Starting with the September 1, 2005 live show, The Chris Pirillo Show is moving to a new time. The live broadcast will now take place between 6-9PM Pacific (GMT -8). Based on a ton of listener feedback, this time shift should make everyone happy. For the September 1 show we will be taking live calls as always via 1-888-PIRILLO or using Google Talk with Chris’s username chris.pirillo at gmail.com. We may also take Skype calls, although Google Talk seems to be the most popular route. Chris will be calling in from the road in Colorado Springs and we’ve got a few surprises in store - be sure to tune in from 6-9PM Pacific.

SNAP.com offers a different way to search the Web, offering dynamic results as-you-type, similar to what you might get from Desktop search products like the Windows Desktop Search component of the MSN Toolbar or like the X1 desktop search product. At SES San Jose, Chris talked with Tom McGovern, CEO of SNAP, about another groundbreaking component of the SNAP service related to advertising. If you’ve ever advertised using products like Google Adwords, you’re familiar with the idea of cost-per-click advertising. SNAP sells cost-per-action advertising in conjunction with its search results, bearing some of the burden of delivering qualified actions from people clicking on the advertisements. You can find out about the fundamental differences in using SNAPs CPA advertising solution in this conversation with Tom McGovern.

Coverage of SES San Jose is brought to you by MSN Search.

One of my friends is trying to get the Craigslist postings re: Katrina victims posted and announced through as many sources as possible. As you look at these listings he's included, you will find there are enormous resources available to victims of the Katrina hurricane - but no one knows about them unless they know about Craigslist. He's finding offers for all types of assistance are getting posted from all over the world. The sooner this information can get pushed out there, the less the effect of this devastation should have upon the Katrina victims.
He asks me to help. I'm helping.
Housing - there are enormous amounts of free housing offers for Katrina victims here.
Community Board - There are hundreds of postings of survivors looking for info on relatives and others as well as offers for free housing and offers to help.
For Sale - Lots of listings for free housing, free items for Katrina victims.
Services - Professionals offering their services for free for the Katrina-effected areas.
I'd watch out for poachers and evildoers, even on Craigslist. If there's looting and polluting going on in Nawlins, you can assume the same thing can and will happen online. Seriously, now is not the time to let your guard down. I hope all of my readers who have endured hurricane Katrina are (and remain) safe.

If you've always wanted to have the Opera browser (without paying for it, and without putting up with the advertisements in the client), now's your chance. “For one day only, you can get an ad-free version of Opera. Simply e-mail registerme@opera.com to obtain a registration code. This offer is valid from 12 a.m. Tuesday, August 30 to 12 a.m. Wednesday, August 31 2005 (PDT).” I'd jump on it if I were you, even if you've never thought about using Opera. Who knows? I don't think it's gonna topple Firefox (and I don't think Opera really cares about their Web client in the desktop arena, anyway). Give 'er a shot, even if you decide to register it for a friend who doesn't like IE or Firefox.

To excel in a highly competitive space, you must be willing to embrace your detractors and do what you know works best. I don’t know of an online business with more competition than search engine optimization. To my mind, top search engine results should be about providing information and resources most relevant to the search query. Successful rankings are earned through quality content and well thought out page optimization, not the pump-and-dump tactics of search engine spammers. Jill Whalen is one of the SEO gurus who excel in using effective Web implementation and long term planning to keep listings at the top for the long term. At SES San Jose, we talked with Jill about her background in building successful sites for the last 10 years and how there’s more to SEO than quick fix tactics employed by spammers.

Coverage of SES San Jose is brought to you by MSN Search.

I have not been blessed with telemarketing calls since the first night we recorded them. Then again, I'm not sitting in front of those phone lines all day long (they're in the other room, and the machine does not ring aloud by design). If you've ever been stuck inside one of those Web forms that's asking for your phone number, and you'd rather not give it out, go ahead and give ours out instead. Hell, even give one of our numbers to strange people you meet at bars, so that when they call into a live broadcast, we can really have some fun with 'em (after explaining that the 'call may be recorded for quality assurance purposes'). Use these at will:
#1: 206.860.5198
#2: 206.323.1979
#3: 206.324.2541
#4: 206.325.5941
#5: 206.328.7613
#6: 206.568.5879
You could even use these phone numbers on silly mail-in forms. We don't care.

