Category Archives: Web 2.0

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Microsoft Try to Beat Google At Its Own Game With Launch of Bing Android App Claim SEOs Queryclick.com

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Digital experts Queryclick.com says Microsoft are brave to step into Google’s Android territory, but it’s a risk that could pay off.

With the recent release of its Bing app for Mobile Android, Microsoft proved it isn’t afraid of getting its hands dirty when it comes to the battle for smartphone supremacy.

The launch of Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 may have shaken up the playing field, but the software company has clearly been diversifying its efforts in an attempt to capture as many potential customers as possible – even if it is using competing hardware.

While the software company first launched the Bing app a few months ago, it was originally only available to Verizon Wireless customers. Perhaps this partial roll-out was a way for Microsoft to test the water, but if it was it seems the experiment has been deemed a success, as the app is now to be rolled out across Android.

A spokesperson for SEO company Queryclick.com revealed the belief that steps like this could give Bing the foothold it so desperately needs to gain more search market share. “Microsoft is still a software powerhouse, there’s no doubt of that, but the last year or two have been difficult for them in many ways.

“By failing to make the initial impact hoped in both the search and mobile markets, faith has been shaken somewhat. However, some of the features offered by Bing are great and are likely to continue to appeal to people who are happy to be re-educated when it comes to the search experience.

Via EPR Network
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Yahoo Says It’s Focused on The Future, SEO Company Queryclick.com Says It Should Keep Searching

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With the search sphere becoming ever more social, Yahoo’s CEO Carol Bartz promises the struggling company still has its eye on the future – despite falling profits and rumoured downsizing. SEO experts Queryclick.com claim Yahoo is wise to keep an eye on the future, but shouldn’t ignore search.

Last week, the CEO denied rumours that the company – whose stocks were lower at the close of business last Tuesday than they were at the beginning of the year – is considering merging with AOL. Instead she claimed that Yahoo is focused on the future, and that many of the issues the company faces are image based, and only a problem for technological and financial centres.

She said the average user, outside of Silicon Valley and New York, knew what the company stood for, and that part of her role was to educate people that the company is not a Google, it is a Yahoo.

A spokesperson for SEO company Queryclick.com commended Bartz for her stance, and suggested this was the right way for her to approach the criticism. They said: “Yahoo has been in what looks like a difficult position for a long time, but much of this is related to how well the company performs in comparison to Google.

“If you take the Mountain View giant out of the equation, you see a company that still has a lot of things going for it; brand loyalty, a search partnership with Bing and a lot of valuable user data.”

It could be these three areas that will see the company drag up its market value and re-establish its place among the big boys of the online world.

In the wake of the news that Facebook will launch its own alternative to email, Bartz also hit out at those questioning Yahoo’s ability to stay relevant in the face of the continuing online revolution. Speaking at the Web 2.0 Summit in San Francisco, Bartz claimed that rather than simply follow in Facebook’s targeted-ad-footsteps – as while Yahoo has a lot of user data, it is not aggregated in the same way – Yahoo would be concentrating on making sure publishers were able to offer users the right kind of content.

Via EPR Network
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Interact and MindMeister To Announce A Strategic Technology Partnership

Interact, a leading supplier in intelligent intranet software and MindMeister, providers of on-line mind mapping software, are pleased to announce a strategic technology partnership. The agreement allows the two companies to combine their industry leading software solutions.

MindMeister is the market leading and multiple award-winning web-based collaboration solution that uses proven mind mapping concepts to facilitate multi-user planning, brainstorming, and project management sessions all from within a standard web browser.

Interact Intranet is an easy to use, collaborative turnkey solution trusted by over 250,000 users. It is an intelligent intranet solution that learns as people use it, adapts and automatically connects relevant information to people. Powerful enterprise networking tools actively promote internal communication, collaboration, idea sharing and cross-organisation participation. It is modular in its architecture allowing organisations to add the components, resources, and services that are required as the business evolves and grows.

As a result of the new integration, Interact Intranet users will be able to access the MindMeister mind maps via the intranet to brainstorm or plan new projects. They will be able to simultaneously work with colleagues on the same map and see changes as they happen within the intuitive and familiar intranet interface.

Michael Hollauf, COO and Co-founder of MindMeister commented: “As a Software provider, we’re always looking for new and innovative solutions to assist consumers in doing their jobs better. We believe Interact Intranet’s self learning and adaptive technology to be on the cutting edge of today’s business needs. We’re thrilled to be partnering with Interactive Intranet, and look forward to introducing their broad customer base to the endless brainstorming and collaborative possibilities with MindMeister.”

Via EPR Network
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Facebook Mobile Developments Benefit Both Business and Consumer According to SEO Experts QueryClick.com

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Facebook Yesterday launched a series of developments to its mobile operations in a bid to capitalise on the growth in mobile internet access. The increased market presence of internet via mobile is especially important for the expansion of Facebook in the developing world, where the nouvelle connected are typically leapfrogging desktop access and moving straight into the world wide mobile web.

The primary improvement has been made in relation to the recent development of Facebook Places, a tool which allows Facebook members to share their whereabouts with other Facebook Friends. The revelation of Facebook Deals has heralded a new era in the interaction of mobile users with participating retail or hospitality venues.

Speaking on the increased proliferation and significance of mobile internet access, SEO company QueryClick.com said:

“While desktop search has actually fallen approximately 15% YOY, mobile search traffic has risen some 247% over the course of the past 12 months. In this respect, businesses cannot afford to ignore mobile web access, especially ‘mobile’ mobile web access, in which users on the move are now able to locate the best deals near their ever-changing locations.”

By ‘checking-in’ to one of many stores, restaurants, and other businesses, users are rewarded with relevant vouchers, discounts, and deals based on their location. The vouchers received by users are then presented to the nearby venue in return for a discounted service or product. For consumers this strategy obviously offers a valuable reward for their online participation, whilst businesses are able to promote their services on a new level, as well as keeping track of their success throughout this marketing scheme.

SEO Experts QueryClick.com are well aware of the benefits of data tracking for the development of any business, and praised the capacity of the Deals tool to track their claim rates, and thus determine the relative success of their ‘Deal’.

Via EPR Network
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SEO Experts QueryClick Welcome Skype Subsidised Wi-Fi Hotspots For Internet Week

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Internet Week began in New York City in 2008, and incorporated over 250 events last year. 2010 sees the première of the five-day festival in Europe, with the schedule of events to take place throughout London. It is presented by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, and is open to any willing company eager to participate in this celebration of the digital industry in Europe.

Running from the 8th – 12th November, the festival, boasting over 80 events, will be enhanced by the announcement that Skype will be subsidising free Wi-Fi access throughout the UK for the duration of the event via the Skype Access service.

Commenting on the relationship between Skype and the Internet Week Europe, Co-Chairman David-Michel Davis said:

“What better way to celebrate that impact than partnering with Skype to make the Internet more accessible than ever.”

It certainly does show a commitment on Skype’s part to further the accessibility of the internet in public places, albeit for the 5 days of the festival only. SEO Experts QueryClick view the provision of free access as a hugely positive addition to the Internet Week event, insisting that:

“It makes sense that internet access in public spaces should be offered for free in accordance with the principles of the event, and the celebratory nature of the festival.”

The availability of free internet access to all in the UK increases the reach of the week of talks, conferences, challenges, and debates to all those outwith the London perimeters. The inclusion of big name brands such as Google, BBC, Yahoo!, and Lonely Planet ensures that the event will be a highly popular one, luring in the crowds with the crop of digital celebrity.

Via EPR Network
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SEO Experts QueryClick.com Discuss Google Place Search and The Heightened Importance of ‘Local’ Results

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The launch of Google Place Search at the end of October has significantly altered the face of Google SERPs. With the focus now placed emphatically on local results, the ramifications of this change will affect a range of companies as well as the operations of the average SEO.

