Website design newsletter
Every month we publish interesting news articles relating to website design, search engine trends and other exciting changes happening online.
August 2007
Contents
Maori language version of Google
iTunes hits another milestone !
Business executives use social networking websites
Pulse: A new social networking tool
Maori language version of Google
23 July 2007
A husband and wife team is developing a Maori language version of the search engine Google in an effort to encourage more Maori to use the net.
Potaua Biasiny-Tule, 32, and his Puerto Rican wife Nikolasa, 35, of Rotorua, are directing a team of volunteers from around the country translating the search pages into a Google Maori language option. And their idea has been welcomed by Google's American owners.
Out of 117 language options, Tongan is the only Pacific tongue recognised. But the couple hope the Maori option will be a hit. Mr Biasiny-Tule told the New Zealand Herald if Star Trekkies could get a language option then Maori should have no trouble. "They had Klingon and the Muppets, even Elmer Fudd. We asked ourselves, 'Where was Maori'?" The project started about five weeks ago and the first of eight pages will be submitted to Google today to coincide with the launch of Maori Language Week.
Mr Biasiny-Tule said Google had provided a template but making sure translations lined up with technology-based Maori words, agreeing on common words across different dialects and relying on a team of volunteers meant the task was time-consuming.
Mrs Biasiny-Tule, a former Waikato University Maori and Pacific development lecturer, said the name of the search option was still up for debate but Google Maori was the most popular one so far.
Maori Language Commission chief executive Huhana Rokx said the initiative was terrific news during Maori Language Week.
"Anything that extends our reo "language" into new dimensions is progress and keeping up with technology is excellent for the development of our reo."
TIP: To tune your Google to speak another language, go to: http://www.google.com/language_tools?hl=EN and choose the language you want to see used for the interface.
Source: www.nzherald.co.nz
iTunes hits another milestone !
2 August 2007
Apple said yesterday sales at its online music store iTunes have topped 3 billion songs.
The company said iTunes recently surpassed Amazon.com and Target to become the third-largest music retailer in the United States.
Did you know there's now a NZ version of iTunes? Buy your iPod music online at: http://www.apple.com/nz/itunes/
Source: www.nzherald.co.nz
Business executives use social networking websites
3 August 2007
Social networking sites are not just for the young: 65% of business professionals are clicking and connecting through personal and professional networking sites, a new study finds.
"We expected to see a number of respondents utilizing social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook for personal reasons, but we were intrigued at the high percentage of business professionals that use social networking for professional purposes," says Jay Jamrog, senior vice-president of research at the Institute for Corporate Productivity, which conducted the survey.
"In an age where more and more employees work remotely and people frequently change companies, it makes sense that the business community would turn to the Web to stay connected."
The most popular sites for professional use? Tops in the survey by far was LinkedIn, a site aimed at the business professional, followed by Yahoo! 360 and MySpace, which is more often associated with a younger generation.
The study revealed that employees are quickly gravitating toward leveraging social networks for very traditional business uses. Fifty-two per cent of respondents whose organizations are using social networking sites do so to keep internal staff and remote employees connected, while 47 per cent use the networks to connect with potential clients and to showcase their skills. Thirty-five per cent say they use networks to assist them in finding a job.
Networks are also being leveraged to raise the IQ of organizations. Fifty-five per cent of those using the networks do so to share best practices with colleagues, and 49 per cent use them to get answers to issues they are currently facing.
Source: www.theglobeandmail.com
Pulse: A new social networking tool
3 August 2007
Plaxo, online address book company, are due to launch a new social networking tool called Pulse on 6th August.
The Plaxo service is an online contact management tool and calendar that organizes and stores all information online, with syncing capabilities.
Pulse will link people with shared media interests based upon what they write, and uploaded photos and videos, giving users access to friends' surfing habits. Currently, Plaxo functions as a network of address books that update automatically when a user inputs new information.
Added to this will be user Flickr photos, blog posts, and Amazon wishlists. Plaxo are said to be adding some mobile phone capabilities to Pulse as well.
Plaxo already have 15 million signed-up members. We will have to wait until 6th August to see if it's a serious front runner to Facebook, and LinkedIn. Stay tuned.
Source: www.techmeme.com
