I’m sure you’ve heard the news that Microsoft has launched its new BING search engine. For today’s podcast, I’d like to cover a few of the highlights and connect you up with a couple or pertinent links you and a short promotional video of the features and benefits according to the source.

If you have checked out the Bing, you may notice have noticed different search results from MSN search results and Bing. Although search results are small by comparison to others (5-10 market share) is significant enough to warrant your attention. Clearly, Microsoft will have an uphill battle competing with the 800 hundred pound Google guerilla. That said it’s definitely worth your time to investigate and to resummit your sites and those of your closest customers. :

Bing is marketing itself as a core provider of the following core search categories:

•Shopping
•Health
•Local
•Travel

Although not as robust as Google’s Webmaster resources, Bing does offer some limited information for Web Professionals. Check out the links and all of the great resources on today’s Web professional minute.

Microsoft BING Webmaster Tools
Bing submit page

WOW is pleased to announce the winners of the 2009 National Web Design Contest.

The Web design contest challenged high school and college students from around the U.S. to work in teams of two to a number of challenges that would support a fully functional Web site for a non-profit organization.

Check out the two minute podcast on today’s Web Professional Minute website.

Additional detail:

Challengers documented their progress as they demonstrated their skills in Web Programming (HTML, XHTML and CSS), Web graphics, Web site design, Web accessibility and usability, Web site management, project management, Web multimedia and equally important professionalism.

A panel of experts from the Web professional community based their winning selection on the following criteria developed by the WOW organization:

* Graphics: Overall Visual Appeal
* Graphics: Mechanical Aspects
* Design and Layout: Look & Feel
* Design and Layout: Navigation
* Programming: Compatibility
* Programming Code Structure & Design
* Scaffolding of Process – Diagram/Flowchart
* Richness of Process – Interview
* Written Exams
* Professionalism – Interview and Submission

Winners at the Secondary/High School level include:

Gold: Sanilac Career Center, MI

* Angela Schanley-Miller
* Celia Slater

Silver: Carson City High School, NV

* Ali Thompson
* Justin Otero

Bronze: Hartford Tech High School, MD

* David Cobb
* Eric Foltz

Winners at the College/Postsecondary include

Gold: Manatee Tech Institute, FL

* Jason Hagleberg
* Sandra Nino

Silver: Illinois Central College, IL

* Kathleen Quinlan
* Matthew Scachette

Bronze: Tennessee Technology Center at Harriman, TN

* Brett Patterson
* Karen Gilmer

$190,000 in education scholarships and prizes were generously provided by the following list of contributors:

* Adobe Corporation
* The Art Institute
* Center for Digital Imaging Arts or CDIA at Boston University
* Santa Clara University
* World Organization of Webmasters

The Web Design Contest provides quality education experiences for students in leadership, teamwork, citizenship and character development. It builds and reinforces self-confidence, work attitudes and communications skills. It emphasizes total quality at work, high ethical standards, superior work skills, life-long education and pride in the dignity of work.

Today’s Web Professional Minute is brought to you by the Adobe Corporation and the 2009 MAX Awards competition which is now open! MAX Awards are a global awards program that recognizes the best uses of Adobe software for creating engaging experiences. Submissions are being accepted now through July 31 2009.

This year Adobe will award winners in 8 categories: Advertising & Branding, Education, Enterprise Productivity, Entertainment, Mobile, Public Sector, Social Networking, Social Responsibility. View the complete category descriptions and complete Awards information.

New this year, category winners will be chosen online via people’s choice voting. Online voting will open September 21st and close during MAX North America in Los Angeles. The three finalists in each category will be invited to attend MAX North America, where the category winners will be announced live. All finalists will receive complimentary admission to MAX.

All submissions must be received online by 11:59 pm on July 31st.

Be sure to submit your project today! Good luck!

Gold, Silver and Bronze winners will be announced in the high school and college category with over 190,000 in scholarships and prizes to be given away. WOW’s mission is to support Web professionals with career pathways and employment resources and this contest goes a long way to support the cause.