The most notable change to the result lay-out is the abolition of the “7-pack” section which previously appeared at the top of the page. The familiar grouping of 7 local search results adjacent to the map display has been replaced by a more comprehensive listing of local search results, with the geographical visualisations now located in the right hand column – an alteration which has caused concern due to the subsequent obscuration of the Adwords section.

According to Andrew Shortland, founder of ‘Local SEO Guide’, the tool lends itself to small businesses. His belief is that the new format “intensifies the competition for local rankings”. Shortland also points out that sites with a physical address within the searched for city will gain an advantage over those which lack the corresponding location.

In a similar vein, customer reviews will also benefit a business site, affording reviewed businesses a greater prominence within the SERPs.

The driving theory behind the latest development is the statistic offered by Google that over 20% of searches are location related. This may now be increased as search habits are modified to make better use of the Place Search function.

SEO company QueryClick.com believe that different sectors will be affected to varying extents by the introduction of this tool.

“The tool will affect some industries more than others, with one obvious example being the hospitality industry, for whom geo-modified search queries will play a more significant role. In such cases, search engine optimisation will revolve more closely around the location of a hotel or restaurant. Place Search definitely heightens the importance of local results, but does not represent a complete usurpation of organic search.”

Via EPR Network
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SEO Experts QueryClick Welcome News That Britain Leads the Way In Online Shopping

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In a report carried out by the US consultancy group Boston Consulting, it has been revealed that the UK is a global leader in the field of e-commerce, with the highest online spend per capita in the world. The internet has contributed approximately £100bn – 7.2% of GDP– to the British economy in 2009, and represents the second largest online advertising spend after the USA.

According to search engine optimisation experts QueryClick, the dominance of the UK in the e-commerce sector has been borne out of a growing tendency of the British public to utilise online shopping services due to a marked desire to receive value for money.

“Many people in the UK feel they are able to get a better deal online, and often this is the case. The atmosphere of economy in Britain drives many to seek out better value for money via online shopping. The rise in dominance of the world of e-commerce has resulted in a greater level of competition which, for us, equates to a greater opportunity to offer our services in a region in which we are market leaders.”

The internet as an independent sector would be classed as the fifth largest industry in Britain, just behind the financial services, which accounted for 9% of GDP in 2009. The BCG study, aptly entitled The Connected Kingdom, discovered that internet companies in the UK employ over 250,000 staff, with many of these positions made available by various SMEs.

Co-author of the report and partner at BCG, Paul Zwillenberg, provided an insight into the report’s findings:

“Everyone thinks the global Silicon-Valley-based companies are driving growth, but this report makes clear that in the UK it is coming from the ‘mom and pop’ businesses. They now have global footprints, they are selling to the ‘long tail’ and they are making their businesses more efficient.”

The driving force behind the lead status of the UK for e-commerce stems from the notable amounts of money spent by Brits online. Research by eMarketer tells us that some 28.5 million Britons make online purchases, whilst around 40% partake in online shopping at least once a month, spending on average £71 monthly.

All this has come despite the relatively slow broadband speeds experienced within the UK, as well as the recent recession, in which, as SEO company QueryClick points out, online advertising spend continued to grow YOY despite the overall contraction in advertising expenditure.

Via EPR Network
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SEO experts QueryClick Welcome the Decision to Create Real-Time Analytics Functionality for Social Media Giant Twitter

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Following Twitter’s announcement that it will be launching a free analytics service as of the end of 2010, users will soon be able track and monitor their online activities and the success of their tweets.

With social media platforms becoming increasingly prominent in website promotion and customer engagement, the ability to track the success of Twitter-based activities has long been on the wish lists of everyday users and businesses alike.

UK SEO experts, QueryClick believe the arrival of a Twitter analytics dashboard is a further sign that SEO is increasingly affected by social media.

Discussing the matter, a QueryClick spokesperson said:

“Social media is one of the fastest growing sectors in web but for the past couple of year’s there’s been little evidence to support the likes of Twitter and Facebook holding much sway over SEO in terms of boosting back links and driving traffic in the long term rather than temporarily.

“Recent findings suggest that this could be about to change however so it’s increasingly important for businesses to get ready for the social media surge and track the successes and failures of their output in a similar fashion to Google Analytics.”

