The Information reported Friday that Google could release the Nexus-branded set-top box in the first half of 2014. The TV-connected hardware focuses on streaming videos and playing games. As Kurt Wagner notes, Google already sells Chromecast -- a small HDMI plug-in that looks like a memory stick for streaming content to the television from a mobile device or computer. Think of it as another device to run search campaigns.

Margot da Chunha provides some tips on passing the Google AdWords Advanced Search exam. It's not a required certification, but it does help search experts secure the business. She recently took the exam, and has some tips for others. Since some prep work is needed for those attempting to pass on the first try, here are five tips -- from not feeling like you must read everything to writing down the formulas so you will not forget a thing. Read the article here.

For the first time since February, Google updated PageRank last week. Named after Google founder Larry Page, the algorithm helps Google's Web search engine rank sites in query results. Jennifer Slegg tells us that Google exec Matt Cutts said earlier in the year that Google would not update the algorithm unless there were technical issues. Slegg points to buzz across the Web, which speculates about reasons for the change.

Flurry released stats that suggest the use of mobile apps in the U.S. spiked by 25% on Thanksgiving Day compared with the previous Thursday, and not just as a result of shopping app use. The company analyzed U.S. app session starts from the day before Thanksgiving through to Cyber Monday, compared Thanksgiving week to the previous week, and also compared those time periods for the two previous years. Mary Ellen Gordon explains the results.

360i responds to a recently released Facebook report that points to declining organic reach on Facebook's news feed for marketers relying on the same investments. The whitepaper takes us through some of the most significant implications for marketers. In a post, Facebook tells us it expects the trend to continue as the competition for each story remains strong and we focus on quality.

The benefits are not always apparent, but marketers need to start thinking out of the box and invest in serendipitous marketing. Rand Fishkin explains the importance of investing time and resources in non-measurable marketing. Sometimes it's the one- and two-off encounters that are not immediately recognizable and difficult to predict that work out best, such as an encounter at an unrelated conference. Fishkin suggests how to approach these investments and how they might pay off. Read the article here.

Nearly two million passwords have been stolen from Twitter, Facebook, Google, Yahoo and others. They were pasted online to a site written in Russian. The data reveals that more than 15,000 users use the password 123456, according to the Fox News report. The post also provides tips on creating more secure passwords, but this information often gets stolen from keyloggers -- malicious snippets of code that infiltrate the consumer's computer by clicking on an infected Web site or ad link.

Larry Kim wanted to know whether Twitter ads really work, so he dug into some data to find out and how they measure up to Facebook. He compared two social networks -- Twitter and Facebook -- in four categories: network reach, ad performance, mobile ad performance, and ad format. He found that Facebook does "okay, but not great," and in terms of numbers like Revenue per Visitor, Facebook beats Twitter. Kim shares the data. Read the article here.

Richard Chavez has some tips for marketers who continue to struggle with the inability to track referring keyword data. He suggests that SEO marketers can measure metrics at the URL level as a good alternative to keyword reporting. The biggest challenge remains, he tells us, in waiting for analytics providers such as Coremetrics and Omniture to catch up. There are workarounds to get marketers through the rough times. Read the article here.

As Santa gets ready for his yearly flight, Microsoft engineers are working on a project with the North American Aerospace Defense Command that will allow kids of all ages to do more than track Santa around the world in 3D by touching or swiping a finger across the screen. The new Web site offers games, interactive experiences, music and more. Voice-calling enabled by Skype enables site visitors to call Santa from the computer screen. Visit the site here.