‘Search Engines’

Build Links and Protect Web Content with CopyLink as a Powerful WordPress Plug-in

With copyright infringement and plagiarism as daily occurrences on the Internet, it has become necessary to take pro-active steps in protecting content. CopyLink is a WordPress plugins that is definitely a step in the right direction.

If a person attempts to copy content from your website, the Plug-in places links on the copied text. It is not only text that is copied and then used at other websites which causes a problem for the creators of the content, but also copied content used in emails, forums, in Facebook and at other blogs.

It is no secret that you can now get bots to crawl and collect content to be embedded in your blog. Simply add the keywords to the form and have the bot crawl and collect content at scheduled times. Although it may seem as the ideal way of keeping a blog fresh, it is indeed copyright infringement.

Dejan SEO developed CopyLink as a WordPress Plug-in that helps CopyLink enabled sites to at least get links back from the sites that have copied and used their content. Besides thus helping to prevent others from blatantly stealing information, it thus also helps to protect the site rank and can be used to track the sites. If you do a link popularity search on your site you will be able to follow the links and if there is copied content without the necessary citation at one of the links, you can take the necessary legal steps to force the removal of the content if you so wish.

Users of sites which have copied information from another source will be able to find the original source of the information. For the honest bloggers using material from other sites, the process of referencing material becomes easier.

It furthermore helps to ensure correct citation practices on the web while search engines will be able to trace the original information sources. The webmaster now has more control over copied and linked content. This serves to minimize duplication and penalization by search engines. The original source is promoted and return traffic gained while natural link building occurs.

Consider the overall benefits for the web and for your site. Not only will you protect content whilst also ensuring attribution and valuable incoming links for higher ranking, but you will contribute to quality improvement on the Internet. With more such tools available, there will be less need for Internet regulation by authorities to protect intellectual property. One will still be able to share content via Social Media, but the correct linking and citation will be in place.

The CopyLink Plug-in can be downloaded from the Dejan SEO website and is fully customizable. Simply go the settings page of the Plug-in and select the relevant settings. One can set the attribution display options accordingly. One doesn’t have to make use of automatic attribution since the end-user can still remove the link. Live linking is not an option in basic editors, but for the rest it is available.

The web strike against SOPA and PIPA is to go ahead on Wednesday 18 January, 2012. The web is to be a dark and silent place with many of the major sites going on a black-out. The occasion – SOPA and PIPA. One the 18^th of January 2012, the unprecedented will occur. Never in the history of the Internet have so many sites protested censorship at once. Wikipedia will also strike in protest against SOPA and PIPA as will thousands of other sites.

Do Your Homework Today

If you have research to do, it will be best to get to work today as for tomorrow, you will find the web on strike against SOPA, PIPA and web censorship. The protest across the web is against the Internet censorship bills to be voted on in the USA Congress on 24 January 2012. The idea behind the blackout, including the Wikipedia strike, is to create enough public opposition against SOPA in the USA House and PIPA in the Senate.

Core Protest

Protesting sites state that web censorship attacks the very core of the Internet. It takes away freedom of speech, creativity, and privacy. Should a government not like what is said about it on a website, it will be easy to ban the site and block access to it, pretending that it has violated copyright through file sharing facilitation or the likes. The Internet belongs to the users and not the governments of the world. If the USA is allowed to enact SOPA and PIPA, they will in effect exert control over the information flow on the web.

Wikipedia Will Not Be Available

Sites such as Wikipedia and Reddit are at the forefront of the all-out strike against SOPA, PIPA, and web censorship. If you are using Mozilla Firefox as your browser, you may very well find it offline tomorrow. DowntownMiamiNews.com will also join the SOPA Blackout. According to them, the MPAA and RIAA, as driving forces behind the bill are the only ones to benefit whilst thousands to millions of users will be negatively affected by the regulations.

Even if you haven’t paid any attention to the information war between large corporations, including the likes of Google, Wikipedia and Facebook and the USA government hoping to push through legislation to censor the web and to prevent online piracy, you will be affected by the all-out one day blackout strike.

