Microsoft do Shareware November 1, 2004

 

Microsoft battle piracy with free software November 1, 2004

 

From CNET's News.com:

"As part of its growing effort to thwart piracy, Microsoft is offering free photo slideshow software to customers who verify that they have a genuine copy of Windows.

Microsoft on Wednesday released Photo Story 3, the latest version of its software for creating photo slideshows set to music or narration. The previous incarnation was sold as part of a $20 digital media bundle known as Microsoft Plus Digital Media Edition."

This is all based on Microsoft's Genuine Advantage scheme. The idea was an interesting one, but unless I'm missing something, the whole thing seems to be a little pointless?

The original setup allowed visitors to the main Windows download page the option of participating in the scheme. If they chose not to, they could download regardless. If they chose to participate, they were allowed to download whether they were deemed guilty of piracy or not.

Presumably this is a step towards blocking illegitimate versions of their software being able to access the downloads. But isn't this an online version of chasing their own tails?

If my memory serves me correctly, hacks for the XP activation system were available on the web before the OS was even released. Plus today you only need to get hold of an OEM version of Windows XP to bypass the activation process entirely.

So I'm left wondering who are they going after here, and why?

 

Security flaw in Gmail? November 1, 2004

 

From I.T.Vibe:

"An Israeli website has posted details of a security flaw within Google's beta Gmail service, which has the potential to allow a malicious user full access to a users mailbox without requiring a password."

Ouch.

However, I'm not sure about how big a ripple this will prove to be.

Surely anyone using a service like GMail wouldn't use it for sensitive, personal or confidential information. Would they? I know I don't?

So if that logic is true, surely the people using GMail would basically shrug and carry on anyway?

The paranoid will point and say "I told you so" (even though they didn't), while the people sending pictures of their cats to their grandchildren won't know or care anyway.

 

Web Services may finally be exiting the "hype" stage. November 1, 2004

 

From the Tornado Insider:

"Web Services may finally be exiting the "hype" stage. Web Services, a heavily discussed topic in the editorial and analyst community a few years ago, with huge revenue projections and strategy announcements by the largest technology companies, may finally have jumped from a solution in search of a problem to a technology solving a business problem."

Al Canton eat your heart out...

 

Where to put the site map link? November 1, 2004

 

The Cr8asite Forums are holding an interesting discussion on where to put links to the site map, to ensure that the search engine spiders find it.

 

Google Help : Cheat Sheet November 1, 2004

 

A useful list of Google Operators.

Worth looking at, even by the most seasoned of Google Pros!

 

US economy: The challenges ahead November 1, 2004

 

The BBC have published a fairly depressing article on the future of the US economy:

"The dead heat between the two US presidential candidates has pushed economic arguments ever higher on the agenda.

But there is one thing neither candidate is happy to concede: that unless drastic action is taken, the US could slide into a painful and lengthy recession."

Whether based within or beyond US borders, we've all seen the effects that a US recession has on the rest of the world.

 

Content is king - it's official November 2, 2004

 

From Digital-Lifestyles.info:

"The Online Publishers Association (OPA) has announced that for the first time ever, this September, Content surpassed Communications to become the leading online activity as measured by share of time spent online.

For OPA purposes, Content means Web sites and Internet applications that are designed primarily to provide news, information and entertainment like CNN.com, ESPN.com, Windows Media Player and MapQuest. Communications covers Web sites and Internet applications that are designed to facilitate the exchange of thoughts, messages, or information directly between individuals or groups of individuals like Yahoo! Mail, AOL Instant Messenger and MSN Groups."

So there you go.

 

Client Communications as Ranking Tools - Blogs November 2, 2004

 

From SearchEngineGuide.com:

"Blogs have had a profound effect on communications and marketing since their development and early adoption but are still a mystery to many. According to Google Definitions (enter: define:Blog into Google search window), Blogs can be several things to different people but the simplest definition of the word is "web log", or B-log for short.

Search engine marketers have long known the power of blogs on Google. It is obvious. High and relevant link-density combined with topical content that is frequently updated and placed on a well optimized template will almost always produce strong Google rankings."

 

Can Blogging Help Market Your Product? November 2, 2004

 

From DMNews.com:

"Should marketers add blogging to their arsenal of tactics? Will it help sell more products and services? Or is it, as I suspect, a complete waste of time - a pure vanity publication that won't pay you back even one thin dime for your effort?

The theory is that if you are an information marketer, or if you publish information to establish your expertise in a niche industry or field, blogging should be part of your publishing arsenal."

 

A Second Browser War? November 2, 2004

 

CNET's News.com are reporting that both Mozilla and Firefox have experienced another month of growth at the expense of Internet Explorer:

"The percentage of Americans using Mozilla and Firefox, two open-source browsers funded by the Mozilla Foundation, grew to 6 percent in October from 5.2 percent in September and 3.5 percent in June. That 6 percent was split evenly between the two browsers."

The article points out that between the start of June and the end of October, usage of Microsoft's Internet Explorer fell by over 2.6%. That's a lot of users.

There's no doubt that Microsoft won the First Browser war, but since then they've done next to nothing with their once-great browser.

While the rest of the world has grown used to the benefits offered by a tabbed browser, IE still fails to deliver, and recent "new features" have proved themselves uninspiring.

So you're left with an out-dated design, with more security vulnerabilities than all the other browsers put together multiplied by ten.

I wonder why they're starting to lose the browser war?

 

RSS feeds have never been so simple November 2, 2004

 

Version 1.0 of the much-awaited FeedForAll is now available.

From the website:

"FeedForAll allows users to easily create, edit and publish RSS feeds.

New RSS feeds can be quickly and easily created with FeedForAll. Advanced features enable you to create professional looking RSS feeds quickly."

I used a BETA version of the software for some time, and it's a very quick and easy way of getting an RSS feed up and running. If you're not yet using RSS, then now's the time to jump on board! Highly recommended.

 

Happy birthday Internet Worm November 3, 2004

 

From ZDNet:

"The first Internet worm appeared on this day 16 years ago and online security has never been the same, say security professionals.

