Google Launches Instant Previews

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At last, Google has finally gained a page preview feature. Called “Instant Previews,” this is a way for you to see what’s on a page that’s listed in Google’s search results without having to leave Google.

The new feature seems promising, another way to save time in the searching process, because there’s less need for people to “pogostick” with their search results.

Pogosticking is when someone clicks from a search listing to a page, then clicks back if unsatisfied to select another result and so on. With the new Instant Previews, they may be better able to immediately spot the most promising pages among those listed.

Up Close With Instant Previews

In the new feature, which was spotted being tested last month, a small magnifying glass appears next to each listing:

Click on that magnifying glass, and a preview of the page that’s listed will appear to the right side of the search results:

Once you’ve enabled Instant Preview mode, you can also use your arrow key to move down through the other results. As you select one, it will be highlighted with a blue background. The preview will change to show the highlighted page:

More Than Just A Thumbnail

Previews that show a small “thumbnail” image of a page are nothing new. They’ve been employed by various search engines over the years. Ask.com, for example, launched its Binoculars service way back in 2004, through the feature appears to have been dropped as part of Ask’s recent makeover into a Q&A search engine. Google even began offering thumbnail previews last year, through its search options feature.

Bing tried a new twist on previews when it rolled out Quick Previews as part of its launch in 2009. By placing your mouse to the right of any listing, you get a longer textual summary of information displayed from the page itself, as with this example below:

Google’s system seeks to marry the two: an image of the page as well as extracting text. Rather than a small thumbnail image, it shows a much larger picture of what the page looks like. The larger image, and one that’s not in a standard square shape, especially helped with people finding the previews useful in testing, Google told me. In addition, the previews highlight the relevant text on the page — similar to Bing — but within the context of the image.

Callouts & Tears

Within the images, relevant text to your search is highlighted through “callouts” that make it easy to read:

Pages can have more than one callout:

Pages might also have have what Google call “tears,” where a page might appear to have been “torn” to show you the overall context of the page but also show you parts relevant to your search. Below, an example of a tear is shown between the two green bars:

Instant Previews & Ads

The images previews cover up Google’s ads, when they appear. Is this a problem for advertisers? Google says largely no.

The company told me that most people scan the search results page quickly. If they’re interested in the unpaid “editorial” results, they’ll tend to stay looking at them rather than going back and forth to the ads. In other words, previews aren’t blocking ads because if someone decides they want to focus on editorial results, they’re already ignoring the ads.

Ads, by the way, will also get an Instant Preview feature in the future, Google told me.  There’s no set timeline for this, however.

Site Owners: You Can Block Previews

Don’t like the idea of Google making previews of your pages? As with Bing’s previews, you can also opt-out of Google’s.

To do so, just make use of the nosnippets meta tag. Meta Robots Tag 101: Blocking Spiders, Cached Pages & More explains more about this.

Nice Addition

Google suggests that Instant Previews will make it easier to spot if a page contains a table, chart or picture you might be after. I agree. It should be a useful feature for many searchers in these or other cases. There have been plenty of times when a short preview would have given me a better idea if a site might be worthwhile to visit or not. And, if you don’t like it, well, don’t click on the magnifying glass and you won’t see it.

To learn more about Google Instant Previews, also see Google’s blog post about it.

Albany, GA Orthodontist Discusses Types Of Invisalign Treatment

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ALBANY, GEORGIA– Invisalign continues grow in popularity for one Albany, GA orthodontist as more people go in search of aesthetic options for orthodontic treatment.

Dr. Dallas Margeson has offered the Invisalign option at his south Georgia orthodontics office since 1999. As Align Technology- the pioneers of the invisible braces market who created Invisalign- introduces new Invisalign products, Margeson offers many of them as additional treatment options to patients.

Since Invisalign was introduced in 1999, the company has developed several more variations of the product, Margeson said. They include:

  • Invisalign Full- a treatment option that can correct simple to complex cases of malocclusion.
  • Invisalign Teen- geared toward patients who are teenagers and younger, compliance indicators and Power Ridges are featured on this line. Invisalign Teen allows for the natural eruption of permanent teeth and addresses supra-eruption. Invisalign Teen became available in the United States in July 2008.
  • Invisalign Express- a treatment option that uses up to 10 sets of aligners and is a lower-priced solution for minor spacing and crowding cases, or as a precursor to restorative or cosmetic treatment.
  • Vivera Retainers- used for retention after treatment is complete for patients who underwent Invisalign or traditional orthodontic treatment. New retainers are made available to patients through a subscription plan. Vivera Retainers became available in the U.S. in January 2008.

