updates

Facebook has just announced some updates to the Open API Stream. Among these are simpler JavaScript methods for publishing, Facebook Pages support, and attribution. A spokesperson for Facebook tells Murdok:

Twitter has changed the word "updates" to "tweets" on user profiles. Though the change seems insignificant, it's the first time the famed microblogging site has used the term "tweet" on their site.

This week, Facebook announced some coming changes to your status updates. Soon, just like with Twitter, you’ll have the option to make them public—but not just to everyone on the world’s most popular social network, but everyone around the world. (You know, with Internet access.)

Popular professional social network LinkedIn has launched some improvements to the search feature of LinkedIn Recruiter, its tool for recruiting passive job candidates. The search feature now comes with a new dynamnic refinement tool, which gives users the ability to more quickly break down candidates according to the precise expertise, geography, education, and industry background you're looking for.

Google has been working on updates to how it uses sitemaps. Considering research highlighted in this study (pdf), which showed how search engines find new and changed content faster with sitemaps, webmasters should take note.

At eMetrics in San Jose, Google's Brett Crosby announced 4 new features that are coming to Google Analytics. The features are aimed specifically at the more advanced users of the tool. They are:

A couple weeks ago, it was uncovered that YouTube was testing a "secret" beta of a new channel layout. Since then, the YouTube team has been hard at work adding new features and making updates to the new channel design.

Google has updated its Blog Search algorithm after postponing the update earlier in the month. Barry Schwartz at Search Engine Roundtable quotes Googler Jeremy Hylton who explains: