TODAY’S SPOTLIGHT

  • Overstock CEO Patrick Byrne blamed a big part of missing earnings on missing a Google ranking change. Wall Street hammered the stock.
  • Just in time for the holiday advertising season, Yahoo! introduced its own advertising platform while it partners with many others.
  • Google’s privacy became easier to understand thanks to the company’s new AboutMe feature and privacy check.

And that is what you need to know for this week without the hype.

News You Should Know

Overstock Blames Change To Google Search Rankings For Hurting Its Growth
Overstock Blames Change To Google Search Rankings For Hurting Its Growth

Overstock.com says it was hit by a change in Google’s search ranking algorithm, hurting growth. Its stock dropped 18% based on the earnings report news.

Introducing Yahoo Product Ads
Introducing Yahoo Product Ads

Yahoo! gets back into advertising the old fashioned way–by offering their own just in time for holiday campaigns.

Google makes it easier to control your personal data and privacy
Google makes it easier to control your personal data and privacy

This is the best overall article we’ve seen on Google’s AboutMe privacy feature. With the new “About me” page, you can view and control what other people see about you across Google’s various services.

Tech in our Lives

Own a Vizio Smart TV? It’s Watching You by ProPublica
Own a Vizio Smart TV? It’s Watching You by ProPublica

Vizio, one of the most popular brands on the market, is offering advertisers “highly specific viewing behavior data on a massive scale.”

TODAY’S SPOTLIGHT

  • Federal officials said they won’t force Google, Facebook, and other companies to honor “Do Not Track” requests.
  • Facebook posted huge increases in usage and revenue. A Bloomberg reporter says usage growth is “accelerating again”.
  • Google’s infamous Penguin update is late, but still on track for 2015.

And that is what you need to know for this week without the hype.

News You Should Know

The FCC says it can’t force Google and Facebook to stop tracking their users

The agency says its net neutrality policy doesn’t let it regulate Web sites — just Internet providers.

Facebook Sales Top Estimates, Fueled by Mobile Advertising

Facebook Inc. notched another quarter of revenue that beat estimates after stepping up its mobile-advertising efforts.

Google Confirms Penguin Update By End of Year
Google Confirms Penguin Update By End of Year

Good news for those anxiously awaiting a Google Penguin update, Google confirms we will be seeing the update before the end of the year. Big news coming on the heels of the “Rank Brain” main algorithm change a couple of weeks ago.

Tech in our Lives

Gmail’s Inbox app will now write (some of) your e-mails for you - The Washington Post
Gmail’s Inbox app will now write (some of) your e-mails for you – The Washington Post

E-mails written by actual robots, rather than just office drones. For now, this is just the Inbox app, not the Gmail app.

TODAY’S SPOTLIGHT

  • The main Google algorithm that creates search results explained and with a big new update to boot.
  • Twitter is going to let you have follow a whole lot more people.
  • Target increases digital spend for the holidays–now 61% of their budget!

And that is what you need to know for this week without the hype.

News You Should Know

All About Google's New Search Algorithm
All About Google’s New Search Algorithm

Google’s using a machine learning technology called RankBrain to help deliver its search results. Here’s the best explainer article on the topic so far.

Twitter Moves Account Limit from 2,000 to 5,000 Followers
Twitter Moves Account Limit from 2,000 to 5,000 Followers

This is a big cultural change for Twitter, but should ony affect power users.

Target Boosts Digital Ad Spending to 61% for Holidays
Target Boosts Digital Ad Spending to 61% for Holidays

Toy-Filled ‘Odyssey’ Campaign Features Bullseye, Neil Patrick Harris Plus Tie-Ins With Mary Poppins, Star Wars. You think they got the mobile and social memo?

Tech in our Lives

Everything you need to know about the vast undersea network that makes the Internet work
Everything you need to know about the vast undersea network that makes the Internet work

For all the talk about the “cloud,” practically all of the data shooting around the world actually relies on a series of tubes to get around — a massive system of fiber-optic cables lying deep underneath the oceans.