At around midnight on November 2, 1988 the Morris worm, which was written by a 23 year old MIT student called Robert Tappan Morris, was released on the then-embryonic Internet.

Within hours the worm's 99 lines of code overloaded thousands of Unix-based VAX and Sun systems and forced administrators to disconnect their computers from the network to try and stop the worm from spreading."

 

Google plans desktop search tool for Macs November 3, 2004

 

I've been hearing rumours of Google's plans for a Mac desktop search tool for some time, but dismissed them as highly unlikely.

It turns out that I was wrong.

From ZDNet:

"Google plans to release a version of its desktop search tool for computers that run Apple Computer's Mac operating system, Google's chief executive, Eric Schmidt, said Friday."

 

Do you need an RSS feed? November 3, 2004

 

Small Business Software are running an interesting article on why you might need an RSS feed.

The article lists six benefits for publishers, is concise and to the point, and makes interesting reading. Well worth a read.

 

Yahoo! Building Desktop Search, More Personalization November 3, 2004

 

ClickZNews are reporting that Yahoo is now joining in the battle for our desktops:

"Portal player Yahoo! will compete with Google and MSN in the desktop search arena, CEO Terry Semel told an audience at a Morgan Stanley investor conference.

"You can feel sure that Yahoo! will have its own desktop solution, that Yahoo! has been working on it. It's personalizing search, if you will," said Semel. "In the short course, we will have a desktop solution, as well.""

 

Essentials of Search Engine Submission November 3, 2004

 

Danny Sullivan has written another good article covering the basic steps involved in getting listed with the search engines.

 

Websites that don't sell - shooting yourself in the foot November 3, 2004

 

I'm tempted to name names, but I won't. I spent half an hour this morning looking for a specific software solution on Google.

After looking at the first seven or eight candidates, I narrowed it down to two products, both of which had the features that I was looking for at the right price.

I decided to download the two trial versions, and have a quick look at them on one of our test systems.

The first site sent me to their download page, which asked for my email address before I could download. I gritted my teeth, entered my usual address for the situations, and was then told that details of the download would be sent to the address I supplied.

As I don't have access to asd@qwe.com, I don't think I'll get this email.

From this point I went straight to the other website, where I downloaded and installed their trial version. It's now running on my main system, and I'll probably be registering it by the end of the week.

The fact is that no matter how useful or important you feel this user data may be, you are undoubtedly paying a very high price for this information. This particular company just lost my sale, and I guarantee I'm not the only one.

If you have to collect user information, then make it clearly and obviously optional. Better still, have it as an option at the end of the installation, and throw in free support in return for their sharing this information.

If you're forcing visitors to supply their information, your product costs $99.95 and you received a request from asd@qwe.com, then you know who you are. I was ready to spend my money with you, but you blew it.

Forcing people to share their private information before downloading is forcing them away. It's that simple.

 

US duo in first spam conviction November 4, 2004

 

From the BBC News website:

"A brother and sister in the US have been convicted of sending hundreds of thousands of unsolicited e-mail messages to AOL subscribers. It is the first criminal prosecution of internet spam distributors.

Jurors in Virginia recommended that the man, Jeremy Jaynes, serve nine years in prison and that his sister, Jessica DeGroot, be fined $7,500."

I for one won't be shedding any tears.

 

Napster beams songs to Windows smart phones November 4, 2004

 

From The Register:

"Napster has extended its US music download store and subscription service to Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition-based Smartphones.

Right now, that means the AT&T Wireless' Audiovox SMT5600 handset, though there's no reason why its Windows Media Player 10 plug-in shouldn't run on Motorola's MPx220 provided that ships with WMP10."

 

Do keywords in URL influence your rank? November 4, 2004

 

There's some interesting food for thought on the SearchEngineWatch forums. Do keywords in URL influence your rank?

 

The Reality of Search Engine Submissions November 4, 2004

 

Robin Nobles has written a good "common sense" article on the importance of search engine submissions.

 

Getting a press release wrong November 4, 2004

 

This morning I had the dubious pleasure of somehow stumbling on a fairly appalling press release for Triscape's FxFoto.

The headline was:

"Triscape's FxFoto Receives Awards, Praise From Top Download and Shareware Sites"

So the main thing they would like the press to know, is that other press have rated the software highly. Hmmm.

Aside from the fact that I can't help but wonder why an editor would be dazzled by this, the initial impression created here is not a good one.

"Cnet's Download.com gave FxFoto its highest ranking of 5 stars quoting, "This powerful image editor earns our kudos due to its impressive feature set." It continues, "Best of all, FxFoto is totally free, making it a fine pick for just about anyone.""

I don't like quotes in any press release, but quoting a download site seems to be pushing it even further.

By the time I got to "FxFoto Standard Edition is a highly complete package for organizing..." I realised that I was wasting my time.

There are also no links to the company's website, but there is an email address for the company they apparently used to send out the press release.

If you're going to send out a press release, don't fill it with quotes, and certainly don't bother boasting about ratings from the download sites.

You'll also want to make sure that your text is well written, grammatically correct and logical! And don't forget to list your company's website, and a direct email address for your company.

If you're going to do it, then do it properly.

 

Blogging from afar November 5, 2004

 

By the time you read this, I'll already be gone. On my way to yet another Shareware Conference; this time it's the fourth annual European Shareware Conference in Strasbourg, France.

These postings were therefore actually prepared yesterday, hence the lack of any news as such.

But the continuity of the Blog will remain unaffected, with some form of live coverage of the European Conference right here. Be sure to check back over the weekend.

If you're planning on attending, please be sure to say hello.

 

The psychology of colour (or color) November 5, 2004

 

A little research on Google throws up some interesting facts and theories on the effects of colour.

While there's little doubt that colour can have a powerful effect on our feelings and emotions, some believe that the colours you use on your website can have a major impact on how visitors feel and behave.

Black is often perceived as very powerful and threatening, red is associated with extreme emotion (love, rage, fury etc), blue is all about tranquillity and stability and so on.

