MV.Tech.Blog

Page Speed Service: Google’s Entry to Content Delivery Network

2011-08-01T04:52:43Z

In a mission to “Make the Web Faster“, Google announced last week a new service called Page Speed Service. It will compete directly with major players in content delivery like Akamai and Amazon Cloudfront as well as newer services that improves web performance such as CloudFlare, Torbit, Incapsula, Blaze and Yottaa.

In Google’s test, they claim that the service will speed up your website from 25% up to 60% and to do that you have to set your DNS to point to Google instead of your own server. Page Speed Service then fetches the content from your website and rewrites them with best practices that enhance the page load performance.

At this point Page Speed Service is only available for free to limited testers but you can request access by filling up the form here. The link is also available from Google APIs console.

Take note that Google will eventually charge you for the service. Pricing is yet to be published and it is unknown whether it will have a freemium model.

Page Speed Service Optimization?

I ran my own tests using the comparison tool that Google provided and I found that the simulated optimized page is actually much slower.

Right now you can simulate how Google can improve the speed of your website. Some people complain that it actually makes their website slower. Later on, the original post was updated with this note:

We were notified of a bug in the measurement tool that sometimes causes incorrect measurements. If your results indicated a slowdown on your pages, please run the tests again, and make sure you specify a fully qualified domain such as www.example.com. We apologize for any inconvenience and confusion this may have caused.
Details:
Measurement tests run for bare domains (such as example.com, without the prefix www) previously indicated that pages were loading more slowly, rather than speeding up, when using Page Speed Service. The test results page now prominently notifies you of this when you visit this page, if this error applies to you. Please check your old measurement results page if this bug applies to you. Running the tests again with the fully qualified domain such as www.example.comusually fixes the issue and gives you the correct measurement.

So I ran another test and here is what I got:

As you can see on my first test, I am using the prefix www so I believe CloudFlare is doing a better job in optimizing my website performance more than Google Page Speed Service. However, on my second test, it seems that Google Page Speed Service is somewhat faster. On both tests, I noticed that the images are not all available in Page Speed Service. I still requested for the service because I want to test it first-hand and not just run it on a simulation.

DTI Permit Required for Bloggers Doing Online Promotion: A Four-Way Test

2011-07-31T05:38:49Z

A recent article from Social Media Contest and Promotions Philippines, a blog run by Janette Toral, raised many eyebrows and caused massive uproar from many bloggers and internet marketers alike.

In a nutshell, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is requiring bloggers to get Sales Promotions Permits for online promotions. Therefore, a blogger needs to go through the burden of processing paperwork and paying fees out of his or her own pocket to run online contest even if there is no purchase required.

I am not a lawyer so I can only give my opinion about this matter with my understanding. I will do my best to make this post as objective as possible.

Let us check this issue using the Four-Way Test.

Is it the TRUTH?

The basis of the policy is the enforcement of Consumer Act of the Philippines that was last updated in 1992. It is very outdated, honestly, considering that the playing field and the industry (including the internet) have already changed more than a decade ago. There was no online promotions then and the term “blogger” has not been coined yet.

According to the Consumer Act of the Philippines, here are the definitions of consumer and sales promotion:

Consumer is a natural person who is a purchaser, lessee, recipient or prospective purchaser, lessor or recipient of consumer products, services or credit”
Sales Promotion is defined as techniques intended for broad consumer participation which contain promises of gain such as prizes, in cash or in kind, as reward for the purchase of a product, security, service or winning in contest, game, tournament and other similar competitions which involve determination of winner/s and which utilize mass media or other widespread media of information. It also means techniques purely intended to increase the sales, patronage and/or goodwill of a product.

In this definition it seems that Sales Promotion is only targeted for Consumers of the entity that created the product or service. If you are a blogger that is holding a contest, you normally don’t promote the product; you are promoting your blog instead. These are two different things. Giving prizes to blog visitors or patrons is like giving door prizes to concerts, stage shows, stage plays, film shows, and similar activities — which are all exempted from getting permits. Don’t believe me? See the FAQ for sales promo from DTI.

