Other New Sessions: SES San Jose 2005

I'd hoped originally to blog up each of the session for our SES San Jose 2005 show next week as I've already done for many sessions. Sadly, time didn't allow for this. Still, I wanted to at least highlight a few of the remaining sessions that are all new for the show, such as My SEM Toolbox, Should You Chase The Algorithm?, Video & Podcast Search, Search APIs and Pimp My Site! Here's a further rundown:

• Shopping Search & Merchant Reputations is part of our Shopping & Merchant Track on Day 4. We've long done our Shopping Search Tactics panel, a popular session that covers the key details merchants need to know about getting into shopping search. That panel returns, but this new panel goes a step beyond to help merchants understand the important role that user ratings can play.
   
• 'Tis The Season is also part of the Shopping & Merchant Track. It's new for SES San Jose. We did it last year in Chicago, and the speakers giving advice on how to plan ahead for seasonal marketing issues got rave reviews.
   
• My SEM Toolbox features five search marketers doing a lighting round quick review of tools they find useful for their jobs. Sit back and see what they pull from their toolboxes!
   
• Measuring: The Time Warp is the middle session of our Measuring Track on Day 4. It looks at how you need to ensure that you are measuring conversions over a long period of time. For example, you might tag and track visitors from search to your site for up to a week. But what if your product has a delayed sales time, where visitors come, think about the product, then return in two or three weeks? You'd miss tracking them as converting from search. Measuring properly is crucial. This session examines the time implication, while the following Measuring Offline Sales & Conversion is a popular returnee that covers how to assess those offline conversions. And need a good overview on measuring? Measuring Success Overview is another popular returnee that kicks things off in the track.
   
• We've long had a panel for advertisers on contextual ads, but for SES San Jose, we turn the tables with the new Earning From Search & Contextual Ads that looks at how contextual and search ads can make you money.
   
• Should You Chase The Algorithm? is new session that explores the oft-debated subject of whether one should chase after search rankings by trying to keep with with tweaks for the algorithm or instead focus on a long-term approach that almost seeks to pretend search engines don't exist. Expect plenty of debate and discussion!
   
• Video & Podcast Search does just what the title says, an all-new look at how you can get your content into the new video and podcast search engines that have emerged.
   
• Search APIs looks at the growing way you can tap into search results, ad listings, ad management systems and other things via search engine-approved programmatic means.
   
• Personalized Search & Search History has search engines sharing how they have created and expanded system to let users save what they've searched for and in some cases get back personalized results.
   
• And finally, Pimp My Site! was inspired by MTV's Pimp My Ride. In this session, search marketers will share how they transformed two different sites from having poor search engine visibility to making heads turn. Expect all the music and attitude of the TV series!