The decision to roll out a Twitter analytics package is also speculated to be among a number of measures that are already taking shape on the site.

A complete redesign of the site, for example, now features a split screen for multimedia content on one side and recognisable Twitter chatter on the other.

Clearly part of CEO Evan William’s desire to create “A better Twitter”, the redesign and new analytics dashboard is set to make microblogging a force to be reckoned with on top of the 90 million tweets that are currently posted daily.

SEO web designers QueryClick have been quick to warn businesses to make the most of Twitter’s analytics dashboard while it remains free:

“Should Twitter’s analytics dashboard take off, the chances are there will be a specific model rolled out for businesses and marketeers which will contain more advanced features and will most likely not be free.

Via EPR Network
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Alibaba Group’s Re-evaluation of Yahoo Ties May Prove Harmful To Yahoo’s Presence in China, warns SEO Experts QueryClick.com

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Alibaba.com has been something of a success story, beginning its internet life as a small start-up and growing into an online force to be reckoned with. Furthermore, it has recently expanded it overseas presence with AliExpress, an online marketplace akin to eBay.

In fact, it seems that a closer relationship with eBay may replace that held between Alibaba and Yahoo. During the two-day Alifest event this month, John Donohoe, chief executive of eBay, made an unlikely appearance, with Alibaba chairman and chief executive Jack Ma announcing that:

“We are competitors in some ways but we have the same dream, the same mission and the same goal to help entrepreneurs…I believe one day we will work very closely together.”

The hinted co-operation between the companies coincides with the deterioration in Alibaba’s ties with Yahoo, whose proposed venture into mainland China, along with the denouncement of Yahoo’s lack of core technologies by Alibaba.com CEO David Wei have formed the basis for the alleged re-assessment of the current partnership between the companies.

Search Engine Optimisation experts QueryClick.com commented on the benefits of increased co-operation between AliExpress and Ebay:

“A close partnership between AliExpress and eBay could be hugely beneficial for both sides, with one providing the other with valuable contacts and insights into their respective markets. The Chinese market is notoriously difficult to master for foreign investors, whilst eBay could provide expert advice for Alibaba’s expanded online presence in the West.”

Following news that Yahoo Hong Kong Managing Director, Tsoi Po-tak, revealed the company’s hope to lure advertising from the Chinese mainland, China’s Alibaba Group – which is 40% owned by Yahoo Inc. – may rethink it’s relationship with the US giant.

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Search Engine Optimisation Experts QueryClick.com Don’t Subscribe to the Growing Sense that Google Instant Signifies the Death of SEO

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The launch of Google’s latest search enhancing tool, Google Instant, will change the way we search and are searched for via the internet. The latest development in auto-complete functionality has enabled the user to view SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages) before finishing the query, and without the need to press enter or the search button.

This is a clever, tidy piece of design on the search engine’s part, offering quicker and more efficient access to the end result. Pre-Instant searches were thought to have lasted, on average, some 25 seconds. With the advent of the new feature, it is believed that 2-5 seconds will be saved per query as a result.

Whilst performing a Google search was quick previously, it is now almost… instantaneous.

This is all very well, but how will the latest evolution of search affect SEOs (search engine optimisers) whose task of utilising search term usage in the process of driving sites up the rankings – amongst many other things – may be negatively affected at the expense of quicker search results. Search engine optimisation company QueryClick Ltd do not adhere to such pessimism.

With the SEO industry embroiled in a state of panic, QueryClick Ltd are not clamouring for the nearest industry exit, far from it:

“A similar epidemic of paranoia swept across the industry when personalised search first came to prominence, an feeling which has turned out to have been unjustified. The development of Google Instant may be a slight game-changer, but it does not signify the death of SEO.”

Certainly, this seems to be the dominant opinion emanating from the Google camp as well, with vice president of search products and user experience, Marissa Mayer reassuring SEO practitioners that there will be only a “small change for the SEO community.”