For today’s podcast and to help me communicate the value of this effort to WOW members and Web professionals everywhere, I interviewed Professor Mark DuBois. WOW’s Education Director who’s been onsite with me all week to manage the contest for a response to the following questions.

* Why is this contest important?
* Complexity of the judging process.

Check out the two minute podcast on today’s Web Professional Minute website.

I’d like like to give a special shout out to the judges for their support and for staying up all night to tally the scores.

* Brandy Thatcher
* Ann Willer
* Jonathon Worent
* Shelly LaFevers
* Anna McClure
* Shawn Scofield
* Shari Trip
* Pamela Dunn
* Catherine Treazek
* Erik Frantz
* Russell Laska

Today’s Web Professional Minute is brought to you by WebProtraining.org, offering a complete solution for all your Web professional training needs including WOW certification options. Check it out at Web Professional Training website.

A transcript of this podcast will be available in twenty four hours.

I’m in Kansa City, MO this week heading up the National Web Design Contest in conjunction with the SkillsUSA conference. 2009 marks our sixth anniversary and the week is off to a great start with teams from around the U.S. competing at the secondary and the post secondary levels for a grand total of 140,000.00 in education scholarships.

Promoting Best Practices including Web accessibility and Web standards has always been the mission of WOW organization and I am pleased to report that this contest has helped advance that cause in a significant way. I’d like to thank you for supporting this important initiative and for supporting the Web professional minute podcast as a subscriber.

I’d also like to give a special shout out to the following individuals and organization for their support. In particular, I’d like to thank Kathy Waite and Rom Portwood from Adobe for their ongoing support. PeachPit Press for their book donations for prizes, Shelly LaFever, Joliet Community College for assembling the judges around the globe and last but not least Santa Clara University, Boston University and the Art Institute for their support and scholarships as well.

For the complete story check out today’s two minute podcast on the Web Professional Minute website.

Today’s minute is sponsored by Web Design World 2009 taking place July 20-22, 2009 in Seattle, WA July These days, everyone’s doing more with less. That’s why Web Design World Seattle is the design conference for the here and now. No fluff or filler, just great speakers and practical topics. CSS and markup that work. Smart user-experience and social-networking strategies. Power tips for Photoshop, Dreamweaver, and Flash.

Web Security is an issue of importance to Web professionals and to the customers we serve. To that end, I’d like to cover the topic of Web security or more specifically “Phishing” and some stats that I just learned about. For today’s podcast, I’d like to explain what exactly Phishing is, just how big of an issue this really is and who monitors such activity.

According to Wikipedia, phishing is the criminally fraudulent process of attempting to acquire sensitive information such as usernames, passwords and credit card details by masquerading as a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication. Phishing is typically carried out by e-mail or instant messaging, and it often directs users to enter details at a fake website whose look and feel are almost identical to the legitimate one. Even when using server authentication, it may require tremendous skill to detect that the website is fake. Phishing is an example of social engineering techniques used to fool users, and exploits the poor usability of current web security technologies.
Attempts to deal with the growing number of reported phishing incidents include legislation, user training, public awareness, and technical security measures.

According to Anti-Phishing Working Group (APWG), the number of crimeware-spreading sites infecting PCs with password-stealing crimeware reached an all time high of 31,173 in December, and 827% increase from January 2008.

For the complete story check out today’s two minute podcast on the Web Professional Minute website.

Today’s minute is sponsored by Web Design World 2009 taking place July 20-22, 2009 in Seattle, WA July These days, everyone’s doing more with less. That’s why Web Design World Seattle is the design conference for the here and now. No fluff or filler, just great speakers and practical topics. CSS and markup that work. Smart user-experience and social-networking strategies. Power tips for Photoshop, Dreamweaver, and Flash.
Check out our lineup and sign up today!

A complete transcript will be available in twenty four hours.

