Microsoft launched a limited time promotion today called Back-to-School Deal Days for Live Search cashback . The promotion lets customers save big )and in some cases double the rewards( from hundreds of participating online retailers. The back-to-school season is the second largest retail season of the year. That bodes well for Microsoft's share of searches as they continue to compete with Yahoo for )a distant( second place.

Google Translate is going live. The world's most comprehensive set of translation technologies will now be aided by human beings translating documents upon request . Google employees won't be in the business of translating documents. Rather, Google will offer volunteer and professional translators the opportunity to use Google tools and technologies to translate. In previous columns, we've discussed the need for localization in translation.

In 2007, 3.8 billion searches were conducted on yellow pages sites as well as the local listings they provide to search engines such as Google, Yahoo and others. So what are the most popular things being searched for? I'm not going to beat around the bush. Here they are: 1. Restaurants 2. Physicians & Surgeons 3. Hotels 4. Auto Repairing & Service 5. Florists-Retail 6. Auto Dealers-New & Used 7. Dentists 8. Auto Parts & Supplies - New & Used 9. Beauty Salons )tie( 10.

The Yahoo shareholder meeting has come and gone without much fanfare, thanks to the settlement between the Yahoo board and Carl Icahn to keep the current board but expand it by 3 seats post-meeting. But there are a few interesting tidbits you'll want to know. Firstly, TimeWarner has stepped in to prevent Jonathan Miller from joining the expanded Yahoo board. Yahoo had requested that Miller be placed on a list created by Carl Icahn for 2 of the expanded seats,

Microsoft today announced a partnership with Zvents, a local search and advertising network , to integrate with MSN City Guides. Through the partnership, local advertisers will be able to target audiences with specific information about events and promotions. Zvents has over 250 media partners, which will provide content to MSN City Guides, accessed by web crawler. User-generated content will also be part of the mix, which will include blended local search results.

Google just launched Ad Planner a little over a month ago, and already the media measurement and planning tool is getting an update. The new features are based on user feedback. Here's what you can look forward to, straight from the horse's mouth : New metrics and data We've added additional metrics for site visitation including average time on site, total visits, and average visits per visitor.

Many bloggers and journalists don't need a tip sheet to find the most newsworthy sessions at SES San Jose . Either they will bring a team along to live blog or report five concurrent conference sessions, or they will blow into the San Jose Convention Center to listen to one of the keynotes and depart mistakenly thinking that they've covered the entire show.

AOL has been busy lately, building on their renewed focus on a business model built around online advertising with social media to boot. First up, AOL is shedding Tacoda and folding it into Ad.com, part of Platform-A, AOL's ad division. The division recently began integrating Tacoda's behavioral targeting across its network. Platform-A is also opening up its mobile ads to third parties. Third Screen Media, Platform-A's mobile ad provider,

In the boldly headlined blog entry, " Search quality, continued ," Googler Ben Gomes explaines in greater depth what search quality means to Google. It's too bad Google didn't publish the post before the Un-Search Engine, Un- Cuil, launched . Gomes has written a clear overview of factors that Google considers to improve search user experience. Those are some of the same factors SEOs take into consideration when consulting on site design: 1. A small page.

Jim Goldman, who writes Tech Check at CNBC, is live blogging the Yahoo shareholder meeting. The turnout was light and much lower than expected. So far there have been no fireworks, with only a facetious request that Yahoo Board members punch time cards to prove how long they're working. )Roy Bostock said, no problem.( Yahoo Chairman Roy Bostock reiterated the standard Yahoo strategy and said the company was hitting its targets. He noted,

Last month, Yahoo launched the SearchMonkey gallery , where searchers can go and add applications to their Yahoo search. Now, Yahoo is making three of those apps automatic for all users. The Yelp , LinkedIn , and Yahoo Local SearchMonkey apps are now set to 'default on.' The three apps have been part of a test Yahoo conducted where they set the app to default on for select users. Yahoo says they saw click-through rates increase as much as 15% as a result.

Microsoft recently published research on a new algorithm it calls BrowseRank, which is based on user behavior instead of linking patterns. Microsoft thinks this could be the answer to increased relevance in search results. But is it? In today's SEM Crossfire column, " Look Out PageRank, There's a New Algorithm in Town ," Frank Watson and Kevin Newcomb share their thoughts on BrowseRank's potential, and potential pitfalls.

Earlier, I wrote about the estimates for location-based social networking to reach $3.3 billion in revenues by 2013 . The iPhone is leading the way with several new location-based social networks developed by third parties for the new iPhone 2.0 software. Here are 7 social networking apps that use location-based technology: Twinkle is a Twitter app that incorporates a location-based feature. Not only can you view your usual Tweets from the people you're following,

Location-based social networking is projected to generate worldwide revenues of $3.3 billion by 2013, according to ABI Research. But the business model may not be advertising driven. "Location-based mobile social networking revenues will reach $3.3 billion by 2013, but successful business models may differ from what many observers expect," says ABI Research principal analyst Dominique Bonte.

Local search is showing up in your Web browser, at your desk, on your phone, and on your GPS devices - and these are just the easy examples. In today's SEM agency issues column, " Universal Thoughts on Local Search ," William Flaiz explains that the number of devices and locations for local search will continue to grow as more things become connected to the Internet.

Can the iPhone and Google's Android fix the limitations that have plagued mobile advertising and mobile search? In today's vertical search column, " Has Mobile Local Search Finally Arrived? ," local search expert Michael Boland notes that it could take a couple years to really get moving, but after a long period of being rusted shut, it appears that the wheels are finally starting to creak forward on local mobile search.

During their conference call announcing second quarter results, comScore addressed whether or not a new Google research product is impacting their business. Google announced their new media measurement tool, Ad Planner , in late June. So far, the program is open by invitation only )though companies can apply for an invite(. comScore CEO Magid Abraham said, "We really haven't seen an impact so far on our business,

Human intelligence-based search company ChaCha has announced ChaCha 1:1, a mobile answers service designed for corporate mobile marketing campaigns. The service allows companies to utilize ChaCha's SMS search product to initiate conversations with consumers. "Through our sophisticated technology and human intelligence, we're enabling anyone to harness the power of our mobile answers service," said ChaCha co-founder and CEO, Scott A. Jones. "Now,

This morning Google VP Marissa Mayer appeared on the Fox Business Network. She talked about what's next at search, privacy, working at Google )including 20% time(, being a woman in tech, and how mobile is the next hot thing. Check out the video below to see the interview.

This morning the Guardian UK published a scathing analysis of Google, SEO and the launch of Cuil . In his article, Chris Williams claimed that the greatest threat to Google is spam. No argument there. But Williams takes the argument one step further and states: Plenty of digital ink has been needlessly spilt this week over the launch of the suicidally-monikered new search engine Cuil.com. But the only threat to Google is itself and, in a roundabout way,