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BookmarksHub – A New Bookmarking Site

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Whether you are looking to promote your business worldwide, share interesting news and stories with your friends and associates or just keep up with what’s buzzing in the world today, BookmarksHub (www.bookmarkshub.info) is the place to be. BookmarksHub is an SEO friendly website that allows users to publish their own articles or read other articles and comment on them or share them with their friends and business associates.

Unlike other SEO websites, www.bookmarkshub.info applies the DoFollow technique for its search engine optimization, which gives maximum coverage to the web links on the website. This means that as a business person or affiliate trying to promote your business online, you not only get to publish and share your business related articles or press releases online, but Bookmarks Hub also allows search engines to popularize your website for free.

You can even create a group for your business and invite all your customers to keep them apprised of any offers, promotions and future developments. This makes Bookmarks Hub an ideal portal for online marketing and business promotion. Whether you wish to launch a new business or promote an existing one, sell a product or gauge response from already existing customers — as a Bookmarks Hub user, you get to promote your business for free!

Bookmarks Hub is also a great platform for voicing your opinion, sharing your ideas and getting yourself heard on the web. On Bookmarks Hub, users can create their own groups, add friends, and send and share messages with other users. Groups allow users to share articles with other members with a common interest in a topic. As a user, you can join a group to submit topical articles that other members would be interested in. You can also create your own group and share your knowledge and enthusiasm about your area of interest with other kindred fellows. Some groups may require membership approval before you become part of the group.

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Media, Fashion and Entertainment People at gbn4me.com

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Gbn4me.com, Business Networking site for the Fashion, Media and Entertainment industry has added people from various fields since last three months. GBN4ME here gives an opportunity to Media, fashion and Entertainment fraternity to communicate and thus expand there knowledge base.

GBN4ME strives to bring people from Media, Fashion and Entertainment industry together and thus raising the bar higher from social networking to quality business networking.

The newly added people are voice over artists, wedding planners, directors, models, fashion & accessory designers, musicians, writers, publishers and much more.

“Members are interacting in their respective fields for various opportunities”, mentioned Sudhanshu Srivastava (founder Gbn4me).

Gbn4me is constantly updating features, which is improving traffic on the site and number of members while maximizing the exposure in Media, Fashion and Entertainment industry.

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SOKULE Combines the Best Features of Free Posting Sites for A More Effective Social Business Marketing Strategy

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A newcomer to social networking, Sokule.com, promises to blend the best features of social business networking sites in order to help businesses boost their online exposure for increased customer contact.

SOKULE Combines the Best Features of Free Posting Sites for A More Effective Social Business Marketing Strategy

Internet entrepreneurs and marketing professionals Jane Mark and Phil Basted launched SOKULE in 2009 in order to create a social media website that was geared more directly to the needs of business owners who were looking for ways to integrate social business networking sites into their marketing plans.

The fact that small businesses face a tougher time in securing the m a s s i v e amounts of marketing exposure that larger companies tend to have is why Mark and Basten designed SOKULE as a social media portal that harnesses the power of multiple free posting sites in order to help smaller companies quickly release information about their companies to many places online.

Each time a user “Squeeks” a Sokule profile update, they can also post the same update at 49 other free posting sites, such as Facebook and Twitter. Not only does this help reduce a business owner’s social marketing time, but this m a s s i v e release of information will also help the company catch the attention of search engines.

Increased search engine exposure will go a long way towards helping a new (or existing) business quickly develop a positive Internet reputation. In addition, any time an upgraded Sokule user’s followers decide to upgrade their membership, the user will earn a commission.

The idea helping to grow the Sokule user base can also be profitable is one of the many features that help Sokule to stand apart f r o m other social business networking sites and traditional free posting sites.

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SmartFile Release Makes PC Backups Easy, Efficient, and Portable

SmartFile stands alone with its multifunctional platform, being the first online file storage company to offer a secure PC backup solution as part of its suite of online storage and file sharing software.

SmartFile Release Makes PC Backups Easy, Efficient, and Portable

SmartFile, a market leader in FTP, Online Storage, File Sharing, File Upload, and File Backup services, has strengthened its presence with the release of SmartBackup – an application designed to provide a secure, seamless, and efficient way to backup your PC files.

