Monthly Archives: March 2011

Advertising, B2b, eCommerce, Internet, Online, Search, Searching, SEM, SEO, Services, Social Networking, Web, Web 2.0, Web Marketing

Google Moving Into Mobile Phone Credit Cards, SEO Company Queryclick.com Says It’s Got Its Eyes On The Money

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Mountain View giant Google is said to be considering a move into mobile phone credit card payments, according to sources speaking to the Wall Street Journal.

Reports suggest that the search engine is poised to forge bonds with MasterCard and Citigroup so that Android users will have the ability to pay for purchases with the help of ‘near-field communications’ technology (NFC).

At the launch of the Nexus S, allusions were made to such a move, and fans of Android are welcoming the development. NFC mobile payments are also rumoured to be making their way to Apple devices in the near future, with many expecting subsequent iPhones to be equipped with NFC chips, while Orange has already joined forces with Barclaycard with the aim of offering contactless payments.

If the reports are true, Google could be set to open a new round of iPhone versus Android debates, claims SEO company Queryclick.com. A spokesperson said: “It’s a slow burning battle, but Google’s Android and Apple’s iPhones are set to continue squabbling for top position in the hearts of smartphones fans for years to come.

“While Apple may have had the initial advantage, technology geeks quickly embrace the flexibility and functionality of the Android operating system. New moves like this are exactly the kind of thing Google can use to its advantage, and if it beats Apple to the punch with contactless payments, it could cement its place at the top.”

The Nexus S is currently the only NFC ready phone on the market, although Samsung is slated to be releasing the Galaxy S II with this functionality in the summer. Apple CEO Steve Jobs has already announced NFC technology will not be included in the iPhone 5, stating his belief that the technology is still at too early a stage of its evolutionary process.

Via EPR Network
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B2b, Internet, ISPs, Online, Security, Services, Social Networking, Software

Risks Of Using Social Networking In Business

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Social Networking sites such as Facebook, Myspace and Youtube have gained popularity among the younger population. Sites such as LinkedIn, Plaxo and Xing have followed quickly in their footsteps to provide the business friendly social network opportunities.

More recently, companies large and small are exploring ways to use social network site to support and improve sales (Youtube), to find new employees and business partners (LinkedIn) or to monitor their performance and respond to critics (Yelp and increasingly Facebook and Twitter).

However, for information security experts commissum.com, businesses looking to embrace these social media channels and tools in their business need to understand and calculate the benefits and risks before engaging them.

To consider the risks of using social media for your business consider the following:

Be careful using social media for employment vetting purposes for the same reasons that employers should not ask about religion, preferences, age, race etc.

Once a business takes the step of using social media, they are opening up a channel that in most cases you have very limited control of; in fact almost handing over control to the public. How would the business deal with both fair and unfair criticisms and opinions expressed on social media websites and how could its reputation be affected?

Would your employees know what business information can be disclosed on social media websites and could the business therefore be at risk of involuntary information leakage?

Could information on the size, structure of the business and operational details such as IT infrastructure details be used for initial data gathering activities for targeted attacks?

Could the business IT infrastructure be vulnerable to malicious software downloaded from social network sites?

And lastly consider whether the business should monitor the activities of its employees to ensure that security is maintained and resources are not being wasted by social networking activities.

“The risks of using social media encompass all aspects of the business; legal, employment, technical, operational and reputation”, according to a commissum spokesperson.

Via EPR Network
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Advertising, B2b, eCommerce, Internet, Online, Search, Searching, SEM, SEO, Services, Social Networking, Web, Web 2.0, Web Marketing

SEO Experts QueryClick Welcome Launch of Google’s New Online Magazine Think Quarterly

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In a word dominated by constant algorithm updates and product launches, Google’s release of this polished, beautifully crafted, and highly informative magazine (or book as it is referred to by the search engine giant) offers a more reflective and in-depth look at the wider issues surrounding online business.

As Matt Brittin, Managing Director of Google’s UK and Ireland Operations, insists, Think Quarterly is:

“a breathing space in a busy world. It’s a place to take time out and consider what’s happening and why it matters.”

