Online Product Search Given A Run For Its Money | PR Fire

Product search and price comparison sites are one of the biggest lead generators for online merchants and for years major players like Google Product Search, or as it is now known Google Shopping, have dominated the market.

From its inception, Google Product Search stood firmly against the paid inclusion model used by similar sites. It was free to have your products listed and so everyone from your local corner shop to major high street retailer were listed side by side. The range of results was staggering, and if you wanted a fair comparison of what was available online then this was the place to go. In a statement from 2004, Google said :

?Because we do not charge merchants for inclusion in Froogle [as Google Product Search was known in the beginning], our users can browse product categories or conduct product searches with confidence that the results we provide are relevant and unbiased.?

This all changed last year when Google announced that they would be moving away from their free model to an entirely paid inclusion model, and rebranding the service to Google Shopping. In a more recent statement Google said the reason for this was ?having a commercial relationship with merchants will encourage them to keep their product information fresh and up to date.? Google began this transition in the US last year, but has only recently rolled it out into UK product search results as well. Hundreds of thousands of listings have been dropped from retailers not willing to take part in the paid inclusion model, and now only premium advertiser?s products can be found using the service.

Since the paid inclusion model is being used by nearly all the major product search engines, will this open the door to new search engines and price comparison sites who are willing to list the products of any reputable online retailer and present unbiased results to their site?s users? One UK product search engine will be celebrating it?s official launch next month. The Laminated Book of Dreams began development after hearing the news of Google?s transition from the free inclusion model. From the start of this year they have gone through strenuous beta testing and have risen up to an Alexa traffic rank of 25,000 in Britain before they had even launched. The Laminated Book of Dreams promises to only show relevant and unbiased results. Their website states :

?The Laminated Book of Dreams is about relevance and impartiality.

?Practically all other product search engines manipulate their search results to give the highest paying sponsors higher priority, even if those sponsor?s products are not as relevant to your search query. Many only show advertiser?s products so there are no free listings at all. This lowers the range of results that are returned and also the relevance of the results.

?The Laminated Book of Dreams will not manipulate its results to give sponsors higher rankings and so our results are an unbiased mix of both free and paid listings.?

Of course we?ve heard this before. Time will tell if these new product search engines will live up to the old mantra ?Don?t be evil.?

Source: http://www.prfire.co.uk/internet/online-product-search-given-a-run-for-its-money-142979?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=online-product-search-given-a-run-for-its-money

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Music alliance formed between Austin and Toronto Canada

by John Bumgardner

kvue.com

Posted on July 19, 2013 at 10:10 PM

AUSTIN, Texas ? The ?Live Music Capital of the World? has a new music alliance, now all that?s left is to work out the details with Canadian officials.

The new ?music city alliance? will partner the City of Austin and the City of Toronto Canada.

Details on the framework of the agreement will be discussed by the City of Toronto and the Toronto Economic Development Committee and the City of Austin.

In a letter earlier this year, Austin Mayor Lee Leffingwell extended an invitation to Canadian officials, spelling out plans in the works over the past two years, proposing a Music City Alliance partnership program.

?My office and the City of Austin are certainly interested in exploring such an alliance,? Leffingwell said in the letter.

Mayor Leffingwell has been in discussions with Toronto?s Mayor about their music industry and its economic impact since Canadian oficials visited Austin earlier this year. City leaders will now have to work on developing a strategic alliance.

?In communications between Toronto?s Mayor Ford and Austin?s Mayor Leffingwell, both agreed to work together to form a Music City Alliance that could develop opportunities for tourism and trade,? the Tuesday recommendation to Toronto?s City Council said.

Austin City Council passed a resolution in June after the visit from representatives for Toronto?s music industry and Canadian officials during South by Southwest in March.

The City of Austin passed a resolution to participate in a Music City Alliance as soon as similar legislation was passed by the City of Toronto.

In a recommendation to the Toronto City Council Tuesday, the measure spelled out a partnership with Austin; the Live Music Capital, a city three times smaller than Toronto, and compared the two cities thriving music communities.

?The City of Austin, recognized as the Live Music Capital of the World, shares many of the same characteristics of Toronto's music economy. Over the last twenty years, Austin, a city a third the size of Toronto, has created a music industry that generates three times as much economic activity as Toronto's does,? the recommendation said.