Wikipedia is a popular research source on the Internet, used by students, writers, and the general public to get a background on any topic before conducting more in-depth research. Jimmy Wales, founder of Wikipedia, announced that the site will not be available for a full 24 hours in support of protest against the shutting down of sites such as The Piracy Bay and other file sharing sites and the proposed bills.

Entertainment Companies Support SOPA and PIPA

At the other end of the spectrum, the movie and entertainment companies fight hard to get SOPA and PIPA through because they lose money according to them, because of piracy, file sharing, and illegal downloading of movies and music on the Internet. Wikipedia has warned students to do their work early because the site will be off for the whole of Wednesday.

The MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America) has indicated that such laws will help to fight piracy and general intellectual property theft. According to them, the protest in the form of a web strike or black-out distracts from the real issue of ongoing piracy. They feel that foreigners, that is users outside the USA, are stealing from the USA by means of downloads; facilitating downloads, and file sharing.

Large Sites Join Opposition to Legislation

Notably, rather useful sites and resources on the Internet are against the proposed SOPA and PIPA including WordPress and TwitPic. WordPress provides free content management blog templates, plugins and resources and with such has the right to oppose such bills. As a free resource with contributions from developers around the world, willing to share their knowledge, it is understandable that they will oppose legislation.

Online Piracy is a Problem

Online piracy is definitely a huge problem for the entertainment industry, but although the large companies complain that file sharing costs them millions in revenue, research reports have indicated that book, music and film sales have increased rather than decreased because of or despite file sharing practices.

Information Flow at Risk

The dynamic nature of the Internet is in jeopardy should the USA be allowed to control web access to so-called pirate sites or file sharing sites considered as facilitators of intellectual property theft. It does, however, ring alarm bells even with free information contribution sites such as Wikipedia since legislation will open the doors for more web censorship. It creates the risk of a completely USA controlled Internet.

Google has indicated that they support such a web strike because SOPA would allow for governments and companies to take action against so-called perpetrators without a proper trial or investigation. The free flow of information is at risk with such legislation.

Internet companies joining the web strike said the proposed legislation — SOPA in the House and the Protect Intellectual Property Act in the Senate — would allow operators no real chance before government actions could be taken against them. The web strike also including the Wikipedia blackout is a desperate cry-out by the public against web censorship and control over the information flow and freedom of expression that will come about with SOPA and PIPA.

Voting to Go Ahead

The USA Chamber of Commerce has reacted to the proposed web strike with an announcement by Steven Tepp (Chief Intellectual Property Counsel) that concerns about the bills have already been addressed including the wholesale blockage of infringing sites. Accordingly, the criminal activity of intellectual property theft is robbing companies of their rightful income.

The web strike against SOPA and PIPA will reach far and wide with many Facebook pages also joining. It is expected that as many as 5000 websites could join the black-out. There are even sites promoting the black-out in protest with the inclusion of an HTML code or JavaScript in the site’s theme. People are encouraged to Tweet about the blackout and to join the strike effort by adding their sites to the protest sites such as ProtestSOPA.org and Sopastrike.com.

As reported in an earlier blog, Google TV as developed by Sony, Google, Logitech and Intel is an integrated Internet and television experience for the user. With the official roll-out announced, Sony and Logitech will also do the roll-out for their devices.  Users should not expect to have it all at once, but with the gradual introduction, we should see some users migrate to the new system over the next few months.

Google has been working on it for a while and the first announcement came in May 2010. Users will appreciate the upgrade to an improved Android operating system in addition to a Linux – Google Chrome browser which makes it possible to have a completely interactive TV experience by making use of the Internet. With the official launch in October 2010, South Africans have not yet benefitted, but will eventually be included in the new generation of television supporters.

What is Google TV?

Why All the Fuzz about Google TV?

It can be seen as another step by Google to dominate not only the world of searching, but also the mobile and entertainment market. The company must constantly develop new and more revolutionary methods to keep its place amongst the leaders in the digital world, and with Google TV it gets a chance to expand the usage of its Android operating system. The Chrome browser also features strongly allowing for a means to search the Net while also enjoying shows on TV.

