Zachary M. Seward http://www.niemanlab.org writes that The Huffington Post applies A/B testing to some of its headlines. Readers are randomly shown one of two headlines for the same story. After five minutes, which is enough time for such a high-traffic site, the version with the most clicks becomes the wood that everyone sees.

Put the Author’s name above a headline to get more clicks

Paul Berry, Chief Technology Officer at The Huffington Post, said Huffington Post editors have found that “placing the author’s name above a headline almost always leads to more clicks than omitting it.”

Also, The Huffington Post’s new social media editor, Josh Young, has also been soliciting better headlines from readers on Twitter. Interesting use of Crowd-sourcing?

Takeaway

The Huffington Post is considering separate East Coast and West Coast editions.

Why?

Take the Oscars, It’s old news to East Coast readers by noon, but fresh for the West Coasters logging on.

Read more here: http://www.niemanlab.org/2009/10/how-the-huffington-post-uses-real-time-testing-to-write-better-headlines/

Will real-time rating lead to “better” headlines or more popular ones?

You can now use Paypal directly from inside Yahoo. Why bother you might ask? Well, before we get into that, let’s see how it works. Or does it work?

Where is the Paypal button in Yahoo?

It’s hard to find at first but here’s where it is.

1 Open Yahoo Mail.

2 If you look in the lower left corner of your Yahoo Mail, you’ll see a box called Applications.

3 Scroll down this list and, hey presto, there it is!

4 Click on the PayPal icon and it will tell you all nice and wonderful things, some of which are true.

How does it work?

There are a few ways to use PayPal. For example, if you see an item on the Yahoo site which has this blue shopping cart on it, then you can click on this and pay directly with PayPal or through your Yahoo account. That’s the idea anyway, but I didn’t see it happening in the examples I found on the Yahoo site.

The simplest way to use it is to send me directly to your friends while logged into Yahoo.

I want to Stay on Yahoo – You can Request money without having to leave Yahoo.

I want to Leave Yahoo – You have to go to the PayPal site if you want to Send money.

Click the PayPal icon to get started and when it asks you to Agree to the terms and conditions, click Yes.

Then click Continue. This opens the main screen from where you can send and receive payments.

To request money:

1 In the To field, enter your friend’s name and email address. Double check that it’s correct.

2 In the From fields, enter your name and email address. Double check that it’s correct.

3 Enter the Amount. Check that you selected the currency you wanted.

Tip: The default is US Dollars. Change this if you want to.

4 Enter a brief message and click Request Money.

To send money:

Basically, it’s just the other way around, except that you have to go to PayPal as well, which defeats the purpose of using it inside Yahoo. Either it’s one or the other surely.

1 In the To field, enter your friend’s name and email address.

2 In the From fields, enter your name and email address.

3 Enter the Amount.

4  Click Continue to PayPal.

And this takes you over to PayPal where you complete the transaction. Note that another web browser or tab will open. You should be brought here automatically but in case you’re not, check for any new browser windows.

Does it work?

1 This is a test payment that I sent to myself.

2 When the receiver, Ivan, gets this email, he has to click the Pay Now button to make the payment.

When I did this test, I had some issues. As I was not in the US, it redirected me to a foreign language version of the PayPal site.

This was understandable (as PayPal thought I was in that country) but it didn’t offer any way to return to the US site without closing the session.

If I simply went to the US PayPal site, I wouldn’t have had this problem.

What are PayPal Fees via Yahoo?

If you send money within the US:

• It’s FREE if your payment is fully funded using your bank account or your PayPal balance
• Credit or debit card fees are 2.9% plus 30 cents and you can choose who pays those fees-either yourself or the person you’re sending money to

If you send US dollars outside the US:

• 0.5-2% if your payment is fully funded using your bank account or PayPal balance. The fee depends on where you send the money
• 3.4%-3.9% plus 30 cents if you pay with a credit card or debit card

• Currency exchange rate includes a 2.5% fee

When you send money, the basic payment sources for your PayPal account will be used.