City leaders are working to develop a series of short, medium, and long-term recommendations for both cities and the Toronto Music Industry to ?position Toronto as a leading live music tourist destination and promote and foster Toronto's music cluster.?

Toronto City Council heard more about the plan and the need for the alliance during Tuesday?s meeting.

?Toronto needs to embrace this opportunity and demonstrate our shared commitment to promote and foster Toronto?s music cluster,? the recommendation spelled out. ?The concept of a Music City Alliance would provide a formalized structure and demonstrated commitment to promote and foster the music industry.?

Toronto leaders say the partnership will bring more economic activity and jobs to both cities. Leaders also point out the ?twinship? will afford new opportunities for musicians and music lovers in both cities.
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Source: http://www.kvue.com/news/local/Music-alliance-formed-between-Austin-and-Toronto-Canada-216248111.html

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Bar?a make contact with ex-Newell?s coach ?Tata? Martino to replace Tito [MARCA]

Saturday, July 20th, 2013

According to MARCA,?Bar?a have touched base with former Paraguay and Newell?s Old Boys manager Gerardo ?Tata? Martino, to consider him as Tito Vilanova?s replacement.

Currently without a club having just completed his contract with Newell?s Old Boys ? who he took to this years Copa Libertadores semi-finals ? Tata was linked with Malaga and Real Sociedad and is believed to be interested in a switch to the Spanish Primera Liga.

At the tender managing age of a half century, Tata has already managed 9 clubs, and has spent the bulk of his coaching career in Paraguay, where he notably took the Paraguay national team to the 2010 World Cup quarter finals.

A Rosario native, Newell?s is his first club, though, having played for the Lepers in 3 spells as a player.

Below is a long interview with Tata Martino, where he discusses his unorthodox and storied career.

Source: http://www.101greatgoals.com/blog/barca-have-made-contact-with-newells-manager-tata-martino-to-replace-tito-marca/

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In Wake Of Outcry Over Censorship, Tumblr Explains Its NSFW Policy (Kind Of)

So, I was searching for pornography on Tumblr this morning. (It was work-related!) Word was, the now-Yahoo-owned blogging network made a significant change to the way adult-themed blogs could be discovered on the site, which even further hid their content from public consumption. Tumblr finally addressed the issue this afternoon, following user outcry.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/113CTB7g-Os/

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MYRTLE BEACH: Foreclosures can slow Habitat's rehab work | Real ...

MYRTLE BEACH ? Being left as the holder of a foreclosed home is not something any lender looks forward to, but the situation undoubtedly is worse for Habitat for Humanity than it is for Bank of America.

While BOA can let some of its foreclosed homes stay empty until the market makes them more attractive to buyers, Habitat for Humanity uses the income from the homes it builds and finances to pay for the rehabilitation of older homes that can get people in their own residences faster than building them one from scratch.

Gail Olive, executive director for Horry County Habitat for Humanity, said the nonprofit has recently foreclosed on one of its homes and is in the process of foreclosing two others.

?We have been working with the families for quite a while,? she said of the agency?s efforts to keep people in their homes, but despite the effort some remain either unable or are unwilling to make their monthly mortgage payments.

That?s not the kind of situation Habitat can leave unattended for long. Olive said that other families in a Habitat neighborhood will want to forego their mortgage payments if they see one owner staying in a home without paying.

The loss of the payments from foreclosures, she said, could mean that Habitat won?t have the income to use on rehabbing properties that can become homes for others.

?It does make a difference,? she said of the loss of income from foreclosures. ?We have a couple of properties we?re rehabbing and we could use the money there.?

Olive said that Horry Habitat ? which has built 110 new homes ? did some rehab projects early in its tenure, but then dropped the effort. Within the last year, though, it has been revived, boosted by donations of foreclosed homes from BOA and Chase Morgan.

Olive said the rehabilitation effort in particular needs the income from mortgage payments because donors aren?t as ready to give money and volunteers aren?t as willing to donate their time to rehabbing versus building a new home.

Owners who get into mortgage trouble they can?t get out of can surrender their home in lieu of foreclosure, Olive said, but not all choose that route.