Google is not the only player in the game. Netflix, which is a partner in all this, has developed a super app allowing for access to their database of programs and movies.  In addition, even the users of Apple Smart Phones will be able to use their phones as remotes.

Instead of having to choose between browsing the web or watching a TV program, consumers can watch television, do a bit of searching, chat on social media and schedule programs all in front of their television. It is the ideal solution for the attention deficient user who simply cannot sit still and do only one thing at a time.

Easy Control

Users will not have to purchase yet another remote which normally causes more confusion because so many devices already clutter the TV room. With Google TV you simply download their application to your smart phone and then use the phone to double up as remote.  With such users can even apply voice searching for more convenience and interactivity.

Familiar Operating System

Android phone users are already familiar with the operating system. It is light, fast and flexible. Users have access to all the additional apps specifically for the Android and Google TV market which can all be downloaded for free.

Support for Home Network

It works with various media formats including DLNA, MP3, MIDI and WMA amongst the audio formats while AVCHD, MPEG4 and WMV are amongst the video formats supported. In terms of images the normal GIF and JPEG in addition to BMP and PNG are also supported.

Audio-Visual Support

At present full cable and satellite integration is possible and 720P as well as 1080 HD screen resolution is fully supported.

Connection to the Internet

Connectivity can be gained by means of static or dynamic IP. Wi-Fi is supported. It comes with a USB port for addition of photos or videos by means of a memory stick.

Watch Your Favourite YouTube Videos

One can watch YouTube and other Internet video channels as if the television is a computer. Video streaming is supported, adding so much more to the viewing experience than would be possible with normal television or computer.

Listen To the Radio Station of Choice

Users can also listen to their favourite streaming radio collections from Slacker Radio or Pandora. It is even possible to watch music videos on the big screen in the comfort of your lounge.

Star on the Big Screen

With Google TV, one can watch videos from friends, family and even themselves on their big screen.

Locate Entertainment

Decide what you want to watch rather than having to watch what there is. With specific television streaming sites, images of what can be watched and according to category are displayed for easy navigation. It is almost the same as going into a DVD store and selecting exactly what you want to watch and when you want to view such.

Cost Effective TV

Google TV doesn’t involve a monthly contract fee and the viewer can simply use the existing Internet connection as well as the current satellite television subscription service. Updates are free of charge and the apps available for Android are also applicable for the television experience.

Implications for Marketers

Marketers will have a field day with the new media available as more than one hundred television networks are covered internationally. When it comes to the international market, you will be able to reach millions of households. For the South African market, sadly, still not a reality. Marketers can make use of HTML5 to create premier ad campaigns. We are waiting for our turn to reap the benefits, but if it is a hit internationally, South Africans can expect to also become part of the households targeted by marketers.

Google TV Browser

If you have used the web, you will be able to use the browser for Google TV. It is the same as Google Chrome, only in Linux format. This means although there are slight differences that the overall experience will be the same. Flash 10.1 is supported ensuring that even Flash websites will run on the television. If a website can operate correctly when using Chrome as browser, it will also render in the correct manner on the television. Data can be stored and archived by means of cookies in the same way as is done on normal computers when using the Internet.

With all the benefits mentioned, one would expect loud cheering by the public, media and marketers. Unfortunately, Google TV has received mediocre reviews and as such will have to do some more work to get a positive reception internationally.

Just as you think that now you have seen it all, the tech world stuns again with something as amazing the Siri personal assistant in the iPhone 4S. It is the ultimate replacement of the secretary on the go. Not that secretaries will ever be replaced, but if you want a mobile one in your pocket then you will adore the stunning new features of the iPhone 4S.

What can the Siri Personal Assistant Do For You?

Say you are driving and want directions without having to type in a search in Google Maps. Simply speak to your iPhone 4S and get it to locate the place on the map. If you quickly want to find a restaurant nearby ask the assistant to locate such. It will take some time to learn exactly how to phrase the question, but once you have cleared up any misunderstandings with the Siri you will find it to be rather responsive and accurate.