I'm not too sure how much of this I believe, but a quick look around some of the major software sites shows how effectively colour can be used.

Symantec:

Their golden yellow colour is quite an effective form of branding. We've come to associate the colour with Symantec and Norton, and they've done a good job of sprinkling it throughout the whole of the website. It's very confident and very effective.

Microsoft:

One of the many sites using blue as their main colour, this often seems to remain constant throughout most of their operating systems, software and websites. Whether or not it has a tranquil and calming effect is down to personal taste, but when I think of Microsoft and the colour blue, I think of the much-loved Blue Screen of Death. The tranquillity seems to escape me there.

Amazon:

Amazon actually make surprisingly little use of colour throughout their website, but I think that the technique works very well.

A little bit of blue, with a small amount of yellow. Nicely done. Understatement can go a long way.

Macromedia:

Blue? Grey? I'm not sure, but as much as I like their design, I don't like the colouring here at all. Having said which, they do change their website appearance on a fairly regular basis, so who knows what it may look like by the time you've actually reading this.

Other information:

Learning to Use Color on Your Web Site by CreativePro.com.

ColorMatters.com.

 

Arrived in France November 5, 2004

 

Arrived in Strasbourg, and am currently enjoying the use of some unexpectedly free wireless access from my hotel room.

In another hour or so I'll be meeting Dirk Paessler from Paessler GmbH, a long-standing client, for dinner. Then the fun well and truly begins!

 

ESWC 2004 - first impressions November 7, 2004

 

One of the more enjoyable aspects of attending one of the Shareware Conferences is seeing some of the same people year after year.

I've been meeting people from Paessler, No Nonsense Software, SwiftCD and countless others for quite a few years now.

Sometimes I meet them at other events, but not often enough. Attending the conferences is a good way of remembering that you're a part of a vibrant and dynamic community. And it's always refreshing to be surrounded by people who not only understand what you do, but also live in your world!

The sessions today seemed to go down very well. Topics covered included some practical business issues, securing your network, writing good help files, search engine optimisation and publicity and promotion.

Discussions were interesting, and there seemed to be a high level of participation from all involved.

The evening finished with Digital River's Four Corners of the World event. Come on. If you put a mob of hungry, thirsty software developers in a room with a great selection of food and drink, what do you think will happen?

 

ESWC 2004 - after the event November 8, 2004

 

Less than two months after attending the ISDEF conference in Moscow, I find myself sitting on a plane again, writing up my impressions of the European Shareware Conference while they're at least semi fresh in my mind.

Comparing the three conferences (EWSW, ISDEF and SIC) is tempting, yet doing so would be a little unfair. It would be like comparing the merits of an email client with a network monitoring application.

There are, of course, some things that all three have in common. All of them are attended by an assortment of software developers and service providers. All feature panels, presentations and talks. And offer exceptional networking possibilities.

But the three events are very distinct from each other. The European conference is in some ways, primarily a social event, with a healthy level of business thrown in.

If you haven't yet been to such an event, then don't go thinking that diminishes it in any way.

Socialising with people from your own industry, and sharing experiences, strategies and techniques isn't just interesting. It's tremendously useful, and all can benefit enormously.

For the newcomers to the industry, the conference offers a fantastic means of exposure to an astonishing amount of information, a wealth of experience to draw from, and a chance to meet some of the people and companies who are already "doing it right".

And for the more experienced developer, I find it hard to believe that anyone can walk away without having picked up some new ideas, techniques and inspiration.

If you're considering attending any of the conferences over the next year or so, then I strongly recommend that you do so. It's a great way to pick up good contacts, network, mingle and learn. It's also a lot of fun in the process.

So see you at SIC this July, ISDEF in October, and ESWC in 2005.

 

ESWC final comments November 8, 2004

 

A number of people from the conference asked whether the PowerPoint presentations for my sessions would be available.

The answer is a definite yes. I need to modify them a little, but both the PowerPoint presentations and photos from the conference should be available either this week or next.

If you're really desperate and just can't wait, please send me an email and I'll send them your way. Subject to availability...

The PowerPoints were from the following sessions:

Publicity and Promotion

A Search engine success - a hands-on guide to being found

Web log analysis - Going for Gold!

Google Adwords

The Google AdWords session seemed to generate the most interest, as no-one there seemed to know how to make sure that their keywords always appeared in their ad titles.

If you weren't there, and want to know, then you might want to watch this space!

 

Firefox 1.0 released November 9, 2004

 

"The wait is over. Firefox 1.0 empowers you to browse faster, more safely and more efficiently than with any other browser. Join more than 8 million others and make the switch today - Firefox imports your Favorites, settings and other information, so you have nothing to lose."

Being the curious person that I am, I started downloading the software while writing this, and gave it a quick five minute workout.

Let's start with the fact that it recognised that I had an older version, kept my old settings, and then recognised that I had been using Plugins that were not compatible with the new version. It then offered to see if updates for these plugins were available. Very slick.

It didn't find them, but that's not the point. It tried, and then told me that I would be notified when these became available.

My first impressions are very good, and it's certainly worth taking a few minutes to look at this app. Not just as a browser, but as a good example of how to persuade people to use a replacement for a product they already have.

 

Underlining links in your navigation November 9, 2004

 

From the Search Engine Roundtable:

"Are underlined links better for in your site's navigation? There is an active thread at Cre8asite discussing the various reasons why you might underline or not underline links. It goes into how users might be "trained" to recognize underline links in the various parts of your site. Why its good to be consistent with your links for the sake of usability and what colors are most recognized. Naturally underlined blue links are seen as the most recognized, they have been a standard method for using links correctly for quite some time. But what about different colors, hovers, and straight non-underlined links? There are a couple of approaches being discussed that help illustrate whether underling works best."

It's an interesting discussion. At the European Shareware Conference, I made heavy use of our DaveTalks website for illustrative purposes.

One of the people there pointed out that when he visited the site through his web-enabled phone, he couldn't see or use most of the main links on the page. A sobering thought.

