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Google Translation Offers New Features

With the power of the Internet, we are able to connect with just about anyone. 

Back in middle school and high school, I had an online pen pal who lived in Munich, Germany.  I personally know about two words of German, while my pen pal was trying to learn English.  While we were worlds apart, we had a lot in common and always had lots to talk about.  However, there was that language problem.  What we ended up doing was writing our e-mails into a translator, trying to be polite to one another.  Of course we all know that the translations don’t translate word for word and sometimes make for an interesting read. 

Google Translator, however, has rolled out three new features which should make translations much easier. Fifty-one languages are supported by Google Translator and according to Google that’s 98 percent of the Internet community.  (more…)

Google Sites Makes Site Building Much Easier

Last month, we told you about Yahoo shutting down Geocities.  Google has not wasted any time taking advantage of their free Web hosting site.  With Google Sites, you are able to create a simple web page for your company, classroom, or even just your family.  They also allow you to embed any pictures, videos or other documents you want.

Google had been getting a bit of criticism for the lack of features.  So, Google has taken the constructive criticism and turned it into something “A Whole Lot Prettier” according to Mashable’s Stan Schroeder. (more…)

Page Speed Could Determine Search Rank

In an interview over the weekend with WebProNews, Matt Cutts, software engineer for Google, had suggested that a site’s speed could determine where it shows up in Google searches. 

“We’re starting to think more and more about should speed be a factor in Google’s rankings,” says Cutts.  “A lot of people within Google think that the web should be fast, it should be a good experience.  And so it’s sort of fair to say if you’re a fast site, maybe you should get a little bit of a bonus. Or maybe if you have a really awfully slow site, users don’t want that as much.” (more…)

Give It a Shot: Google’s Vaccination Tracker

Many of us consult Google Maps when planning a road trip, and the application is always useful for locating a nearby pizza delivery place. Apparently, its utility doesn’t end there. With flu season hitting its seasonal stride and concerns about the H1N1 virus still running rampant, the folks at Google have updated their mapping app accordingly.

The new feature, accessible at google.com/flushot, can locate sources for regular flu shots and the H1N1 vaccine as well. In place of the traditional push pin graphics that mark potential destinations on Google Maps, the flu shot tracker substitutes little red and blue syringes. Blue indicates a source for H1N1 shots and red designates seasonal shots. (more…)

Murdoch To Say Goodbye To Google

Rupert Murdoch, CEO of News Corp, made news Monday in an interview with Sky News Austr Words To Send An Ex To Get Back Together alia, when he said he plans to make News Corp sites disappear from Google searches.

News Corp owns more than 100 media assets around the world including Fox News, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Post, and MySpace.com.  Murdoch has suggested in interviews all year that he wanted to take all of his sites off search engines. From there, users would  have to pay to view content on each site.  (more…)

eBay Launches Online Magazine

Early Wednesday morning, eBay, the largest online marketplace, announced they would launch a new online digital magazine called The Inside Source. The magazine is designed for shoppers and will feature the insights and stories based off of what the 89 million users are currently searching for, along with what they are buying and selling on eBay. Each day, The Inside Source will feature several sections which will provide snapshots of real-time  most-watched merchandise and most searched terms, along with fresh articles, analysis, and opinions from eBay community contributors.

“Imagine that every day, every person in the United States tells eBay what they want,” said Alan Marks, Senior Vice President of Global Communications for eBay. “That’s the power of how many searches occur on eBay every day. Now add insights gleaned from almost 200 million live product listings, the stories of more than 25 million sellers and the several million purchases people make each day on eBay, and you get The Inside Source – a perspective on shopping trends, pop culture obsessions and the stuff people love, that only eBay can offer.”

Meredith Barnett, former Director of Digital Media for Lifetime Digital has agreed to take on the task of directing and managing the editorial content and staff.  Barnett and the editorial team will not just focus on what’s happening on eBay but will also check in with a large range of other popular topics including fashion, technology, automotive, home and garden, and pop culture.

Barnett is best known for her success at managing myLifetime.com, Lifetime TV’s website focusing on women’s entertainment.  Barnett is also co-founder of StoreAdore.com, an internet guide to the best boutique stores around the country and online.  The site has been successful so far — probably because of frequently updated blog posts and a search database of boutique profiles of more than 3,000 stores. 

“Meredith brings the perfect blend of consumer-focused ecommerce and editorial experience to The Inside Source,” Marks said. “Combining Meredith’s editorial vision with eBay’s insight, our aim is to make The Inside Source an engaging, useful read for people who want to know the latest trends happening in the world`s largest online marketplace.”

Readers of the online magazine will also be able to share their thoughts and opinions on topics by commenting and sharing content through social media platforms, such as Facebook.

Commerce Search From Google Helps Online Businesses

Google has released yet another new feature that should help with online businesses.  Earlier this week, Google announced a new Google Checkout feature, which allows users to enable a checkout button on the site to promote sales. Now, the Google Commerce Search tool will be useful for online businesses by improving product searches on their site, along with possibly increasing sales and reducing bounce rates.  The search is almost identical to Google’s main search, but it’s geared specifically toward business websites. The idea is to help find products being sold.  Google is expecting the tool to grow significantly in the new few weeks, as businesses prepare for the upcoming holiday season.

“Visitors spend an average of just eight seconds before deciding whether or not to remain on a website,” a Google rep said.  “So having a good search tool is important for turning visitors into buyers.” (more…)

MSN.com Rolls Out Preview

Late last night, the developers at Microsoft’s MSN, which is one of the most visited sites on the net according to Compete.com, rolled out a preview version of it’s new website design. 

Since August 1995, MSN.com has offered visitors a look at some of the latest headlines from around the globe, a look into the entertainment world, a place to check out new items to purchase and has even offered its own search engine. The preview of MSN’s new website, is much more clean-cut, and has more of a modern feel.  The site will offer the same sections as it currently does but will primarily focus on videos, a new section to keep you updated on your social media feeds, and bring more local customizations to the homepage.  (more…)

New Google Check Out Feature Debuts

Google Checkout has rolled out a new “Promotional Checkout” option, which will allow online US merchants to offer checkout promotions at anytime.  Effective as of late last week, users can sign into their into Checkout accounts, click on the ‘Tools’ tab where they’ll be able to use the Promotions link to create a promotion while checking out.  Google states the entire process takes less than a minute. 

Sellers will be able to choose a specific date and time, that they’d like the offer to run, and choose from a wide selection of discounts they want to offer potential buyers.  When it’s time for the promotion to go live, Google will immediately change the standard checkout icon, to display the discount amount, along with a cart minimum. 

(more…)

Google Your Social Networking Friends

Last week, both Google & Microsoft announced they were teaming up with Twitter to bring real time search updates to their sites.  While Google still has yet to release the real time updates, the search engine site did launch it’s Social Search feature yesterday afternoon on Google’s Experimental Search.

Google created the Social Search because they know that your friends and contacts are an important part and influence on your life and wanted to make it easier to help you find your friends.  Many surveys have said that personal reviews of items from friends which are frequently posted on social networking sites influence a person’s decision if they want to purchase or obtain that specific item.  However, when you have hundreds or thousands of social networking friends, it can be a little hard to keep up with what everyone is saying. (more…)