Matt Cutts announced on Twitter that they have released version 4.0 of the Google Panda algorithm.
Panda is designed to help boost great-quality content sites and prevent sites with poor quality content from working their way up to Google’s top search results. Panda 4.0 means Google has made changes to how Panda identifies sites and has released a new version of the algorithm today.
Google told Search Engine Land:
“Panda 4.0 affects different languages to different degrees. In English for example, the impact is ~7.5% of queries that are affected to a degree that a regular user might notice.”
Major news on eBay this week, they have been asking users to change their passwords after a cyber attack compromised a company database containing customers' names, encrypted passwords, email addresses, home addresses, phone numbers and dates of birth.
The database was apparently hacked sometime between late February and early March. However, compromised employee log-in credentials were only first detected two weeks ago. EBay also owns payment service PayPal, but eBay says there is no evidence PayPal information was hacked as data is stored separately.
So, If you haven’t already, make sure you have changed your passwords and any other account that uses the same password. Mobile software rivals Google and Apple agreed on Friday to dismiss patent lawsuits related to smartphone technology between the two companies.
“Apple and Google have also agreed to work together in some areas of patent reform. The agreement does not include a cross license.”
There have been no statements from the companies themselves.
Apple and Google have both been sued nearly 200 times in the last five years by 'patent trolls' (businesses that exist solely to file patent lawsuits). Last year Apple was the top target for patent lawsuits, and Google was in the top three too. To combat trolls, both companies earlier this year asked the Supreme Court to make it easier to collect lawyers’ fees from patent holders who lose frivolous patent suits.
Last week Mal, Jo and I went to SMX London, if you didn’t manage to go this year, or missed out on our live tweets then check out our takeaways for day one and day two.
Another story that’s been floating around this week is that YouTube are looking into buying Twitch.tv, the increasingly popular service that enables gamers to watch others game live. The supposed price is $1 billion. Mashable’s Chelsea Stark has done an in-depth article on “Everything you need to know about YouTube buying Twitch” so head on over there to find out more.
Good ol’ Netflix is set to expand to Germany, France, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium and Luxembourg. The ever expanding US-based company now has 48 million subscribers in over 40 countries. Germany has a large number of broadband users, the fourth biggest population in the world, which makes it a potentially profitable market. However, Netflix will be up against others including Snap by Sky, Vivendi's Watchever, and Amazon Instant Video.
"One thing I'm curious to see in Germany is whether or not it has dubbed a lot of the show for the market because - while French TV has a lot of subtitling - in Germany foreign language movies and TV shows are generally voiced over, and that can be quite an expensive process."
App of the week goes to Timehop (iOS version right here), I’ve been seeing posts pop up on my Facebook newsfeed, and what can I say? It’s definitely got me hooked too. Find out what you did 1 year ago today.
An Android reviewer says:
“Great way to remember old times. Very slick app. This will work well for you if you take lots of pictures throughout the year and are social on sites. It pulls together nicely your post and pictures you took on the current day in the past.”
Catch you next week!
