Star time for Google's 'Did you mean'

Google is fooling with one of its best features: the excellent misspeller's aid "Did you mean."

I've no idea how many people use this trick, but it's a good one: To see if you've correctly spelled a dodgy word, do a Google for that spelling. If the word is botched, up comes the red "Did you mean:" type, suggesting what is usually the correct spelling. No need to go hunting; Google provides a 3-second source.

This bit of dictionary duty really comes in handy when you can only offer a wild guess as to how a word is spelled. Say, type in onamatopeia and Google helpfully comes back with onomatopoeia. (Phonetic spellings often work.)

So now, Google is trial-ballooning a "Did you mean" with a couple of search engine results to make itself clear. Followed by the mess that your lowly misspelled word conjured up. Feel free to visit the web sites of your fellow language butchers.

Of course, all computers are dumb machines at heart. So this new approach should lead to even more search-page clutter, even when we're perfectly in the right.

Did Google mean to screw up a good thing?

(Hat tip to Danny Sullivan, who reviews several new Google search features.)

Welcome DVD Gift Guide, a seedling

Starting a new web site is much like planting a spring garden. The creator envisions many wonderful things, some of which might even come true. A see-saw of successes and disappointments awaits, in most cases.

But for that one day when the web site is shiny and new, you get to savor pure potential and possibility. Nice. Then it's back to work, building traffic and pounding out content.

My latest site is DVD Gift Guide, an offshoot of the home video blog DVD Spin Doctor. The new site is much better looking than the blog, which shows its age and the many limitations of TypePad.

The Gift Guide is by definition a commercial enterprise, set up for an audience of Google searchers in search of a product tips and reviews. The revenue will come from Google AdSense and Amazon affiliate links. This business plan is unlikely to bring riches -- a statement that seems pessimistic, but is just facing reality. I plan to create as many worthwhile sites and blogs as I can, relying on strength in numbers.

Look at it this way: If you have 60 sites/blogs averaging only $20 a week, my lousy math says you bring in $4,800 a month. (Good luck managing all that.)

There exist some synergies from the site and blog. For example, I wrote a short review of "Hancock" for the Gift Guide, then expanded it into a full-blown "Hancock" Blu-ray review on Spin Doc.

DVD Gift Guide comes to market via a bloggers platform. It's built on WordPress, based on a template from Brian at Revolution 2. I configured the guide as a web site that takes advantage of a blog's assets such as reader comments, auto-pings, spam control and easy-to-deal-with RSS. (A lot of the web's design and development talent flows to WordPress these days.)

If you're planning a new site, I recommend looking into my approach. Who knows -- your site/blog just might yield a bumper crop.