ZDNet Must Read

• 10 Google search secrets!

  If you're tired of the same old Google search "secrets," then you owe it to yourself to check this gallery out. In it, I discuss tricks like how to search FTPs using Google, how to copy direct links from Google search results, and how to block entire sites from search results!

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• Learning to program at age 30: here’s how I’m approaching it

  By Stephen Chapman | May 14, 2012, 5:10am PDT

  After 12 years, I’ve finally found what I needed to take the plunge into programming. So as to help others like me who have been interested, but could never quite flesh it out, here’s how I’m approaching it.

• Netgear inadvertently serving Blu-ray movie rips on Web site

  By Stephen Chapman | April 17, 2012, 8:43am PDT

  Netgear is serving a gratuitous handful of Blu-ray movie rips for download, but why? I get to the bottom of it in this post.

• Contest: Guess the tablet and it could be yours!

  By Stephen Chapman | April 16, 2012, 6:00am PDT

  You reeeeally want to win this tablet, trust me!

• LinkedIn: Why your profile never gets views, and how you can fix it (case study)

  By Stephen Chapman | March 8, 2012, 11:04pm PST

  Do you ever wonder why your finely-crafted LinkedIn profile never yields results or views? In this post, I explain exactly why this happens and what you can do to start seeing real results on LinkedIn.

• Unmasking an SEO spammer and rewarding their foe (a box study)

  By Stephen Chapman | March 8, 2012, 6:00am PST

  Article spinners are software solutions that take copy and interchange synonymous words throughout, thus making a “new” article. Here is a hilarious example of shoddily spun content!

• 3 ways to disable personal results in Google

  By Stephen Chapman | March 7, 2012, 8:19pm PST

  If you’re tired of Google showing you personalized results instead of true search results, try one of the following three methods.

• Search ninja part 4: How to search FTPs with Google

  By Stephen Chapman | March 6, 2012, 1:00am PST

  Search FTPs with Google like never before, thanks to one deceptively-simple search query I provide for you. If you thought FTPs were dead, think again!

• Webhostinghub.com: Spamming like it’s going out of style (a case study)

  By Stephen Chapman | February 27, 2012, 4:20am PST

  Webhosting.com is spamming the bejesus out of Twitter… but what else will we find before we’re done? Oh yes, there will be spam — and lots of it, too.

• How ActiveRain destroyed their search engine rankings with one text file

  By Stephen Chapman | February 25, 2012, 4:51pm PST

  Let this short cautionary story serve as an example for why you shouldn’t always take your rankings and site normalcy for granted!

• Windows 8 SKUs mentioned on HP.com

  By Stephen Chapman | February 24, 2012, 2:13am PST

  Windows 8 SKUs get a shout-out in some recent documentation on HP.com. Are they the real deal, document placeholders, or something else altogether?