Google Testing "My World" Second Life Rival?

Things could get interesting if Google gets into this game.

"Rumors of Google's plans to create a virtual world that rivals that of Second Life have popped up once again over the weekend. The company could now be collaborating with Arizona State University to test the 3D social network, which may be tied into Google's current applications of Google Earth and Google Maps."

Slashdot | Google Testing "My World" Second Life Rival?

IBM to offer free Office software

More free Word processors and Spreadsheet applications. Who needs Microsoft :)

"IBM on Monday said it would start offering free word processing and other office software, joining a growing group of companies with free applications challenging a core Microsoft Corp product."

IBM to offer free word processing, office software | Reuters

Yahoo to start testing Mash, a social network site

"Yahoo... is testing an experimental social network service called Mash that makes it easy for Yahoo users to share tidbits of their lives with friends and family online, the company said on Sunday.

Mash, to which a limited number of public users began being invited as testers on Friday, was described by a spokeswoman as a new, next-generation service that is independent from the company's 2- year-old Yahoo 360 degree profile service...

One aspect of the service is the power it gives users to edit their friends profiles and add personal blurbs, subject to approval by the profile owner."

Yahoo to start testing Mash, a social network site - Yahoo! News

Search startup ready to challenge Google

"Powerset, is... aiming to outshine the Internet's brightest star with a new search engine built to outsmart Google.

After nearly two years of hushed development, Powerset is finally providing a peek at a 'natural-language' technology that is supposed to make it easier to communicate with search engines.

Powerset's algorithms are programmed to understand search requests submitted in plain English, a change from the 'keyword' system used by Google Inc., Yahoo Inc., Microsoft Corp. and the owners of the other leading engines.

The distinction means Web surfers will theoretically be able to get more meaningful results by typing more precise search requests in the form of straightforward questions like 'What did Steve Jobs say about Apple?' instead of entering an ungrammatical mishmash like 'Apple Steve Jobs said.'"

Search startup ready to challenge Google - Yahoo! News

Glide Mobile Lets You Check Out PowerPoint Slide Shows on Your iPhone

"One of the sorely missed features of the Apple iPhone is full compatibility with Microsoft Office. Out of the box, you can read Word documents on it, but you can’t edit them. And don’t even think about running a PowerPoint slide show. But starting later today, Transmedia CEO Donald Leka tells me, Glide members will be able to go over to glidemobile.com on their iPhones (or Blackberries or Treos or Nokias) and show people slide shows that they’ve uploaded to Glide."

The Next Net: Glide Mobile Lets You Check Out PowerPoint Slide Shows on Your iPhone

SoCal college offers YouTube class

Here's a dream-come-true for Web addicts: college credit for watching YouTube.

Pitzer College this fall began offering what may be the first course about the video-sharing site. About 35 students meet in a classroom but work mostly online, where they view YouTube content and post their comments....

Class members control most of the class content and YouTube watchers from around the world are encouraged to comment, Juhasz said.

She hopes the course will raise serious issues about YouTube, such as the role of "corporate-sponsored democratic media expression."

YouTube is "a phenomenon that should be studied," student Darren Grose said. "You can learn a lot about American culture and just Internet culture in general."

SoCal college offers YouTube class - Yahoo! News:

A Case Study in Online Promotion

"Andrew McAfee, a professor of technology and operations management... says he's... become convinced that young companies will rely ever less on 'channel' technologies like e-mail and more on 'platform technologies' like Facebook and MySpace (NWS) to communicate externally and internally. 'Platform technologies are universally visible and transparent and open to everybody. I think the communication bias of young people today has migrated from channel to platform.'"

A Case Study in Online Promotion

Is this a future of Television?

With advertisers moving to the web to target specific audience and networks putting too many restrictions on content creators, creative minds are migrating over to the web. As broadband access expands and download speeds increase, the web looks more and more appealing for distributing video content.

The creative minds behind such TV shows as "Thirtysomething" and "My So-Called Life" are launching a Web-based show, hoping to find the artistic freedom online that they say is lacking on broadcast networks.

The show, called "Quarterlife," will debut Nov. 11 on MySpace.com and will also be paired with its own social networking site that will include story extras as well as career, romance and other information for the show's young audience.

Centered on a group of recent college graduates, the show started as a pilot for an ABC series called " 1/4 Life." It aired once in 2005 and was pulled because of creative differences between the network and creators Marshall Herskovitz and Edward Zwick.

With the explosion of online video and the migration to the Web of such well-known artists as Will Ferrell, Harry Shearer and Bill Murray, Herskovitz and Zwick decided to resurrect the show and give it a cyber twist...

The show's 36 episodes will air exclusively on MySpace.... Each episode will be about 8 minutes long with two episodes debuting each week. The producers and MySpace will share revenue from ads that will run in the video. Additional revenue will come from product placement deals, Herskovitz said.

In a new wrinkle, the show also will have its own social networking site called quarterlife.com...

