BinaryWolf

Google has partnered with other ICANN-accredited registrars to offer domain names as part of its Google Apps services.

What is Apps with ?

Domain registration for $10 per year

Once you get started, you can always reach your domain registrar through the Google Apps control panel. Since we’re handling the configuration for your Google Apps services, you may not need to contact your registrar. If that’s the case, you can automatically renew your domain registration in the Google Apps control panel.

Private domain registration to protect against spam at no extra charge

We’ll hide your personal information from the WHOIS directory by default. This means that Internet users won’t be able to search for the mailing address and telephone number associated with your domain name.

Full DNS control and domain management

You can manage the DNS settings for your domain and customize any functionality that suits you, or your organization.

Domain locking at no extra charge

Our partners are providing an additional level of security to protect against unauthorized domain transfers.

Automatically configured to work with Google services

When you activate a service in your Google Apps control panel, we’ll configure your DNS settings for you. For example, you can simply add ‘Email’ to your list of services and we’ll set up your MX records to properly send and deliver mail for your domain.

Email, calendar, instant messaging, web pages and more at no extra charge

It’s all at no additional cost! Our list of services continues to grow. You and your users will be able communicate and share information with many Google services.

Can I choose which registration partner will register my domain name?

Absolutely. During the sign-up process, you’ll see powered by registrar when selecting a domain name. This lets you know which domain registration partner we’ve randomly selected for you.

If you’d like to select another registration partner, click Learn more next to the ‘powered by’ text.

Once you click Continue to registration, we’ll continue with the registration partner that is selected at this time.

Summing it up — you get domain name registration and privacy service plus a number of Google Apps and services for less than you might pay to the registrar directly.

Google Web History let’s you search across web pages you’ve visited in the past, including Google searches. You might be concerned that Google is tracking you and has access to your searching data.

How to turn off ?

If you’d like to delete the Web History service from your Google Account, click on the “My Account” link from the Google homepage and click on “Edit” next to “My services”. Then select “Delete Web History”. Make sure you’re signed in to your Google Account to see the “My Account” link.

Should you worry about privacy issues? Want to opt out more quickly?

I was working on my taxes when I discovered that I hadn’t received a from for my earnings for last year. Yes, I did earn over the minimum required amount to be sent a 1099 form. So I contacted Google about this and had to jump through a few hoops to get this issue resolved.

Initially Google required that I had to resubmit (as in I had already done this once before) my tax information. If you have an AdSense account that would be the My Account tab, then the Tax Information tab. If you do this correctly you will see the Submitted: Month Day Year and Last updated: Month Day Year information displayed at the top of the page.

However, that might not be enough to get a 1099 form sent out. You may need to contact Google at adsense-support@google.com and give them a phone number and time to call, so they can call you to confirm your address and social security number. They are not able to view your ssn on their system, so they need to confirm it via a phone call before issuing a 1099 to you and the IRS. The Google rep (friendly and professional) confirmed that they currently have a bug in their system (due to them being oversecure) that is causing some problems with sending the 1099s. They are working on a fix.

Update: March 8, 2007. I finally received a 1099-MISC form from Google today. In the recipients name box, they omitted my last name. Only my first name appears. In the recipients identification number box they omitted my social security number. Sigh.

Last month California born, search engine maven Danny Sullivan, posted Yes Virginia, SEO Is Rocket Science – Defending Once Again.

Look, I am absolutely sick and tired of the community forgetting that what they know and do is NOT second nature to the vast majority of people. I’m not talking spamming or black hat stuff. I’m talking about that “simple” stuff, the loads of things that can make a real difference to how well a site does in the search results. Ignore these things on purpose or accidentally, and you miss out on valuable traffic.

Take that to the bank.

Barry Schwartz lists a few tonque-in-cheek suggestions as well.

1. Go to Google Webmaster Help at Google Groups and call out Adam Lasnik’s name
2. Sign up at Webmaster Central and use the forms there to contact Google (they will trust you more)
3. Come to a search conference and speak to a search rep, often it is better to talk to a less well known search rep, they are more likely to be frank with you and they may have less on their plate
4. Post a question at WebmasterWorld or Search Engine Watch Forums or sometimes DigitalPoint Forums
5. Become friends with someone who is already in contact with search reps
6. Try emailing Google (but that may get you no where)

Read the rest of the list Best Way To Contact Google?

Microsoft, Yahoo!, and Google have aligned on a new, standardized sitemap protocol that allows webmasters to give all three companies’ search engine spiders a complete listing of their site’s pages. The companies have put up a site to explain it all.

Hat Tip