The following order is where funds will be withdrawn when you send money:

• PayPal balance
• Bank account
• Debit Card
• Credit Card

What currencies does it support?

You can send money to 65 countries. PayPal supports the following currencies:

• Australian Dollars
• British Pounds
• Canadian Dollars
• Czech Koruny
• Danish Kroner
• Euros
• Hong Kong Dollars
• Hungarian Forints
• Israeli Shekels
• Mexican Pesos
• New Zealand Dollars
• Norwegian Kroner
• Polish Zloty
• Singapore Dollars
• Swedish Kroner
• Swiss Francs
• US Dollars
• Yen

Technical Support

I regret to say that Yahoo and PayPal didn’t really cover themselves in glory here.

The PayPal Help site shows no answers for Yahoo. So, they don’t know about Yahoo. Again, I have some sympathy with PayPal as they’re probably writing the tech docs as we write and getting them online.

Yahoo were worse though. I emailed them twice and even sent screenshot. Nothing came back. I also posted some comments on their development blog – where they asked for feedback – and got no response.

I’m a big fan of PayPal, so I wrote on the blog that this Yahoo experiment was damaging the credibility of the PayPal brand.

Here is what I wrote:

Hi Folks,

First, can I say well done to you all! It looks like you guys/girls have turned a corner, esp with the WordPress integration last week.

Anyway, here’s my question and forgive my ignorance re tech terminology.

Is there a security risk if I log into Yahoo, log into PayPal, make a payment – but do not log back out of Yahoo?

In other words, is there any connection between my Yahoo and PP sessions?

I assume not but as these are so closely integrated, I had some concerns that the login/logout aspects could undermine the process, eg if someone used the Back button when logged into Yahoo and tried to ‘retreat’ into my PP account.

Thank you,

Ivan Walsh

http://developer.yahoo.net/blog/archives/2009/06/paypal.html

Posted by: Ivan Walsh at June 14, 2009 7:47 AM

I added those comments in June and here we are in Sept and no-one from Yahoo bothered to reply…  So much for wanting customer feedback.

Why bother to use Paypal inside Yahoo?

Wouldn’t it be simpler just to go to Paypal, I hear you say.

To be honest, that’s what I’d do.

1 I don’t see too many benefit to Yahoosers (yahoo users) if they have to use this clunky and buggy application.

2. Having to use both systems defeats the purpose and the rush to integrate both these technologies seems to have been too fast, resulting in glitches that you usually don’t find in Yahoo and especially PayPal.

3. Yahoo needs to reconsider what it’s doing here. Rather than throwing features and new apps at users just to get headlines and media coverage is a waste and frankly erodes the credibility of the company.

4. Likewise, PayPal need to get closer to Yahoo as these type of partnership diminish both companies.

5. Maybe an alternative approach would be to send users directly to the PayPal site, but somehow, fast-track them through the payment process. In a similar way that Amazon has with its 1 Click buy option.

A 1 Click pay option would be great.

Can these companies do it?

What do you think?

Posted via email from ivanwalsh’s posterous

Another feature in the new version of Yahoo Mail is the Connection manager. Connections are contacts with privileged benefits. They’re the people you spend the most online time with and the people you are most about sharing information with.

Connections can view more information on each other’s profiles than is visible to the general public and can easily share information through updates.

Adding Connections

To be connected, the other person needs a profile on Yahoo!

You can invite anyone to connect with you, even those without a profile.

Those without a profile can create one and connect with you in a few easy steps.

1. Open the invite window from your profile or contacts page.

2. Click the Invite link near the bottom of the Connections area.

3. Click the Invite to Connect link (which only shows if the person’s details include an email address or a Messenger ID).

4. The Invite Others to Connect window opens.

If you’re inviting a specific person from your contact list, the To: box includes that person’s email address or Messenger ID.

5. Type one or more email addresses in the To: box separating each address with a comma, then

6. Click the SEND INVITE button.

(If the person exists in your Yahoo! Contacts and has an email address, you can also type the name.)

Your invitation is sent!

