01/25/2006
As the web becomes increasingly more crowded, it is important for webmasters to take the extra step to make their web sites user friendly. There are a number of free resources available to webmasters.

Online Business Resources for Webmasters

01/25/2006
As a small business its a struggle to stay current on all the security issues that companies face. The Security Port contains all types of alerts and information related to security. The Security Blog contains daily updates and information. Look like its going to shape up to be a nice resource.

If you are looking for alternate security feeds  to watch for virus alerts or related security issues consider Security Protection. It is designed specifically for security rss feeds.

01/25/2006
Axandra has an interesting article about press releases:

Webmasters think that press release can help to increase the search engine rankings of their web sites.
Do online press releases really help your search engine rankings? How can you benefit from these services?

What are online press releases?

Online press releases are normal press releases that are distributed through the Internet. Popular online press release services are PRWeb and PRLeap. These services list your press release on their web sites and on a number of partner web sites.

Some people think that the links in these press releases can help the link popularity of a web site and thus increase the search engine rankings of a site.

Complete Article

Another useful resource for writing and distributing press releases can be found at SMR:

What steps should be taken to benefit from press-release distribution? Writing a press release and sending it to a distribution agency is not enough. A successful project also requires pre-release preparation as well as post-distribution support.

Preparatory Stage

If you want to present your product on the market through the media, begin by writing a high quality press release.

Press Release Writing

A press release is a piece of art that requires creativity for its development. On the other hand, it is a document that must satisfy formal structure and text length requirements. A press release should not advertise the product. Instead, it should introduce the product to the press people and give them all adequate information about it. A press release text stuffed with advertising slogans is unacceptable.

Complete Article Press Writing

The following resource contains numerous places to submit your press release free of charge!
Press Release Distribution

01/23/2006
CNet has prepared a fabulous FAQ that details the meaning of the Google Subpoena.

Preparing to defend a controversial Internet pornography law in court, the Justice Department has demanded search logs from Google, Microsoft, Yahoo and America Online.

The department asked the search giants to hand over millions of records involving what search terms people have used on the sites and what Web sites are accessible via the search engines.

On one level, the situation involves a straightforward question of whether the department's demands are too onerous and therefore not permitted under federal law. On another, the dispute raises novel questions about search engines' privacy protections and the relationship that four tech giants have with the federal government.

What does it all mean, and what happens next? Read on.

01/23/2006
Content Liability -

Court orders content removed from site after family of hacker filed lawsuit against Wikimedia

A German court has ordered the shutdown of the German-language version of Wikipedia, the multilingual open-access encyclopedia available on the Internet, after the family of a deceased hacker filed a lawsuit against Wikimedia Deutschland eV for using the young man's full name in an entry.

Earlier this week, a judge at the Berlin-Charlottenburg administrative court sided with the family of the hacker known as Tron and ruled that the Web site www.wikipedia.de be taken down until the offending content is removed.

Yet - other posts from Wikipedia Founders claim:

The Associated Press:
"The Wikimedia Foundation, which runs the collaborative Web encyclopedia, reached a temporary settlement with a Berlin court that will let users access the German-language version of Wikipedia at http://de.wikipedia.org, hosted in the United States, instead of its usual http://www.wikipedia.de."
— Businessweek

Another version:
"The German version of Wikipedia returned to the Internet on Friday after three days offline, a blackout prompted by a lawsuit in which the parents of a dead hacker objected to the site's use of his real name."
— Forbes

More on the Wikipedia Court

01/19/2006
Nominate your favorite software vendors!  The Software Marketing Resource is recognizing vendors who provide services to software developers, micro-isvs and companies that market online.  Categories range from search engine optimization services to e-commerce providers.

Nominate Now!

01/17/2006
What is Web 2.0?
There has been a lot of chatter lately about Web 2.0, as if the Internet is a versioned software application.

So what is Web 2.0? Simply put, Web 2.0 is a perceived transition of the web to web applications. Web 2.0 is the next generation of technology solutions where interactive content is the norm. There is no agreement on exactly what Web 2.0 means, depending on who you are speaking with, you may receive different explanations. At it's heart, Web 2.0 is about the maturity of the Web and businesses that are thriving online. While many refer to Web 2.0 as companies that employ powerful web technologies, the key components of the new web are said to include: the web as a platform, collaboration, and syndication.

