In the middle of nowhere, I’ve joined one of the best SEM events here in my country. Yes, the “10GoldenRules” from Jay Berkowitz was celebrated a couple of days ago in the Peninsula de Papagayo, Guanacaste Costa Rica.

With this post we start a series of SEMPO pre-SES London 2008 interviews to some of the speakers, organizers and attendees of the most expected search engine marketing event in Europe. Introducing Piers Stobbs, VP Europe at comScore, who will share with us his take on behavioral advertising trends.

Not even thinly veiled, this reference to Google demonstrates Microsoft's inability to beat Google solo. Even long term, MS is not culturally in the right position to play the way Google does. They need Yahoo!. Not just the media prowess and social knowledge. More than anything, they need the culture.

Malaysian Prime Minister said that he spoke with Google about their intension to setting up an operation in Malaysia, and hopes that it would boost Malaysia's ICT industry.

2008 will bring new challenges for search marketers in Brazil

Newest Google Bomb around

The number of access to video sharing web sites grew 216% in Japan in 2007 from the previous year. According to Video Research Interactive (VRI), there were more than 24 million accesses to video sharing web sites in 2007.

The truth is, there is, or at least will be, enough market out there for 2 or 3 really big search engines. The industry, on a global basis is still very nascent. Whether it is geo-based or vertically based, as the industry grows, there will be a number of opportunities for several large players to split the pie.

Mark you calendar! The best local event on blogging and social media is coming back again this year and I am pleased to join the organizing committee to invite you to attend the Northern Voice Blogging Conference in Vancouver (BC) which will be held on February 22-23 2008. Northern Voice is a two-day, non-profit personal blogging and social media conference that’s being held at the Forestry Sciences Centre, 2424 Main Mall, UBC main campus, Vancouver (BC) Canada on February 22-23, 2008. Please visit Northernvoice.ca for more information and how to attend.

Today, January 15, SES lands in Paris, for another exciting gathering of search marketers from all over Europe. And of course we will be blogging about it - stay tuned.