Commerce Search From Google Helps Online Businesses

Google has released yet another new feature that should help with online businesses.  Earlier this week, Google announced a new Google Checkout feature, which allows users to enable a checkout button on the site to promote sales. Now, the Google Commerce Search tool will be useful for online businesses by improving product searches on their site, along with possibly increasing sales and reducing bounce rates.  The search is almost identical to Google’s main search, but it’s geared specifically toward business websites. The idea is to help find products being sold.  Google is expecting the tool to grow significantly in the new few weeks, as businesses prepare for the upcoming holiday season.

“Visitors spend an average of just eight seconds before deciding whether or not to remain on a website,” a Google rep said.  “So having a good search tool is important for turning visitors into buyers.” (more…)

Amazon Cashing In With Twitter Feature

It seems like all we have heard lately is companies teaming up with Twitter.  So it should be no surprise that Amazon.com has incorporated a new Twitter tool that will allow some users to share great deals online. 

In today’s blog post, Amazon announced that this feature would be only available for Amazon Associates.  The associate program allows Web site owners, Web developers, and Amazon sellers to make money by simply advertising some of the latest products from both Amazon and Endless.com on their website.  When a consumer purchases a product after being referred, the associate gets a profit.  It’s said to be that simple.  The new Twitter feature is just another way to make it easier for associates to make a little more money. (more…)

This Week In Social Media – November 6, 2009

This Week in Social Media – Nov 6, 2009 iePlexus from iePlexus on Vimeo.

This Week in Social Media – Nov 6, 2009 iePlexus from iePlexus on Vimeo.

Here’s a look at some of what happened this week in the world of social media and elsewhere on the Web.

-It should be no shock that MySpace is losing users, but now the company is in jeopardy of losing nearly $100 million.  In 2006, MySpace made a $900 million deal with Google that would allow the search engine to be the exclusive search advertiser on MySpace, which at the time was the most used social networking site.  The site is coming dangerously close to maintaining a minimum traffic level, which could break the deal with Google. In the past three months, MySpace’s page views have dropped 22.75 percent.  (more…)

MSN.com Rolls Out Preview

Late last night, the developers at Microsoft’s MSN, which is one of the most visited sites on the net according to Compete.com, rolled out a preview version of it’s new website design. 

Since August 1995, MSN.com has offered visitors a look at some of the latest headlines from around the globe, a look into the entertainment world, a place to check out new items to purchase and has even offered its own search engine. The preview of MSN’s new website, is much more clean-cut, and has more of a modern feel.  The site will offer the same sections as it currently does but will primarily focus on videos, a new section to keep you updated on your social media feeds, and bring more local customizations to the homepage.  (more…)

GOP Using Social Media To Tackle Health Care Reform

Washington is up in arms about the $1.3 trillion health care plan, and it doesn’t look like the fight between Democrats & Republicans is going to end anytime soon.  The Republican Party have joined the rest of the world in the social media and blog world in hopes to share the more details of 1,990 page proposal that most American’s are unlikely to read.  House Majority Leader John Boehner started a campaign on behalf of the GOP on the website Amplify.com, which is an interactive blog-like platform.  They plan on breaking down the bill section by section, and explaining each page in an understandable language to get feedback from the American people. From there, visitor’s are able to comment and share sections via on several social media sites, including Twitter & Facebook.

Boehner’s new media director, Nick Schaper said, “As our members read the bill and uncover harmful provisions, Amplify allows us to clip specific portions and explain what they mean in plain English. It’s our hope that through this effort, we can help Americans understand just what 1,990 pages of bureaucracy really means to them and their families.” (more…)

New Google Chrome Makes Bookmarking Easier

If you are like many, you have multiple of computers, one at work, a desktop at home, and possibly another personal laptop.  Although you may use each computer for a different purpose, sometimes trying to get an item or a saved bookmark from one computer to another computer can be quite a hassle.   Now with the latest version of the Google Chrome, Google’s beta web browser, you’ll be able to get all your bookmarks from one computer to another, with just a click of a mouse.