 

Blog Connection November 9, 2004

 

The name of the website speaks for itself really.

Everything you might want to know about blogs and blogging.

 

Skype lures developers with software giveaway November 9, 2004

 

From Silicon.com:

"Voice-over-IP software maker Skype starting today will include the beta of its Skype API (Application Program Interface) with its Skype for Windows product.

The API allows third-party hardware and software developers to create products that work with Skype's VoIP software."

 

AdWords as a testing tool November 9, 2004

 

Using Google's AdWords as a testing tool came up a few times during some of my sessions at the European Conference, and I was a little surprised that so few people had used this as a technique.

The basic idea is that instead of jumping head-first into developing a new product, and investing all the development time involved, start by using AdWords as a research tool.

Set up a page on your website where you write up the product concept, and put in as much information as possible. You might also offer an option whereby visitors to the page can request to be kept informed when the beta or final release becomes available.

Then setup a few well-written AdWords, and sit back for a couple of weeks or so.

Assuming that the number of impressions is reasonable, you should then be in a good position to get a feel for how much interest there may for the product.

A few factors to bear in mind however.

First of all, make sure that the keywords and ad text used are suitable. If you get the ads wrong, any conclusions you draw may be totally off from the start.

Secondly, don't link to this page from anywhere other than the ad.

Thirdly, bear in mind that as soon as you do this, you may well be bringing the idea to the attention of other (competing) companies as well. You're effectively standing on a hill and shouting out your idea to anyone and everyone, some of whom may be interested, and some of whom may immediately start to develop your idea for themselves.

Taking these factors into account, however, it's a fairly effective means of dipping your toes in without getting your trousers wet.

 

Feds charge man with selling Windows code November 10, 2004

 

From CNET's News.com:

"A Connecticut man was arrested on Tuesday on charges that he illegally sold a secret source code used for Microsoft's Windows NT 4.0 and Windows 2000 programs, federal prosecutors said.

The Manhattan United States Attorney's Office said William P. Genovese Jr., 27, was charged with unlawfully distributing a trade secret, a charge that carries a prison sentence of up to 10 years and a $250,000 fine if he is convicted."

 

MSN Search live on Thursday November 10, 2004

 

SEO columns, newsletters, websites and forums are all quivering with anticipation for the new MSN Search, scheduled to go live this Thursday.

Steve Ballmer has been reported to have told shareholders that Microsoft would beat Google's technology and double its advertising revenues in the next five years.

This is war talk. So reach for your wallets.

Watch this space.

 

UK firms 'embracing e-commerce' November 10, 2004

 

The BBC news website is reporting our e-commerce minister as saying that UK firms are embracing internet trading opportunities as never before.

"A government-commissioned study ranked the UK third in its world index of use of information and communication technology (ICT)."

I'm (obviously) a great believer in e-commerce, and I'm little short of delighted to see the UK finally realising what the web is all about. But this is pure hype, with little connection to reality.

When we moved our business from Finland to the UK, I was horrified to see how difficult it was to get a broadband connection here, how much you had to pay to do so, and how little the average business understood the potential of the web.

My bank in Finland let me check my balance, pay bills, export statements into my software, make international payments, request additional services and more. When I arrived here I found that I could do little more than check my balance and pay some bills. International payments weren't an option and still aren't. Much has improved in the past few years, but we have a long way to go. To put it mildly.

While we're moving forward at an impressive rate, we are not yet embracing internet opportunities at all. At this stage we're edging closer, making eye contact, and starting to flirt. Physical contact and affection are a long way off.

We might well once have ruled the waves, but the web is a different matter altogether.

 

Consumers flock to online shops November 11, 2004

 

From the BBC News website:

"Online buying habits have changed dramatically in the last five years, a survey has found.

Of 2,000 web-using Britons interviewed a whopping 94% had bought something online, the survey found. This compares to just 37% five years ago.

Half of those interviewed believed that 40% or more of their purchases would be done online in five years time."

In view of the fact that Christmas is now "looming", are you ready to capture those gift seekers?

 

More Longhorn betas November 11, 2004

 

The swords are clashing over who has the real screenshots of the latest Longhorn beta.

WinBeta are posting details of 4083, while Neowin are claiming they have 5014.

Either way this is only of geeky/academic interest... but I'm interested anyway. It must be the academic in me.

 

Google delivers POP3 Gmail November 11, 2004

 

Macworld UK are reporting that Google will introduce POP3 support for their Gmail users in the next few weeks.

"Google is working on adding antivirus scanning to the service, possibly by licensing an existing technology, and developing an HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) interface that would make Gmail compatible with browsers that don't support JavaScript. Currently, only JavaScript-enabled browsers can access Gmail.

These and other possible enhancements, such as adding further wireless device support through WAP (Wireless Application Protocol) or XHTML (Extensible HTML), are part of Google's attempt to eventually make Gmail, which is still being beta tested, the most feature-rich Web mail service available, a Google executive said."

 

Google Advertising Professionals November 11, 2004

 

Google have introduced their Advertising Professionals scheme:

"Designed for professionals who currently manage or want to manage multiple AdWords client accounts, the Google Advertising Professionals program can help you become a more successful ad manager - for free."

Very, very slick.

 

Google hit 8,058,044,651 web pages November 11, 2004

 

A quick look at Google's main page reveals that their index has now almost doubled - to more than 8 billion pages.

 

MSN search goes live November 11, 2004

 

It's beta, but it's out there. This will be interesting.

 

MSN Search - final release not until 2005 November 12, 2004

 

Despite all the excitement surrounding the new MSN Search, Microsoft have pointed out that it is still in beta. The final version will not be up and running until some time next year.

The latest beta is, however, the result of 14 months of work, and an astonishing $100 million investment.

From DMNews.com:

"The new MSN Search mimics technologies already offered by Google, Yahoo and Ask Jeeves. For instance, MSN offers direct answers from its Encarta encyclopedia to natural language searches such as "What is the capital of Albania?" It has a personalization tool that lets searchers set criteria for searches. Other features include local search; image and news search; and search shortcuts.