Are there exemptions from permit requirements?
Permits for the following sales promotion activities need not be applied for:
Competitions, except beauty contest conducted nationwide, which do not require the purchase, lease or payment of any consumer product or service or availment of consumer credit;
Parlor games, whether held live during stage shows, parties, special occasions and/or utilizing any form of mass media. Provided, that the home partner of the winner is not required to purchase or lease any consumer product, service, or avail consumer credit facility, including the sending or presentation of any proof;
Door prizes given to patrons of concerts, stage shows, stage plays, film shows, and similar activities;
Instant sales promotion campaigns;
In store promotions, such as, but not limited to price reduction promotions, discount sales and premium-in pack in which no advertisements are made on such sales promotion campaigns.

If you inspect the FAQ, the terms blog, internet or online are not even mentioned once. I don’t believe that DTI is seriously targeting online activities. Only after the question was raised that this issue is brought up again.

Art. 116. Permit to Conduct Promotion. – No person shall conduct any sales campaigns, including beauty contest, national in character, sponsored and promoted by manufacturing enterprises without first securing a permit from the concerned department at least thirty (30) calendar days prior to the commencement thereof. Unless an objection or denial is received within fifteen (15) days from filing of the application, the same shall be deemed approved and the promotion campaign or activity may be conducted: Provided, That any sales promotion campaign using medical prescriptions or any part thereof or attachment thereto for raffles or a promise of reward shall not be allowed, nor a permit be issued thereof.

What about this Permit to Conduct Promotion article taken from Consumer Act of the Philippines? It looks like only promos sponsored and promoted by manufacturing enterprises are only covered by this article. If you are giving out prizes out of your own pocket, why would you need to get a DTI permit? Parlor games are exempted from getting permits. Why can’t petty blog contests cannot be exempted as well?

Asked if bloggers running contest is status quo since there is no guideline, DTI answered, only "registered business can run promo".

Friday - Jul 29, 2011 5:47 PM via Twitter for iPhone ReplyRetweetFavorite

@digitalfilipino

Janette Toral

So can we differentiate what is a promo from a sales promo? At this point, it is ambiguous. I believe this is one of the biggest loophole in this topic because DTI considers all online promotions as sales promotions. What about marketing campaigns, list building activities, Facebook liking contest, and so on. All these are not defined but DTI consider them all under the umbrella of sales promotion.

Anyone can bend the truth if there is no explicit guidelines governing these terms.

Is it FAIR to all concerned?

I like to think that DTI is just protecting the consumers from exploits of fly-by-night enterprises. Verification and drawing of winners can be witnessed by DTI representatives, and the interest of consumers and contest participants will be protected.

Gaming of online contests would be prevented if online contest organizers practice the policy and all information given by contestants could be protected .

However, what about giving away prizes for a random comment on a post? How about promoting a fan page which is not necessarily a business entity? If DTI will watch every single raffles held online, does it have the capacity to monitor all contests squarely?

DTI does not check raffles held on parties, clubs and organizations; blog promotions is essentially the same — a promotion for readers or members with the same interest — why would a simple raffle require approvals from DTI?

Do I need a DTI permit if I'm going to raffle off my freedom of speech?

Friday - Jul 29, 2011 5:49 PM via TweetDeck ReplyRetweetFavorite

@Jayvee

Jayvee Fernandez

There are more unanswered questions and DTI is yet to give an explanation to all of these but the mere inconvenience it brings to each blogger outweighs the advantages it presents.

The benefit is clearly in favor of consumers without protecting the interests of bloggers at all. It is even more unfair to bloggers who blog out of passion and not making a living out of it.

Will it bring GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?

Between DTI and bloggers, I don’t think so. Most of the feedback are against the policy.

DTI 's new permit requirements on blog promos are so f-cking crazy. #patiblogsgagatasan

Friday - Jul 29, 2011 3:12 PM via TweetDeck ReplyRetweetFavorite

@tonyocruz

Tonyo Cruz

The smallest fee would be P1000 since most blog promotion coverage are national. If the sponsor will get the DTI permit for the blogger, the blogger will need a Mayor’s permit at the minimum to prove that he or she is a registered business.

What if you are running a small contest for a prize much less than the minimum fee. Even if you are sponsored, it does not makes sense at all; hence the negative feedback from bloggers so far.

Between DTI and contest participants, if these policy is applied to all online promotions, then contest organizers have to take the minimum information required for a raffle stub or an entry to be valid since DTI requires the following information:

1. Full name of participant
2. Complete address, and telephone number, if any
3. Signature

So, if you are running a contest for the most creative response on your blog post before, you don’t even need to put any of these personal information. If you win, then that’s the time the blogger will contact you and get those information so that he or she can send the prize.

