Online technical news from around the internet!

Changes in the Facebook interface

2011-09-23T21:58:00.004-04:00

By: Bryan Reed
SEPTEMBER 23, 2011

As usual, most people don't like change. That's most true when something they use everyday changes. Today that's Facebook. It's become one of the main ways people communicate in this internet age of faceless communication that we live in. The F8 conference that I mentioned in the previous post took place yesterday. Mark Zuckerberg, the founder and CEO of Facebook, announced some of the new features. The highlight is the "timeline." Zuckerberg says he wants your home page to feel more like "home." Many people are not taking this well.

This sounds familiar right? If you subscribe to Netflix, it must feel like your entire online and entertainment platform is changing. Many people are not keen on Netflix's changes either and it caused a lot of people to quit the service. Far more people quit the Netflix service than the company anticipated. Could the similar be happening with Facebook? This writer thinks not. I'm pretty sure a lot of people will leave the service, but then again, a lot of people are just complainers. It seems like they'll leave because leaving is the "in" thing to do at the moment. Some people will leave just to have something to talk about.

Well, as my previous post shows, Google has come out with the beta version of their social network. What timing right? Across the internet many people are saying they'll now be using the Google social service. Of course, many of them are making these comments on.....yeah, Facebook. I think some people are so used to Facebook, that they may plan on quitting, but wont. Google's social network is brand new after all, so many people will probably stick with what works. In this writer's opinion, even if the changes to Facebook's face may be hard to digest, they're necessary. The internet and electronics are rapidly changing. Technologies are becoming more and more complex. Gaming abilities in web browsers are get better in quality. So why wouldn't a massive company like Facebook change to keep up with the constantly adapting internet and technology world? Well that's exactly what they're doing. Whoever doesn't like it, is probably going to just have to suck it up, or quit the service. It's not like they're paying for Facebook anyway.

So now the battleground for social networking will rage on. Which by the way is very good for us consumers. Any time there is competition between major companies or components, technologies get better, and they get faster. Normally they would get cheaper too, but right now both services are free. The goal is simple. Billions worth of advertising dollars. Companies pay top dollar to advertise their company, products, or services in places like Facebook and Google where people are spending their free time.

All in all, this is good news for those of us who like technology, like socializing, and want to see it get more advanced. Until next time, happy surfing!

Google begins it's own social network!

2011-09-20T23:12:00.008-04:00

By: Bryan Reed
SEPTEMBER 20, 2011

If you've been on Google today you'll notice that there is a new link you can click in the upper left corner that says "+you." A large, blue arrow draws itself in Microsoft paintbrush type style and points at the new link. Can this be a rival to Facebook? I guess we'll see.

Google is consistently emerging into every type of market that they can. As a previous post in this blog mentioned, Google bought Motorola Mobility Holdings to advance their number of patents by about 1000. They also recently purchased a European version of Groupon called Daily Deal to keep an edge on the daily coupon market in Europe.

As for the social network side of Google, it seems it will be a great match for current Google users and will likely draw a large number of new Google users. Many people who currently do searches in Google don't necessarily have an account. This will prompt people to get an account.

Facebook recently added a face to face video chat option through their chat window. Google just launched this beta version. For those of you who hear the word "beta" all the time in relation to technical news but aren't sure what it means, wait no longer and search no further. Here is what it means: In software development, a beta test is the second phase of software testing in which a sampling of the intended audience tries the product out. (Beta is the second letter of the Greek alphabet.) In other words it's a test phase, and certainly not the final version.

Along with the roll out of this product / service, Google is unleashing other various services including the videoconferencing I mentioned, a "hangout feature," and more. This is all just days before Facebook has it's F8 conference. There is a lot of speculation about this conference at the moment. Some people are suggesting that Facebook is going to launch a complete site redesign, which in this writers opinion would be a welcome change, and possibly some new and improved musical features.

Hangouts are quickly becoming a hit item. At first Google only allowed PC users to use the service. Now Android 2.3 and later with front view cameras have access and more devices and operating systems to come. Up to 10 people can currently attend the "hangout." This could be the new way people on the go attend meetings, much like the current Webinar service by Go to meeting. If you're unfamiliar with Go To Meeting, you can check it out herehttps://www3.gotomeeting.com/t/gg/go_to_meeting-Exact/NAPPC/g2msem3/sf/701000000005YRx;jsessionid=abcVViycWm6qFgalU9jkt?Portal=www.gotomeeting.com&Target=m/g2msem3.tmpl&gclid=COzgy-KurasCFcx25QodmTJ4Mg

That's all for tonight, I'll try to keep you up to date as often as I can on technical news. Don't forget to please visit my sponsors on the right side of this page and below this post to help pay for operational costs.