Over the years, I’ve made it a point to avoid reporting on global politics or political candidates on behalf of the WOW organization. In short, it’s not good practice. That said, the recent announcement of the Obama administration to promote digital literacy and cyber security in the U.S. changes everything. Promoting digital literacy and cyber security is not only spot on its way over due.

This is great news for the Web profession, those that hire Web pro’s and last but not least for those that teach. At long last Web professional education will get a boost and the profession will get the respect that it deserves!

In fact, I’d give the following Obama quote an A + and a whole lot of respect for the newly elected U.S. president!

“Our Nation’s Cyber Infrastructure and digital literacy from our boardrooms to our classrooms, and to build a digital workforce for the 21st century. And that’s why we’re making a new commitment to education in math and science, and historic investments in science and research and development. Because it’s not enough for our children and students to master today’s technologies — social networking and e-mailing and texting and blogging — we need them to pioneer the technologies that will allow us to work effectively through these new media and allow us to prosper in the future. So these are the things we will do.” United States President Barack Hussein Obama, May 29, 2009.

Here’s the rest of the story:

REMARKS BY THE U.S. PRESIDENT ON SECURING THE CYBER INFRASTRUCTURE

Now, over the past four months my administration has taken decisive steps to seize the promise and confront these perils. We’re working to recover from a global recession while laying a new foundation for lasting prosperity. We’re strengthening our armed forces as they fight two wars, at the same time we’re renewing American leadership to confront unconventional challenges, from nuclear proliferation to terrorism, from climate change to pandemic disease. And we’re bringing to government — and to this White House — unprecedented transparency and accountability and new ways for Americans to participate in their democracy.

But none of this progress would be possible, and none of these 21st century challenges can be fully met, without America’s digital infrastructure — the backbone that underpins a prosperous economy and a strong military and an open and efficient government. Without that foundation we can’t get the job done.

It’s long been said that the revolutions in communications and information technology have given birth to a virtual world. But make no mistake: This world — cyberspace — is a world that we depend on every single day. It’s our hardware and our software, our desktops and laptops and cell phones and Blackberries that have become woven into every aspect of our lives.

It’s the broadband networks beneath us and the wireless signals around us, the local networks in our schools and hospitals and businesses, and the massive grids that power our nation. It’s the classified military and intelligence networks that keep us safe, and the World Wide Web that has made us more interconnected than at any time in human history.

So cyberspace is real. And so are the risks that come with it.
It’s the great irony of our Information Age — the very technologies that empower us to create and to build also empower those who would disrupt and destroy. And this paradox — seen and unseen — is something that we experience every day.

It’s about the privacy and the economic security of American families. We rely on the Internet to pay our bills, to bank, to shop, to file our taxes. But we’ve had to learn a whole new vocabulary just to stay ahead of the cyber criminals who would do us harm — spyware and malware and spoofing and phishing and botnets. Millions of Americans have been victimized, their privacy violated, their identities stolen, their lives upended, and their wallets emptied. According to one survey, in the past two years alone cyber crime has cost Americans more than $8 billion.

I know how it feels to have privacy violated because it has happened to me and the people around me. It’s no secret that my presidential campaign harnessed the Internet and technology to transform our politics. What isn’t widely known is that during the general election hackers managed to penetrate our computer systems. To all of you who donated to our campaign, I want you to all rest assured, our fundraising website was untouched. (Laughter.) So your confidential personal and financial information was protected.

But between August and October, hackers gained access to emails and a range of campaign files, from policy position papers to travel plans. And we worked closely with the CIA — with the FBI and the Secret Service and hired security consultants to restore the security of our systems. It was a powerful reminder: In this Information Age, one of your greatest strengths — in our case, our ability to communicate to a wide range of supporters through the Internet — could also be one of your greatest vulnerabilities.