When people accept it, their names appear in the Connections area of your profile and in your Connections category in Yahoo! Contacts.

You can learn more over here: http://overview.mail.yahoo.com

One of the new features in Yahoo Mail is the contact manager. It’s similar to a paper or desktop address book but has a lot more features and functions such as categories and links to your connections.
Yahoo! Contacts is an online contact manager that helps you organize and communicate with the people in your life.

1. In Mail, click the Contacts link in the left pane.
2. While viewing your profile, click the Contacts tab.
3. The contacts page opens displaying all of your contacts.
4. From here, you can

a. Add contacts.
b. Connect with those closest to you.
c. Create categories so that you can organize your contacts.
d. Work with contact details.

You can learn more over here: http://overview.mail.yahoo.com/products/new

You can switch between the all-new Yahoo! Mail and Yahoo! Mail Classic if you (like me!) prefer the old interface.

To switch between back to the Yahoo! Mail Classic:

1. Under yourname at the top of your Yahoo! Mail page, there’s a Mail Classic link.

2. Click Mail Classic to go back to the Yahoo! Mail version.

To change to the new Yahoo! Mail, just click All-New Mail in the upper-right corner of your Yahoo! Mail page.

Posted via email from ivanwalsh’s posterous

There are some nice new features in the new version of Yahoo Mail.
1. Attachments – preview photos in a slideshow right in your mail or download several attachments at once.

2. Auto-check for new messages – never hit the “refresh” button again!

3. Auto-save drafts – it automatically save emails as you write.

4. Calendar timeline – view, edit, and delete upcoming events on your calendar without leaving your mail.

5. Chat and text from your inbox

6. Drag and drop – drag messages into folders, trash.

7. Toggle back and forth between messages.

8. Peek inside any message with the reading pane

9. Search inside mail – search for and find anything in messages, attachments, names, words, and photos.

10. Universally available so you can stay connected on any internet-enabled phone

11. Unlimited storage

See more here: http://overview.mail.yahoo.com/products/new

The Yahoo.com home page (user interface) appears to have been updated.

My version in Internet Explorer shows the ‘old version’.

Here are 10 things that have been changed. Probably more.

Click here to see the full-size image. http://www.flickr.com/photos/ivanwalsh/3655992309/

1. My login name is no longer my Yahoo name (Welcome, Ivan)
2. My login name is now my ‘My Blog Log’ name.
3. My Blog Log is discretely referenced in the top menu bar – far right.
4. Yahoo Mail is not displayed in the right hand pane.
5. Widgets are added to the left menu. You can edit the left menu and add new widgets if you wish.
6. Get the New Yahoo Toolbar is gone.
7. Suggest a Site is now called Submit Your Site
8. The Page Layout option is gone
9. Yahoo! Espanol is now at the footer of the page.
10. Y! International is changed to International

Let me know what I missed and I’ll update the post.

Yahoo Tip – Shortcuts to move quickly through your inbox

Originally uploaded by Tech Writer Boy

How can I move to the next or previous message in a thread, that I’ve flagged,

haven’t read yet, or from a friend?

Can I do it with shortcut keys?

There are two ways to do this:

1. Click Ctrl + Shift + the up arrow on your keyboard, or

2. Click More Actions on the Yahoo! Mail toolbar, Extended Navigation and then Configure

2.1. When the Configure Extended Navigation window opens, choose if you want to use this shortcut to go from one message in a thread to the next, or skip from one to messages that have been Flagged, Unread, or from a specific person.

2.2. Click OK.

After you have set this up, you can move to the Next or Previous messages.

2.3 Use the Ctrl + Shift keys and the up or down arrows to go to the previous or next message in the sequence.

I don’t using the keyboard

Ok. Try this.

Go to the toolbar with your mouse and click More Actions, Extended

Navigation, and either Previous in Thread, Next in Thread, or Oldest Unread.
Nice time-saving tip if you use Yahoo mail.