“Invisalign has proven to be a viable option for a variety of malocclusion cases,” said the Albany, GA Invisalign provider. “That, coupled with the aesthetic features that many patients request and the oral hygiene benefits make it an ideal orthodontic approach for many of our patients.”

How Invisalign Works

Invisalign treatment begins with the end in mind. A 3-D computerized model of the patient’s teeth is created, which depicts the patient’s teeth prior to and after Invisalign treatment. Margeson makes any necessary modifications, and the information is forwarded to the Invisalign lab where the aligners are made.

Using Invisalign’s ClinCheck software, Margeson is able to show patients each movement, aligner by aligner,  throughout the treatment process.

Invisalign aligners are made of clear, medical-grade plastic and are custom-made to fit each individual patient. The patient usually gets four to six sets of aligners at their orthodontic checkup. Each aligner is worn for about two weeks.

The series of aligners work together to gradually reposition the teeth into proper alignment, Margeson said. Treatment typically lasts between nine and 18 months.

Oral Hygiene Benefits

Keeping the teeth and gums healthy is easy during Invisalign treatment because the aligners can be removed while eating, drinking, brushing and flossing.

“Tartar and plaque can build up around brackets if patients aren’t meticulous with their oral hygiene, and food often gets caught around brackets,” Margeson said. “Flossing also can take a bit longer, because floss threaders are needed to navigate between the wires and teeth to floss properly.”

Having removable aligners eliminates any potential obstructions. Patients wear their aligners, remove them to eat and drink, and are able to brush and floss normally.

Learn More

If you are looking for an orthodontist in Albany, you would like more information about Dr. Dallas Margeson’s Albany, GA orthodontics office, or you are interested in scheduling an appointment for a complimentary consultation, please call: (229) 434-0013; or visit his website: margesonorthodontics.com.

Dr. Margeson’s office is located at 2402 Westgate Dr. in Albany.

About Dr. Dallas Margeson

Dr. Margeson was born and raised in Albany, Georgia and is a 1982 graduate of Deerfield-Windsor High School. After studying at the University of Georgia, Dr. Margeson moved on to the Medical College of Georgia School of Dentistry, where he earned his D.M.D. in 1991. He completed his orthodontic residency at the MCG School of Dentistry and received a master’s degree in oral biology and certificate in orthodontics.

He is a Diplomate of the American Board of Orthodontics. He has been in practice in Albany since 1994. In 2000, he acquired the practice of Dr. Ed Jordan, who was an orthodontist in Albany for more than 30 years. His father, the late Dr. Robert Margeson, Jr., practiced dentistry in Albany for more than 40 years.

Dr. Margeson served as the president of the Georgia Association of Orthodontists in 2009-10. He is a part-time associate professor at the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta, and lectures to the orthodontic residents occasionally.

Dr. Margeson stays active in the community, where he is a member of Porterfield United Methodist Church, the Albany Rotary Club and is a board member of SunTrust Bank of South Georgia, as well as Deerfield-Windsor School.  He also sponsors several youth athletic teams and is very involved in the community.

Dr. Margeson is involved in the following professional organizations: American Board of Orthodontics (Diplomate), Georgia Association of Orthodontists, American Association of Orthodontists, Georgia Dental Association, Southwest District Dental Society, America Dental Association, and the Albany Area Dental Society.

© 2010 Prodentite and Dr. Dallas Margeson. Authorization to post is granted, with the stipulation that Sinai Marketing is credited as sole source. Linking to other sites from this article is strictly prohibited, with the exception of herein imbedded links.

Bing passes Yahoo, now a distant second behind Google

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Microsoft’s Bing has passed Yahoo to become the number two search engine in the US, according to the latest data from The Nielsen Company. In August, Bing grew from 13.6 percent to 13.9 percent of the US search market while Yahoo shrunk from 14.3 percent to 13.1 percent. Meanwhile, Google’s share was up from 64.2 percent in July to 65.0 percent. Combined, Bing and Yahoo had a search share of 27.0 percent, still less than half of Google’s.

Although this is definitely a milestone that Microsoft should be proud of, it’s not as significant as some may think. After all, last month Microsoft and Yahoo jointly announced that Yahoo was being powered by Bing in the US and Canada. As such, Bing technically grabbed second place at some point in August thanks to the merger.

