There is an interesting discussion on the search engine optimization forum at WebProWorld around the topic of NoFollow-DoFollow . The comments are varied although there are a few common points. The most common being the use of NoFollow for paid links. Little of the conversation actually relates to search engine optimization. Some of the conversation goes to extreme, however it should be remembered the NoFollow is, generally speaking, a harmless tool.

by Jennifer Laycock Almost anytime I talk about viral marketing, the subject of offline word of mouth verses online word of mouth comes up. People ask questions like which is more powerful, which has more potential and which leads to higher conversions and purchases. The truth is, it depends on the campaign and the product. Still, two new sets of data have been released about word of mouth marketing that are worth looking at.

Posted by Dr. Pete One of the frustrations of doing SEO for large websites is the fact that Google makes it very difficult to see more than a small part of the search index. Even in Webmaster Tools, Google's index search is built on the same mechanics as its web search, which only lets you see the first 1,000 pages of any result. Whether you're trying to get pages discovered, struggling with duplicate content, confirming robots.txt changes, or doing advanced index sculpting,

You have only until the end of day tomorrow to register for my Online Reputation Management Workshop and get the heavily discounted rate of just $797 . After July 3rd, the rate goes up! Whether you work for an online marketing/PR firm, or handle the branding for your employer, you'll want to attend the workshop. Heck, if you're an SEO, you should attend if only to learn how to manage a client's Google reputation.

Sometimes we just can't let dead horses lie. That's okay, neither can Microsoft. After months of more drama than a daytime soap ( ahem ) with the attempted merger/acquisition of Yahoo, Microsoft pulled their offer back in May. And now they're saying, "Whoopsiedoodle. On second thought . . . we will be coming back fighting." The Wall Street Journal reports today that Microsoft is planning another run at Yahooand this time they won't be going it alone.

It's the first linky goodness of a new month. Hurray! More not-so-good news for Yahoo: the DOJ will reviewing the Yahoo-Google ad deal and plans to consult Y&G's rivals. Yet another reason for MSFT to celebrate today, I guess. Webmaster Central Blog gives a little checklist of things to do before and during a reconsideration request using Google Webmaster Tools , complete with video. Has someone at Google misspoken? In a Google Groups thread,

By Frank Reed. An article in today's Wall Street Journal by Lee Gomes the Long Tail theory popularized by Chris Anderson's book "The Long Tail" in 2006 there is now a pretty prominent player saying "Wait a minute now'..is this for real?" The Harvard Business Review has published a study that questions whether this theory actually holds water. Anita Elberse,

Can't decide whether to advertise on Google's YouTube or NBC and Fox's Hulu? Edgy vs. mainstream? Eminem's " Sing For The Moment ," or " Nutty Professor II: The Klumps? " Want to learn about the latest innovations in online and interactive video creative for advertising and marketing? Probe these questions and more with the nation's leading interactive video experts at the ClickZ Online Video Advertising Forum on July 22 in New York City. Come to see: *YouTube's Brian Cusack,

We wrap up our US Ad Services Meet The Team series with a sit down with Sarah Reagan , Alan Amerault and Lauren Taft-McPhee , all Media Specialists on the US Ad Services Team. They share their insights on the industry, what it's like to work at Microsoft.

First IAC took itself apart, now Ask is slowly dismantling its cool features, too. Chris Pendleton , a Virtual Earth evangelist, has posted that Ask has dropped its own mapping featuresAsk Maps, AskCity and map results integrated into their SERPsin favor of Live Virtual Earth (Microsoft's maps product). In some regions, the change is even more drastic. As Barry Schwartz reports, Ask UK's map site is offline (and their title element is misspelled: "Unavailabe"?