PS – If you’ve found this article useful, please consider giving us a Digg or StumbleUpon.
Regards,

Ivan

Twitter / Facebook / Flickr / Templates / Tips

You can’t upgrade to the ‘all-new Yahoo! Mail’ if you’re PC setting are under 1024 x 768 pixels. At least that’s what happened this afternoon when I tried to upgrade. This is the error message you get from Yahoo.

[ad#ad1]

They give me a few options:

1. You can continue with your current settings, but you won’t be able to enjoy the full effect.

2. To continue to the all-new Yahoo! Mail anyway… [which sounds very lame, imho]

3. Go to Yahoo! Mail

4. Go to Yahoo! Mail Classic just this one time [read that again -just this one time! Am I back in high-school?]

5. Or better yet, try increasing your screen’s resolution.

Jerry Wang and co tells me, “If you’re running Windows, here’s how:
Click the Start button, and select Settings, then Control Panel. Next, double-click Display and click the Settings tab. Use the slider to set your monitor to a 1024 x 768 pixel resolution.

The problem is that these are my settings. See here:

Anyway, they’re pretty friendly about it and tell me to ‘Switch back to Yahoo! Mail Classic indefinitely — or at least until your system is ready.’

Until my system is ready…

and not until Yahoo gets its act together.

Could be a long time.

Question: Have you made the switch to Yahoo Mail yet? Let me know how it went or better still what it looks like.

From the outside, looking in.

Ivan

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We have gathered 50 tips and tricks to get the most from Bing, the new search engine from Microsoft. Here are tips 21-30.

20. Get all of Bing.com if outside USA

If you are outside the US, you may not be getting all Bing’s features and only it’s localized version.

To view all the options in Bing, which may not be available in your region, go to http://www.bing.com/worldwide.aspx and set English – US as your default region.

[ad#adc-2]

21. Hotels

Use the following as examples:

New York hotels
hotels in Egypt
Dublin hotels

22. Hulu Videos
Search for any TV show episode on Bing Videos. Hover the mouse over the video thumbnail to watch a short clip.

• Click on Videos in Bing.
• Click on TV Shows from the Explore Pane.
• Search for ‘house’ from the top search box.
• In the Explore Pane, click on ‘Source‘ and choose from where you want to see your results.
• To see a full-length, high-quality video, select Hulu.

23. Job Salary
For example, type LosAnglelesmarketing manager salary, developer pay in Bangalore, IT Manager pay.

24. Images by Format and Type

Bing can tell the difference between a photograph and an illustration.

Use the similar images link when you hover over an image to see similar related images.

25. IP Address lookup

Use Bing to lookup any IP address

IP:[IP Address]

Change [IP Address] with a valid IP, such as the IP address you want to track.

26. Mathematical Equations

Enter the equation that you want to solve, for example:

7+5/2-(45*2)
sqrt 9
sin 11 * 66
13% of 994

27. Preview Search Results

Hover over any search result and a small bar with a bubble appears.

If you hover over the bubble, it gives you a preview of the landing page on the site.

28. RSS Feeds from search results

You can save every search on Bing into an RSS feed.

This means you can pull the search results into your blog or website and increase your web traffic.

Access the feeds from the browser’s toolbars (or by pointing a feed reader to the search result’s URL) and then add

&format=rss

to the results.

Eg:  A search for Snagit v 9 would be available as an RSS feed from the following URL
http://www.bing.com/search?q=Snagit+9&go=&qb=1&format=rss

29. Ringtones for your mobile phone
You can download Bing-themed ringtones. MP3 files to make your phone go Bing Bing! Download BingTones for your phone.

30. Remove the Bing background image

To remove the background image in Bing’s search engine, enter the following url:

http://www.bing.com/?rb=0

This displays the homepage without the background image, making the download faster.

We have gathered 50 tips and tricks to get the most from Bing, the new search engine from Microsoft. Here are tips 11-20.

11. DHL and UPS Packages
Track DHL, UPS and other packages by tracking number. For example, type DHL 123456789.

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12. Display wallpaper images

If you’re a fan of Bing’s background wallpaper, you’ll like this!