And those who don?t are putting the agency in a place that just doesn?t feel right.

?We can?t afford not to have the payments,? Olive said.

Grand Strand realty tops state data

Pending home sales in South Carolina were up 17.5 percent for the year that ended June 30, according to a new report by the S.C. Association of Realtors.

But the Grand Strand far outperformed the state with pending home sales soaring 29.5 percent from June 2012 to June 2013.

Statewide, the price range with the largest gain was for homes above $300,001, which showed a 23.9 percent increase.

The overall median sales price for single-family homes statewide was up 3.2 percent to $163,100, nearly $12,000 below the $175,000 median single-family home price on the Grand Strand, which was 10.8 percent above June 2012.

As along the Grand Strand, inventory continued to drop statewide, a factor that contributed to the rising prices.

Homebuilding falls nationally

While corresponding numbers for the Grand Strand or South Carolina weren?t available Friday, the Associated Press reported that fewer new home construction starts were recorded by the U.S. Commerce Department in June than in May.

Builders nationally began construction on 836,000 homes in June in a seasonally-adjusted count, which was nearly 100,000 fewer homes than were started in May.

Most of the drop was because apartment construction fell by 27 percent in June from May, according to the report, a situation that may not have played a big part along the Grand Strand as area home construction thus far in the recovery appears concentrated in homes.

June?s home starts, while fewer than May, were still 10 percent above June 2012. And, according to the report, building permits were up 16 percent over last June.

The fall is believed to be just a pause, though.

The National Association of Home Builders reported in June that confidence among its members rose to the highest level since January 2006. Customer traffic and builders? outlook for single-family home sales over the next six months were at their highest level in at least seven years.

Contact STEVE JONES at 444-1765.

Source: http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/2013/07/19/3594052/foreclosures-can-slow-habitats.html

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Profiling Comes To The White House (Atlantic Politics Channel)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories News, RSS and RSS Feed via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/320410233?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Westwood gets another shot at winning a major

GULLANE, Scotland (AP) ? Lee Westwood has contended enough in the majors that he can identify important moments, even if he could barely see his ball.

He had a one-shot lead over Tiger Woods, standing in grass up to his knees in the dunes left of the par-3 16th hole. It was one of the few bad shots Westwood hit Saturday at Muirfield, and by far his worst predicament. Westwood slashed at the ball and it didn't reach the green. He used a putter to belt his next shot up the hill to 12 feet.

What followed was a finish that allowed him to believe he was closer than ever to ending his 20-year pursuit of a major.

Westwood poured in the putt to salvage bogey. He picked up two shots on Woods with a birdie on the next hole. He closed with a solid par, giving him a two-shot lead going into the final round, and most significant Sunday of his career.

"That was probably the biggest momentum thing I did all day ? walk off there with a bogey," Westwood said. "That's what's been missing, making those putts. And back it up with a birdie at the next. Those are the sort of things you need to do."

Had he made putts like that, Westwood might not have missed the playoff at the U.S. Open that Woods won in 2008 at Torrey Pines. Or the playoff at Turnberry in 2009. He might even have been able to hold off Phil Mickelson at the Masters in 2010.

Westwood is widely considered the best player of his generation without a major. Maybe that's about to change.

The 40-year-old from England passed one big test when he outplayed Woods on another tough day at Muirfield for a 1-under 70 and grabbed a two-shot lead over Woods and Hunter Mahan, the only players still under par.

"Even though I haven't won a major, I know what it takes to win one," said Westwood, who was at 3-under 210. "It's just a case of going out there tomorrow and having the confidence in my game, which I've got. And putting it to the test."

Sunday figures to be the toughest test of all.

Despite his late blunder by hitting into a bunker and making bogey on the par-5 17th, Woods held it together for a 72. Mahan matched the best score of the third round with a 68 and will play in the final group for the second straight major.

"I've got 14 of these things, and I know what it takes to win it," Woods said. "He's won tournaments all over the world. He knows how to win golf tournaments. He's two shots ahead and we're going to go out there and both compete and play. It's not just us two. There's a bunch of guys who have a chance to win this tournament. And all of us need to really play well tomorrow to win it."