As Ponzi noted (in a not so subtle way), we're working on the Gnomedex conferences for 2006. Yes, that's a plural. We hit critical mass with 5.0, and instead of changing the formula for a sold-out success, we're doubling our efforts. Thinking: part I in April and part II in September. There are so many subjects that we didn't get to cover with our single-track efforts. The sky is still the limit, however - and we're open to as many suggestions as you want to throw at us. Blast me a note, if you have thoughts on content, product launches, activities, sponsors, etc. Now is the time! I'm not sure when registration will be open, but past Gnomedexers will get first crack at it (including a discount).
Location is likely to remain in Seattle for now. We're not allergic to other places, mind you. I think SF would be a great place to do a Gnomedex - and some folks have asked for a UK, Amsterdam, and/or East Coast event. The deterrents for expanding in this way are too numerous to mention at this point. We wait for opportunities, but we also can't wait to make our own.
Hey babe - Bob Wyman from PubSub has already thrown his hat into the ring to be our WiFi sponsor again!
After Ponzi went to BlogHer, she came back with a renewed vision, passion, and overall understanding of what's going on in this virtual world. It's her *PERSONAL* goal to have over half the audience be women. I'm excited to see how that unfolds!
BTW, you're all invited to Gnomedex. Everybody. Anybody who can make it. I don't know where folks got the idea that this is a closed event - it's anything BUT. I can't count the number of folks who wished they could've been there for 5.0. We're giving you two opportunities in 2006. To recap: this is an open conference. Again, you're ALL invited to Gnomedex. There are no true restrictions on who comes and who does not. Seriously.
Gnomedex is a story, and each event is another chapter (to borrow from the mouth of a good friend). You write the paragraphs; Ponzi and I are merely the pages. To that extent, we're toying with the idea of keeping a chunk of time schedule-free and letting conversations organize themselves (vendor-neutral, naturally). Just thinking out loud here.
Can't wait! I really can't wait.

As we drove away from a great BBQ over at Maryam and Robert
Scoble's place yesterday, I rolled down my window to let the convertible cab
breathe a bit (we didn't have the roof down because it looked as though rain was
impending). As we rolled down the street, I took a deep breath and smelled
autumn. Yes, autumn has a smell - a very distinct scent, at that. I looked at
the sky, I looked at the trees, I felt a slight chill on my arm; we've
officially fallen into the fall season in Seattle. This is my favorite time of
year, largely because the trees are so colorful, and the air is so clear, and
the rain is so cleansing, and the days are much shorter… and I know I'm an
oddball for liking all of that.

One of the toughest parts of finding a specialist is determining whether a person or company does good work. Sometimes a friend or neighbor may know a good carpenter, but what if you need a plumber and can’t find a good recommendation. After recently moving to Seattle following thirty years in Des Moines, IA, I’m finding it a challenge to rediscover reliable experts in a variety of important areas. For instance, how do you find a good dentist for your kid (or yourself) when you move to a new city? Choosing the one closest to the house or office isn’t guaranteed to offer great results. Insider Pages presents itself as the solution offering a city directory with reviews from people familiar with the practitioners. Like many other online services, Insider Pages includes a social networking component to link reviewers to friends, creating a trusted friend network for people who need to find service providers. If you happen to blog using WordPress, Insider Pages also includes a plugin to automatically link your WordPress posts to your reviews of the local businesses in your area. At SES San Jose, we spoke with the CEO, Stu MacFarlane, about the service and how it works, plans for the future and Chris’s dream of becoming a Seattle plumber.

Coverage of SES San Jose is brought to you by MSN Search.

Yes, the world is still abuzz about Google Talk (myself included, sadly). It's the best desktop VoIP I've ever used, and will become a regular staple on our show. However, the name sucks - seriously. The UI needs help, too (but it all starts with a good, natural name). Instead of complaining for the sake of complaining, I'm going to offer up a list of alternatives for Google Talk, although I can't necessarily take credit for all of 'em:

• Gtalk
• Gabber
• Gargle
• Gooble
• Gimble
• Garthok
• Giblet
• Ginkgo
• Gabble
• Gimli

Personally, I think Gtalk rolls off the tongue - and I'm likely to call it that anyway, largely because they pounded the “Gmail” branding into my head, and that service is already deeply integrated into the product. So, they might as well call it Gtalk and get it over with.

