Google Web Alert - google blog
A Low Budget Rabblerouser
Antiwar.com - Sunnyvale,CA,USA
.... All I know is that when you Google "antiwar" (or "anti-war") Antiwar.com
comes out ... and on one day last week I counted no less than three blog
threads devoted ...


PROUD to be in `beta clubs'
Charlotte Observer (subscription) - Charlotte,NC,USA
.... in late April when she got an early invitation to test Gmail, Google's
new free ... estimates that she has passed out 36 invitations through
her blog at LiveJournal ...
target="_blank">Blog Article Charlotte

LEARNING the AB-PCs
San Diego Union Tribune - San Diego,CA,USA
.... He's written his own blog for three years. Kids today write more because
they're writing for each other.". ... If you have to wait to Google some
topic because ...
target="_blank">Kids Blog wwriting

(Peter posted @ 21:14)

 
Microsoft (Japan) Blogging Test (II)
TOKYO: Microsoft Corp. said it was launching its first-ever Web log service in Japan next week and aimed to have one million users in the first year, intensifying competition with Google Inc.
Web logs, or blogs, have been around for several years, serving as online journals for Web-savvy disseminators of information, ranging from personal ramblings and product reviews to social commentary.
But blogging drew renewed attention after Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates said in May that Web logs and the way they were distributed could be used as business communication tools, signaling Microsoft's growing awareness of blogging as both a potential threat and a new business opportunity.
Microsoft plans to start a trial service on August 10 in cooperation with unlisted Japanese contents provider T.O.S Co. Ltd., followed by an official launch later this year.
It has yet to be decided when Microsoft will launch a blog service in the United States, Europe and elsewhere. "We are offering a service that can be used from both personal computers and mobile terminals in a seamless manner. That differentiates our service from others," said MSN Japan general manager Yoshie Tsukamoto.
Microsoft said its new service, which enables blog writers to update their entries and visitors to have access to blog sites from mobile phones, not just PCs, was well suited for Japan, where nearly 90 percent of cellphones have Internet capability.
Google, the number one Web search company, has already upgraded its Blogger.com service, which it bought in 2003, by adding features that allow users to publish content from any e-mail-enabled device, such as cellphones and handheld devices.
Nearly nine out of 10 households in Japan have wired or wireless Internet access, making it one of the most Web-enabled nations in the world, according to the Telecommunications Ministry.
The new service will be offered free of charge. But, Microsoft will be raising revenue from Web advertising and may charge fees for additional Web log services, such as expanded capacity to hold large content.
Blogging in Japan is still in its infancy. Several major Internet service providers including Nifty Corp, a unit of electronics conglomerate Fujitsu Ltd, started their services late last year or early this year.
© Reuters
(Peter posted @ 21:03)

 
Microsoft goes Blogging (Japan)
Yesterday Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) announced its pioneer attempt at blog services with the launch of a beta Web log service in Japan. The service will be free and has a nifty feature allowing authors to access and update blogs with their cell phones. Japan, where 90% of households have Internet access and close to 90% of handphones are Internet-enabled, would make an ideal testing ground for Microsoft.

Blogs are pages where users can publish their thoughts online, aided by a host site that automates most of the process. They have long evolved from teenagers whining about their love life to a useful tool for corporate communication. One of the forerunners of this was id Software programmer John Carmack, who used a ".plan" file to update users of his progress when developing the PC game Quake. Soon many developers followed his lead.

Indeed, blogs and their uses have become a significant part of today's business landscape. A recent example would be how Sun Microsystems (Nasdaq: SUNW) President Jonathan Schwarz created headlines by pondering an IBM acquisition of Novell and hypothesizing in his blog's Aug. 1 entry, "Whoever owns Novell controls the OS on which IBM's future depends." The next day, Novell's price spiked up by 6.3% temporarily as the media and investors pounced on the speculation.

By introducing blog services, Microsoft has entered a new front in its battle with Google, which got a head start by acquiring the Blogger platform last year. The two already have competing Web-based e-mail services and are about to lock horns over search technology. Later this year Microsoft plans to premiere MSN NewsBot and MSN BlogBot, tools for searching news and blogs, respectively (bet you didn't figure that one out).

When it comes to Internet technologies, Microsoft has always been late to the party, but it does make a spectacular entrance eventually. Its competition with Google for eyeballs will definitely be one to keep tabs on. With so much attention being paid to blog services, a penny for someone's thoughts may not be enough anymore.

Want to read more about Google? Try:
Google's Virtual Casino, by Tom Taulli
Will Investors Go for Google?, by Alyce Lomax
Going Dutch With Google, by Bill Mann
Wall Street Ticked Off at Google, Selena Maranjian
(Peter posted @ 20:55)