Offered at no additional cost with any SmartFile account, SmartBackup gives users full control over the backup process. Users control which files to backup, which files to ignore, and when the backups will occur. In addition, SmartBackup lives up to its name by running a sophisticated deduplication process, preventing users from inadvertently creating more than one copy of the same file. Even if you have multiple PC’s and external storage devices, SmartBackup allows you to select and schedule all of these for backup to a single SmartFile account. After a backup has been created, users can restore these files to any PC with an Internet connection.

For more information or to signup for a SmartBackup trial, please visit http://www.smartfile.com.

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Skype Becomes The Largest Provider Of Cross-Border Communications In The World

Skype’s international phone-calling traffic has accelerated at a time when international telephone traffic has slowed, according to a new report by TeleGeography.

Skype traffic has been soaring despite the background of slowing growth by conventional phone companies, according to the report. Where international calling volumes from telephones was growing at a compounded annual rate of 15% for the past 25 years, over the past two years it has slowed down to only 8%. Skype however has seen its international cheap calls volume sky rocket.

In a press statement from TeleGeography, analyst Stephan Beckert commented, “Demand for international voice has been remarkably robust, but it’s clearly not recession-proof”. However the statement went on to highlight that Skype was managing to very successfully buck the trend, with on-net international Skype-to-Skype traffic growing by 51% in 2008, and a projected growth of 63% in 2009, to a massive 54 billion minutes. “The volume of traffic routed via Skype is tremendous,” said Beckert.

This increase in international calling minutes experienced by Skype has brought its market share up to 12% in 2009, and made Skype the “largest provider of cross border communications in the world, by far”, according to Beckert.

The success experienced by Skype can be further demonstrated by a recent company journal report which showed that on the 19th January 2010 the service experienced an all-time record number of concurrent logged on users with over 22 and a quarter million clients signed in to Skype at the same time. This record comes only shortly after the previous record of 21.5 million concurrent users was logged the previous Monday.

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Bizwiki.com Goes Live, Delivering Wiki-power To Small Business

The wiki-powered business website Bizwiki.com announced its American version went fully live today. Bizwiki was launched as an Alpha in the USA in December 2008, promising to change the way local search works by enabling its users to build up the most detailed and up-to-date index of business in the United States.

Bizwiki.com Goes Live, Delivering Wiki-power To Small Business

The new fully live version features over 5,000 categories of business, and in contrast to traditional Yellow Pages websites invites business owners and representatives to add and improve their companies’ records with everything from contact details to prices and opening hours, completely free of charge.

“We are also launching new functionality today that allows the site’s users to‘Watch’ any business, receiving an email notifying them of any additions and edits,” said Bizwiki co-founder Matt Aird. “This is useful for anyone who is interested in following changes, but is primarily designed to empower people to get involved in claiming their own businesses and ensuring the information the public sees stays as accurate and relevant as possible.”

Creating a ‘Watchlist’ of businesses on Bizwiki is free. Representatives are invited to sign up with Bizwiki.com and look up the companies they are interested in, then simply click ‘Watch this business’ to receive notification of any changes to the record. They are also able to add more information and details to records while doing so.

“We’ve tried to take ideas and concepts from some of the most successful user-created websites in the world, such as Wikipedia and the Open Directory Project, and improve them to where the ‘anyone can edit’ principles of a wiki can be used in a business-environment,” continued Matt Aird. “The biggest single difference is probably that our site is built in a consistently structured format, allowing us to rapidly scale-up the amount of information and also give our users an easy way to search the site.”

The Bizwiki difference:

• It’s free – Unlike many established publishers that charge for inclusion, Bizwiki is free to search, free to edit and free for companies to list on.
• It’s editable – The ‘anyone-can-edit’ approach is a challenge to the frequently out-of-date records in conventional printed Business Directories.
• It’s a wiki – The wiki approach allows far more depth of information about each business to be compiled than anything conventionally available.
• It’s structured – Bizwiki is built using structured data, allowing reusability of information, bulk updates from chambers of commerce or webspiders, and an easy search experience for users.

