Cruschgear

The Essence of Online Business

The best role of business online is that of interdependency. We’ve all heard the old saying, “No man is an island.” When it comes to online business this is especially true.

If a business owner who takes their business into the online world determines they will be self reliant and never accept the help of anyone then that individual will not be in business long enough to change their minds.

It is accepted fact that the greatest tool for long-term exposure to your website is through Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Without it potential customers can’t find you. It is unreasonable to expect that you can adequately develop a website without optimizing your website for the best possible search engine ranking. More »

China to investigate Google for illegal maps

BEIJING — China has launched an investigation into online mapping services by Internet giants including Google and Sohu in an effort to protect state secrets and territorial integrity, state press said.

According to Min Yiren, vice head of the State Bureau of Surveying and Mapping, authorities hope to get rid of online maps that wrongly depict China’s borders or that reveal military secrets, the People’s Daily said. More »

Yahoo still open to Microsoft

LONDON — Yahoo’s Chief Executive Officer Jerry Yang defended his handling of failed takeover negotiations with Microsoft and said he remains open to an offer from the US software giant, in an interview published Tuesday in the Financial Times.

Yang told the paper he was willing to negotiate but Microsoft pulled its bid for Yahoo after talk turned to raising it above $33 per share. More »

Is the day today for Microsoft and Yahoo battle

The deadline has passed, there’s been days of silence but, if rumors are to be believed, the waiting may finally be over.

The Wall Street Journal has published an interview that seems to suggest that Microsoft is going to launch a hostile takeover bid for Yahoo today.

The wrangle has been heating up since February when Yahoo rejected Microsoft’s $44.6 billion offer.

Since then, there have been ultimatums from Microsoft, diversion tactics from Yahoo - with rumours of possible tie-ups with Google then AOL, and finally Microsoft’s CEO Steve Ballmer hinted that his company was fed-up and ready to walk away.

But after a board meeting on Wednesday, it seems the computing giant is up for a fight.

Ballmer told the newspaper: “With the right circumstances it [the takeover] will happen. Without the right circumstances it won’t happen”.

But he told Microsoft employees: “I will go to what I think it’s worth if that gets a deal done”. More »

YouTube Winner Revealed

The YouTube awards winner has been revealed, and the user-generated video site has stayed true to its funny-kids-and-pets core audience with a laughing baby voted top clip of 2007.

Hit play to see the little rascal crack up at some paper tearing, or hit the link below to see the rest of the winners round up from more worthy categories such as “Politics”, “Eyewitness” and “Instructional”.


>> Link - YouTube Awards

YouTube and iTunes Rival Launches

It was announced way back in March last year but now News Corp and NBC’s rival to both iTunes and YouTube is going to launch in the US tomorrow.

The site will show both full episodes and clips from television shows - available free of charge - but advertising supported.

At launch, Hulu will offer full-length episodes of more than 250 TV series from current hits such as The Simpsons as well as older shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

It also will offer 100 movies including The Big Lebowski and Mulholland Drive.

Content will come from Time Warner Inc’s Warner Bros Television Group, Lionsgate and from sports leagues.

But deals are also mooted to be in the offing with Viacom and CBS Corp.

And Hulu said it has already signed licensing deals with the National Basketball Association and the National Hockey League.

Shows on Hulu also are distributed on AOL, Comcast Corp’s Fancast.com, Microsoft Corp’s MSN, News Corp’s MySpace and Yahoo Inc.

Hulu will be available from tomorrow (12 March).

>> News - NBC to launch YouTube Challenger
>> News - NBC’s YouTube, iTunes rival gets name and Beta sign-up
>> Via - Reuters
>> Link - Hulu

More details emerge on Firefox 3

Way back in November, Mozilla released Firefox 3 to developers.

Now, it has given hints as to what we consumers may expect from the new version of the browser, codenamed “Gran Paradiso”, upon its release.

Mozilla has told the BBC’s World Service that the new browser has been designed around the importance of search to users.

Firefox 3 is currently in its third stage of beta testing.

In the interview, chairman of the Mozilla Foundation Mitchell Baker told BBC World Service’s Digital Planet programme, that the new version will offer a combined search and bookmark tool via the url bar.

It will also support offline working.

She said: “It’s clear that when people are looking for information on the web, search is the number one activity. We’ve devised ways to bring that power into areas that are closer to your individual life”.

As the BBC explains, this means that when a user types in “cameras”, for example, into the url bar, Firefox will bring up a list of the websites that the user recently visited that have cameras in their names.

“If you buy shoes, that’s all you need to remember - we will use search, as you’ve come to expect it, to help you find the places that you have been visiting”, Baker added.

Baker also said that the browser has been redesigned to be easier to use: “In terms of features, we’ve tried very hard not to bloat the interface but to keep it simple, the way people like it, and to have new things appear when you need them”.

And following in a trend for easier switching between online and offline material (see our news on Adobe Air earlier this week) - Firefox 3 will also “remember” key data that is usually lost when an internet connection is turned off or goes down.

The BBC report adds that Firefox is currently the second most popular browser, with a 12% share.

However, Microsoft’s Internet Explorer remains the most popular worldwide.

Firefox has gained more and more popularity since its launch - first as Phoenix in 2002, then as Firebird, and finally ending up as Firefox in February 2004.

>> News - Mozilla releases Firefox 3 to developers
>> Via - BBC News