What is Web 2.0

01/16/2006
Three out of four adult Americans say they've signed up for the Federal Trade Commission's Do-Not-Call Registry, and are receiving fewer telemarketing calls because of the block, a national pollster said Thursday.

01/10/2006
Who: Small business owners seeking growth through the marriage of best business practices and technology

Why: Strengthen your competitive edge and make your business soar, by successfully applying the right technology to support the right business practices

What: A full-day conference with a unique interactive structure that will provide answers to help you with your specific business situation

Where: New York City

When: Feb 10, 2006

More Info

01/09/2006
As all of us view the new year, we determine various ways to improve ourselves. Whether its eliminating bad habits, or improving quality of life, January 1st is seen as a new beginning and starting point. Your website too, can use a new look. Consider taking the website to task with these down and dirty quick improvement tips for the new year.
Website Resolutions

01/04/2006
Threadwatch reports that Wikipedia is entertaining the idea that they might start providing content on the Wikipedia website.

I have seen numerous other open source projects die the minute money was mentioned. Will Wikipedia survive? What happens when article authors realize someone else is making thousands of dollars off their work?

01/03/2006
2005 literally took the world by storm. The tragedies of the Asian Tsunami, the Hurricanes that blew through the US Gulf Coast and the earthquakes that swallowed parts of Pakistan have left an indelible mark on 2005. While mother nature cast a shadow on 2005, it was technology that delivered the impact that resulted in a huge outpouring of donations. The world was touched by the human element seen real-time in pictures and videos. Today's technology was able to deliver the graphical grittiness that portrayed the nightmares occurring half a world away.

Technology is usually thought of as impersonal, but something needs to be recognized; without technology the personal elements of the 2005 tragedies would not likely have been conveyed to the extent and timeliness they were. Reflecting on 2005 and looking forward to 2006, technology will undoubtedly continue play a significant role in the future both on a personal and impersonal level.

In 2005 Blogs gave birth to splogs, where senseless web scrapers generated massive amounts of senseless content. Spam reached a whole new level, right along side the ethical debate of content scraping. Copyrights have been stepped on and I foresee a new host of tools that will emerge to protect content.

2005 in Review, Predictions for 2006

01/03/2006
Chitika an up and coming alternative to Google AdSense has angered early adopters.

Chitika delays audit and payments by two weeks

With Chitika facing issues with publishers who have stopped running their eMiniMalls product until audits for November earnings are complete, you would think that they would make it a priority to not just get those audits completed within the thirty days, but get payments sent for November earnings. But Chitika has announced that November earnings audits - and thus payments - will not be completed until January 15th. And not only that, they announced this Saturday, December 31st after the payments were due.

01/03/2006
Inc. Magazine is running a Contest. What does it take to succeed as an entrepreneur? A lot of hard work and determination, and achieving results of one's own -- you could say, being "self-made."

Are you self-made? If so, tell Inc. your story in 300 words or less. How did you start -- or are starting -- your business? How are you building your reputation or career in your industry? What types of challenges have you faced, or are you facing, in the process of building your reputation, career, or business? In general, tell us about the intense time of trying to realize your ultimate goal, be it to start a business or become a star in your industry.

If your story resonates with our judges, you could become the winner of their Grand Prize:
A trip for two to the Inc. 500 conference in Chicago, Ill.,
A $10,000 grant to further your business objectives, and
A two-year subscription to Inc. and Fast Company magazines.

Additional Details

01/02/2006
AOL Unveils 2005's Top Spam Subject Lines.

According to AOL, one of the most prevalent spam subject lines in 2005 was "Donald Trump Wants You — Please Respond." Another frequent pitch played on the belief that the tech world just gives stuff away to people in the know: "Get an Apple iPod Nano, PS3 or Xbox360 for Free."

01/02/2006
There is something magical about the dawn of a new year. It presents an opportunity to reflect on the past and make promises for the future. Of course, it is just another day; but many people do make that one day count. Whether it's giving up the smokes or being better organized in business, resolutions can make big differences in your life if they are realized.

Here are some resolutions, as an online communicator, that I want to focus on in 2006:

01/01/2006
It was only a matter of time before a trojan or virus targeted AdSense or YPM for malicious activity, and the time has come. A new trojan horse discovered by an Indian publisher replaces Google AdSense ads with their own ads, advertising sites including dating, sex, viagra and weight loss. This trojan is very recent, because it not only converts regular AdSense ad units, but also the Google AdSense and Firefox referrer buttons into text links.

Complete Article