Bizwiki was built by industry-veterans with years of business directory and meta-search experience behind them, including Keith Hinde, Matt Aird, Craig Sefton and Arthur Jenkins who between them have helped develop directory and search products for Infospace, local directory publisher Thomson Directories, TradePage and Webcrawler.

Visit www.bizwiki.com to add or edit your company or create a Watchlist of businesses.

Via EPR Network
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New York City Businesses bank on America’s Love Affair with Pets and Social Networking

What do Midwest Airlines, Loews Regency Hotel, Paws Pet Resort, Pet Express Pet Taxi, Wagwear, and Gavroche French Restaurant all have in common?

New York City Businesses bank on America's Love Affair with Pets and Social Networking

Well they are all New York City Pet Friendly Businesses that are banking on America’s love affair with pets and social networking to promote their services to the 71.4 millions homes that own pets throughout the US. And, YapStar has given them a creative way to get their message in front of the people that will listen through the YapStar Pet Holiday Contest at http://www.yapstar.com.

Red Magic won the YapStar Contest with 17012 Votes received from social networking activity and public voting from pet lovers in almost every state in the USA and from England, Germany, Australia, Canada, Norway, Portugal, and Mexico. With Magic’s sweet face and beautiful red coat it’s no wonder why he had fans cheering him on to be crowned “The YapStar”.

As sponsors of the Pet Holiday in New York City, these pet friendly businesses have put together a magical weekend of pampering for the YapStar Winner, Red Magic and Diana Dunigan.

Red Magic and his owner Diana Dunigan from Brunswick, GA, will be flying into NYC on Midwest Airlines through their Premier Pet Program which offers special pampering for “Red Magic”. To make sure they fly in style, Red Magic will be toting along his new “Bag on Wheels” from Sherpa Pet Products. Waiting at the curb on their arrival, Pet Express Taxi will whisk them away in their very own pet specialty cab to Loews Regency Hotel in Midtown Manhattan where they will be waited on hand and paw in first-class comfort.

Then off to the Happy Paws Pet Resort; where Magic will enjoy a “spa session” in order to look his best when they go out on the town for a shopping spree at Wagwear, a favorite among preppy pups and their fashion-minded owners. And what better way to end the day then at Pet Friendly Gavroche Restaurant, enjoying Camelia Cassin’s traditional specialties of the French country side under the stars in a garden out back where “Red Magic” is welcome. And, that’s not all! Red Magic will come home from his pampered holiday to a stunning pet portrait painted by Suzanne Berry.

About YapStar.com
YapStar.com at yapstar.com is a local search and review, social shopping and social networking community designed by pet lovers, for pet lovers and the pet businesses that serve them.

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Fasthosts Unveils All New Dedicated Servers

Fasthosts Internet Ltd, a leading web hosting provider, debuts its new range of high-performance dedicated servers for IT professionals.

Fasthosts Unveils All New Dedicated Servers

The new Fasthosts dedicated servers feature the latest Intel Xeon quad core processors, 100Mbps connection and Fasthosts’ unlimited bandwidth. Deployed in minutes and available in either Linux or Microsoft operating systems, the servers provide a reliable, secure and highly flexible server platform. Fasthosts’ robust network and unlimited data transfer can further benefit individuals and enterprises that generate or process large volumes of data.

Dedicated servers represent a cost effective and reliable solution for hosting core IT infrastructure such as websites or business application software. They provide a secure and private environment for the user’s applications to be operated and data to be stored. Business users can enjoy the full power of the hardware and guaranteed access to bandwidth, and retain complete hands on (KVM) remote control of their server at all times.

The latest Fasthosts Dedicated Server packages provide IT professionals and businesses with reliable server operations without the capital expenditure investment in the servers or in the physical space associated with running hardware on their premises 24/7. The latest-spec Intel processor in Fasthosts servers delivers powerful, energy-efficient performance so users can run several intensive programs at once without slowing down. Each server is maintained with the latest operating system u p d a t e s to maximise efficiency and security.