This is a matter, as well, of America’s economic competitiveness. The small businesswoman in St. Louis, the bond trader in the New York Stock Exchange, the workers at a global shipping company in Memphis, the young entrepreneur in Silicon Valley — they all need the networks to make the next payroll, the next trade, the next delivery, the next great breakthrough. E-commerce alone last year accounted for some $132 billion in retail sales.

But every day we see waves of cyber thieves trolling for sensitive information — the disgruntled employee on the inside, the lone hacker a thousand miles away, organized crime, the industrial spy and, increasingly, foreign intelligence services. In one brazen act last year, thieves used stolen credit card information to steal millions of dollars from 130 ATM machines in 49 cities around the world — and they did it in just 30 minutes. A single employee of an American company was convicted of stealing intellectual property reportedly worth $400 million. It’s been estimated that last year alone cyber criminals stole intellectual property from businesses worldwide worth up to $1 trillion.
In short, America’s economic prosperity in the 21st century will depend on cybersecurity.

And this is also a matter of public safety and national security. We count on computer networks to deliver our oil and gas, our power and our water. We rely on them for public transportation and air traffic control. Yet we know that cyber intruders have probed our electrical grid and that in other countries cyber attacks have plunged entire cities into darkness.

Our technological advantage is a key to America’s military dominance. But our defense and military networks are under constant attack. Al Qaeda and other terrorist groups have spoken of their desire to unleash a cyber attack on our country — attacks that are harder to detect and harder to defend against. Indeed, in today’s world, acts of terror could come not only from a few extremists in suicide vests but from a few key strokes on the computer — a weapon of mass disruption.

In one of the most serious cyber incidents to date against our military networks, several thousand computers were infected last year by malicious software — malware. And while no sensitive information was compromised, our troops and defense personnel had to give up those external memory devices — thumb drives — changing the way they used their computers every day.

And last year we had a glimpse of the future face of war. As Russian tanks rolled into Georgia, cyber attacks crippled Georgian government websites. The terrorists that sowed so much death and destruction in Mumbai relied not only on guns and grenades but also on GPS and phones using voice-over-the-Internet.

For all these reasons, it’s now clear this cyber threat is one of the most serious economic and national security challenges we face as a nation.

It’s also clear that we’re not as prepared as we should be, as a government or as a country. In recent years, some progress has been made at the federal level. But just as we failed in the past to invest in our physical infrastructure — our roads, our bridges and rails — we’ve failed to invest in the security of our digital infrastructure.

No single official oversees cybersecurity policy across the federal government, and no single agency has the responsibility or authority to match the scope and scale of the challenge. Indeed, when it comes to cybersecurity, federal agencies have overlapping missions and don’t coordinate and communicate nearly as well as they should — with each other or with the private sector.

We saw this in the disorganized response to Conficker, the Internet “worm” that in recent months has infected millions of computers around the world.

This status quo is no longer acceptable — not when there’s so much at stake. We can and we must do better.

And that’s why shortly after taking office I directed my National Security Council and Homeland Security Council to conduct a top-to-bottom review of the federal government’s efforts to defend our information and communications infrastructure and to recommend the best way to ensure that these networks are able to secure our networks as well as our prosperity.

Our review was open and transparent. I want to acknowledge, Melissa Hathaway, who is here, who is the Acting Senior Director for Cyberspace on our National Security Council, who led the review team, as well as the Center for Strategic and International Studies bipartisan Commission on Cybersecurity, and all who were part of our 60-day review team. They listened to a wide variety of groups, many of which are represented here today and I want to thank for their input: industry and academia, civil liberties and private — privacy advocates. We listened to every level and branch of government — from local to state to federal, civilian, military, homeland as well as intelligence, Congress and international partners, as well. I consulted with my national security teams, my homeland security teams, and my economic advisors.

Today I’m releasing a report on our review, and can announce that my administration will pursue a new comprehensive approach to securing America’s digital infrastructure.

