Super-Geek Report A Geek's Guide to Affiliate Marketing

Have you ever wondered how Google ranks tweets?  I know I have.  Is it some complex algorithm just like regular search criteria?  Well WebProNews tried to crack the Google code and give us some answers to the Twitter question…here’s the story…

It’s ok to say "no" to Twitter if that’s your thing. There’s a chance that it just doesn’t fit into your strategy or help you achieve your goals. That’s cool. However, if it is your thing, you may be interested in how Google ranks tweets. That is if search marketing is your thing.

Google and Microsoft almost simultaneously announced deals with Twitter a few months back, that would give the companies access to tweets in real-time to fuel their respective search engines’ real-time results. Microsoft immediately launched their version, but it was separate from the regular Bing search engine. Google waited a while, but eventually started incorporating real-time results right into regular Google SERPs (including not only tweets, but various other sources).

After the Twitter deals were announced, Bing came out and said, "If someone has a lot of followers, his/her Tweet may get ranked higher. If a tweet is exactly the same as other Tweets, it will get ranked lower."

Google was not as vocal about how it would rank tweets and other real-time results, but the company has now shed a bit of light on that via an interview with MIT’s Technology Review. David Talbot interviewed Google "Fellow" Amit Singhal, who has led development of real-time search at the company. According to him, Google also ranks tweets by followers to an extent, but it’s not just about how many followers you get. It’s about how reputable those followers are.

Singhal likens the system to the well-known Google system of link popularity. Getting good links from reputable sources helps your content in Google, so having followers with that some kind of authority theoretically helps your tweets rank in Google’s real-time search.

"One user following another in social media is analogous to one page linking to another on the Web. Both are a form of recommendation,& fef quot; Singhal says. "As high-quality pages link to another page on the Web, the quality of the linked-to page goes up. Likewise, in social media, as established users follow another user, the quality of the followed user goes up as well."

But that’s only one factor.

Do you commonly use hashtags in your tweets? If your goal is to rank in Google’s real-time search index, you may want to cut down on that practice, because according to Singhal, that is a big red flag for a lower quality tweet. This seems to be part of Google’s spam control strategy.

Another noteworthy excerpt from the interview:

Another problem: how, if someone is searching for "Obama," to sift through White House press tweets and thousands of others to find the most timely and topical information. Google scans tweets to find the "signal in the noise," he says. Such a "signal" might include a new onslaught of tweets and other blogs that mention "Cambridge police" or "Harry Reid" near mentions of "Obama." By looking out for such signals, Google is able to furnish real-time hits that contain the freshest subject matter even for very common search terms.

Well, we certainly know more about Google’s strategy for tweet ranking now, but there are still plenty of questions about it. What is Google’s stance is on Ghost Tweeting? Are Google’s ranking factors a good reason to create and follow more Twitter lists in hopes for gaining more reputable industry followers?

The factors mentioned aren’t the only ones Google employs. It’s not like Google is going to tell us everything. It also helps to keep in mind that real-time search spans far beyond just tweets. Still, Twitter is clearly a big part of it, and even the significance of tweets themselves will evolve in time.

Google says it hopes to factor in geo-location data (with regards to tweets) into the real-time search results at some point. Google and Twitter engineers frequently collaborate on  real-time search, which Google itself says is evolving.

By the way, it stands to reason that Google’s strategy for ranking tweets probably shares similarities for how it ranks content from other sources drawn from for real-time search.

Is ranking in Google’s real-time search important to your strategy? Discuss here.

Read more…

Posted under Twitter News

by MG Siegler TechCrunch

So many apps…so little time.  How can you sort through them all?

Chomp is a new service that aims to offer a better review and recommendation system for iPhone apps. has gone live, with its app now available in the App Store.

The service is sort of like a Yelp for iPhone apps. But what makes it work is that it’s simple and intuitive. When you load up Chomp, you’re taken to a screen with just four main options: Live App Reviews, Recommendations, Add People, and BookmarkedApps. As you might imagine, the Live App Reviews are is a stream of new app reviews coming in, in realtime. Recommendations give you a list of apps to download based on the apps you’ve already reviewed. Add People gives you an easy way to connect with others on the service using your real friends on Facebook, “App Celebrities” (high profile users), and top app reviewers. Bookmarked Apps is obviously a way for you to note apps that you may want to download later. 