Directions are not the only reason for getting the iPhone 4S with Siri. If you for instance, want a meeting to be setup with one of the persons in your contact list, all you have to do is to give the command, and the Siri will check your calendar. If it is open for the particular time frame, it will request permission to go ahead in notifying the person about the meeting. Once given, the phone will do such and schedule it as well as remind you about the meeting in due time.

Two functions don’t make for the perfect mobile phone, agreed, but if you want the Siri to play a particular song or remind you of something that has to be done or even write a note, it can be done by simply speaking to it. The best of all, it will be done immediately.

Glitches as Part of Growing Pains

The Siri personal assistant is not without flaws, not yet. It has to deal with network problems which may occur from time to time and then there is the problem of sounds in the background which can cause confusion.  You have to learn how to structure questions to ensure it understands such and you will also have to refrain from talking again until it has carried out the instruction as to avoid confusion. Siri is the voice recognition feature now available with the iPhone 4S and with it also being part of the Apple product stable, it can be seen as a direct threat to Google, especially the controlled searching features of Google.

Is Siri More Accurate Than Google?

With Google one gets the familiar list of blue lined results. Although Google is certainly known as an accurate search engine, it does save time to just ask Siri and get the perfect answer.

Is Siri a Serious Threat to Google?

With the Siri concept, artificial intelligence is optimized and with thousands of users added in a short time, one can expect a large database of knowledge to develop in a short period. The estimate is that the personal assistant will shortly be able to answer questions with the same speed and accuracy as can be expected from a human. Shortly, however, means around two or three years of learning. This should give Google enough time to develop a counter strategy, although some feel that Google doesn’t have enough time to respond to the artificial intelligence threat posed by Siri.

At present Google allows interaction, but not at the extent offered by Siri. You have to speak in a voice similar to that of a bot. It still has to grow a bit before reaching the ideal level, already accomplished by Siri. Speech recognition is still at infancy stage with Google, whereas the personal assistant is more natural and allows for greater interaction. You will certainly not feel that you are speaking to a robot. With an eloquent voice and a human like feel, it leads the way for human and computer interaction of the future.

The iPhone 4S is the Next Generation Phone

Gamers have become used to bots and on many forums, bots answer the questions. Teaching your computer to answer you is not new, but having an intelligent phone with the potential of becoming just as efficient as a personal assistant on the move, is something that is revolutionary.

Apple is Happy with Siri

Apple apparently did not anticipate the many uses and popularity associated with the personal assistant, but with all the potential now discovered, it is possible that Apple will allow for other developers to create even more applications to ensure a competitive edge in the mobile market and especially to oust all the Android driven phones.

Third party developers, at this stage are not involved since the basics are not yet fully established. Although the personal assistant has an exceptional accuracy level it is not at a rate of more than 96% of the time. The day is coming and with that then the preference of users to rather interact with Siri than ask a human a question. Humans tend to have moods and can be slow at times. A reliable machine doesn’t have all that and if consistency is what you want then a mobile personal assistant will be the answer in future.

Personalisation is the Key

The Siri can be personalised to understand a particular user and the general queries, commands and needs of the user. It may very well become the next best friend of many mobile users. Apart from travel arrangements, entertainment location, and meetings, the personal assistant can further more do a bit of ecommerce bargain hunting. For people regularly buying online, Siri can develop a profile of preferences and do automatic buying without involvement of the user. Let’s hope the personal assistant never gets shopping mad.

Google has a real contender with the iPhone 4S Siri personal assistant. If a consumer has the choice of not having to deal with ads, the choice seems obvious and the days of structured searches may be at an end.

Google SSL Search has been developed specifically to help protect search terms and the interpretation of the search results pages. In short, it gives a private search facility to protect against malicious attempts to apply keyboard logging and other types of actions to steal personal information.

How Does the User Know That SSL Search is On?

