Internet

On Wednesday, Microsoft PR firm Waggener Edstrom proved that their biggest client isn't the only source of new software, releasing their own beta version of a Twitter trend analysis tool. Aptly named "Twendz," the tool analyzes tweets about any ... specified topic and indicates whether Twitter users are commenting positively or negatively. It's no secret that Microsoft insiders are tweeting on Twitter, and that the status feed is gaining notoriety as a source of information and "leaks" such as the plans for the updated MS Live Search . Twendz, Tweets, and 'Tag-Clouds' Waggener Edstrom (WaggEd) is ... (view more)

It may seem like an obscure question, but have you ever wondered what would happen to your email accounts, digital media, and other important computer files after you pass away? While many would assume that the activity of the computer dies with its ... owner, a San Francisco-based startup is asking people to give serious thought to the idea of allowing certain people access to their digital assets. The "online will" service, known as Legacy Locker, would add a new dimension to traditional estate planning. A Will for the Digital Age Legacy Locker works in a similar manner to that of a written ... (view more)

The online advertising industry has introduced a set of guidelines intended to corral a genre of particularly controversial advertisements. Behavioral advertising -- a form of advertising that delivers ads based on a user's browsing activity -- is ... now targeted by a code of practice created by the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB). UK Internet Service Provider British Telecom (BT) partnered with Phorm, Inc. to roll out its new Webwise system. (Source: pcpro.co.uk ) The Internet Advertising Bureau Guidelines The guidelines (PDF) released by the IAB have been signed by Phorm, AOL, Google, ... (view more)

A brand specialist says more and more web domain names are being registered solely to cash in on existing firms' business. The report from MarkMonitor examines five types of 'abuse' related to domain names of varying legality. The biggest problem, ... which is also the fastest growing, is cybersquatting: buying up a domain name that is the same as an existing business with the intention of selling it back to a firm at a profit. According to the report, that problem affected almost 450,000 domain names during the last quarter of 2008, up 18% on the previous year. Approximately 80% of the sites ... (view more)

Mozilla may be this year's winner in the "browser battles" as they ready the next beta version of their tour-de-force, Firefox 3.1. Mozilla is resolving eight critical vulnerabilities found in the current version of Firefox --a move sure to garner ... applause from devoted Firefox users. As this year's crop of new browsers emerges, enhanced features are becoming secondary to one thing: speed. Mozilla is nearly ready to release the next beta version of Firefox 3.1 to the public for testing and insiders predict that it will outpace even Safari 4, which has been the the fastest browser in wide ... (view more)

A telecommunications firm in Great Britain has received full regulatory permission to build a national fiber-optic network for broadband. It could mean speeds of up to 100 Mbps for those in cities, with rural dwellers left behind. The company ... concerned, British Telecom (BT), was once the monopoly provider of phone services in the country. Today it competes with others, but still controls the phone network itself, meaning phone users must either rent a line from BT or use a cable service. At the moment the fastest cable service belongs to Virgin Cable, which has just launched a premium 50Mbps ... (view more)

Facebook is taking criticisms of its recent terms of use debacle to heart. According to reports, the social networking company is now asking members to help contribute to a more popular policy by making their own suggestions. Last week the popular ... social networking site faced condemnation from members after it was reported that its new terms of use policy would allow third parties to access user information even after they terminated an account. Although some felt users had long surrendered their privacy by joining such a network, most members were outraged with Facebook and demanded ... (view more)

New Yahoo! Inc. CEO Carol Bartz is already looking to put her stamp on the much-maligned search company only a month after she replaced previous chief Jerry Yang. According to reports, Bartz is currently searching for a number of upper-level ... executives as she shuffles Yahoo's management and pursues new strategies for winning back surfer approval. Bartz, former CEO of Autodesk Inc. (an architecture and engineering software company), has a lot of work ahead of her. She replaced Yang last month after Yahoo's former CEO reportedly blew a $47.5 billion takeover deal that would have seen Microsoft ... (view more)

Internet radio site Last.fm has denied reports that it told the record industry which of its members had listened to a leaked U2 album. The site claims the entire story, published by Techcrunch, was made up. Last week the record industry became ... extremely concerned after U2's forthcoming album appeared on several torrent file sharing sites. While there is no way any users could have acquired the album through Last.fm, the site's statistics suggest that more than 8,000 users have played the unreleased album on their machines. Employees 'Up In Arms' Late on Friday night the tech blogging site ... (view more)

Privacy-minded Facebook members and consumer advocacy groups were victorious this week in forcing the colossal social networking site to reverse policy changes that threatened confidentiality and user control. Members once again blew the whistle on ... potential privacy violations resulting from adjustments to the license on user content. The problematic terms of service gave Facebook "irrevocable, perpetual, non-exclusive, transferable, fully paid, worldwide license" in relation to user content for "promotional efforts," and also stipulated that deletion of the member account would not ... (view more)