More important to Bing’s success is Google’s trend, and not Yahoo’s. As you can see in the chart above, Bing really started to steadily gain share in the last six months, and since October it has easily seen the most change: a gain of more than three percentage points. In that timeframe, Google has lost over a percentage point and Yahoo has lost over two.

Nielsen says its search data only counts “genuine intentional searches” that users type into a search box, and does not include contextual searches that are automatically generated by search engines based on browsing behavior. Other US search-measuring groups, including comScore, Experian Hitwise, and StatCounter, still show Yahoo in second place and Bing in third.

http://arstechnica.com/microsoft/news/2010/09/bing-passes-yahoo-now-a-distant-second-behind-google.ars

How will Google Instant affect long tail searches?

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http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2010/09/search-now-faster-than-speed-of-type.html

Yesterday Google unveiled Google Instant.  “Search as you type. It’s a simple and straightforward idea—people can get results as they type their queries. Imagining the future of search, the idea of being able to search for partial queries or provide some interactive feedback while searching has come up more than a few times.”

Benefits?

Faster Searches

Smarter Predictions

Instant Results

Drawbacks?

I’m curious to see how this affects long tail searches.  How will this affect keyword research?  I guess time will tell.

Salisbury, NC Dentist Celebrates First Anniversary at New Practice Location

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Salisbury NC Dentist

http://www.impactwire.com/mbarticle.asp?id=966

SALISBURY, NORTH CAROLINA – June marks the first anniversary of Salisbury, NC Dentist Dr. Steve W. Yang’s new practice location.

Yang moved into the new space at 2290 Statesville Blvd. in June 2009 because the practice had outgrown its former office space.

“Our other office was built in 1972, it was upstairs in a corner suite and we couldn’t expand,” he said. “Here, we are in a stand-alone building that provides easy access to all of our patients.”

The new location includes technological upgrades that enable Yang’s staff to provide many of the most current, efficient treatment modalities available.

Electronic medical records streamlined the charting process and helped reduce the amount of paper the office uses and traditional X-rays were replaced with digital X-ray technology, which eliminated the need for the hazardous chemicals used to develop X-ray film. This new technology also exposes patients to less radiation and enables the images to be displayed on computer screens in each exam room almost immediately, Yang said.

Learn More
If you would like to learn more about Dr. Steve W. Yang, his Salisbury, NC dentistry practice, or you would like to schedule a consultation, please call (704) 633-1322. Dr. Yang’s office is located at 2290 Statesville Blvd.

About Dr. Steve W. Yang
A personal interest in health care combined with a number of personal dental issues prompted Dr. Steve W. Yang to pursue a career in dentistry. He is a 1997 graduate of the University of North Carolina School of Dentistry. Prior to that, he earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from UNC-Chapel Hill.

Dr. Yang’s professional affiliations include: the Rowan-Cabarrus Community College Dental Advisory Board; vice-chairman of the Rowan County Board of Health; former secretary/treasurer, vice president, and president of the Rowan County Dental Society; North Carolina Dental Society; American Dental Association; and the Academy of General Dentistry.

Volunteering also is a big part of Dr. Yang’s life. He volunteers his dentistry services for the Give Kids a Smile dental sealant project, the Baptist Dental Bus and the Community Care Clinic, which is a free dental clinic.

In the community, Dr. Yang was on the Country Club of Salisbury board of directors and is a member of the Rowan Little League board of directors, Catawba College Chiefs Club and the Civitan Club of Salisbury.

Born in Seoul, South Korea, Yang moved to Salisbury, NC at age 7. He graduated from East Rowan High School. He and his wife, Lori, have four children: John, Alex, Ellen, and Ashley.

In November 2001, their other son, Michael, passed away, which led Steve and Lori to start the Michael Yang Foundation. The Foundation’s primary objective is to support the Circle of Hope, a bereavement service for parents who have lost children.

The Yangs attend Christiana Lutheran Church, where Dr. Yang is a former member of the church council and benevolent committee. In his spare time, Dr. Yang enjoys golf , travel, spending time with his family and coaching youth sports.

© 2010 Prodentite and Dr. Steve W. Yang. Authorization to post is granted, with the stipulation that Prodentite is credited as sole source. Linking to other sites from this press release is strictly prohibited, with the exception of herein imbedded links.