Tracking the Traffic April 2, 2006
Posted by theexpress in internet, web 2.0.add a comment
I was curious to how some of the current Web services are doing in terms of traffic, and I stumbled across Alexaholic, a service built to do just that. It is a site built to track some of the top sites in terms of traffic per day. You can compare up to five of your favorite sites and see who is performing the best. You could also compare similar or competing sites and see who is winning out. However, if you site is not in the top 100,000 in terms of traffic, you wont see you site or blog there.
After having more fun with various other websites, I thought I’d take a look at the matchups that Alexaholic has already. They compared the top trafficed web sites on the Internet: Yahoo!, Google, and MSN. The sites started out vey far apart because it tracks back a few years, but as one can see, the gap has closed and Google is number one.
As you can see, one can get wrapped up in comparing web site traffic. Everyone must go out, compare websites, and find out the most fascinating results. If you’ve ever thought one website outshined another, and it turns out that you were way off, let me know about it.
Microsoft’s New Search March 9, 2006
Posted by theexpress in internet, media.add a comment
Microsoft, in the midst of the hunt for web supremacy, has just revamped their lacking web search engine. It is set to replace the MSN search that is run by Microsoft. It debuted yesterday, and like all new search engines, has the objective to tackle the front-runner, Google. Their search engine has a different feel than google, but has some cool new features.
Google has the very plain front page that is oft replicated by others, especially the new, de-butlered Ask.com . Live.com, on the other hand, is more beefed up; it is centered around the search but is also including mail features and news on MSN.com. It has the feel that you can get with google if you have a gmail account and five spare minutes using the homepage editor.
I decided to talk about this instead of the origami that has had the most buzz around the web for the past few weeks. I thought their new tablet PC was cool, but the hype was just too much. It was almost a let down to see such a good product and expect much better.
Web 2.0’s Highlights March 7, 2006
Posted by theexpress in blog, internet, open source, social, web 2.0.5 comments
I try not to post too much to what others say around the web, especially when it involves the collective term Web 2.0, but I found this picture, and it really puts the internet around us in perspective. The Web 2.0 term has been around for quite a while now, and most of the web buzz has been around it. There is no specific grounds for it, but it just refers to the new breed of websites out there that have a more interactive approach to the internet. Just looking through this picture, one can probably see that they are more involved with the new web that they would think.
I find it amazing that in this short time, we have all become so attached to not only the internet that has been around for ten years, but Web 2.0 in specific.
I briefly counted through the web sites that I am a part of or have been to, and with only looking at a fraction of the picture, I recognized dozens of them. Even those that have never really heard of Web 2.0 have probably been to some of the more popular sites like Wikipedia, Skype, and our beloved WordPress. The new web connects us in a way never before done. Years ago, the world seemed so much bigger, but now, you can say that you were talking to someone halfway around the world without batting an eye. This picture is just an example of how we all opened up around the world (which could be another post in itself) and how our lives have changed through the internet. There is a link here from the artist’s flickr page and it has some of the different sites linked on the picture.
Review: lib.rario.us March 4, 2006
Posted by theexpress in internet, media, social.2 comments
After seeing a little article on this at Wired’s Monkey Bites blog, I got very excited about the lib.rario.us service and just had to check it out. Now obviously, their name is a joking rip off of del.icio.us, but dont let this little joke make you take the site less serious. Since I knew that I had quite a bit of extra time, I was able to get a good overview of the service.
First of all, the registering is very simple. Just type your wanted username, then type and re-type your passsword and – voila – you are in. No need put in your email and have to activate it that way (I just thought I’d add the registering process because it was unusual to me that this was so easy). The point of this site is to track all of your books, CD’s, DVD’s, and video games in one spot. If you are a person that has CD cases or games spread all around your house, this is a great service for you. And if you lend out a lot of these things, a tracker will be coming soon; you can type in who you lent your GTA 3 to, and remember to nag him went you want it back.