As always, happy surfing!

Security breach for many Go Daddy sites

2011-09-17T12:42:00.000-04:00

By: Bryan Reed
September 17, 2011 12:28p.m

For hundreds of sites this week, instead of seeing the normal site, users were directed to harmful sites that contain malware. The number of sites was approximately 445 according to Go Daddy. Somehow the user name and password were used in each case to access the websites. Out of the 5 million accounts that Go Daddy has, 445 isn't too bad however. As we know anything technology related is not perfect. Many of us will remember the Playstation network being down for months due to hackers accessing their infrastructure.

Go Daddy says this was an isolated incident and was not related to equipment or structure errors. The chief security officer at Go Daddy, Todd Redfoot, says he's not sure how the intruder obtained the information, but they did remove the malicious code and the systems have been cleaned up.

Source:
Elinor Mills, Hundreds of Go Daddy-hosted sites compromised, September 16, 2011 3:01 p.m, http://news.cnet.com/8301-27080_3-20107541-245/hundreds-of-go-daddy-hosted-sites-compromised/?tag=cnetRiver

States are joining the fight against AT&T's purchase of T-Mobile

2011-09-16T23:52:00.000-04:00

By: Bryan Reed
SEPTEMBER 16, 2011 11:49 p.m

Some of you may know that AT&T is in an all out effort to acquire T-Mobile. Many phone companies, politicians and citizens alike claim that the purchase would make the already massive AT&T too powerful. Apparently several states now agree. The attorney generals of the following states have joined the fight: Washington, Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York, Massachusetts, Illinois, and California. The U.S Department of Justice is already in the fight and leads the lawsuit in an attempt to block the deal. AT&T's stock price climbed heavily after the news first broke which put them over $30 per share for some time. The stock price has dwindled a bit in the past several weeks to below $30. People are likely worried that the lawsuit could be a success. Sprint immediately opposed the deal as they knew the purchase would dramatically effect their market share.

There seems to be much going on in the telecommunications industry, as Google recently purchased Motorola Mobility Holdings. That purchase had several companies scrambling to put out news such as the popular handheld maker; HTC making it clear that the purchase of Motorola Mobility Holdings would not affect the Android market or operating systems appearing on their devices.

States joining the fight against AT&T has given the purchase, which is already wanting to fail, new reason to be unstable. AT&T is very eager to reassert it's cause and gather supporters. State representatives argue that the merger could lead to higher costs and poorer service.

As we all know, the lack of competition in any market can certainly lead to higher prices, poorer quality devices, and service. However, back in July there were 11 attorney generals who supported the deal. You have to wonder why politicians so eagerly get involved. Is it the same old story of benefits and campaign contributions that is so common here in Washington? Let's hope not.

Interesting tidbit about personalized Google searches (borrowed from Forbes)

2011-09-14T20:55:00.002-04:00

How You Can Embarrass Yourself Talking About Google Search Results

Thanks to the Filter Bubble, most people now realize that content on the Internet is increasingly being personalized to them based on the history of websites they’ve been to, the links they’ve clicked on, and profile pages they’ve obsessed over. The Internet is getting better and better at giving you exactly what you want! Google, for example, learns from your searches over time and personalizes your search results accordingly. That means, though, that when you talk about your Google search results, you’re actually revealing information about yourself. Keep this in mind, because that could be a wee bit embarrassing.

Earlier this year, a friend told me about a Google-Search-Reveal mishap at a conference she had attended. One of the speakers was talking about a racial bias he had noticed in Google search: when he searched for “black women” or “black girls,” Google suggested a series of porn-related pages. But it did not offer up XXX-content when he searched for “white women” or “white girls.”

An interesting anecdote! But when my friend ran the search on her own computer, she didn’t get the same explicit results. When she told the speaker about not getting too porn with those particular search words, he was surprised (and perhaps embarrassed). It appeared Google had personalized content for him, without him realizing.

A colleague’s father experienced a less embarrassing version of this. During an image search for “Anthony Weiner with Weiner girl”, his daughter’s Forbes photo popped up as a top result. “What’s up with this?” he wrote to her after screenshotting it. (“What’s up with that search?” I thought to myself when she forwarded it to me.) When she and I ran the same search, though, her photo did not pop up. Google knew that he visited her Forbes page a lot, and as she’s probably written about Anthony Weiner and his girls before, it offered up that photo.

This post is just a public service announcement: Friends don’t let friends expose themselves by being indiscreet about their Google search results. So if you get some crazy, weird result when you Google something, make sure it’s not just you. If you want generic, non-personalized Google search results to discuss publicly, you can either turn off personalization or run a “private,” non-personalized session with browser tools, such as the “Private Browsing” option offered by Firefox (under Tools).