The term Webmaster brings visions of power-mad geeks surrounded by empty Mountain Dew bottles and pizza boxes lording over their online domain. This pre-Google man, with long unwashed hair and a three-day-old t-shirt is the gatekeeper between people trying to find your information online and the company marketing wonks who want to reach the people. These days, running a Website is less about keeping the gate and more about figuring out how to get as many people as possible beating down your virtual door. One of the best resources for understanding how to get more customers, site visitors, readers or just plain Web traffic is Webmaster World. The site is dedicated to helping people run Web sites more effectively. Brett Tabke is the founder of Webmaster World. We talked to him at SES San Jose about running the most influential forum for Webmasters in the world, doing business in Austin, Search Engine Marketing and the future of Web traffic.

Coverage of SES San Jose is brought to you by MSN Search.

You seen the worst of the Web. Those phishing scams, the Paris Hilton video, hamster dance; how could it get worse? Where do you find the good stuff? If you’re looking for above average, the outlook remains unclear, but if you want the Best of The Web, there is an answer. Best of The Web has been cataloging the best sites on the Internet since 1994. Every link is hand verified, insuring you’re not going to end up at a keyword-stuffing, SEO optimizing site overwhelming you with stuff completely unrelated to your search. In fact, BOTW is a lot like Yahoo was in the days of the Stanford tilde URL. We talked with Greg, the guy responsible for bringing you the best, so if the Web sucks, here’s the guy to blame.

Coverage of SES San Jose is brought to you by MSN Search.

1. If someone sees you reading a message from Scoble, merely claim that “Scoble” is a new finger fungus that you're doing research on. They'll never come near you again.
2. Send every message in red 96pt bold italic Arial Black. Nobody will read them - ever. Then, you can say as many bad things about your manager as you'd like.
3. Learn how to write in rebus.
4. Wipe your screen with tissue paper before and after you hit “Send and Receive” to ensure that you remain free of viruses.
5. Send “Mambo #5″ as the background tune in every one of your messages. Whenever your boss hears the music, s/he will know that you're working hard.
6. Instead of requesting a recall of a message in Outlook, run over to the recipient's computer and smear White Out all over their screen.
7. Whenever you need to attach something to your email, ask your cubicle neighbors which port the metal paper clip goes into.
8. USE YOUR CAPS LOCK KEY WHENEVER POSSIBLE TO SAVE TIME - FEWER KEYSTROKES SINCE YOU DON'T HAVE TO HIT THE SHIFT KEY TO CAPITALIZE ANYTHING.
9. Set an “Out of Office” autoreply whenever you need to perform a mundane activity (including, but not necessarily limited to, visiting the restroom).
10. Make liberal use of emoticons. For example: Please get back to work instead of reading stupid lists. :) You're on the clock, remember? :) Judy in accounting just got laid off last week for eBaying her parking space. :) Danny wants to see you in his office and he sounds upset. :) See you at lunch, perhaps? :)

Mitch Keeler has been writing a FireFox tip every day for the past couple of weeks. We'll have amassed hundreds in no time at all. If you have something to submit, send it on!

• Firefox's
  Web Developer
• Skinning
  the Fox
• Really
  Odd Firefox Extentions
• ForecastFox
• Using
  Keywords With Firefox
• Load
  Web Sites in Firefox Sidebar
• Spread
  the Firefox Love
• Firefox
  on the Go!
• Firefox
  101
• Open
  Multiple Web Sites in Tabs

We do a live show every Thursday night… but tonight, we're going to have a deathmatch between these three entrants… Skype, Gizmo, and Google Talk. In fact, I hope to have it so that we'll have three calls (one from each client) going on at the same time. And yes, we'll be recording it. I'm “lockergnome” on Skype and Gizmo, and “chris.pirillo@gmail.com” on Google Talk. Don't expect me to take calls at any other time, though… I'd never get anything done. On Thursday nights, however, our lines are open - including the toll-free phone number (1.888.PIRILLO). See ya there!