blog
Google's 404 Error

The strange state of Google Short Links

You might remember the recent sunsetting of Google’s URL shortener.  This was something I took notice of because it meant that the url.cwl.cc service (based on their link shortener) was going to be shut down. Right? To be fair, I took notice, but also didn’t do much at the time. March 30, 2019, came and went and I could still use the service. 2020 arrived, and the service was still functioning. Now, more than a year and a half past the end, I can still create short links. This is perhaps the biggest oddity I have ever seen from Google.

blog

WordPress: Tell Search Engines Not to Index Archives

If you run a WordPress [1], and you to search Google’s index using the site parameter – namely, site:%yourdomain% – you’ll probably find that Google has also indexed all of the archives, categories, and tags of your site. For many, the first impulse is to delete this from Google somehow or maybe use robots.txt, or some other method. But, I’ve found the solution is easier, and I’ll show you how to do it (without a plugin).

blog
Twitter Search Google App

Is Google Plus Dead?

Like Google Reader, iGoogle, Wave and Buzz before it, the days of the social network Google Plus may be numbered. The writing appears to be on the wall. With Twitter’s announcement on May 19 that Google’s app would include tweets in searches, Google is making massive changes. While Google may want to spic it differently, signs are pointing to the end of the social network.

Editorial
Mozilla Security Blog Logo

The Troubling Trend Toward Secure HTTP

In a recent blog post, Mozilla (makers of the popular Firefox browser) plans to set a date by which non-encrypted [1] websites would see access to browser features gradually removed. While the details aren’t yet clear as to the timeframe, or exactly what features will be limited; but it’s a definite message that powerful players are pushing encryption on everyone. This trend of “encrypt everything” is becoming very troubling.