It's something anyone can use! With Opera Unite, even non-technical users can choose to serve and share content and services from their own computers in the form of intuitive applications.
Opera Unite promises to enable a whole new gamut of social software on the Web - applications that benefit from presence of several users online at the same time. With Opera Unite, they can directly connect bypassing third-party server control.
A product analyst for Opera Unite, Lawrence Eng, mentions in a blog post on the site that the technology is a radical first step towards addressing what he calls the 'Internet's unfulfilled promise'. Sharing his thoughts and vision, he elaborates that it’s about our ability to connect with each other and also participate meaningfully online -without losing control of our data, on our own terms.
"It will redefine what's possible with Web applications, and we invite users to join us in moving beyond stale ideas and (self-imposed) limitations. With Opera Unite, we can start moving in a different direction leading to a more personal and social computing experience, which actually begins to deliver on the promise of the Internet bringing together people in meaningful ways," the technical expert adds.
Opera Unite offers the platform for you to come up with the applications driven by
your imagination. It offers an opportunity to creative developers and entrepreneurs to envision new ways for people to interact online, so that computing gets truly interpersonal.
Opera Unite is currently in its technical preview phase.
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Friday, July 3, 2009
Could a fall in their fortune mean obscurity for MySpace and Bebo?
Have MySpace and Bebo started to fall behind in the competitive world of social networking. This is the question posed by Jemima Kiss and Charles Arthur of The Guardian. The tech experts try to examine the apparent decline of 'once industry darlings' and the simultaneous rise of their rivals.
Going back into the past, the article notes Rupert Murdoch's buyout of Intermix Media and its MySpace site was arguably the moment the whole world started taking social networking seriously. This was in July 2005.The acquisition in spite of the astonishment of his old media rivals at the $580m price tag was vindicated by a deal with Google in October 2006 that guaranteed News Corp a whopping $900m in ad revenue over the next three and a half years, providing set traffic targets were met.
The Google deal will be over at the end of June 2010, and with it about half of MySpace's revenue! The search engine giant has already informed it isn't really benefiting from the deal, though Owen van Natta, MySpace's new chief executive, tried to play down the importance of the agreement, stating enhancing user experience was the priority.
The latest data from web metrics firms is not too encouraging. They all suggest that MySpace is in decline - whether it's in terms of number of page views, or time spent on the site per user. The same holds true for the British-devised Bebo, purchased by AOL in March 2008 for nearly $850m.Its numbers are also getting worse.
"For both, such a reverse could well herald a decline towards obscurity – similar to that suffered by another British social networking website, Friends Reunited bought by ITV for £120m in December 2005, recently valued at only £20m," the tech writers caution.
Going back into the past, the article notes Rupert Murdoch's buyout of Intermix Media and its MySpace site was arguably the moment the whole world started taking social networking seriously. This was in July 2005.The acquisition in spite of the astonishment of his old media rivals at the $580m price tag was vindicated by a deal with Google in October 2006 that guaranteed News Corp a whopping $900m in ad revenue over the next three and a half years, providing set traffic targets were met.
The Google deal will be over at the end of June 2010, and with it about half of MySpace's revenue! The search engine giant has already informed it isn't really benefiting from the deal, though Owen van Natta, MySpace's new chief executive, tried to play down the importance of the agreement, stating enhancing user experience was the priority.
The latest data from web metrics firms is not too encouraging. They all suggest that MySpace is in decline - whether it's in terms of number of page views, or time spent on the site per user. The same holds true for the British-devised Bebo, purchased by AOL in March 2008 for nearly $850m.Its numbers are also getting worse.
"For both, such a reverse could well herald a decline towards obscurity – similar to that suffered by another British social networking website, Friends Reunited bought by ITV for £120m in December 2005, recently valued at only £20m," the tech writers caution.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Some valuable inputs on corporate social networking
Ambitious entrepreneurs, who want to boost their personal and professional image, cannot afford to ignore social networking. It is the best means of creating goodwill among your potential customers.
Building social capital requires a systematic approach. In order to build strong business relationships, you must understand how to handle this crucial aspect of business growth and continuity. From this perspective, you must gain a deeper knowledge of social networks, including a clear understanding of how they function.
This is necessary to be able to harness their inherent power and reach. Expert inputs can help you evolve an effective corporate social networking strategy.
Today’s tech-savvy corporations are keen to invest in social network technologies. Entrepreneurs who successfully employ networking typically look at it as a long-term commitment. They essentially perceive this as a relationship cultivation process.
The best strategy for employing social networks is not to treat them merely as a money making tool, but as a medium to build brand awareness. Here are some useful ideas to make it a meaningful exercise:
• Explore the key attributes of successful social networking sites.
• Decide which approach to take while creating your social network.