Microsoft is expected to test the site for a few months before integrating it into MSN, which currently licenses Yahoo's search technology. Microsoft is also expected to unveil a desktop search tool in December. Google already offers such a product. Yahoo and Ask Jeeves plan to release their own desktop search tools."

From the point of view of SEO, all we can do is sit back and wait.

 

Brace yourselves for Xmas spam surge November 12, 2004

 

From The Register:

"PC users are being told to stay alert in the run up to Christmas, as research shows cyber-crime is increasing and getting 'smarter'.

Both organisations forecast a steep rise in scams during the run-up to Christmas and are urging bosses and their staff to be vigilant."

 

Half-Life 2 is piracy savvy November 12, 2004

 

The UK-based Inquirer reports on the anti-piracy tactics used in the distribution of Half-Life 2:

"The gap between those who have the game and those who don't have it yet is part of what drives people to pirate games. This week, Halo 2 was released two days earlier in the US than in the UK. With the worldwide community created by the net - indeed, by Microsoft's own Xbox Live - having a bunch of your friends play a game 2 days before you can is unacceptable to many. Companies don't appear to understand that staggered worldwide releases aren't conducive to their anti-piracy cause - either give gamers the game at the same time, or put up with the fact that people will get it elsewhere. Companies can't create the amount of hype that they do then expect gamers to sit back while other people play games they can't get their hands on yet."

 

Whats The Difference Between A Web Directory & Link Farm? November 12, 2004

 

From the Search Engine Roundtable, an interesting discussion on defining the differences between a directory and link farm:

"One of the members questioned a new directory advertising members linking to members. They quickly uncovered for him that this "directory" was really a link farm who purpose was to inflate link popularity. Unlike other directories where valid links to sites are within related categories, sites that participate in link farming contain links to totally unrelated sites. These days the lines are getting more blurred with webmasters making changes to directories to resemble more "link farmish" type settings (more urls per page and less organization) with a web directory facelift. Packaged and then promoted via spam to anyone's email address they can find. You know the ones I am talking about, "I just added your link to my directory, would you...". Yeah those."

 

Independent Study Confirms Effectiveness of Streaming Ads On MSN Video Is on Par With TV Ads November 12, 2004

 

An article on Microsoft's PressPass claims that streaming ads can be as effective as TV ads:

""As consumers spend more viewing time online, leading brand advertisers are shifting ad dollars into products like MSN Video to reach audiences online in innovative and effective ways," said Steve Moss, general manager of North America Ad Sales at MSN. "We are delighted with the findings of this groundbreaking research commissioned by Pfizer Consumer Healthcare and are pleased to welcome such a distinguished consumer products company to the ranks of advertisers on MSN Video.""

 

Microsoft says Firefox not a threat to IE November 12, 2004

 

From CNET's News.com:

"Just days after the launch of open-source browser Firefox 1.0, Microsoft executives defended Internet Explorer, saying it is no less secure than any other browser and doesn't lack any important features.

At a security roundtable discussion in Sydney on Thursday, Ben English, Microsoft's security and management product manager, told attendees that IE undergoes "rigorous code reviews" and is no less secure than any other browser.

"Because IE is ubiquitous, you hear a lot more about it, but I don't think that Internet Explorer is any less secure than any other browser out there," English said."

I don't know. But I do know that I've seen more hype, spin, viral marketing and genuine excitement for this product than any other browser I've ever come across.

But ultimately, talk is cheap. Time will tell, and the public will decide. Who knows. This may yet spurn Microsoft into actually doing something interesting with Internet Explorer. Stranger things have happened.

 

Novell Sues Microsoft over WordPerfect November 15, 2004

 

Here we go again.

From eweek.com:

"After playing nice with one another earlier this week when they announced a $536 million legal settlement, Novell and Microsoft on Friday were back attacking one another again.

The flare-up comes as Novell Inc. on Friday filed suit against Microsoft Corp. in U.S. District Court in Utah seeking unspecified damages arising from Microsoft's efforts to eliminate competition in the office productivity applications market during the mid-'90s when Novell owned the WordPerfect word-processing application and the Quattro Pro spreadsheet application."

 

Windows XP update starts to weed out pirate keys November 15, 2004

 

The Inquirer are reporting that Microsoft has started preventing XP users with pirated keys from updating their system:

"MICROSOFT HAS started implementing features in upgrades to Windows XP which specifically prevent users of pirated keys from upgrading parts of the operating system.

Microsoft said its Genuine Advantage scheme would prevent pirated copies of XP from downloading anything but the most critical downloads."

Sensible and reponsible, but some people won't like it...

 

Microsoft showing signs of total disarray November 15, 2004

 

An "interesting" read from the Inquirer:

"OVER THE PAST two decades, the combination of Microsoft and Intel - dubbed "Wintel" in later years - has dominated the PC world. But both companies are showing their age and both companies are in the process of retooling the roadmaps they put up over the past few years. While Wintel dominates the PC desktop market, there are windows of vulnerability opening up for Microsoft and Intel. To be sure, they're small windows, but there are a lot of companies that would like to pump through as much business they can to secure a beachhead and potentially dislodge one or both companies."

 

Google do POP November 15, 2004

 

Google have yet again done what they do best. They've taken a good idea and made it great.

This time it's with their Gmail accounts, that now include POP and SMTP access. Meaning anyone can use their regular email clients with their Gmail account. Very slick.

I was originally sceptical when I hear this idea, as I assumed that Google would want people to log in to their accounts, and see their much-debated ads.

But it appears I was wrong. It can happen.

My theory is that Google simply want as many people to use Gmail as possible. The more that use it, the more will use the online access too.

Another smart move.

They're also including automatic forwarding as well. Slick.

My prediction? Add-on options that users can pay for. When it happens, remember you read it here first.

 

AdWords refunds November 15, 2004

 

The ever-popular Cr8asite forums are running an interesting discussion on AdWords fraudulent clicks and refunds.

This strikes me as similar to the teeth-grinding position that we face when the credit card companies fall to the side of their card holder's chargebacks. But this time we're the consumer, and we're the ones being protected here.

