This week Matt Cutts of the Google Webmaster team tackled the question:
Matt, Does the good guys still stand a chance? We're a small company that hired an SEO firm that we thought was legit, but destroyed our rankings w/ spam backlinks. We've tried everything but nothing helps. What can a company with good intentions do?
In their latest Webmaster video. Matt stated that the webmaster and search quality team do not consider websites that spam as "good guys", regardless as to whether owners are 'good people' and were failed by SEO agencies. Although, it may sound harsh, it’s reality, that’s why the takeaway from his video is to be fully aware of who you are hiring to do your SEO. Always ask for examples and check they are legit - otherwise they could be hindering your site instead of helping it!
It’s bad news for Android WhatsApp users, as yesterday it was revealed that a security flaw was discovered. According to security consultant Bas Bosschert, CTO at DoubleThink, it's possible for others to access your private WhatsApp chats through downloaded Android apps. He stated
The WhatsApp database is saved on the SD card which can be read by any Android application if the user allows it to access the SD card. And, as the majority of people allow everything on their Android device, this is not much of a problem.
So If you are using the app's built-in back-up feature then your backup is going to a database with insecure storage, meaning chats could potentially be stolen and read by another app. Opinions are currently split over whether WhatsApp or Android itself is more to blame for the flaw, however neither of them have released any statements.
This week I noticed a “new” alert on my navigation bar on Google Docs - that newbie was in fact Google’s new add-ons feature. After having a quick browse, I looked at their YouTube video demonstrating how the feature could be used. In short, this is a store where developer partners can give users extra features and once you’ve installed it you’ll be able to see them across all of your documents and spreadsheets. Note that these add-ons are in preview right now, but more are on their way - check out their video and let us know what you think of this feature and whether you’ll be installing them.
Our app of the week goes to web app Screenleap. This app has been around for a while but that doesn’t stop us from pitching them to our readers. If you haven’t heard of them then here’s a quick rundown. The Screenleap simplifies screen sharing, allowing you to share your computer screen on the web with one click. It’s your choice how many people you share with, you don’t need to sign up for an account and it does it all for you for free! The cool thing about this app is that It incorporates a social aspect by allowing you to create personalized pages and broadcast publicly to the entire web or select individuals.