On Monday, Google announced and released the latest version of Google Chrome.  Here’s how it works.  First you’ll need to sign up with a Google Account, which is free, and download the browser.  Once you have Google Chrome on all your computers and have signed in, you’ll need to sync all your computers together, which takes just a few seconds by just logging in.  After that when you save a bookmark on one computer, it will automatically appear on your other synced computers along with your other bookmarks. And you are done.  (more…)

Twitter Lists Make Sorting a Snap

By now, Twitter users will have noticed a new feature being touted at the top of their live feeds. At long last, it seems that the social networking site has placed some credence in the ability to sort through and filter information. My primary quibble with Twitter up to this point was its lack of a dependable search feature. Whether users were trying to look up their friends’ accounts or looking to sift through previous posts, a headache was sure to follow.

In the last few days alone, Twitter lists have made my social networking experience much more efficient. The lists allow users to narrow and refine the influx of information that comes into their feeds. I’ve created several unique lists, and each one has a distinct purpose. Since I mainly use Twitter to stay in touch with old friends and to monitor developing news stories, it’s helpful to separate those two ends. (more…)

World Running Out Of Web Addresses

An article out of the Telegraph today say that the Internet could run out of web addresses by the end of 2010.  A report released by the European Commission, found that only a small percentage of companies are prepared for the switch from Internet Protocol, IPv4 to IPv6.  Many experts have suggested that the world could run out of Internet addresses within the next year or two, however that could be avoided if more companies switch to the new platform.

Only 17% of 610 institutions surveyed throughout Europe, Asia & the Middle East have upgraded from the IPv4 protocol to IPv6. If the remaining 83% do not upgrade, the world wide web may be left in the dark as the Internet can only support somewhere between 4 and 4.5 billion unique IP addresses.  An IP address is the unique string of numbers associated with every website in existence. (more…)

Online Retailers Expected To Have Best Holiday Season

Forrester Research came out with a survey Monday, which said that online retailers will see an 8% increase in sales since last year while stationary retailers are expected to show no increase.  And with online advertising through the  use of social media, this is no surprise, since the world is trying to break out of the global economic crisis. 

The National Retail Federation has unfortunately forecasted a 1% decline in overall U.S. holiday sales this year. The Forrester survey which had polled more than 4,000 U.S. online consumers found that 94% of those who have shopped online within the past three months plan to shop online this holiday season. (more…)

Skype Founders vs. eBay Lawsuit May End Soon

eBay is being sued by the founders of the free online phone service, Skype for copyright infringement and claim damages are growing at a rate of at least $75 million a day.  Earlier this year, eBay announced they were looking to sell Skype, after they had purchased it in 2005 from founders Janus Friis and Niklas Zennstrom for over $2.6 billion. 

Although the site was sold to eBay, Friis & Zennstrom, who have since started Joltid, still own the source code and the actual rights to the software of Skype.  The two are accusing eBay of sharing the software’s code to third parties, interested in Skype, who have copied and altered it without permission. 

According to a New York Times article, the founders have shown interested and have tried raising money to purchase the service back.  However, eBay has since made a deal to sell 65% of Skype to Silver Lake, a private equity firm in Canada, while holding onto the remaining 35%. 

eBay said in a statemtent that Friis & Zennstrom’s “allegations and claims are without merit and are founded on fundamental legal and factual errors.”

Om Malik, reporter for Gigaom.com reported Sunday that the case may be coming to an end according to inside sources.  “The ongoing legal scuffle between Skype, a division of eBay, and its founders, Janus Friis and Niklas Zennstrom, may soon see a resolution, according to someone familiar with the situation. The parties are in discussions to resolve the various issues. The talks are described to be at a sensitive stage and can break down without any conclusion. If the founders and the company can come to an agreement, Skype will be able continue to use JoltID’s technology to power Skype and not disrupt the service that is currently used by hundreds of millions consumers.”