Find Chomp in the App Store here. It’s as free download.

Posted under Technology

Do You Want a "Make Money Business," or just "Monkey Business?"

Have you always been interested in Internet marketing? Well, if you’re like a lot of people, then you have tried a lot of make money businesses or get rich quick products (I know I have).

Regrettably, it may be that nothing has worked thus far. Have you tried a lot of different things with the promise of making thousands of dollars?  Do you ever wonder if anyone ever makes the kind of money that is expressed in all of those flowery testimonials?  How do you know what is real?  Don’t fret… you’re about to embark in a real Make Money Business!

There is a big difference between simply dreaming about making money online or actually running a make money business. It is up to you to decide.  Are you just playing with the idea of making money online, or creating a legit online make money business.  If you take the legitimate approach, you will start to realize that the money comes in far easier and quicker than before. Rather than being stuck in a rut, you will start to see real progress.

Making Money with Blogs Start with a Business Plan

Step one in the Make Money Business is to decide on a business plan. There are definitely a lot of different methods for a make money business.
The top 3 most common business plans:

1.  You can be in a service related industry where they help other businesses.

2.  You can own your own websites and establish e-commerce stores.

3.  You can choose to be full-time bloggers,  making money with blogs as a passive form of income any time and any place.

After all is said and done…One of easiest business plans for the Make Money Business is blogging. There may be nothing better than owning your own group of blogs that have the ability to bring in money for you day or night whether you are working on your computer or not!

It doesn’t matter whether you attempted blogging in the past or not, now might be the right time to give it another go.

If you are serious about starting a real business that can be life changing, I recommend  The Niche Blogger program .

There are a lot of good qualities in the Niche Blogger program, but one of best things that I like about the system is the fee for joining is incredibly low compared to the value you get. It teaches you step-by-step how to set up your business right from the start.  The other thing I like best is its practicality.  I think Amy Bass and the folks at the Niche Blogger do a great job of making things reasonable and simple, while never talking down to people or making you feel bad for not knowing something.

What aspect makes this program different than others?  The big difference is the level of support you receive.

What I found was not only is the owner there to answer every question about how to build your business, but also there is a community of support that is outstanding. As you know, people do their work at all times of the day, so it doesn’t matter whether you have a question day or night, someone is there to help you through the simplest questions to the more complex issues.

It’s kind of like getting your own degree in full time blogging! It’s time for you to be in the Make Money Business instead of just trying things here and there and getting frustrated because you aren’t making any money.  You can make money with blogs. 

Through the Niche Blogger you’ll discover exactly how to be a business owner that gets your assets earning for you all the time. This could be a life-changing decision for you.

Free Blog hosting – Wordpress Technology

What is the best way to make money online in a short period of time

Problogging: Making Money From Blogs « Blogging Articles 

Posted under Cool Products and Reviews

By:  Chris Crum WebProNews

I asked a fellow geeky friend of mine a while back what the future of satellite radio will be, and he responed…not for long.  I pressed him to explain.  He said it is because of WiFi.  Soon we will have WiFi everywhere (including our cars), rendering satellite radio useless. 

Case in point…Next year, Ford will be introducing it’s new version of SYNC, a technology it partnered with Microsoft on. This technology will allow you to have constant Wi-Fi in your car.

All an owner of a SYNC-ready car would have to do is plug in a compatible USB mobile broadband modem (or air card), and they will create a secure wireless connection that will be broadcast throughout the vehicle.

"While you’re driving to grandma’s house, your spouse can be finishing the holiday shopping and the kids can be chatting with friends and updating their Facebook profiles," said Mark Fields, Ford president of The Americas. "And you’re not paying for yet another mobile subscription or piece of hardware because Ford will let you use technology you already have."  Read More

Ford cars to become Wi-Fi hot spots | Wireless – CNET News

New Ford WiFi?? | Gear Diary

Ford to Enable Wi-Fi Hotspots in Some Cars | Kara Swisher

Posted under Technology