And to make that conference speaker feel a little better, I just ran his searches with a generic browser, and did get inappropriate results for “girls” — though not for “women.”

Source:

Kashmire Hill, How You Can Embarrass Yourself Talking About Google Search Results, 09/14/2011, http://www.forbes.com/sites/kashmirhill/2011/09/14/how-you-can-embarrass-yourself-talking-about-google-search-results/

A video that I recorded, edited, and posted for a client recently.

2011-09-14T00:17:00.002-04:00

Get a mobile website now!

2011-09-13T22:30:00.000-04:00

Well if you haven't heard about mobile websites yet, you must be hiding under a rock. If you're ready to get started with a mobile site, give me a call and we can get started right away. Have a look at some details from a recent article about mobile sites and other stats of interest:

In a dense, 87-page report, Morgan Stanley analysts have charted the most important online trends and predicted the future of the Internet. In addition to forecasting more online shopping and showing the geographical distribution of Internet users, the study also shows a dramatic shift toward mobile web use.

Including devices such as the Kindle, the iPhone and other smartphones, web-enabled tablets, GPS systems, video games and wireless home appliances, the growth of the mobile web has been exponential — and we’re still just at the beginning of this cycle. Morgan Stanley’s analysts believe that, based on the current rate of change and adoption, the mobile web will be bigger than desktop Internet use by 2015.

And speaking of coverage, global 3G penetration is expected to hit 21% this year. In Japan, where the U.S. looks to find its mobile roadmap for the future, 96% of mobile subscribers already have 3G coverage. In Western Europe, the penetration is around 54%, just slightly above 46% in the U.S. In developing and/or economically depressed areas, including the Middle East, Africa, parts of Asia, Eastern Europe and South America, 3G penetration is still in the single digits. Morgan Stanley identifies 3G access as a key point in the success of the mobile web.

Finally, mobile e-commerce is ramping up faster than online e-commerce, now making up 4% of total retail sales. In certain categories, such as computers, consumer electronics, music, movies, tickets, video games and books, online sales account for between 45% and 20% of the total retail market. Japan’s Rakuten shows how the mobile share of e-commerce is growing as well, from 10% of e-commerce in 2006 to nearly 20% now

Here are a few more interesting facts:

Other Stats of Interest

48% of all Internet users come from just five countries (Brazil, Russia, China, India and the U.S.).
Video accounts for 69% of mobile data traffic.
Facebook is the single largest repository for user-generated content such as pics, videos, links and comments.
Apple and Android platforms are gaining in the mobile OS market, while Windows Mobile, RIM and Palm decline.
More and more, we are expecting to have access to our “stuff,” i.e. music, documents and applications, in the cloud.
The overlap between mobile users and social web users continues to grow; more and more users are accessing the social web from a mobile device.
If Skype were a telecommunications carrier, it would be the largest carrier in the world, with 521 million registered users.
Games are bigger than any other app category — both for the social web and for mobile devices.
Real-time technology and location-based services are expected to drive mobile retail.
Online ad sales are growing, but virtual goods, premium content and other models are big business, especially for the mobile web.
The average iPhone user only spends 45% of his on-device time making voice calls.

Source:

Jolie O'Dell, New Study Shows the Mobile Web Will Rule by 2015 [STATS], April 13, 2010,

http://vodzaklegal.com/blog/2011/06/direct-citations-to-internet-sources-how-to-cite-to-blogs/

Web design and SEO services available for Northern Virginia with many years of experience

2011-09-12T15:37:00.000-04:00

Hello everyone.

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Try doing a few searches in Google like: Fairfax SEO, or seo services in Fairfax VA. You'll see my site comes up in the number one spot on the first page on most days. I specifically targeted the Fairfax Virginia area. I've been working for www.Countywebsite.com for two years and have designed and optimized over 80 websites. I'm also currently in a bachelors degree program for web design and development. I'll have that degree by December 2013. After that I'll have my masters degree in media design by January of 2014. In addition to setting up sites for clients and getting them found in Google, Yahoo, Bing, etc, I do some intern design work for the company as well.

If you have a site already that isn't getting you good results, I can help. If you don't have a site, I can help. Many people start off on the wrong foot. They get a site going by some template company or some fly by night outfit. After a few years of next to no results, they get us to fix it. You can and should be the exception to that. Start off making the right choice. Websites get increasingly better results with time. By starting off with the right company, you can make good use of those first years your site is live.

Visit my site above for more information or simply give me a call today. I'll speak with you for free and discuss some options you have. You can reach me by phone at: 703-231-9950 or email at: BryanReed@countywebsite.com

Talk to you soon!