Microsoft and Yahoo Reach Deal on Search Partnership
Microsoft and Yahoo announced a partnership in Internet search and advertising on Wednesday that is intended to create a stronger rival to the industry powerhouse Google.
Read the New York Times article to find out what the deal means for Microsoft, Yahoo, and Google.
Microsoft Game Helps Make Search Better
Researchers at Microsoft’s labs in Redmond, WA, have released “Page Hunt,” an online game that aims to improve Bing by refining search results.
An article in MIT’s Technology Review explains how Page Hunt puts a clever twist on “Human Computation,” using people to perform tasks that computers find difficult to do – a small but potentially effective step in Microsoft’s quest to make Bing the most useful search engine.
Page Hunt presents players with web pages and asks them to guess the queries that would produce the page within its first five results. The idea is to gather useful information on user search habits which could be used to fine tune search algorithms and ranking scheme.
Read the full MIT Technology Review article to find out how Microsoft hopes a game will help them to improve search for Bing, how to play it, and some interesting trends that are already providing researchers with insight into what queries will effectively find a web page.
Site Wins Fashion Fans by Letting Them Design
While other fashion magazine sites have been struggling to hold an online audience, Polyvore has tripled its traffic in the last year.
Read this New York Times Article to find out how Polyvore is generating more traffic than the biggest names in the fashion industry by engaging users with their interactive, easy-to-use website.
Google vs. Microsoft: What you need to know.
“The Google vs. Microsoft Battle?”
This CNN article explains how the two tech giants stack up in four key areas of competitions.
Does Congress Need its Own Social Network? National Journal Thinks So
For the thousands of staffers that work on Capitol Hill for members of Congress, social media is about a lot more than just PR, they actually need to get things done.
However, they’ve been fairly limited in this respect to-date, as there has been no “LinkedIn for Congress” per se.
That’s changing later this year though, as the influential National Journal plans to launch a social network of sorts exclusive to those with house.gov or senate.gov email addresses.
Google Voice Makes Life Easier by Going Mobile.
Google Voice Launches Blackberry and Android Applications
Google is unveiling a mobile application for its universal voice mailbox and call-routing service. These two articles explain what this application offers and how it is making life easier for users.
Approval by a blogger may please a sponser.
Big marketing companies are helping their products to stand out amid the clutter, particularly in social media, by getting their products into the hands of so-called “influencers” who have loyal followings online. Read the full New York Times Article here>>
Don’t forget to join us tomorrow at the July SchmoozePDX Networking Event.
We are expecting a great turnout at our Schmooze Networking Event TOMORROW (Tuesday, July 14th) at the Benson Hotel from 5:30-8:30. Don’t forget to be there!
Enjoy fine foods & spirits, a special entertainment treat featuring local pianist Michael Allen Harrison, along with networking fun! We will also be giving away a one-night stay at the Benson!
Our Schmooze networking event is a welcoming business environment where you can meet other local professionals, pass cards, and hang at some of Portland’s premier locations.
21 Web Development Trends for 2009
Click here to read the ultimate list of coming 2009 web trends for web developers.
Gmail and Other Google Apps Finally Shed ‘Beta’ Label
5 years after the release of Gmail, Google is finally shedding the beta label, signaling that they consider the product to be fully baked.
This New York Times Article explains what “Beta” is, what took Google so long to remove it, and what it means for Google and the millions of Gmail users.