Google obviously appreciate that if their account holders start worrying about paying for fraudulent clicks, the very basis of their scheme could be questioned. And that would hurt them in their most vulnerable of areas.

Needless to say, the web is all about opportunity, and there are services out there who offer to protect the value of your Pay Per Click advertising, such as ClickDetective.

As I've pointed out before, one company's threat is another company's opportunity.

 

Christmas comes early for gamers November 16, 2004

 

From the BBC news website:

"November is turning out to be a bumper month for players of computer games.

Both the hugely popular GTA: San Andreas and Halo 2 games have gone on sale and have become the fastest selling titles of all time.

"The demographic that games appeal to is growing wider and wider on an ongoing basis," he [Rob Fahey, editor of Gamesindustry.biz] said. "This is still an entertainment medium with a lot of growing to do.""

The reality, however, is that most small-sized game companies don't do so well. There are obvious exceptions within the Shareware Industry, such as Goodsol, Dexterity Software and others, but in general, it's a very tough market to break into.

Is it just the size of the market? Are there so many low-quality games that good ones get lost in the crowd? Or is just that the small company can't compete with the likes of Rockstar, EA Games and others?

Let me know what you think.

 

Tacoda Starts Behavioral Ad Network November 16, 2004

 

I may be getting cynical in my old age, but I just find it hard to get excited about this. When I see "new ad network" and "behavioural targeting", I tend to start running for cover. I can already hear the Spyware and Privacy accusations flying...

From DMNews:

"Tacoda Systems unveiled an ad network yesterday that serves text listings tied to readers' prior Web behavior.

The AudienceMatch Network serves text listings tied to users Web behavior during the previous month, as tracked on sites that use Tacoda's behavioral-targeting software. The paid listings appear on publisher Web sites in an "Offer Inbox" ad unit. Advertisers pay only when their ads are clicked.

Tacoda will compete with a variety of pay-per-click ad networks, including Google's AdSense, FastClick and others. Unlike paid listings providers like AdSense, Tacoda's network is banking on prior Web behavior to deliver better leads than contextual placements such as AdSense, which serves text listings based on a Web page's content."

 

Search wars - which is the best? November 16, 2004

 

As pointed out by Karin, our trusted Search Engine expert, the BBC ran an interesting comparison of the main search engines - Google, Tahoo, MSN, Ask Jeeves and A9.

 

McAfee takes on more spyware November 16, 2004

 

I don't understand why there isn't one application out there that can scan my PC for viruses, trojans, worms, spyware and adware. I really don't.

The typical user (if there is such a thing) has no idea how well protected their systems are, and even the more advanced users merely hope that what they have will do the trick. For some reason I have an anti-virus program, two anti-spyware applications and a privacy protector. Why is there no single application out there that can handle all of these things?

Opportunity anyone?

From ComputerWeekly.com:

"McAfee will announce an add-on for its enterprise anti-virus products to offer increased protection against spyware.

Users of McAfee VirusScan Enterprise Edition versions 7.1 or 8.0i next month will be able to purchase a new McAfee Anti-Spyware Enterprise Edition Module for $15 (£8) per desktop to better protect their systems against spyware, said John Bedrick, group marketing manager at McAfee."

 

Learning from Yahoo November 16, 2004

 

Yahoo appear to be quite eager to show off their new streamlined front page.

 

Microsoft Trial Software Centre November 16, 2004

 

Microsoft are really starting to get the hang of this whole Shareware thing.

Their Trial Software Centre offers all sorts of different trial versions of their software, that you can either download or order on CD for free.

"Trial software is a time-limited version of a Microsoft product; some trial software does not expire but may have limited functionality or features. You can order or download most trial software from Microsoft free of charge (shipping charges may apply), install it on your computer, and use it to decide whether you want to order a full version of the product. When the trial period ends, you have no obligation to purchase."

Interesting. Try before you buy. It might catch on.

 

Buy.com Adds Google Content Listings November 17, 2004

 

DMNews are reporting that Buy.com yesterday joined Google's AdSense program.

This draws attention to a very real risk that AdSense poses. Buy.com might actually start displaying ads for their competition.

According to the article, Buy.com are going into this with their eyes wide open, and apparently have the confidence to let their visitors make informed buying decisions.

 

Microsoft to Update IE Before Longhorn? Maybe So November 17, 2004

 

Microsoft-Watch.com are reporting that Microsoft may be considering adding new features and functionality to IE, without releasing a new browser version as such.

The timing of this strikes me as interesting. The old browser war is as good as forgotten nowadays, but there's little doubt that Microsoft have done little with their winner since then. The web has moved on, and other browsers have continued to develop new features at an impressive rate. Could Firefox be the reason for this sudden surge in interest?

""We are looking at whether we can use the add-on mechanism (used by third-party software developers) to roll out new IE features" before Longhorn, said Gary Schare, director of product management with Microsoft's Windows client unit.

Schare did not volunteer any information on what kinds of enhancements or add-ons Microsoft might be considering. But IE users have been vocal in their demands for features such as tabbed browsing, built-in RSS reading capabilities and support for the most recent cascading style sheet standards."

 

Networking at Net Speed November 17, 2004

 

ClickZ Experts write on the post-conference reality that many of us face; of coming back to our offices with a stack of business cards, with little idea of what to do with them.

"After a successful day of networking at a conference, you empty your pockets of all the business cards you collected and... what?

Stare at them for days until you get up the gumption to make a call? Plan to follow up with personal e-mail or notes that never get written? The unfortunate truth is, according to research by Wendover, the average organization only uses 6 percent of the leads it generates annually."

 

Hackers strike at 'soft target' small firms November 17, 2004

 

NetworkITWeek believe that many small and medium sized firms make soft and easy targets for hackers and online criminals.

"Hackers and fraudsters are refining and improving their techniques as we speak," said Philip Robinson, financial crime sector leader at the FSA.

"Having been the target of criminals in recent times, via the internet and other technologies, the major banks tend to have strong defences in place.

