Screen
» New msstyles files (visual styles)
» New desktop and file icons
» New toolbar icons
» Progress Dialogs
» Sounds scheme
» System Tray icons
» New Wallpapers
» Windows Media Player Skins
» And much more
Changes in Version 6.0
-Added additional Vista related applications:
|-thoosje’s brand new Vista Sidebar
|-VisualTooltip (Taskbar thumbnail view and also have docking mode)
|-Styler with Kaye Irene’s Vista Perfection X4 Styler Toolbar
|-Blaero’s Start Orb (fix cutting edge start orb in msstyles)
|-Stianu89 and Blue Eyes’ Vista Live Messenger RC skin
-Added applying Vista setup screen transformation in setup integration
-Added browsable System files source for uninstallation so user can restore original system files from setup CD during uninstallation
-Added display configuration for the best view of machine’s display
-Added fixing file’s PE checksum after resource patching to keep files more secure
-Added Launch & Maintenance Center in transformation destination in case user already have transformed the system
-Added missing modifype.exe for Windows XP operating system
-Added partially x64 support for Vista visual stuff but not for system files (experimental)
-Added option to reserved updated system files after uninstallation or not
-Added skipping system file verification patch on setup integration
-Added Vista RTM system applications transformation:
|-Photo printing wizard
|-Remote Desktop Connection
|-Volume Control
|-Windows Task Manager
|-System Restore
|-Connection Manager
|-Windows Update Client
|-Media Center
-Fixed bugs caused by deleting important files from integration after transformation
-Fixed bugs in file-patching engine for uxtheme.dll and resources data
-Fixed missing files during the installation caused by setup integration
-Fixed resources patching failure during setup integration
-Fixed themes uninstallation problem (Themes still exist)
-Fixed user picture’s frame border disappearance in logon screen
-Fixed uxtheme.dll patching system (now I use patched files to avoid possible patching problems)
-Removed additional boot screen resources removal
-Removed manual transformation and let user decide to modify system files or not instead
-Removed un-neccessary system files operations
-Removed unattended transformation and servicces stopping for Norton Antivirus and System Restore (obsolete)
-Updated license agreement dialog (User must click “I accept” radio button before clicking Next button)
-Updated system files transforming method to use PendingFileRenameOperations trick
-Updated updating the transformation to act like never applying the transformation before
-Updated Vista RTM boot screen
-Updated Vista RTM icons
-Updated Vista RTM logon background
-Updated Vista RTM screensaver
-Updated Vista RTM sounds scheme
-Updated Vista RTM system dialogs
-Updated Vista RTM wallpapers
-Updated visual styles
|-Changed theme’structure to be the same with different shellstyles
|-changed visual stylees’ name to match with Vista RTM
|-Fixed CaptionButton alignment problem when maximized in Vertical shellstyle WindowBlinds theme
|-Fixed ToolbarBackground sizing mismatched from real Vista style
|-Fixed shellstyle background color mismatch in some areas
|-Updated frame border in Windows Aero visual style
|-Updated StartGroupToolBarButton
|-Updated TaskBandButton back to default ones
|-Updated TaskBandGroup’s backgroun and button
Download & Discussion
Google Launches Apps Premier Edition
The day that everyone knew was coming has arrived with the announcement that Google has launched Google Apps Premier, its subscription package of premium, hosted business applications in direct competition with Microsoft.
Michael Arrington posted this afternoon about an undetermined major announcement from Google set for tomorrow, now the Wall St. Journal reports that Google Apps Premier is being launched.
"We offer editions of Google Apps to meet the needs of different organizations. So whether you're a small business looking for key IT services or a Fortune 500 company that needs email accounts for your remote workers, Google can power up your organization with the right services, the right support, and for the right price. to: We offer multiple editions of Google Apps to meet the needs of different organizations. So whether you're a small business looking or a Fortune 500 company, Google can power up your organization with the right services and support, for the right price."
The service will include the existing Google Apps tools - GMail, Google Calendar, Google Talk and IM as well as the Google Docs applications that were just integrated into the suite today. Webmail will come with 10 GB of storage and Apps Premier includes service level agreements that promise 99.9% uptime and 24/7 tech support. A full comparison of the standard and Premier services can be found here.
The service costs $50 per user per year, dramatically undercutting Microsoft’s offerings. Google’s package does not currently include a presentation tool like Power Point or a CRM application.
The good news is that you can try it for free until April 30th, 2007.
written by Florin C.
Radius 320 monitor: Three screens in one.
Ever wondered where those James Bond villains — with their lairs full of high-tech gizmos and monolithic screens — get their computer gear? After seeing this the Radius 320 monitor, I have to think one of their suppliers is Seamless Display. The company, founded by engineers from Oxford University, combines three LCD screens into a single display with triple the area. Need to refer to a photo while you write a report with a browser at the ready? No need to put application windows in behind others when you've got this baby — just drag them over to one side. Unlike other attempts at merging screens, the Radius uses special lenses to keep the display continuous between panels, except for a "very faint" shadow of a line. The result is a 50-inch (diagonal) screen with a massive resolution of 4,800 x 1,200 pixels that you can use with any machine — Windows, Mac, or Linux. The downside is you'll need a video card that will support three DVI outputs at 1,600 x 1,200 pixels each. The Seamless site says the Radius 320 is available for order now, though it doesn't list any pricing. Not that you supervillains ever pay retail.
http://blog.scifi.com/tech/archives/2006/08/28/radius_320_moni.html