TV veterans produce Web-only show

The 8 Secrets that Make Apple No. 1

In his Computer World article, Mike Elgan makes some great points about why Apple is succeeding where other consumer focused companies are failing. I think these key points apply no matter what business you are in. Definitely worth a read.

Basically, you can divide consumer electronics companies into two groups: Apple, and everyone else. Apple really is that different. Its influence on global design is many orders of magnitude higher than its nearest competitors. It engenders customer loyalty significantly greater than that earned by any other company in the consumer electronics space. The Apple brand and awareness of its products in the general culture far exceed what you might expect, given the company's actual sales.

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer is famous for a crazy video in which he yells, "I...love...this...company." With Apple, it's the customers who shout that.

It's no accident, and it's not a passing phenomenon. Apple knows something that other companies don't. Here are the eight secrets that make Apple the best company in the industry.

The 8 Secrets that Make Apple No. 1

Peachpit Releases Designing Your Second Life

Just what we need, a manual for our Second Life :)

"Peachpit announced the release of Designing Your Second Life by Rebecca Tapley... a guide to the subtle and sometimes baffling new world of the online community Second Life.

Designing Your Second Life teaches the reader everything they need to know to build a more rewarding second life, from creating an avatar to building impressive homes and planned communities to establishing a social community and career. Author Rebecca Tapley takes real-world topics such as urban planning, color theory, user experience, interior design, and landscaping, and maps them to Second Life conditions. This teaches readers to identify the best skin and hair, clothing, architecture and construction, property for sale, and more. In addition, her insights and observations on Second Life etiquette, manners, and customs will be an invaluable resource for all users."

Peachpit: Peachpit Releases Designing Your Second Life

5 Things Google Looks For

Key's to a higher page ranking on Google...

1. Keywords used in the title of your pages (between the TITLE tags)
2. Keywords used in headings (H1) and in the first paragraph of your blog
3. Keywords used in link text, both on your blog as well as on other blogs
4. The PageRank value of your pages
5. Pages that contain at least 200 words or relevant text content (the more pages the better)

5 Things Google Looks For - Daily Blogging Tips and Web 2.0 Development

The Coming Virtual Web

"In the future, the Internet is almost certain to look more realistic, interactive, and social—a lot like a virtual world"

The Coming Virtual Web

Family Trees 2.0

New sites are coming up to tap into the oldest kind of social networks, this article highlights a few of them.

"Family Trees 2.0 A new crop of genealogy Web sites are designed to recharge the oldest social network in human history: the family."

Family Trees 2.0

Way Too Good for Facebook or MySpace?

I guess, this had to happen sooner or later. Social Networks for the "really connected" seem to be the new craze (for those in the know) and you have to be "invited by an existing member" in order to join, sounds very exclusive to me! Read this BusinessWeek article for more.

"For the rich and well-connected who don't want to rub elbows with those who aren't, exclusive social networks pledge to keep out the riff-raff..."

Way Too Good for Facebook or MySpace?

Finding Your Dream Domain Name

"Not all the good ones are taken, but many are. Experts suggest you choose your company name first, and go from there..."

Finding Your Dream Domain Name

Google to Embed Ticker-Type Ads in Video

I guess, this is okay for all those who are used to seeing ticker type info running along the bottom of their TV channels; but I wonder if it's going to intrude on the video content, leading to complaints from content providers.

"Google says it's ready to introduce a new kind of video ad. The ads will be like news tickers – appearing 15 seconds after a user begins watching a video clip, and run like an overlay on the bottom part of the screen. Google says users will feel like they are in control of what they're watching."

NPR : Google to Embed Ticker-Type Ads in Video

Steve Jobs: Stanford Commencement Speech 2005

This is a two year old speech but quite inspiring and timeless, for anyone, at any stage in their life.

15 Crazy And Cool Photo and Video WebSites

You can do some pretty interesting things with your videos and photos on these sites. 15 Crazy And Cool Photo and Video WebSites

Amazon Launches Lulu Competitor

More options for writers to get their work published.

"CreateSpace, which until last week was CustomFlix Labs, a company founded in 2002 and acquired by Amazon in 2005, today launched a print on demand book publishing service. The newly minted CreateSpace service line-up now includes print on demand books, DVDs, CDs, direct download video, audio books, and HD DVDs (Blu-ray coming soon). This puts Amazon in direct competition with Lulu, and to a lesser extent CafePress."

Amazon Launches Lulu Competitor

Hollywood pros to launch online video site

When it debuts Tuesday on the Web, My Damn Channel will become the latest attempt by Hollywood professionals to cash in on the huge popularity of online video...

The site is the brainchild of former MTV and CBS Radio executive Rob Barnett, who believes Internet audiences want to see professionally produced shows other than network TV fare.

"The old media companies don't know how to program for this medium,' Barnett said. 'There is a focus on reruns and outtakes, and I don't think that cuts it."

Hollywood pros to launch online video site - Yahoo! News