"But there is no room for complacency and criminals will seek to exploit vulnerable points where they can find them, including in other sectors or smaller firms.""

I genuinely believe that this a market brimming with opportunities. The question is who will rush in to milk them?

 

Yahoo upgrades its email service November 17, 2004

 

PCAdvisor are reporting that Yahoo are finally starting to use their DomainKeys authentication against spoofing.

They also point out that "Yahoo is announcing that it is increasing the in-box storage space for users of its free web mail service from 100MB to 250MB, as a result of user feedback."

User feedback? Is that a synonym for Gmail?

 

Interview with Wes Miller, Program Manager: Windows Setup/Deployment November 18, 2004

 

ActiveWin have published an interesting interview with a former Program Manager in Windows Setup from Microsoft.

 

Netscape are back with a vengeance November 18, 2004

 

CNET New.com are reporting that Netscape are revving up the engines for their next release.

They've confirmed that the new browser will be based on the Mozilla code, and have hinted that there may be a few interesting developments up their sleeves. They've also taken a few fairly obvious swipes and kicks at Internet Explorer.

Warning shots for the Second Browser War?

 

Can you read this now? Adding support for Digital Ink November 18, 2004

 

MSDN have written an article on adding support for Digital Ink to your Windows applications.

The question, from a marketing point of view, is whether the Tablet PC will actually take off? I've seen the specs and drooled over the reviews, but would I actually use one? And for that matter, who would? How big is this potential market?

I'm interested in what you may think. Let me know if you see this as the way of the future or a passing fad.

 

Study: Most Clicks Come From Simple Searches November 18, 2004

 

DMNews are reporting that a new study suggests that when it comes to consumer search habits, a vast majority of clicks come from one or two word queries.

"Search engine marketing firm iProspect reported yesterday that an analysis of search optimization campaigns it has run during the past five years found that 39 percent of all clicks on client Web sites came from single-word searches. Including two-word queries, the total rises to 88 percent. The study did not include clicks on paid search listings.

"There's a perception in the marketplace that you shouldn't target a single-word query because it's too hard," said Fredrick Marckini, CEO of Watertown, MA-based iProspect. "I think this shatters that.""

 

Use Linux and you will be sued, Ballmer tells governments November 18, 2004

 

TheRegister are gleefully reporting that Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has warned that Asian governments using Linux will be sued for IP violations:

"According to a Reuters report (which we fervently hope will produce one of Ballmer's fascinating 'I was misquoted' rebuttals), Ballmer told Microsoft's Asian Government Leaders Forum that Linux violates more than 228 patents. Come on Steve, don't hold back - what you mean 'more than 228' - 229? 230? Don't pull your punches to soften the blow to the community. "Some day," he continued, "for all countries that are entering the WTO [World Trade Organization], somebody will come and look for money owing to the rights for that intellectual property.""

 

Google Scholar November 18, 2004

 

"Web search leader Google has unveiled Google Scholar, a new search product aimed at helping users search scholarly literature such as technical reports, theses and abstracts."

The beauty of syndication meant that I read this on the UK Yahoo! News site.

Who would have thought that Yahoo! would have such praise for their mighty competitor.

 

Businesses prefer consumer IM November 18, 2004

 

From TechWorld:

"Businesses are increasingly making use of instant messaging, but enterprise IM tools such as Microsoft's Live Communications Server (LCS) and IBM SameTime are losing out to programs originally designed for home users.

That's the conclusion of a survey of 340 European IT managers carried out by Sybari Software. Nearly 90 percent of the IT managers agreed that instant messaging needs management, but 56 percent said they had no plans to do this by installing enterprise IM software."

 

Many still await MSN, Yahoo e-mail upgrades November 19, 2004

 

CNET's News.com are reporting that many users of Microsoft and Yahoo's free email services are still waiting for their storage limits to be increased.

Microsoft originally promised this in June, yet many are apparently still waiting.

""Essentially, our goal was to roll out the upgrades in a smart and efficient way to ensure as few problems as possible," a Microsoft representative said. "With that said, the rollout took a bit longer than we would have liked."

For its part, Yahoo announced Monday that its e-mail users would receive a storage limit boost that day to 250MB, up from 100MB. As of Thursday, users continued to report that storage limits remained at 100MB."

Be careful what you promise.

 

Bill Gates 'most spammed person' November 19, 2004

 

The BBC are reporting that Bill Gates receives up to four million emails a day, most of which are junk:

"However, the software magnate has almost an entire department working to filter out unwanted mails.

The company's chief executive, Steve Ballmer, said Mr Gates was probably the most "spammed" person in the world."

An entire department? I can only imagine what that job must do to a person...

 

MSNSearch beta - getting in there; from the horse's mouth November 19, 2004

 

The MSNSearch blog contains some useful information for how to ensure that your website is crawled, indexed and included. Well worth a quick read.

 

MSN Renews With Overture -- for Now November 19, 2004

 

From ClickZ News:

"Microsoft today extended its three-year-old agreement with Yahoo! to provide Overture paid listings on MSN sites in the U.S., Canada, Europe, and Asia through June 2006. The previous agreement ran through June 2005."

 

Digital River Buys BlueHornet November 19, 2004

 

Digital River today announced that it has expanded its e-commerce solution through the acquisition of BlueHornet Networks, Inc., a permission-based, e-mail marketing solution.

From DMNews:

"The deal lets Digital River, Minneapolis, offer online marketers and retailers a broader tool set for survey and e-mail creation, database and campaign management, loyalty measures, revenue tracking and statistical analysis.

BlueHornet's service will be included in Digital River's e-commerce platform. It also will be integrated with Digital River's Fireclick online analytics engine."

The river continues to flow...

 

Google warns sales growth to slow November 22, 2004

 

The BBC News website are reporting that Google are forecasting fierce competition.

I'm an unashamed fan of Google, and only have absolute admiration for how they do business. But I don't believe that they'll remain King of the Hill forever. Other companies with massive resources are eagerly posed to topple them from their throne. The fight is on.

