The Future of Facebook - Will Yahoo or Google Buy

Microsoft is in talks to buy a minority stake in Facebook, a sign of a new urgency by the software giant to jump-start its online business at a time when Google is widening its lead in the fast-growing Internet-advertising business.

As part of its catch-up program, Microsoft also has quietly granted broad powers to an executive recently hired from outside the company, who is expected to help shake up the software giant's online business.

Microsoft Corp. is mulling an investment in Facebook Inc. that would value the rapidly growing online hangout at $10 billion or more. Zuckerberg, owner of Facebook, rejected a $1 billion acquisition offer from Yahoo Inc. last year.

With more than $100 million in annual revenue, Facebook is believed to be a prime candidate for an initial public offering of stock next year or in 2009.

If Facebook's talks with Microsoft heat up, it could draw online search leader Google Inc. to the negotiating table, too.

Yahoo's acquisition rampage continues...

Yahoo on a rampage

So Yahoo buys BlueLithium. And now Zimbra. Keep your eye on them.

But I think MSN might surprise at some point too.

And there's always Ask.com, with one or two strong acquisitions, could become a formidable opponent and move up to the first tier players.

Internet Safety

Link building - what you need to know

Link building seems like a simple task on the surface. And if you actually follow through and maintain link building efforts, part of the battle has already been won.

But since not all links are created equal, here are the need to know details and a few links to some good reading on the subject;

First, links come in 3 varieties.

There are URL links (non-active), like this : http://seosnafu.blogspot.com
There are URL links (active), like this : http://seosnafu.blogspot.com/
And there are Text links, which use a phrase, like this: SEOsnafu Rocks

Of the three, 99% of your link building should be about the Text links.
The other two kinds will show up. And there will be the odd time where you can only use URL links (active and/or non-active).

The next thing to concern yourself with is that most of your links need to be pointed at inside pages. While using Text links of course.

Something like Search and saving the environment. Note that the text being used for the links is relevant and descriptive to the content being linked to.

Other Do's and Don'ts of link building?

Do...
- Build a variety of different kinds. Just using directories for link building is kinda 2002, or older!
- start with 3 or 4 word phrases. Trying to rank for a single word should be far down your action list. Build up to popular phrases.
- Consider working on a set of keyword phrases. Be consistant in link building and work towards ranking for them. Try 5 primary phrases, along with 5+ additional phrases to work on. In time, some of the secondary phrases could become your primary keyword phrases to work on.

Don'ts...
- avoid run of site links. Link growth thats too fast is a red flag for cheating
- don't join link networks. Obvious, and you'll get caught.
- stay clear of link pages that mean endless scrolling.

And some reading to look into on the subject;
http://www.jimboykin.com/site-backlinks/
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