Okay, people, nobody panic.  In all honesty, this isn’t a new development, and if you haven’t been affected by now, you’re probably in the clear.  Still, some info has been making the rounds that seems worth a mention, and said info is that Yahoo has given itself the power to play with search advertisers’ campaigns.

Yes, if you get into the fine print, you’ll discover that Yahoo’s terms and conditions document states, “In the U.S. only, for those advertisers not bound by an Insertion Order, we may help you optimize your account(s).  Accordingly, you expressly agree that we may also: (i) create ads, (ii) add and/or remove keywords, and/or (iii) optimize your account(s).”

Scary-sounding, eh?  It must be a rare business owner who’s comfortable giving this much control to a huge corporation within which just about anybody might decide to do something.

We should return to the timeline, though.  Even though a bunch of people believe the provision is new, Barry Schwartz actually first noticed it in June of 2008.  And since there haven’t been hundreds of reports of inappropriate fiddling (or even a single high-profile one), Yahoo and all of its employees seem to be keeping their thoughts about campaign adjustments to themselves.

Don’t get too freaked out if word of the situation reaches your ears, then.  And maybe, just maybe, keep an eye on any Yahoo campaigns to play it safe.

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Not long ago, it became known that Dell had made $1 million in revenue due to its use of Twitter.  Mind you, $1 million for Dell is very little (and it was made over the course of 18 months), but if anyone’s gotten the urge to focus some attention on the 140-words-at-a-time site, here are some ideas on how to handle it if things go south.

You’ll need to start with the actual knowledge that the situation’s undesirable, of course, so use Twitter’s search function to see what’s being said about you.  Full-blown analysis tools will work, too, if you have a bigger budget or a small case of paranoia.

Then, Freddie Laker suggests, “Consider the source.  Look at the recent around Johnson and Johnson’s ill-advised Motrin Mom campaign.  Angry ‘Mommy Bloggers,’ led by Los Angeles blogger Jessica Gottlieb and her 1,000-plus bloggers, used Twitter to get mighty J&J to do an about-face on a large ad campaign. . . .  Conversely, the cranky individual making an offhand comment to his dozen or so followers probably doesn’t merit a response.”

Next, if a response seems necessary, be careful with your tone.  Bashing a critic - even if you’re unquestionably correct - carries the risk of making you look like a jerk.  Timeliness is important, so you may not want to sit on the response, but think about having a friend or two look at things.

Laker concludes, “When in doubt, think of the sage words your mother probably gave you regarding sticks and stones and how they hurt more than names.”  Even in a place where people have to pick their 140 words with care.

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The economy’s looking as gloomy as ever, and as Christmas approaches, a lot of folks will be getting “Star Wars” DVD sets.  A session at a search engine conference in Chicago sort of connected to both issues by weighing the “dark side” approach to SEO.

Okay, more accurately, the term for underhanded stuff is “black hat” SEO, and the opposing school of thought (which goes by the label “white hat”) was also discussed.  But when you need an opener, you need an opener, so what the heck.  On to the meat.

Kevin Newcomb reports, “Much of the discussion centered on buying links for SEO purposes, which is frowned upon by Google.  Naylor and Friesen both said buying links should be allowed, noting that paid links are still relevant, since they bring a user to the page they promise.”

So there’s one option.  Or if you prefer headgear of a lighter color, Newcomb notes, “Naylor outlined one of his favorite white hat methods of getting links: press releases.  When you issue a press release with links in the copy, you will often get people that reprint the release on their site with the links intact.”

It’s quite possible for a single person or business to embrace both methods, too.  Just please keep the potential penalties and rewards in mind if you choose the prohibited path.

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Earlier this week, the news broke that we’re officially in a recession.  Today, the Dow took another 200+ point plunge.  Tough times, indeed, and so a new list of AdWords tactics that’s supposed to be used under such circumstances seems highly useful.

Google tossed out six main steps in addition to some sort of inspiring quotes from different sources.  The first idea: “Focus your ads on low prices and savings.”  Using terms like “clearance” or “blowout” might help, or you can put services like “layaway” in the spotlight.  The second tip - “Use value-related keywords” - ties in closely.

Next, “Make sure your ad groups are targeted and relevant.”  As much as consumers are trying to save cash, advertisers should, too, and again the following tip - “Don’t waste money on irrelevant clicks” - is related.

Piece of advice number five is to “Make it easy for customers to buy.”  Send people to specific product pages, and perhaps (without getting Amazon.com upset) make purchasing stuff as close to a one-click process as possible.

Finally, “Focus your money on high-performers.”  Now’s not a time to dote on things that aren’t too popular.

Good luck adopting these tactics, and see you next week.

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If there’s some sort of contest between search engines for the complimentary title of “Santa’s little helper,” our vote’s going to Google.  This week, the company made a nice gesture again by unveiling a new Google Analytics Help Forum.

This site isn’t an official Google fan club, of course, but the company seems to be on a roll.  As Melissa Hsieh explained on the Google Analytics Blog, the new forum “allows you to ask questions about Google Analytics and have them answered by both Google employees and other Google Analytics users.  You can easily identify answers from Google Employees, top contributors, seasoned posters, or new posters.”

What’s more, there are some built-in timesavers, since “[t]he ‘Best Answers’ (as voted by the community) gain the most visibility so that everyone can share valuable information.  And a list of ‘Related Questions’ comes up even as you are typing your question.”

Hopefully the forum will prove useful to you, and if not, its existence at least doesn’t hurt anyone.

On a more Thanksgiving-y note, here’s hoping you all have a nice one, and if anybody feels like combining 25 ingredients to make what can be a more simple dessert, we present a Google-approved triple silken pumpkin pie recipe.

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