When it comes to putting in all of your media, you will need some time. The ASIN code for your product is required, but you can find it by using their built-in locator (I must warn you that it is a bit shaky since it is still in its infancy), or just get the product code from Amazon.com. After entering the ASIN code, you can write a little review of the product, then tag it how you wish and it is added to your library. Putting the products in your library will take time because you have to enter it all individually, so this isn’t something you can complete in the morning before you’re off to work of school. I have added all of my music to the library, but I still have a ways to go with books, games, and DVD’s. Lib.rario.us is much easier to set up if your collection is rather small, but I’m not that lucky, so it is a bit of a chore working this all in.
Don’t expect this service to have all the bells and whistles now. It is still in its early Alpha stages, but anyone can sign up for it without an invitation. The community is also very small, but its growing, so you can still expect this tight-knit feel to the place that reminds me of the feel flickr had in its early days. It is entering the internet as a place where people can talk to each other about their media and even make some reccomendations. The company also has a sense of humor that you’ll see through the site, like them saying that “All fields are required. (I mean, really… there isn’t THAT many)”. This site has a great future in sight, so I reccomend that everyone get out there and try it out and maybe even spread the word about it.
Companies Eyes Open March 2, 2006
Posted by theexpress in blog, business, internet.add a comment
Ever since the blogosphere encompassed the internet, companies did not act on the goldmine that they received. It is full of countless blogs that offer unbiased advice that can really tell the company what the consumer is interested in. Like I mentioned in a previous, the amount of weblogs on the internet just keep growing and it feels like there is no end in sight. A light bulb has just clicked in their minds that they might want to take full advantage of this while it is still red hot.
Thats why companies are now starting to employ crawlers to scour the internet and find anything in blogs, forums, or social networking sites that may be related to their products. The demand is so high that there are even companies forming that specifically cater to the other companies that need the crawlers. Companies like BuzzMetrics have programs that fetch comments and posts all over the internet and break down the data into related groups. The data then goes to the companies that are those specific fields. It allows large businesses in any industry to capture the buzz around their products or find out what they can do better. Hopefully, the info will be used by more and more companies and everyday products out there can be geared to the consumer much better.
Even companies like NBC saw foresaw the low Olympic viewer ratings because of this technology. The highest buzz was right after the torch was lit, then the chatter went down and down. It was at its worst when people proclaimed that they’d much rather watch American Idol than the “boring” Olympics. But we can all see that as the blogoshere grows, so will the demand for companies to cash in on it. But “cashing in on it” has a bad connotation. Remember, they are doing it to hear out opinion, so the cashing in is really the fruits of our web chatter.
RSS: When It Isn’t Convenient February 22, 2006
Posted by theexpress in internet, rss.2 comments
Since blogs have really dominated the web culture recently, everyone has jumped aboard the RSS train. RSS is a great technology to accomodate all of the weblogs out there and it is especially helpful for someone who checks a lot of blogs in one day. When I first downloaded Firefox in November 2004, I was not really sure what the RSS hype is all about. I guess it was because I only checked a few blogs a day and many sites still did not have RSS up and running. Over the past year and a half, I have switched sides.
I am all over the blogosphere now, and it is really hard to remember all of the sites you would like to see in one day, but henever I was making my way around a few dozen sites, I started to realize how much of a help it really is. I quickly subscribed to all of my favorite blogs and RSS-enabled sites and I didn’t regret it at all. I was able to check wired.com and my friends sites and I could do it a lot quicker. Now that I am checking out tons of weblogs, it is almost getting to be an inconvenience to see the long list of posts I should check out. I realized that I bit off more than I can chew.
Now it isnt very fair for me to blame RSS for my increased blog appetite, but I need some kind of scapegoat. Getting through the loads of new updates is beginning to be a chore. The only relief I get is on the weekends when most new sites are posting and some bloggers are taking some time off. The technology is great, but maybe I was better off trying to remember sites because I usually would only check a handful of the total blogs anyway. My desire for all of these RSS feeds is going to have to stop growing sometime, but unfortunately the web wont.