For UK SEO company QueryClick.com, the online magazine is a very welcome addition to the industry. A QueryClick spokesperson commented on the benefits of the publication:

“Although the vast majority of businesses are highly aware of the importance of online marketing, and SEM in particular, there remains a degree of inhibition regarding the ins and outs of search engines and the extent of the importance of active engagement with search engine optimisation.

“Think Quarterly will hopefully serve to demystify some of the more inaccessible tenets of search engine operations by reaching out to businesses on a more accessible level.

“By attracting a broad spectrum of business minded individuals hoping to gain a better understanding of online culture, the significance of SEM will hopefully permeate (whether directly or indirectly) through the pages of the magazine.”

Via EPR Network
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B2b, Internet, Online, Services, Software, Web, Web 2.0

Interact Intranet Introduces Interact Answers, A Unique Collaboration Feature Available On Its Intranet Software

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Interact, a leading supplier in intelligent intranet software, today announced the release of Interact Answers – an innovative and unique new crowd-sourcing feature which drives productivity by allowing users to post questions on the intranet and receiveaccurate solutions, using Interact Intranet’s intelligence store andthe knowledge of other users.

The easy-to-usefeature is available in the core system of Interact Intranet version 4.8. Once auser posts aquestion on the intranet,Interact Answers will attempt to provide a solution to the question.It firstly uses itsintelligent capabilities tosupply information that it thinks will answer the question, then Interact Answers will recommend colleagues with in the company it believes can help with the question. These‘experts’ are notified of the question and the question is then open for all employees to answer.

Interact Answersdrives internal collaboration as all employeesbegin to collaborate to answer the question successfully and it unlocks knowledge in the company. Interact Answersprevents relying on internalemails to ask questions, where the answers can be quickly lost and the right answer is not guaranteed. Productivity is boosted as less time is spent searching for answers and it also allows staff to ask an open question to the company if they are not sure who to direct the question to.

Via EPR Network
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Advertising, B2b, eCommerce, Internet, Online, Search, Searching, SEM, SEO, Services, Social Networking, Web, Web 2.0, Web Marketing

UK SEO Company QueryClick Ltd Analyse The Updated Version of Google Analytics

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Four days ago, Google announced that a new version of Google Analytics would be rolled out to all GA users. For UK SEO company QueryClick.com, the new and improved feature means an enhanced ability to analyse data and report their findings back to clients.

The announcement came at the Google Analytics User Conference in San Francisco last Thursday. Though the new version will not be immediately available to users, a closed beta version has been offered out to willing test participants, eager to get a first look at any changes and improvements.

Many of the refinements which have been implemented were the result of feedback from frequent GA users, something which has been backed by the SEO experts at QueryClick.com:

“By assessing the actual user experience, and acting upon feedback provided by those who rely on Google Analytics on a daily basis, Google has demonstrated its ambition to create a truly user-friendly experience.”

Some of the major refurbishments include the ability to view various advanced segments without the need to compare against ‘All Visits’, as well as the option to customize an account dashboard. The latter provides users with a greater level of control over the hierarchy of their data, as well as allowing for enhanced visual customization; you can view data in whichever format (pie chart, timeline, table etc…) you prefer.

Much of the renovation has been focused on the look and feel of the user interface, with significant alterations being made to the overall design, as well as to the report nomenclature. What was previously categorised as Goals will now be labelled as Conversions, while Network Properties and browser capabilities will now fall under the umbrella of Technology.

For QueryClick.com, the allowance for multiple dashboards per client is one of the more attractive new features. A spokesperson said:

“This allows for a far more comprehensive set of account highlights, offering users the ability to access the key points of different aspects of any campaign with far greater ease.

“For example, those who track the social media performance of a site, or have a particular interest in specific site activity, can collate all the basic info they need in an easy to reach location.”

The latest development has come following the recent integration of Google Analytics with Google Webmaster Tools. Though the integration was not deeply rooted – users can now access a client’s referral traffic report from the GWT links section – it provides a preview of things to come.

Via EPR Network
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B2b, eCommerce, Internet, Online, Services, Software, Web

Apple or Google: Which Stock Will Perform Better?

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Stockpair.com has announced the launch of the first ever Pair Options trading platform. Pair Options are a new category of market-neutral online trading products that are based on the relative performance of stocks. Pair Options trading is based on picking the best performing stock within a given stock pair (such as Apple/Google, Vodafone/BT etc.) therefore limiting the exposure to general market direction. Stockpair has taken elements from the professional Pair Trading strategy and turned it into a compelling, intuitive and trader-friendly product.