If all of us will follow the policy by DTI, it seems that to make your comment entry valid, you have to submit all these required information while joining the contest.

I don’t know how DTI will bring goodwill to online contest participants if on every contest that you join online, you have to submit all these personal information first. There is more risk in doing this and it makes a simple tasks so complicated. It also kills the fun of joining an online community contest.

DTI, please accept that the policy is originally intended for traditional media and is not applicable online.

Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?

The short answer is No. Bloggers are very much disadvantaged.

almost like extortion RT @animetric: I hate it when people twist words and laws around to fit their agenda. #DTIblag

Saturday - Jul 30, 2011 9:55 AM via TweetDeck ReplyRetweetFavorite

@momblogger

Noem Lardizabal-Dado

Like most of the comments you can find on the original article and reactions online, it seems that this is an effort of DTI to milk people earning online.

If DTI is serious in protecting consumers, businesses and individuals without taking any side, it should have sought opinions from all parties first before surprising bloggers with all these information.

Kindly share this and let DTI know your disapproval on its current policy so that the Consumer Act of the Philippines will be amended soon.

Globe Twitter Account Promoting Viagra?

2011-07-26T23:19:07Z

Not sure what is wrong with Globe Twitter account Talk2Globe awhile ago. I read a random tweet about Viagra from the official Globe Twitter account and right after I’ve read it I thought that their Twitter account got hacked or a malware infected their workstation. I don’t know and I am not sure if this is the first time it happened. What I know is tweeting your customers about restricted drugs without prescription is quite awkward specially if you have a few thousand Twitter followers.

This happened on early Wednesday morning at 4:38AM so only a few people saw it. I tweeted Talk2Globe about the incident but I didn’t receive any feedback. However, it seems that Talk2Globe is still in control of the account because they are still actively tweeting to customers with meaningful response. The offensive tweet was deleted almost immediately and is nowhere to be found on Talk2Globe’s Twitter timeline anymore.

I know you are curious so here are the screenshots taken from 2 different computers:

The 2 screenshots were not Photoshopped. If you are not convinced I am not kidding, someone else saw it. For real.

I hope that companies and people active in social networking will be more proactive about security to prevent incidents like this. Now imagine if this happened on prime-time or peak hours. Many people might have read this unwanted tweet. Would you not be offended if Globe is selling you Viagra?

Google Black Navigation Bar: Remove, Disable or Change It

2011-07-13T19:51:45Z

Over the last few weeks, Google rolled out black navigational bar in Google search and it got mixed reactions. A lot of people started seeing this when Google+ grand beta invitation draws nearer so people started questioning the change in Google search UI. No one really knows what the black menu bar is for, not until recently when Google officially announced an evolved design and experience across Google products.

Long story short, the Google Black Navigation Bar (codename “Sandbar”) is a toolbar that attempts to unify all Google properties according to this article and if you read between the lines, it have stemmed from the Google+ social project.

You might consider it ugly or distracting but the black bar reminds you that you are using Google products. To make the design more consistent across Google products, there is also a new Gmail theme available for preview and Calendar was already redesigned to give the same look and feel.

Now that you know how the black bar came to be, it’s really up to you if want to get rid of it. Personally I would keep it black but the best part is you are not constrained to that color thanks to browser extensions.

For Firefox users, you can use this userscript available for Greasemonkey to go back to classic Google Bar.

For Chrome users, you can also go back to the old white Google navigation bar by installing this Chrome extension, Remove Black Bar from Google.

Alternatively, you can try this Google Plus bar color changer extension so that you could change the black menu bar to any color that you prefer.

For other browsers, it seems that your only option is to run Greasemonkey userscripts in those browsers.

So now that you know your options, will you remove, disable or change the color of Google black navigation bar? Let me know.

Speed Dial and Beyond Opera 11.50

2011-07-08T03:52:45Z

What does Chrome’s Most Visited Sites, Safari’s Top Sites and Internet Explorer’s Most Popular Sites have in common? They were all inspired by Opera’s Speed Dial feature that Opera introduced in version 9.2. Speed Dial became an instant hit and it became available in Firefox as an add-on soon after. Other browsers basically copied Opera. One can argue that it is one of the most popular contribution of Opera in the browser market next to tabbed browsing that it popularized in the early 2000.

Opera just released version 11.50 (“Swordfish”) which pushes the boundaries of Speed Dial as it is now possible to use extensions on Speed Dial.