Fasthosts’ brand new range of Dedicated Server packages comprises the DS300 (Dual Core & 2GB RAM), DS500 (Dual Core & 4GB RAM), the DS700 (Quad Core & 8GB RAM), DS900X (Xeon Quad Core & 8GB RAM), and the DS1000XX (2x Xeon Quad Core & 16GB RAM). Servers are available in either Linux or Windows configurations and feature full admin control as well as Fasthosts’ unlimited bandwidth and 100Mbps high-speed virtual data pipe. Businesses are assured that Fasthosts guarantees 99.9% server uptime. Technical support is provided 24/7 f r o m UK by email or online.

Steve Holford, CMO Fasthosts Internet Ltd., said “We have upgraded and invested in our Dedicated Server range to ensure unbeatable service delivery and excellent ROI for business users. In an increasingly digital economy, success often begins with a robust and reliable server access that you have confidence will be working for you round the clock, day in day out, with all the benefits, but none of the high costs of running it as an internal operation”.

Fasthosts offer a range of powerful control panels enabling the user to set up websites and applications quickly and easily, meaning more time to focus on running their business. The award-winning Plesk 9 control panel interface provides ultra-intuitive server maintenance and control.

Via EPR Network
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Use Your iPhone And iPod Touch To Help You Learn A New Language

You’ve landed at your destination and it’s time to go through passport control and customs. Everyone knows that queasy feeling: please do everything right, hope they understand me, please no complications… With your phrasebook it’ll be over in a flash, and you’re on to the next challenge. Does the taxi driver understand me? Has it all gone smoothly with the hotel booking? No need to worry if you download the right iSayHello courses to your iPhone or iPod Touch f r o m the App Store. Offline and in your own time, even on the flight, you’ll be able to play back phrases for your holiday destination, and learn a few key words to be able to confidently handle common speaking situations.

The iSayHello language courses are specifically aimed at users with little or no foreign language skills. Many phrases and sentences are recorded by professional native speakers, and can be played back as many times as you require. What’s more, iSayHello for the iPhone will always be nearby, so that even in difficult situations, the phrasebook will be where you need it most – in your hands. “With the Favorites feature, you can put together personalized and quickly available selections of important sentences,” says Peter Heinz, Managing Director at language software development specialists Admovi.

With the tutorials Arriving, Welcome, Hotel, Shopping, Eating Out and Emergency, you’ll have a comprehensive basic vocabulary for spontaneous communication, and can travel with ease and confidence. We’ve even included a tutorial called Flirt. iSayHello is already available in English, French, Spanish, German, Portuguese, Italian, Japanese, Russian, Polish and Chinese. Reading and speaking in the Chinese course is supported with clearly displayed phonetic characters, aiding learning immensely.

“The ‘Best’ award f r o m iPhone Apps Plus for a number of our phrasebooks, such as for our Spanish and Italian language courses, is confirmation of the high quality of our voice software for the iPhone and iPod Touch. We provide communication solutions that can be used anytime and anywhere in this globalized world,” says Peter Heinz. iSayHello language courses are also in development for other smartphones. If you don’t have an iPhone or iPod Touch, you can go to http://www.travel-dictionary.com and download the language course for your mp3 player, or simply complete the tutorials directly on the Internet.

Easy, just download iSayHello f r o m the iTunes App Store iTunes App Store, and you’ll never again be left speechless on your vacation. A perfect holiday companion.

Via EPR Network
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FarmConnect.net – Social Networking for Farmers

A new social media site specifically set up for connecting farms and communities was launched a few days ago.

FarmConnect.net allows farms and those interested in telling agriculture’s important stories to get their own blog, create groups and discussion forums that are either public, private (by invitation only), or hidden (only viewable to invited members).

Farms who might have been daunted by getting their own website can easily set up a group with their farm name and easily keep in touch with friends, family, and their community.

If you are passionate about any aspect of agriculture, create your own discussion group on FarmConnect.net today and start sharing your passion.

Via EPR Network
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