“What’s extremely valuable is that since you trade on the relative performance of two stocks, you’re essentially using a market neutral instrument,” commented Yoel Mann, Stockpair’s VP of Marketing. “What really matters is how one stock has performed against another, and not necessarily how it performs in absolute terms, so even if the market goes down, there is no affect on profits.”

The platform services the global community of traders, professionals and beginners. Within the fairly conservative financial industry, stockpair’s launch is a rare occasion on which a completely new product is to be introduced to the market, not to mention a product that simplifies a proven trading technique and makes a new effective trading paradigm accessible to traders of all levels of experience.

Via EPR Network
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B2b, Entertainment, Events, Internet, Online, Shopping, Social Networking, Web 2.0, Web Marketing

New Social Network Site for the Fashion Industry

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WorkinFashion the professional network for people working or seeking work in the fashion industry has just launched; attracting thousands of fashion professionals and jobseekers.

WorkinFashion combines all the best features of a social network like Facebook or LinkedIn with a sophisticated job board and candidate search system. The network offers specific profiles for fashion professionals, models, companies and recruitment agencies.

Start a career profile on the network to search for jobs, get scouted or simply to network with other professionals and companies working in the industry. Models start a profile and upload your portfolios browse casting calls and build up your fashion network.

Start a company profile to promote your brand, recruit new staff for permanent or temporary jobs.

Recruitment agencies advertising vacancies in any area of the industry from retail to design can have a profile on WorkinFashion and benefit from unlimited job advertising and candidate searching.

Search candidates, view their career profile and CV’s then connect with them to offer them employment.

To celebrate our launch, we are offering a whole year of recruitment advertising on WorkinFashion absolutely FREE to fashion and retail recruiters that sign up before the 1st April 2011.

We hope to see you joining us on the network, register your free personal, model, agency or company profile online at www.workinfashion.com.

Via EPR Network
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Entertainment, Events, Internet, Online, Web, Web 2.0

New Website Launched For ‘Monkey See Monkey Do’

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Smartoonz® has launched a new website for Monkey, based on the successful TV show “Monkey See Monkey Do™”.

Monkey See Monkey Do™ is a colorful, upbeat CG animated kid’s series which encourages children to engage with the show’s characters through dance. The show is successfully broadcasted by major TV channels, including Playhouse Disney LATAM, PBS Kids Sprout, France5, TVA, TVO, Knowledge, Minimax, Hop!, PBS Thailand.

The new website keeps you updated with all of Monkey See Monkey Do™ Latest News. Kids can enjoy seeing all the favorite characters, watch clips from the show, printout coloring pages, and send a message to Monkey. Parents can use the Forum to ask questions and give feedback. Through the site, users can access to “Monkey See Monkey Do™“ Youtube channel and the Facebook Fan Page.

Via EPR Network
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B2b, Internet, ISPs, Online, Security, Services, Software

GRC (Governance, Risk and Compliance) is a recent acronym that has quickly spread among the senior management community around the world

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Initially this was sparked by the fallout from a number of major corporate governance scandals, including those affecting Enron, Tyco and WorldCom; all of which led to the enactment of the US Sarbanes-Oxley Act and the concept of a more holistic view of Governance, Risk and Compliance. Interest has also grown rapidly in the UK as legislation and compliance requirements have increased.

Traditionally, most organisations ensure compliance with legislation, regulations and standards by instructing each department to determine the requirements for compliance and specify actions and controls to achieve this. Organisations will therefore have a number of organisational departments for business continuity (possibly aligning with BS25999), for IT security (in many cases aligning with ISO27001), for quality management, etc.

They will certainly have risk management carried out by these various departments, all identifying risks and controls and also individually reporting on these. Managing all of this and pulling it all together into a coherent picture upon which business decisions can be made and priorities can be based in an efficient and effective way is a complex challenge.

commissum’s Principal Assurance Consultant André Coner noted that as the number of legislation, regulatory and compliance requirements increases, the number of departments involved also increases, each defining their own controls and measures. This silo approach causes each department to “re-invent the Wheel”, wasting valuable time and increasing costs while introducing duplication, redundancy and confusion.

commissum’s approach to Unified Governance, Risk management and Compliance creates a common source of information. It creates a common model of the organisation; a unified methodology for managing risk, controlling deficiencies and measurement.

