Internet Marketing and Social Media Consultants

Now, Google Custom Search for business is available for users outside the United States.

In addition to the free ad-supported Google Custom Search, Google offers a for-pay edition that allows administrators greater flexibility and customization options for their business. Also, the service gives reports that help businesses monitor user behavior.

However, the for-pay business version also provides e-mail and phone options, as well as a choice to include advertising. Also, users can use an XML API to customize results. If you want to highlight or block certain results, you are able to.
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Google announced today the Open Handset Alliance, a mobile phone platform that will be Linux and Java based and run apps by Google and whoever wants to make them. They are allied with 34 different partners, including the 332 million subscribers to China Mobile, as well as Sprint Nextel, T-Mobile, Motorola, Samsung, and Intel.

Of course, what will set Google’s phone apart from other smart phones is the ability for handset makers to use open source technology and not be bound to any software. The possibilities here are very intriging to the consumer.

This isn’t necessarily what was envisioned by the much-rumored “GPhone.” First of all, it isn’t particularly likely Google’s name will appear anywhere on the phone itself. Andy Rubin, Google’s director of mobile platforms, said, “We are not building a GPhone; we are enabling 1,000 people to build a GPhone.”
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We knew Google had something in the works to “out-open” Facebook, and the extent of that plan became much more clear today.

The much rumored Maka-Maka has a name now: OpenSocial.

Facebook gained a lot of popularity last spring when it opened up its service to outside developers, prompting over 5,000 programs to be developed within the network, many of which have been dispersed throughout the Facebook system. iLike, for example, developed an application for Facebook users to play clips of music they like in their profile. 7% of all Facebook users now use iLike.

The openness of Facebook has a lot to do with its rise in popularity over the last year or so. The fact that anybody could use their framework to develop apps was very attractive to users and developers. However, one of the drawbacks is that developers were forced to use the language of Facebook’s platform, FBML.

OpenSocial will allow users to program in javascript and html, which means they will be able to basically tweak the code they already have to work with host. Instead of learning and rewriting their apps in a foreign language, it will be much easier to transfer what they already have through OpenSocial to the host social network.
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After getting outdueled by Microsoft in getting a stake in Facebook, Google is hardly in a mood to roll over and deal with it.

Their new social networking idea is in the works and it goes by codename: Maka-Maka. While this sounds like the name of a remote South Pacific island, it is Google’s answer to the likes of Facebook and MySpace.

What do we know so far? Google is planning to make their social network even more open than Facebook. In early November, they will announce API’s for developers to use to work with their existing social network, Orkut and iGoogle (aka Google Personalized Start Page).

Later, API’s will be developed for other other Google services, like Gmail. There is also talk that some of the lower-ranked social networks, like Friendster (remember Friendster?) will give their user info to developers of Maka-Maka API’s.
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According to an article I read on CNN by Fortune, Facebook seems to be making some major updates to their social networking site that may threaten Linkedin’s Business network. What are the updates you wonder? Right now as it sits, Facebook is more for personal and social relationships and Linkedin is designed for Business and Professional relationships. Facebook is working on a way to specify specific groups according to whether they are social or professional contacts, and profiles tailored for each. Facebook could basically remove the need to keep a separate account on LinkedIn for strictly Business networking. All-in-One social/business network site. Sounds like a great concept.

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