Firefox Pushes Google Away In Russia
Google may be used to seeing its market share climb, but it looks like the search giant is getting kicked down a rung or two in one country. Mozilla has decided to make Yandex, and not Google, the default search provider in future Russian versions of Firefox.
Verizon Offers Direct Access To Backbone
Online video producers may be happy to learn that Verizon is offering direct regional access to its network. A more direct content delivery network means producers can skip the sometimes cumbersome peering arrangements that slow down online video and pump content directly onto Verizon’s Internet backbone network. Verizon says its Partner Port Program results in a faster, more responsive connection to Verizon’s backbone network for less money.
Ballmer Hints At Giving Up On Zune At CES
Recent by comments by Microsoft executives have led to speculation that Microsoft may abandon the Zune.Microsoft CEO Ballmer declared at CES that consumers increasingly were moving away from one task devices like the Zune towards smart phones while at the same time stating flatly that no Zune phone was in the works.
Making An Impression Lifts Brand Awareness
It’s not just about clicks and easily measured click-through-rates. Search marketers shouldn’t forget about the power of branding, or presence as I’ve called it previously, in the search results. Just because a consumer sees the brand but doesn’t click right away, it doesn’t mean that appearance was without worth.
Italy Troubled Over Mafia On Facebook
Italian anti-mafia activists are alarmed by the presence of Facebook groups that are glorifying the behavior of jailed mafia bosses."Fan clubs" of jailed mafia bosses Bernardo Provenzano, arrested in 2006 after nearly 40 years on the run, and Toto Riina, arrested in 1993 after 24 years at large, have sprung up on the Italian pages of Facebook.
Members Of Congress Embrace YouTube
It looks like some politicians are starting to get the hang of this Internet thing. Two new YouTube channels have been established, and certain members of the House and Senate intend to use them as communications and outreach tools.
Microsoft Enhances adCenter, Offers Tips
The Microsoft adCenter team took the holiday break to put some "finishing touches" on some enhancements to the service. These enhancements include:
AOL Launches MediaGlow
AOL announced today the creation of a new business unit, MediaGlow that will centralize the company’s publishing efforts, with the goal of expanding its global reach in 2009.MediaGlow joins AOL’s advertising platform, Platform-A along with its social media effort, Peoples Networks to become the third core business of the company.AOL says over the past year its page views have increased 40 percent, engagement increased 20 percent and its audience grew to 70 million monthly visitors.
How Much Energy is Consumed by a Google Search?
Times Online ran an article citing several studies about Internet use and the consumption of energy. Information used for this report suggested that Google searches are responsible for a large amount of CO2 emissions. The article reads:
Bloggers Erase Lines Between Traditional and New Media
There’s little difference between a gadfly and a real journalist, and three New York City gadflies just proved there’s no difference between a blogger and a real journalist. The New York Times’ City Room blog chronicles the victories of three local news bloggers who had been repeatedly denied press credentials by the NYPD because they worked online or for “nontraditional” news outlets.