Via EPR Network
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Internet, Online, Programming, Software

Flat Classroom Project @ Yew Chung International School of Beijing

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Once a week, Coco Yu walks into her Year 4 classroom at Yew Chung International School of Beijing (YCIS Beijing), logs onto a computer and starts communicating with other children her age who are located in schools stretching from England to India.

Yu is one of dozens of students at YCIS Beijing who are participating in a global collaborative project that joins together primary students from around the world via the Internet and Web 2.0 technologies, including Wikispaces and Ning, an online service that allows members to create social networks.

The project is called Flat Classroom. It is part of an emerging trend in internationally aware schools, like YCIS Beijing, that embrace a holistic and full-rounded educational approach to work collaboratively with others around the world in order to create students who are competitive and globally-minded. One of the main goals of the project is to “flatten” or lower the classroom walls so that two or more classes are joined virtually to become one large classroom.

“In Flat Classroom, we work a lot with computers and we go to Wiki, and we type what we do in Beijing. Maybe we Skype, and we talk to other children around the world, for example, we have a school in Mumbai, a school in England and Mill Creek and the US,” Yu, who is 9years old, said.

YCIS Beijing teachers who take part in the program say they can immediately see the perceptions of their students about the world and their place in it change as a result of participation in the project, which incorporates themes and lesson plans from “The World is Flat,” a ground-breaking book authored by the New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman. Students also work collaboratively on projects with their peers located in different schools around the world. On February 21st at 8am, students used Skype to video chat with the primary students and parents at a US primary school who were attending their back-to-school night. It was an exciting link for both primary classes involved who exclaimed cheers when the video connection occurred, followed by a question and answer period that bounced back-and-forth between times zones.

Via EPR Network
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Advertising, B2b, eCommerce, Internet, Online, Search, Searching, SEM, SEO, Services, Social Networking, Web, Web 2.0, Web Marketing

Closure of MyBlogLog Indicative of The Stifling Effects of The Yahoo Brand According To SEO Experts QueryClick.com

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It comes as no surprise that the MyBlogLog service will be closing this year, following the leaked statement in December 2010 concerning the closure of a stream of services including Delicious, Yahoo Buzz and Yahoo Picks. The leaked screenshot surfaced when it was posted to Twitter by former Yahoo employee and founder of MyBlogLog, Eric Marcoullier.

MyBlogLog was acquired by Yahoo little over 3 years ago for a sum of $10 million. Its purpose was the creation of widgets which site owners could insert in order to track fellow MyBlogLog members who read their blogs. Similar to the idea behind the display of “like” widgets by external websites.

The service is to be officially shut down on the 24th May this year, with any unused subscription portions due to be refunded back to premium service users.

UK SEO company QueryClick.com commented on the familiarity of the ill-fated acquisition:

“The demise of MyBlogLog is the latest in a series of failed acquisitions by the company. Such an anti-climactic relationship has become a miserable familiarity where Yahoo is involved, with many citing the persistent failure to follow up on initial hopes and promises as the major flaw of both sides.”

Several examples can be cited, such as the largely forgotten acquisition of ‘Upcoming’ (a site providing a local and national listing of events) in 2005 and the deal between Yahoo and Flickr dating back to the same year. The latter promised much, but has since withered into the background for anyone except photo enthusiasts, with Facebook consuming up more and more of the photo sharing market. Upcoming on the other hand, was one of the Yahoo services earmarked for mergers or consolidation in the leaked screenshot of December 2010.

The cuts being made are in accordance with the overall plan to reduce costs within Yahoo, who had also made the decision to layoff hundreds of staff at the end of last year.

The demise of so many of Yahoo’s acquisitions can be categorised under one main defect, largely the neglect of the acquired company following the initial phase of thrill and ambition for the future. A spokesperson for SEO experts QueryClick.com pin-pointed the common factor between the doomed Yahoo acquisitions:

“For so many of those start-ups taken on by Yahoo, a primary sense of optimism was soon stifled by an excess of bureaucracy and an inability to agree and get to work on new products or innovations.”

Via EPR Network
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