| Vol. 8, issue 7 - issued monthly | July 2009 |
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In this issue:
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From the Editor:Microsoft has a new search engine out called Bing. It's quite revolutionary. Read this months feature article to learn all about it. As always, remember to Surf Safely - use your anti-virus and firewall's! - Michelle “Yesterday is history - tomorrow is a mystery - today is a gift - that's why it's the present.” |
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"Bing Has Bling and is Set to Sparkle"by Brandon Sinclair of sitepoint.com Be ready: changes are coming to search and they're going to be BIG. The first biggie I see is Bing, the new "decision" search engine from Microsoft that just launched. I took a look at the introduction video they've put together and some aspects intrigue me, while some worry me a little. The results look to have a lot more useful information than Google results, with related information displaying, along with price comparisons and reviews drawn from all over the Web. The introduction video also mentions that "Bing gets you cashback from hundreds of online retailers," though I've yet to see this in the searches I've done here from Australia. I'll be most interested in how this works. It's hard to imagine Microsoft receiving any sort of payment per sale originating from Bing, because that has the ability to very quickly drain users' confidence that the search results are untainted by commercial considerations. Money talks and I can see this cashback system being a very important part of Microsoft's effort to unseat the mighty Google from world domination. It'll be very, very tough to move people away from Google, but helping people receive cashback on purchases would be one of the easiest and quickest ways to start. One aspect that always intrigues me is how the Microsoft bashers have already jumped up and bashed Bing for its flaws. Microsoft seems to lack the same leeway with launches as Google does, but Bing will make a dent in Google and it's here to stay. |
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Internet NewsFacebook to Look at Vanity The word is that Facebook will soon be introducing vanity URLs; currently Facebook URLs are long number streams. There's no word yet on how the names will be allocated or whether there'll be a fee involved; I'd be 99% sure fees will be part of the equation and, for highly sought-after names, I'd expect some sort of bidding process to maximize income. I can see big dollars being paid for vanity Facebook URLs by businesses and some individuals. The real value will be if the new URLs are ranked in the search engines. That could mean a massive boost in value to these URLs and a major payday for Facebook.
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Tips and TricksCustomize Your Browser ToolbarYou can customize your system web browser toolbar according to your need. There are many toolbar buttons you never used. You can add some mostly used buttons for example "Paste" or "Print Preview" in your browser toolbar or remove with same option. If you are using Internet Explorer then right click on the empty area of the toolbar and select the option "Customize". Here you will find a list of options in left and right panel, if you want to add any toolbar button then simply highlight it from the left panel and click on the "Add" button. But if you want to remove any toolbar button then first highlight it from the right panel and click on the "Remove" button. |
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Just for Fun or Useful LinksFree computer softwareTake a look at the freeware on this site! You'll find programs written by enthusiasts and distributed with no strings attached: games, graphics, office suites - you name it! Music DownloadsSave some $$ and try out these free music download sites! www.rhapsody.com - check out the free section |
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