• Use social networks in your own organization for in house and customer-facing applications.
Last but not the least, consider incorporating innovative value-added features and services.
Building social capital requires a systematic approach. In order to build strong business relationships, you must understand how to handle this crucial aspect of business growth and continuity. From this perspective, you must gain a deeper knowledge of social networks, including a clear understanding of how they function.
This is necessary to be able to harness their inherent power and reach. Expert inputs can help you evolve an effective corporate social networking strategy.
Today’s tech-savvy corporations are keen to invest in social network technologies. Entrepreneurs who successfully employ networking typically look at it as a long-term commitment. They essentially perceive this as a relationship cultivation process.
The best strategy for employing social networks is not to treat them merely as a money making tool, but as a medium to build brand awareness. Here are some useful ideas to make it a meaningful exercise:
• Explore the key attributes of successful social networking sites.
• Decide which approach to take while creating your social network.
• Use social networks in your own organization for in house and customer-facing applications.
Last but not the least, consider incorporating innovative value-added features and services.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Critical design and content aspects that make your site foolproof
Before launching the site after a round of thorough test run, there are still a few critical checks to be done. We list them below:
1. Are the design, structure and navigation foolproof?
2. Are all images and pages uploaded properly on the hosting server?
3. Is there an index.html (or index.htm) in each and every folder?
4. Are all the pages correctly cross-linked?
5. Are any under construction pages left behind? Leave them for the next round of your website update. The ‘under construction’ label tells only one thing to the users: the site is not professional!
The checks should preferably be made from several different destinations and computers. They should be done not in local (c:///mysite) mode but on the Internet (http://www.mysite.com).
However, the whole exercise at times can prove to be extremely time-consuming and costly. This is why you should look for services that are willing to offer web site designs with the basic features and technology needed for improved placement on search engines and internet directories. The goal of a reliable website design and development company is essentially to provide truly affordable services to small and middle size businesses.
Of course, once your site is tested and made live, the critical task is to keep it dynamic. Regular visitors of a website will know it inside out almost as much as its webmaster. If the site is not regularly updated, and fails to provide fresh content, the visitors wouldn't have a reason to come back. They would slowly lose their interest.
1. Are the design, structure and navigation foolproof?
2. Are all images and pages uploaded properly on the hosting server?
3. Is there an index.html (or index.htm) in each and every folder?
4. Are all the pages correctly cross-linked?
5. Are any under construction pages left behind? Leave them for the next round of your website update. The ‘under construction’ label tells only one thing to the users: the site is not professional!
The checks should preferably be made from several different destinations and computers. They should be done not in local (c:///mysite) mode but on the Internet (http://www.mysite.com).
However, the whole exercise at times can prove to be extremely time-consuming and costly. This is why you should look for services that are willing to offer web site designs with the basic features and technology needed for improved placement on search engines and internet directories. The goal of a reliable website design and development company is essentially to provide truly affordable services to small and middle size businesses.
Of course, once your site is tested and made live, the critical task is to keep it dynamic. Regular visitors of a website will know it inside out almost as much as its webmaster. If the site is not regularly updated, and fails to provide fresh content, the visitors wouldn't have a reason to come back. They would slowly lose their interest.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Another step in the evolution of Google News and Wikipedia
Google News is now trying to experiment with Wikipedia links attaching them to certain stories. Essentially the idea is to give those entries the stamp of approval for online readers who are searching for more information on the article's subject.
It's up for debate as to whether that is a negative or positive thing for readers. Many who form part of the search community have been rather critical about the way that Wikipedia entries tend to often dominate the top search results. The open criticism may or may not be valid because the readers have become used to the resource and instinctively look for it.
Google's stance has been that the entries' content, carefully selected keywords and loyal repeat traffic are the ingredients that result in their high rankings. The reaction is quite similar to the response that it recently gave in the backdrop of media firms complaining about rankings.
Since Wikipedia entries are invariably crowd-sourced, and constantly changing, their nature raises the question of how accurate or precise the info they provide will be once a user clicks through. According to analysts, there is also the issue of whether users will click a Wikipedia link instead of reading the story. This will obviously mean less traffic for the original news source.
On the other hand, Nieman Journalism Lab writer Zachary Seward sees the links’ idea in a much more favorable light by arguing that it effectively serves as a small, albeit ‘potentially crucial’ step in the evolution of news presentation. This will make a single Web page thoroughly informative.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Be careful while reposing your trust in cloud computing
Among the most talked about and hyped IT concepts in the recent past is cloud computing. Also termed software as a service (Saas), cloud computing is all about running software over the Internet and accessing it via a browser. A prime example of this is the salesforce.com customer management software. So is Google Docs!
