Google has introduced the Google Merchant Center , designed to replace Google Base for submitting products to the search engine. Google says that Merchant Center provides a better-optimized experience for product listings. The Merchant Center interface is similar to Base and uses the same account info. Just sign into Merchant Center with your Google Base account and you'll see your feeds, items, FTP settings, etc. Non-product items still use Google Base.

If you've ever clicked on a link in your RSS reader and that link is associated with a site that uses Feedburner, you've probably noticed that the initial URL to appear in your browser's address bar was related to the feed and not the final URL. That's because Feedburner uses the URL to track the click. The redirect was a 302, a temporary redirect. But now Feedburner is updating the URLs to be permanent 301 redirects . Feedburner, which is owned by Google ,

by Mike Krumboltz The recent natural disasters in Samoa, Indonesia, and the Philippines have killed hundreds of people and left many homeless or missing. As emergency crews respond and the damage continues to be assessed, we've noticed huge Web searches from the curious and concerned. Below, a rundown of the most popular questions and answers. What happened in Samoa? At 6:47 a.m. on Tuesday,

Microsoft has filed a document with the SEC showing that top executives at the software giant have received pay cuts . Basically, some millionaires are making a few million less than they normally would. In related news, Kleenex was having a hard time moving tissue boxes off the shelves this week. Meanwhile, Steve Ballmer released a 1,300 word dissertation on his thoughts regarding the "new normal" which is translating into the "new efficiency." Basically,

You have probably heard about the Indonesian Earthquake that took place last night, claiming the lives of many. Shameless cybercriminals have not wasted anytime exploiting the disaster targeting people around the world who search for information on the subject. According to Symantec , malware creators have devised malicious software and websites designed to make money from concerned members of the public,

Web visitors using a mobile device increased 34 percent year-over-year, from 42.5 million visitors in July 2008 to 56.9 million in July 2009, according to a new report from Nielsen. Overall, year-over-year growth among the 13-17 and 65+ age groups outpaced the growth of the total mobile Web audience, with a youth increase of 45 percent and seniors climbing 67 percent in July. While men continue to make up a larger portion of mobile Web users compared to women,

From the This Just in Department: Contrary to what many marketers claim, most adult Americans (66%) do not want marketers to tailor advertisements to their interests. Moreover, when Americans are informed of three common ways that marketers gather data about people in order to tailor ads, even higher percentages-between 73% and 86%-say they would not want such advertising.

Last December, Warner Music decided not to renew its contract with YouTube . They wanted more money from the advertising coming in to YouTube as a results of the company's popular music videos. It was only slightly ironic since YouTube (and social media in general) has been notorious for not monetizing very well. Meanwhile, another major label, Univeral was out there touting the benefits of having their videos on YouTube ,

Just days after a controversial poll about killing the president ran on Facebook, and attracted an investigation from the secret service, an interesting press release has hit the wires . The release is about a new game, which comes in the form of a Facebook app, and will no doubt draw additional controversy. The game is called Al Qaeda Wars, and it lets users choose whether to be a terrorist or a counter-terrorist.

eBay investors who are wondering where their money's gone may be within their rights to hit up former CEO Meg Whitman and current chief exec John Donahoe for a few bucks. This morning, Eric Jackson outlined some questionable compensation strategies that have seen both individuals take home a lot of money and also use a large amount for personal travel expenses. Jackson, who is the founder and president of Ironfire Capital, wrote ,