Google launched a new URL shortening service , but it has limitations. It can only be used via the Google Toolbar and Feedburner, at least for now. )More on the Toolbar and Feedburner updates in a later post.( The Google URL Shortener uses goo.gl as a root domain. Meanwhile, Facebook is testing a URL shortening service, using FB.me as a domain. It was first noticed via Facebook's mobile interface. The shortening can be used for pages as well - for example - fb.me/starbucks.

Google has updated its toolbar for Internet Explorer and Firefox with a sharing feature , which enables user to share any page to a variety of social networks. Additionally, My Location is now out of Toolbar Labs and official on the Google Toolbar. Meanwhile, if you have the RSS feed on your blog set up through Feedburner, it just got a heckuvalot easier to send your posts to Twitter . Simply go to your Feedburner account, select the feed you wish to Tweet,

Image by Getty Images via Daylife This this handed to me, Newsknife has just published a ranking of the Top News Sites of 2009. The big story is that Newsknife's combined figures for sites owned by Rupert Murdoch put them in second place at a time when Murdoch has declared his unhappiness with Google News. )Methinks the media mogul doth protest too much.( The Top News Sites of 2009 is compiled by Newsknife from its analysis of more than 311,000 listings by over 7,

Image by Bruce Clay, Inc via Flickr There were seven solo presentations at SES Chicago 2009 , which reflects a change in format for some of the topics covered at the conference and the consistently high rantings that some speakers have received over the years. One of those solo presentations, which was given by Christine Churchill, president of KeyRelevance.com , was on keyword research. So, how many keywords do you need in your paid search account?

About a year ago, LinkedIn launched a new search platform, which has turned out to be wildly successful. Search activity has doubled since the update. Of course, their membership has almost doubled as well. No word on whether the chicken or the egg came first on that one. Either way, LinkedIn is improving their search platform with the addition of filters . The filter options are automatically generated and are placed down the left side of the results.

Google's had StreetView for awhile and Bing recently introduced Streetside imaging to their maps. Now, MapQuest is entering the ring with their street-level imaging , which they've dubbed "360 View." 360 View isn't available everywhere, so MapQuest is providing coverage maps, similar to what a wireless communications company might provide to show you where you can get a signal.

Coincidence or not, in the wake of Firefox recommending their users switch to Bing , Google launched a nationwide campaign advertising Chrome in the UK today. This follows a recent TV and print campaign in Italy appealing to trendy 'stilisti' )fashionistas( suggesting users gift wrap Chrome for Christmas . So, is this why Google have been talking up page speed as a ranking factor recently?

Landing page optimization is paramount to a successful enterprise. However, most upper management teams within companies are blind to the fact that their landing pages aren't useful and actually prevent conversion. Is it not obvious that a better converting landing page means more money for the company and isn't that the point of doing business?

When you query Google, you'll notice suggestions appear to assist you in your search. They appear as a list in a drop down menu. This feature is known as Google Suggest and became default on the homepage in August 2008 . Now, that menu is getting additional, universal features . Let's say you're wondering what the capital of a country is. As you're typing, the answer may appear directly in the Suggest menu: Also, you might want to check the weather.

comScore has released updated data for the 2009 online holiday shopping season . The trending increase in spending has continued, largely along the same numbers we saw last week : Analysts expect "Green Monday," the biggest online shopping day of the year, to occur today, December 14. It's possible that the one day total could surpass $900 million. If that happens, it will be the first time in history. Keeping our fingers crossed.

"You can't make money in web analytics just by looking at reports." With that, SES Advisor and New York Times bestselling author Bryan Eisenberg set the stage for the state of analysis in search marketing. As budgets flow from offline to online, they're moving disproportionately to search. Search has always excelled at accountability, but as the spend increases the bar is being raised. We all have and know what web analytics are. Data quantity isn't the issue,

Image by Getty Images via Daylife Google News now features a new feature: The Living Stories project . Launched while I was at SES Chicago earlier this week, it is an experiment in presenting news in the online environment that was developed by Google in collaboration with The New York Times and The Washington Post . Google Living Stories lets you read the same reporting and analysis that you expect from The New York Times and The Washington Post,

If you use Google Voice, you have the opportunity to help Google transcription research . They're asking for donations, and here's how you can contribute. When you're reading a transcript of your voicemail )which is already a service of Google Voice, in case you weren't aware(, look for text in the lower right corner that says "Transcript Useful?" If you choose to rate the transcript, you'll be asked if you wish to donate the message to Google's research.

Seniors have been one of the fastest growing demographics on the Internet for awhile. New data from Nielsen Online shows that 6 million more seniors are surfing the web than there were five years ago. So, what are they doing while hitting the interpipes? Let's just say email is not dead. Oh, and grandma likes to keep track of what you're doing on Facebook. Especially since you lost your phone manners to texting a long time ago.

A few weeks ago, Yahoo! added Twitter to their News Shortcut . Now, Yahoo! is adding Twitter updates directly to their search results. Expect to see them for "buzzy" topics. When Yahoo! detects a hot topic being queried on their search engine, their algorithm will select Tweets to present in the results. When Tweets do appear, they'll usually be placed at the bottom of the results. Image via Yahoo!

There are two weeks left until Christmas and consumers still have a lot of shopping to do. That's according to data released by the Google Retail blog . The week before Thanksgiving, shoppers had still had 83% of their shopping to go. As of last Sunday, they still had 64% left. Of course, that's only for the shoppers that have begun their shopping. A whopping 29% haven't even started. 19% haven't started researching gifts. Tis the weekend to get some sales!

These are not the best of times for print media and they are the worst of times for Editor & Publisher, the journalism trade journal. The Nielsen Co. announced today that it is shutting down Editor & Publisher, which has chronicled the newspaper business for 108 years. Nielsen is selling eight other trade publications - including The Hollywood Reporter and Billboard - to e5 Global Media LLC, a new company formed by private equity firm Pluribus Capital Management,

Tim Armstrong and AOL employees rang the bell at the New York Stock Exchange this morning, to signal the beginning of trading - including AOL stock as an independent company. Wall Street responded by dropping their shares by a 36 cents. That's to be expected when the future of the company is so uncertain. But they're doing their best to paint a bright picture of what's to come: "We have a clear strategy,

Google has updated their mobile app for the iPhone . And yes, Apple has actually approved this one.

If you don't count the weather, the top story on Day 3 of SES Chicago 2009 was the morning keynote by Dan Siroker, the co-founder of Spreadly , who led the web analytics team for the Barack Obama presidential campaign and served as a senior member of the larger new media team. Prior to that, Siroker was a product manager for Google Chrome and Google AdWords. For a summary, read " Using Social Media For Political Campaigns " by Mike Sachoff and Abby Johnson of WebProNews. Or,