Browser War (no, not that one) February 22, 2006
Posted by theexpress in browser, internet, open source.8 comments
Until 2004, it had been many years since anyone had really cared about a battle of the web browsers. The famous Netscape versus Internet Explorer duel was old enough for the history books, and no one seemed to mind the winner…for a while. Then, like a golden-winged ship, Mozilla released Firefox 1.0 and the overthrow of Microsoft dominance began. Immediately people began calling for the downfall of IE and the beginning of the open source revolution. Since then, Firefox has remained in second place and is making steady gains on IE. The battle is still raging even though most of that original spark (which I was gladly a part of, and I assume many of the readers were too) has died a bit. The Fox is still hungry for more of the market share, but the pioneer movement that was palpable in late 2004 and early 2005 has ended. The only competitor of Firefox for second place is sitting in the choir at about one percent of the market share. That of course would be the Opera browser, who is making it a goal to out Mozilla as the open-source leader and try to lead the take down of IE’s empire.
When it comes to popularity, Firefox has Opera easily outdone. The success of the browser is owed to the group of devout fans who got out there and spread the word from the beginning that there was a new sheriff in town. Just because they have the popularity doesnt mean that Mozilla has the better browser on all accounts. When you look at the amount of features that each browser comes with, you’ll probably see that Opera is the clear winner. But there are other factors in a browser, such as which one makes the internet more fun to be on. That question relies more on opinion, but I believe that more websites have accepted Firefox and it has been made easier for the users to get around. It may be unfair to Opera because they haven’t yet gained the popularity to be more accepted, but that is how the cookie crumbles.
If you read this article wanting to know which browser to chose, you’re probably in the wrong place. Each one has their own highlights and pitfalls, but I believe that it’s safe to say that Mozilla wont have to worry about the Opera threat. Opera didnt get the same movement that Firefox got, so it can’t really blast into the market. Unfortunately for Opera, Firefox has enough extensions that if anyone really wants to have certain features that only Opera offers, they can download them for FF and still have the function of the soon-to-be number one browser.
Google, China, and The Mess February 21, 2006
Posted by theexpress in internet.add a comment
By about now, everyone has probably heard a little, if not all of the story of Google in China. The Chinese had access to Google, but the quality is not exactly up to par. According to one of their recent reports, their google.com service in China is “…down around 10% of the time. Even when users can reach it, the website is slow, and sometimes produces results that when clicked on, stall out the user’s browser.” So this is much different that the Google most of us are used to in other countries. So the best solution was to make a google for them (enter google.cn).
It all seems well so far, but the real problem is right around the corner. In order for Google to get some local presence in China, they had to move sensitive content and information from their search results. So basically, they had to screen the content and conform to what the Chinese government said. It has sparked a wave of controvesy among those who believe that the internet should never be screened. Google has stated that this was a tough step to take, but they stand behind it. They tried to stand by their motto, but in a situation like this, compromised. The internet, which has been the uncensored and almost always unchecked medium, is now beeing screened.
Now let’s not forget about the incredible good that can come from China getting access to the most popular search engine out there. Even though there is controversial screening, the Chinese are now getting very competent service compared to the google.com service that was virtually unusable. China’s population is, of course, one-fifth of the world’s. Google China has not yet offered all of the bells and whistles (such as Blogger or G-Mail) that they have in other countries, but they plan to move into the market when the time is right.
So will the move to China be a big success or a long, slow work in progress? On the 15th of February, Google did release what is a guideline/game plan with their Chinese services and how they’ll work with the government. I guess we can only wish them the best of luck.
Weblogs: Everyone’s Doing It February 20, 2006
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On February 6th, technorati posted its newest results on the current state of the blogosphere. Then on the 14th, the second part of their findings was published on their site.
The results are shocking. The illustration shows that since March of 2003, the number of blogs on the Internet have doubled four times. I know personally that this cant be too far fetched because in the past two years, I have created five different weblogs. Along with this one, I regularly post on one other, so it shows that it is so easy to create, and forget about, blogs in minutes.
According to technorati, there are 50,000 blog updates every hour and 1.2 million posts a day. The rate currently holds that a new blog is created each second and the current blogosphere is sixty times larger than it was three years ago. Weblogs are even starting to edge out mainstream media sites when they look for their news.
You can see the usual suspects when it comes to the latest news on top. The New York Times, CNN, and The Washington Post top the list, but when you look a little further down, you’ll see that there is a change in tide. Popular blogs like Boing Boing and Engadget are showing up on the list and their counterparts are only going to show up more.
For a more detailed summary, check out “State of the Blogosphere” part one and part two on technorati.