Westwood is the 54-hole leader for the second time in his career. He will try to become only the eighth player dating to 1861 to capture his first major in his 40s. He was hopeful the other close calls will serve him well, though the 40-year-old from England didn't seem all that uptight about it.

"I'm hoping it's going to turn out differently because I haven't won one yet and I'd like to win one," Westwood said. "But what can you do? You can only do what you think is right and put all that practice and hard work you've done tomorrow, try not to get in your own way mentally and just focus on the job at hand and believe you're good enough."

He was plenty good on another warm, sunny afternoon on a course that was noticeable softer but no less demanding.

Woods lost his chance to get in the final group with one swing.

Tied with Westwood as they played the par-5 17th into a stiff breeze off the Firth of Forth, Woods tried to hit 3-wood over a series of bunkers to allow for a simple wedge into the green. With his ball on the slightest slope, he got it up in the air just enough that the wind grabbed it and deposited the ball in the bunker. Woods had to blast out sideways and missed a 15-foot par putt.

Woods twice had at least a share of the 36-hole lead in majors a year ago and fell out of contention on Saturday. Despite the late bogey, he did well enough this time that he was only two shots behind. This is his best chance to end his five-year drought in the majors since the upheaval in his personal life at the end of 2009.

And while he has never won a major when trailing going into the last day, the outlook didn't look bleak from his vantage point.

"I'm only two back," Woods said. "There's only one guy ahead of me."

Instead of playing with Westwood in the final group, Woods will be in the penultimate group with Masters champion Adam Scott, who had a 70. The Australian not only is poised to be the first player with a multiple-major season in seven years, he can atone for his meltdown a year ago at Royal Lytham & St. Annes.

"I go out there tomorrow not carrying the weight of the lead or not having won a major," Scott said. "So it's a different feeling."

Mahan made only two bogeys, and he avoided a third on the final hole when he made a 25-foot putt to save par from the bunker. He played with Mickelson in the final round at Merion and stayed in the game until late in the round, closing with a 75. One month later, he gets another crack at it.

And there are plenty of others still in the game ? five major champions within five shots of the lead, a list that goes down to Mickelson at five shots behind.

Two-time major champion Angel Cabrera opened with 12 pars and had a roller-coaster finish ? double bogey, birdie, bogey ? for a 73. He was at 1-over 214, along with former Masters champion Zach Johnson (73), Henrik Stenson (74) and Ryan Moore (72).

But it starts with Westwood, who can add to the British celebration of sport by capturing his first major. He certainly looked up to the task over 18 holes in the third round, and he didn't seem the least bit uptight when asked to think about what was at stake Sunday.

"I'm not in a high-pressure situation because I'm going to go have dinner, and I'm so good with a knife and fork now that I don't feel any pressure at all," he said, trying to keep the mood light.

He sees nothing wrong with imagining his name on the base of the claret jug, ending all those questions about whether he has the game and guts to win a major. But when he steps to the first tee Sunday, it's all about finding the short, yellow grass carved out of rough that looks like a Kansas wheat field.

"I should be in the same frame of mind as I was today," Westwood said. "I didn't feel any pressure today ? felt nice and calm out there and in control of what I was doing."

Miguel Angel Jimenez didn't lose control. He just lost the lead.

The 49-year-old Spaniard found too many bunkers, missed too many fairways and dropped far too many shots. He wound up with a 77, six shots behind.

Woods was never far from the lead, even during four two-shot swings involving Westwood.

The first one came on the par-5 fifth hole. Woods proved there was a driver under that tiger head cover by smashing his tee shot down the fairway, though he wound up missing a 6-foot birdie putt, while Westwood rolled in a 50-foot eagle putt from just short of the green.

Westwood hit a high shot that settled 4 feet from the cup at the par-3 seventh while Woods hammered a 9-iron through the green and made bogey. Westwood led by as many as three shots, but they were tied at the turn when Westwood found a bunker of the tee and made bogey, while Woods had a simple up-and-down for birdie.

The last three holes changed everything ? a bogey that could have been much worse, a birdie to build a cushion, a par for confidence.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/westwood-gets-another-shot-winning-major-202341116.html

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