Cloud computing, in a way, is the modern version of the 1960s timesharing model that diminished owing to the rise of the personal computer. The old model arose since computers were very expensive and tough to maintain. Modern computers and networks are cheaper, and relatively easier to maintain.
Cloud computing may indeed stand for the future of computing, as many believe. However, you still need to be cautious about who is looking after your data. You need to be concerned about the security aspect? IT security is more about trust. In the end, users have no choice but to trust the security of the IT service providers they access. Saas looks to move the trust boundary out a step further – you now have to trust your software service vendors as well.
You can protect a computer within your network with other security systems like firewalls and IDSs. You can construct a resilient system, which works even if those vendors may not be absolutely trustworthy. On the other hand, with any outsourcing model, including cloud computing, you have to trust the outsourcer's security, reliability, availability, and business continuity.
There are two basic types of cloud computing customers. The first pays a nominal fee for the services – and makes use of them for free in exchange for ads: for example, Gmail and Facebook. They would have no leverage with their outsourcers. The second type of customer pays a considerable amount of money for the services: to MessageLabs, salesforce.com, managed network firms, and so on. They have more leverage.
So what is the advice to these customers? Bruce Schneier, BT's chief security technology officer, notes in an article: “Be careful who you trust, be careful what you trust them with, and be careful how much you trust them. Outsourcing is the future of computing. Eventually we'll get this right, but you don't want to be a casualty along the way.”
Cloud computing, in a way, is the modern version of the 1960s timesharing model that diminished owing to the rise of the personal computer. The old model arose since computers were very expensive and tough to maintain. Modern computers and networks are cheaper, and relatively easier to maintain.
Cloud computing may indeed stand for the future of computing, as many believe. However, you still need to be cautious about who is looking after your data. You need to be concerned about the security aspect? IT security is more about trust. In the end, users have no choice but to trust the security of the IT service providers they access. Saas looks to move the trust boundary out a step further – you now have to trust your software service vendors as well.
You can protect a computer within your network with other security systems like firewalls and IDSs. You can construct a resilient system, which works even if those vendors may not be absolutely trustworthy. On the other hand, with any outsourcing model, including cloud computing, you have to trust the outsourcer's security, reliability, availability, and business continuity.
There are two basic types of cloud computing customers. The first pays a nominal fee for the services – and makes use of them for free in exchange for ads: for example, Gmail and Facebook. They would have no leverage with their outsourcers. The second type of customer pays a considerable amount of money for the services: to MessageLabs, salesforce.com, managed network firms, and so on. They have more leverage.
So what is the advice to these customers? Bruce Schneier, BT's chief security technology officer, notes in an article: “Be careful who you trust, be careful what you trust them with, and be careful how much you trust them. Outsourcing is the future of computing. Eventually we'll get this right, but you don't want to be a casualty along the way.”
Friday, June 19, 2009
Some valuable inputs on corporate social networking
Ambitious entrepreneurs, who want to boost their personal and professional image, cannot afford to ignore social networking. It is the best means of creating goodwill among your potential customers.
Building social capital requires a systematic approach. In order to build strong business relationships, you must understand how to handle this crucial aspect of business growth and continuity. From this perspective, you must gain a deeper knowledge of social networks, including a clear understanding of how they function. This is necessary to be able to harness their inherent power and reach. Expert inputs can help you evolve an effective corporate social networking strategy.
Today’s tech-savvy corporations are keen to invest in social network technologies. Entrepreneurs who successfully employ networking typically look at it as a long-term commitment. They essentially perceive this as a relationship cultivation process. The best strategy for employing social networks is not to treat them merely as a money making tool, but as a medium to build brand awareness. Here are some useful ideas to make it a meaningful exercise
• Explore the key attributes of successful social networking sites.
• Decide which approach to take while creating your social network.
• Use social networks in your own organization for in house and customer-facing applications. Consider incorporating innovative value-added features and services.
Building social capital requires a systematic approach. In order to build strong business relationships, you must understand how to handle this crucial aspect of business growth and continuity. From this perspective, you must gain a deeper knowledge of social networks, including a clear understanding of how they function. This is necessary to be able to harness their inherent power and reach. Expert inputs can help you evolve an effective corporate social networking strategy.
Today’s tech-savvy corporations are keen to invest in social network technologies. Entrepreneurs who successfully employ networking typically look at it as a long-term commitment. They essentially perceive this as a relationship cultivation process. The best strategy for employing social networks is not to treat them merely as a money making tool, but as a medium to build brand awareness. Here are some useful ideas to make it a meaningful exercise
• Explore the key attributes of successful social networking sites.
• Decide which approach to take while creating your social network.
• Use social networks in your own organization for in house and customer-facing applications. Consider incorporating innovative value-added features and services.
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