You can display Bing’ wallpaper images in its Image search results.

Search for a term in Bing image search and then click on the Size category in the left sidebar.

This automatically display various size filters including an option for wallpaper. This display only images that have the exact size of the computer screen resolution.

13. Exact phrase
To search for exact phrases, enter the search words within quotation marks. For example, “natural asthma remedy”.

14. Export Session History to SkyDrive

Session History records the sites you visited within a single browser session for 48 hours.

You can also save searches to your Windows Live SkyDrive folders using My Search Folders view.

Tip: You can also send your search queries by email or publish them on your Facebook account via Bing.

• Click the Manage link under the previous search queries at the bottom of the Explore Pane.
• In the History Management page, browse through past searches and identify the query you’re looking for
• Click on the link to pick up where you left off.
• To save a search, click Save and Share on the right of the screen.
• Check the boxes next to the results you want to save and click Save.
• Create a new folder to save the search or sign in with Windows Live ID and save the results to your Windows Live SkyDrive.

15. Find Organizations
To find results about golf but that primarily pertain to the organization, type golf prefer:organization.

16. Find Blogs
To see blogs from the BBC websites, type blogging (site:bbc.co.uk) .

17. Find RSS feeds
To find RSS feeds about iphone, type feed:iphone.

18. Find RSS feeds of particular website
To find webpages on the New York Times website that contain RSS feeds, typesite:www.nytimes.com hasfeed:iphone. ‘hasfeed:’

Finds webpages that contain an RSS feed on a website for the terms you search for.

19. Firefox Plugin for Bing
Bing provides great general search results, relevance, a big index and speed — all of the hallmarks of a good search engine.
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/12205

However, because sorting through search results can often be time consuming, Bing organizes popular results in a different
way, designed to help you get the answers you’re looking for without having to guess the right way to phrase a search term.

Know any more Bing tips?

So far, we have gathered 50 tips and tricks to get the most from Bing, the new decision-making engine from Microsoft. Here are the first 10. 1. Add your site on Bing To add your site on Bing, click on http://www.bing.com/docs/submit.aspx This link will direct you to the submit URL page of Bing where you can provide the URL of your blog or website. [ad#adc-2] 2. Area Codes Area Codes displays the area code or ZIP code. Type area code followed by code. For example, area code 515. 3. Advanced search keywords Using advanced keywords to find the search results you only what you see. Don’t include a space after the colon in these keywords. 4. Celebrities Tracking Bing xRank tracks celebrities and ranks them. xRank shows News results, Image results, Video results , biography details, and digg links. 5. Cheap flight tickets To get the cheap flight deals, enter: Deals on specific routes: flights from London to New York Deals from a specific city: flights from San Francisco Deals to a specific city: flights to Rome [ad#adc-2] 6. Contains parameter refines searches In Bing, the parameter ‘contains’ tells the search engine to only look for websites that contain that search term. For example iPhone contains:download Beatles contains:mp3 Annual Report contains:doc 7. Combine or Excluding words Use the OR and NOT keywords to combine or exclude words. For example, if you use iphone NOT Green, you will get results for iphone but not for green iphones. 8. Currency Converter Type ‘convert 100 dollars to euros’ for currency conversion from dollars to euros. 9. Check if your website is listed in Bing.com To verify that your website is in the index, type url:yoursite.com. For example, url:ivanwalsh.com returns a single result. Tip: Check that your robot.txt file allows Bing.com to index your website. 10. Check the number of webpages indexed in Bing.com Type site:yoursite.com  to see how many pages have been actually indexed in bing.com. For example, site:ivanwalsh.com.

To add your site to Bing, Microsoft’s new search engine:

Go to: http://www.bing.com/docs/submit.aspx

This link directs you to Bing’s submit URL page where you can provide the URL of your blog or website.

Know any more Bing tips?

To add your site to Bing, Microsoft’s new search engine:

Go to: http://www.bing.com/docs/submit.aspx

This link directs you to Bing’s submit URL page where you can provide the URL of your blog or website.

Know any more Bing tips?