This new approach starts at the top, with this commitment from me: From now on, our digital infrastructure — the networks and computers we depend on every day — will be treated as they should be: as a strategic national asset. Protecting this infrastructure will be a national security priority. We will ensure that these networks are secure, trustworthy and resilient. We will deter, prevent, detect, and defend against attacks and recover quickly from any disruptions or damage.

To give these efforts the high-level focus and attention they deserve — and as part of the new, single National Security Staff announced this week — I’m creating a new office here at the White House that will be led by the Cybersecurity Coordinator. Because of the critical importance of this work, I will personally select this official. I’ll depend on this official in all matters relating to cybersecurity, and this official will have my full support and regular access to me as we confront these challenges.

Today, I want to focus on the important responsibilities this office will fulfill: orchestrating and integrating all cybersecurity policies for the government; working closely with the Office of Management and Budget to ensure agency budgets reflect those priorities; and, in the event of major cyber incident or attack, coordinating our response.
To ensure that federal cyber policies enhance our security and our prosperity, my Cybersecurity Coordinator will be a member of the National Security Staff as well as the staff of my National Economic Council. To ensure that policies keep faith with our fundamental values, this office will also include an official with a portfolio specifically dedicated to safeguarding the privacy and civil liberties of the American people.

There’s much work to be done, and the report we’re releasing today outlines a range of actions that we will pursue in five key areas.
First, working in partnership with the communities represented here today, we will develop a new comprehensive strategy to secure America’s information and communications networks. To ensure a coordinated approach across government, my Cybersecurity Coordinator will work closely with my Chief Technology Officer, Aneesh Chopra, and my Chief Information Officer, Vivek Kundra. To ensure accountability in federal agencies, cybersecurity will be designated as one of my key management priorities. Clear milestones and performances metrics will measure progress. And as we develop our strategy, we will be open and transparent, which is why you’ll find today’s report and a wealth of related information on our Web site, www.whitehouse.gov.

Second, we will work with all the key players — including state and local governments and the private sector — to ensure an organized and unified response to future cyber incidents. Given the enormous damage that can be caused by even a single cyber attack, ad hoc responses will not do. Nor is it sufficient to simply strengthen our defenses after incidents or attacks occur. Just as we do for natural disasters, we have to have plans and resources in place beforehand — sharing information, issuing warnings and ensuring a coordinated response.

Third, we will strengthen the public/private partnerships that are critical to this endeavor. The vast majority of our critical information infrastructure in the United States is owned and operated by the private sector. So let me be very clear: My administration will not dictate security standards for private companies. On the contrary, we will collaborate with industry to find technology solutions that ensure our security and promote prosperity.

Fourth, we will continue to invest in the cutting-edge research and development necessary for the innovation and discovery we need to meet the digital challenges of our time. And that’s why my administration is making major investments in our information infrastructure: laying broadband lines to every corner of America; building a smart electric grid to deliver energy more efficiently; pursuing a next generation of air traffic control systems; and moving to electronic health records, with privacy protections, to reduce costs and save lives.

And finally, we will begin a national campaign to promote cybersecurity awareness and digital literacy from our boardrooms to our classrooms, and to build a digital workforce for the 21st century. And that’s why we’re making a new commitment to education in math and science, and historic investments in science and research and development. Because it’s not enough for our children and students to master today’s technologies — social networking and e-mailing and texting and blogging — we need them to pioneer the technologies that will allow us to work effectively through these new media and allow us to prosper in the future. So these are the things we will do.
Let me also be clear about what we will not do. Our pursuit of cybersecurity will not — I repeat, will not include — monitoring private sector networks or Internet traffic. We will preserve and protect the personal privacy and civil liberties that we cherish as Americans. Indeed, I remain firmly committed to net neutrality so we can keep the Internet as it should be — open and free.

The task I have described will not be easy. Some 1.5 billion people around the world are already online, and more are logging on every day. Groups and governments are sharpening their cyber capabilities. Protecting our prosperity and security in this globalized world is going to be a long, difficult struggle demanding patience and persistence over many years.