The user can identify the on status by looking at the URL. The normal unprotected URL will have http whereas the secure socket layer or SSL activated URL will have an ‘s’ afterwards such as https. Some of the browsers in use will also give the user an indication that the secure socket layer is in use. The browser indication is normally in the form of an icon.

An alternative method for ensuring that the user will be searching in the SSL is to navigate to the secure socket website of Google upon opening of the browser. The full address will then be:

https://www.google.co.za or https://www.google.com

Another means for SSL searching in Google entails going to the URL:

https://encrypted.google.com

Users with Google accounts, can login to their accounts to ensure secure searching.

More about Secure Sockets Layer Technology

The Google SSL allows for all Internet related communication and data transfer to be more secure through an encryption process. When the browser thus makes use of the technology when conducting searches or transferring data through an Internet connection, such searches will not be accessible to other parties.

How Does SSL Work?

Although the information about the user’s query is encrypted, the landing page will still recognise the user as from Google, although the query lodged will not be seen.  One should note that schools using non-secure socket searching will not have encrypted searches. Another instance, where the initial query will be in unprotected mode is when the user directs the browser to make use of the Google unprotected URL. Upon entering the query and clicking for the search to take place, the query will be redirected to the SSL.

One should note that advertisers can see certain information, which can be used to improve their marketing to the user. If a person is uncomfortable with the idea, it is recommended that the user then makes uses of the encrypted URL (encrypted.google.com). One can further secure the search through a browser that allows for disabling of any referring parties.

Where is SSL Available?

At present the Google SSL can be found for all the search modes in Google. The only exception to this will be when one does a map search.

Does the Secure Search Affect Speed of Searching?

Unfortunately users can expect a bit slower searching than with normal searches. One does, however, need to take into account that the importance of securing the query may be more important than to be too concerned by the slight delay in search speed.

Does Google Log the Searches?

Even in secured mode users can still expect Google to log their searches. Google receives the same amount of data about the search whether encrypted or not. The web history will also still reflect the searches.

Google SSL in the Educational Environment

Should a school experience difficulties with the secured searching they can opt for the NoSSLSearch and the searches can then be pointed to such when the DNS configuration changes to www.google.com.

How Secure is Secure?

Instead of a third party being able to view the results to user searches including that of Internet Service Providers it is possible that the parties could still identify the sites visited once the user clicks on the search results and exists to a destination which does not reside on the SSL. One should take care not to think that all attacks can be blocked. The browser must be set to trust specific root certificates.  If a computer is already infected with malware or any type of spyware program when the user logs on to the Internet, it will then still be possible for another party to track the queries.

Is Google SSL Available for Google.co.za?

Unfortunately for South Africans SSL is at this stage only available for Google.com. The company has indicated that they will in future also offer the secure searching on other Google domains including the .co.za one.

SafeSearch and SSL for Education

SafeSearch allows for the blocking of adult content from normal search results. It is seen as important not only for parental control regarding what kids view, but also when it comes to educational authority of what school children as well as college students do with the institution resources. One should, however, still take other precautions as the filters cannot be 100% spot on every time.

The user can decide on the level of safe searching. At present there are no-filtering, moderate and strict filtering options. It is recommended that users in addition, to using the SSL facility from Google also make use of safe search features to block third parties from viewing their searches and delivering unwanted and explicit content when searches are done.

More Secure

Parents and educational administrators can lock the safe searching feature at the Search Settings for specific computers. A person with a Google account can further lock the strict SafeSearch to prevent other users of the same computer from changing it. The filtering level will then be applied to any of the Google domains.

With the Google SSL feature then users will have more search privacy and will not have to be concerned about third parties collecting information about their searches. This will also help to build trust amongst users regarding payment systems and will help to reduce some of the computer attacks related to Internet usage.

Users should still enhance their computer security through firewalls and anti-virus software, in addition to applying specific settings for their browsers. The Google SSL feature is not meant as a replacement of all other security for computers. It is, however, a step in the right direction to protect Internet users from becoming the victims of fraud.