Puppy's Picks - 07/16/08

I scan a few hundred feeds and read dozens of articles a day so you don't have to. From more insight into Google's algorithm to the value of links to a reminder of how well Twitter works as a networking tool, check out a roundup of half a dozen posts I classify as "must-read" for the day.

• Amit Singhal pens his second post about the technologies behind Google rankings on the Official Google blog this week. For those looking forward to true semantic web search, this will be a great read. Always exciting to see just how far search technology has already come.



• If you're a blogger, you already know bad pitches abound. If you're a business, you want to write pitches that get coverage but you don't want to be the one sending those bad pitches. Drew McLellan offers up a nice reminder this week about the difference between things that make you happy and "real" news. A simple test is to sit down and honestly ask yourself if you'd care (and write about it) if your competitor sent you the same news.



• There's a nice post exploring some of the latest talk about what social media is (and isn't) over at the Brand Box. Amber offers up some common sense advice (and a gentle kick in the pants) for companies that are busy being social media wallflowers.



• Jill Whalen tackles a question about the whether a link from a web site counts the same no matter what page it's hosted on. In her example, someone asks about a link from a blog that quickly moved from the high ranking front page to a lesser trafficked archive page. Find out what Jill has to say (and get yet another reminder of the potential problems with paid links) in Jill's piece.



• Mack Collier reminds us just how invaluable Twitter is when it comes to conferences. Whether you're headed to SES San Jose, Small Business Marketing Unleashed or SMX East, getting on Twitter and running searches using tools like Summize can be a great way to make connections with people you'll have a chance to meet in person at the event itself.



• And finally, it's the summer before a presidential election, which means it's time for yet another serving of viral brilliance from the team at JibJab.