"The firm, which had a successful share flotation earlier this year, said its rate of growth from the second quarter to the third may not be sustainable.

Rivals, including Microsoft and Yahoo, have said they want to challenge Google's position as market leader.

Shares in Google dipped more than 3% in electronic trading ahead of Wall Street's open on Thursday."

 

So, what's this Firefox thing then? November 22, 2004

 

ZDNet UK have done a nice job of collecting all the best articles on Firefox in one place.

As a rule, I don't recommend replacing any critical software with something new unless there's a compelling reason to do so.

But Firefox may just be compelling enough... having said which I've not switched. Yet.

From a marketing point of view, you can only be impressed by a product whose interest factor is so high that everyone's rushing to push their opinion, one way or the other.

The question is how much of Firefox's success will be down to the product, and how much will be down to the mighty cavernous gaps left in the market by IE.

As always, the failures of one product are the opportunities of another.

 

Adobe guards documents November 22, 2004

 

Personal Computer World are reporting that Adobe have announced details of Acrobat 7.0.

One of the most significant new features involves the ability to manage and control who has access to confidential information contained in the PDF files.

It's a nice idea. The application itself has nothing whatsoever to do with security, but by the very nature of what it is used for, confidentiality will often be a critical factor.

It's a model that many software companies could emulate.

 

MSN Search Now Taking Submissions November 22, 2004

 

ClickZ News are reporting that the MSN Search Blog has posted hints on how a site can be listed in MSN Search's index.

This is a search engine to keep an eye on, and I recommend taking the time to ensure that your site is in there.

 

Studios to sue net movie swappers November 23, 2004

 

The BBC News website are reporting that Hollywood film studios are going to sue people who swap pirated copies of films over the web.

Software developers can certainly understand the damage that piracy can cause, but is this the solution?

 

Adult sites get tough on Google's thumbnails November 23, 2004

 

DMNews are reporting that an adult publishing company is suing Google, alleging a dozen counts of copyright infringement.

The issue seems to be based on the thumbnails displayed by Google's image search tool.

The company involved allege not only that the thumbnails are in breach of copyright, but also Google's search index itself, and the keyword advertising triggered by these.

Will a precedent be set for greed or common sense?

 

Mozilla Firefox on Windows Marketplace November 23, 2004

 

"Mozilla Firefox is a fast, full-featured browser for Windows that makes browsing more efficient than ever before. Firefox includes pop-up blocking; a tab-browsing mode that lets you open several pages in a single window; integrated Google searching; simplified privacy controls that let you cover your tracks more effectively; a streamlined browser window that shows you more of the page than any other browser; and a number of additional features that work with you to help you get the most out of your time..."

Odd.

 

Blog statistics November 23, 2004

 

ClickZ Stats have turned their analytical eyes to the blogosphere.

"According to David Sifry, Technorati's chief executive, the current number of blogs is now over 8 times bigger than the 500,000 blogs it measured in June, 2003. The company tracked 3 million blogs as of the first week of July, and has added over 1 million blogs to its stable since then. Meanwhile, Pew Internet & American Life reports a new weblog is created every 5.8 seconds. That roughly translates into 15,000 new blogs every day."

Long-time readers of this blog will know how much I like my statistics, but I'm still a happy, balanced and normal individual, okay?

But the stats here are something to drool over!

 

Online Holiday Purchases to Increase Nearly 20 Percent November 24, 2004

 

ClickZ Stats are predicting that the outlook for online holiday spending is very good indeed:

"What that growth translates to this year in hard figures is a projected $21.6 billion in online spending for November and December, a 19 percent increase over 2003, according to the latest figures from JupiterResearch."

Are you ready?

 

Torvalds slams European software patents November 24, 2004

 

IT Week are reporting that Linus Torvalds and the other (lesser known) creators of Linux, MySQL and PHP have been slamming the EU Council for their proposed software patent directive.

"The draft legislation on which the EU Council reached a disputed political agreement on 18 May is called "deceptive" because it leads laymen to believe that software is excluded from patentability while actually containing a number of passages that would legalise software patents in the EU, the broadest one of which is its article 5(2)."

If I was a software developer I would be extremely concerned.

 

Open source's next frontier November 24, 2004

 

CNET's News.com are claiming that open-source software is starting to expand into a new market: "The lucrative infrastructure-software market dominated by industry giants such as Microsoft."

While I agree with much of what's in the article, one item in the first sentence jumped out at me:

"Open-source software, increasingly popular with budget-conscious companies...."

Is this the case?

I'm starting to think that the open-source industry is as misunderstood as shareware.

 

Search Engine Disclosure: Better, but Still Wanting November 24, 2004

 

Chris Sherman of SearchEngineWatch.com has written an interesting article on the issue of search engine disclosure, in terms of identifying paid content.

No great surprise really. TV, Radio and printed media have been blurring the lines for longer than I can remember. Ultimately, the reality seems to be more about simultaneously keeping the customers and advertisers happy than responding to legislation.

Editorial credibility is of some importance, but at the end of the day, if people find what they're looking for, and are happy with the results, why should the engines care?

The search engines need two things to survive. People to use them, and companies to advertise with them.

Unfortunately the two groups do not have the same needs, and the search engines have to strike the right balance.

Search for anything on Google, and we all know that the sponsored links are displayed on the right hand side of the page. But you might also notice that the "Sponsored Links" text is light grey; in fact it's the lightest text on the page.

Ask regular Google users who don't know about AdWords, and you'll probably find that most don't even realise that these are ads.

 

Google sues website over click fraud November 25, 2004

 

The Register (and the rest of the web) are reporting that Google is taking a "small website" to court for allegedly fiddling its Adsense program.

This is clearly Google protecting their integrity, and as advertisers, we should pleased that they are doing so.

Click fraud is a worrying issue, but to date, Google seem to be doing a good job of fighting it.

Long may it continue.

 

Windows Longhorn Project Schedules November 25, 2004

 

Neowin.net are reporting "revised" predictions for Longhorn release schedules.

Have you noticed how everyone has now stopped talking about Longhorn?