But we need to remember: We’re only at the beginning. The epochs of history are long — the Agricultural Revolution; the Industrial Revolution. By comparison, our Information Age is still in its infancy. We’re only at Web 2.0. Now our virtual world is going viral. And we’ve only just begun to explore the next generation of technologies that will transform our lives in ways we can’t even begin to imagine.
So a new world awaits — a world of greater security and greater potential prosperity — if we reach for it, if we lead. So long as I’m President of the United States, we will do just that. And the United States — the nation that invented the Internet, that launched an information revolution, that transformed the world — will do what we did in the 20th century and lead once more in the 21st.

Thank you very much, everybody. Thank you. (Applause.)

In celebration, WOW invited Verio, the global leader in Web hosting to participate in the WOW booth and to participate in the launch of the IT Buyer Guide initiative connecting IT buyers and sellers.

Previously known as “NetWorld+Interop” the week long event is one of the largest of its kind in the U.S. Conference tracks and expo covered a wide variety of IT topics including data center and communication technologies, storage and security, enterprise 2.0, virtualization, VoIP and unified communications, networking, wireless & mobility.

For today’s podcast, I’m pleased to present an interview with Tony Byrne, Founder of CMS Watch, .a vendor-neutral firm that evaluates content technologies and publishes reports comparing different solutions head-to-head. Tony is a long time collaborator with the WOW organization and just so happened to be exhibiting in the booth next to WOW’s. Tony shares his thoughts on the overall event and his take on the IT economy in general.

I’d like to give a special shout out to Tony for the interview, Janine Soika and Scott Schafer at Verio Inc. for their support of the WOW and for helping us celebrating our tenth year anniversary at Interop 2009 Las Vegas. If you can spare a few minutes, please check out the interview with Janine Soika, Director of Channel Marketing at Verio Inc. as well as a dozen or so of the initial interviews on the IT Buyer Guide Also, be sure to bookmark this site for the many more interviews to follow.

Today’s Web professional minute is sponsored by the IT Buyer Guide. When you need IT resources, be sure to check out ITBuyerGuide.org. There is something there for all skill levels and disciplines and be sure to ask about advertising opportunities with this PR6 website from the World Organization of Webmasters.

If you’re like me, you’ve probably wondered about the size and scope of today’s Internet fraud stats. According to recently published press reports, U.S. consumers lost $25.5 million in 2008. Naturally, this is of interest to Web professionals as it can have a negative affect on our profession and the customers we serve and we need to be in the loop.

According to the U.S. based Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), 275.284 complaints were registered in 2008. Online auctions, confidence schemes and non delivery of purchased goods accounted for 70% of the total reported crimes. Non delivery of goods spiked last year and outranked online auctions and schemes as the number one culprit of consumer fraud.

The FBI estimates the figures could be much higher and could top 20 billion. The report cited underreporting of such crimes by consumers as a significant issue. According to press sources, “many people don’t report a problem or don’t know how or where to report a problem.”

Check out today’s four minute podcast on the Web Professional Minute website.

Today’s Web Professional Minute is sponsored by WebProfessionalJobs.com There is something there for all skill levels and disciplines and be sure to ask about free resume posting opportunities with this PR6 website from the World Organization of Webmasters.

A full transcript to follow in seventy two hours.

For today’s podcast, I had the pleasure of interviewing Jay Brownfield, independent Web professional and WOW member from San Jose, CA.

Jay participated in the VTM Conference in San Francisco last week on a WOW education scholarship. Jay shares a couple of “golden nuggets” that he walked away with form his participation. As you know, time is money and its great to hear about the positive aspects of conferences and most importantly the walk away knowledge gleaned from them.

Check out today’s three minute podcast on the Web Professional Minute website.

Today’s Web Professional Minute is sponsored by Peach Pit Press. Peachpit has been publishing top-notch books on the latest in graphic design, desktop publishing, multimedia, Web design and development, digital video, and general computing since 1986.