Opera 11.50 supports a new type of extension that lets you show live, real-time content right in your Speed Dial. This makes it easy to check the weather, see what’s new on your favorite blogs or view the latest tweets—just by opening a new tab to look at your Speed Dial. Find useful and interesting examples of these extensions in our extensions catalog.

Swordfish also has improved user interface. The default theme is even lighter, brighter, and is more user-friendly. Of course you can always customize the look and feel if you don’t like the default skin.

Opera now also offers synchronization of password using Opera Link similar to sync features of Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox.

Easy installation of missing plug-ins was also added as well as faster and better web standards support. The complete change log is available for different OS.

In addition, Opera is now allowing testers to quickly test bleeding-edge version of Opera browser via Opera Next which is a separate product made for testing only. I believe this is the answer to increased speed of releases of web browsers like Chrome and Firefox.

With 200 million strong users and still growing, I am just amazed how Opera thrives amidst the browser wars. There are many browsers out there and Opera is probably one of the most underrated.

Samsung Kies MTP Problem

2011-07-17T17:09:46Z

Samsung should have learned a lot from the very successful Samsung Galaxy S and Galaxy Tab models already but apparently with the release of Samsung Galaxy S II, it seem that the annoying MTP error connection in its Kies application on Windows is sti

Commun.it Private Beta

2011-07-03T15:54:43Z

I’ve used Klout and PeerIndex for a while now and they are very useful. PeerIndex evaluates my social capital while Klout measures my influence and assign a style according to my social graph. Both services give you better understanding of your social network based on different factors but they don’t really help you directly on increasing your engagement within your circle of influence. Now here comes Commun.it which addresses this gap.

Unlike Klout and PeerIndex, Commun.it is a Relationship Marketing platform that helps online businesses to build meaningful, personal relationships via social media. It can give focus on the highest-value relationships. It doesn’t figure which topic you are good at unlike Klout or PeerIndex but it tells you where who are your influencers, supporters and most engaged connections. You can even manage and discover leads by means of mention or keywords.

Although Commun.it doesn’t give you any score or metric, it gives you an actionable list which is better than numbers. It gives you a hint who to unfollow when your connection’s engagement level, influence level and relevance is lower relative to you. It even tracks who unfollows you. Brilliant.

However, I think that Commun.it needs more polishing. For example, it is recommending me to follow someone who is inactive for 7 months already. I won’t follow someone who is inactive for that long. I also don’t understand how Commun.it determines supporters because if I would follow Klout or PeerIndex, one of my supporter is my brother but he’s not included on the list.

Overall, I think that Commun.it is better used together with Klout or PeerIndex to confirm your most engaged connections. I like their CRM-like approach because it is very easy to understand but there is still room to grow. Since it is only in private beta, I don’t expect the product is perfect.

(Thank Ms. Janette Toral for the invite).

Browser Wars Illustrated

2011-06-27T19:38:28Z

For someone who likes to watch the market share of internet browsers, I find this art compelling beyond words.

So Chrome is brawling with Firefox aggressively while the nonchalant Internet Explorer is eating glue? Hilarious and it’s so true. What more can I say. Thanks Shoze for making this cool illustration.

If you would caption this illustration, what would it be?

Firefox 5 with Do Not Track Support and a Lot More

2011-06-22T03:55:36Z

Firefox 5 is now officially available for download, only 3 months after the release of Firefox 4. It’s probably the quickest major release from Mozilla yet after adopting the new rapid release development cycle which is like Google Chrome development cycle.

The latest version of Firefox includes more than 1,000 improvements and performance enhancements that make it easier to discover and use all of the innovative features in Firefox. This release adds support for more modern Web technologies that make it easier for developers to build amazing Firefox Add-ons, Web applications and websites.

On the surface, you can’t really distinguish the difference between Firefox 5 from the earlier version. There is long list of features added and improved in this release but to name a few they are:

CSS animation support
Do-Not-Track option made more visible
Improved background tabs and HTTP idle connection performance
Improved canvas, JavaScript, memory, and networking performance
Improved standards support for HTML5, XHR, MathML, SMIL, and canvas
Stability and security improvements

Mozilla Firefox is the first browser to support Do No Track privacy feature across platform including Android. This feature tells the websites that the user wants to opt-out of online behavioral tracking. It now more visible to users in desktop and mobile version of Firefox:

So what are you waiting for? If you are still using Firefox 4, just go to Help -> About Firefox and click on “check for updates” or you can download Firefox here.