Google has axed the web services API used by many developers to its search engine. The move was made with limited notice with visitors now being advised that the SOAP API is no longer supported by Google.Google SOAP API service was launched in 2002, allowing web/software developers limited access to data from Google’s main search index. Rivals such as Amazon.com followed shortly afterwards with its own web services interface weeks later both using SOAP, or Simple Object Access Protocol.One of the drawbacks with Google’s API has been the restrictions, namely; the number of queries using the API was 1,000 searches a day, and 10 results per query, and more recently the validity of the data.
Google is now advising developers to use the AJAX API instead.”The AJAX Search API is better suited for search-based web applications and supports additional features like Video, News, Maps, and Blog search results,” Google said.
December 19th, 2006
Virtual world Second Life seems set to take the business world by storm in 2007, with forecasters seeing it as the next big thing for 2007, with the music industry in particular looking to what potential business benefits it can deliver. Like MySpace and Youtube before it, B2C businesses are looking at alternative channels to effectively target customers.
Second life (developed by San Fransisco based Linden Labs) is allows users to navigate through 3D virtual worlds chatting, playing virtual games and buying (in real money) virtual goods and services.
From 100000 users in early 2005, it has grown to more than 1.5 Million members now with an average of 150000 users online during peak periods. Current expectations is that membership could grow to as much as 9 million by June 2007.
This provides a very attractive market to businesses. Companies such as Dell, Adidas and Toyota have already made tentitive movements into the virtual marketplace, whilst Sony have developed a full scale campaign including the purchase of “Sony Music Media Island”, allowing users to stream tracks and watch videos of artists such as Outkast and DMX.
To read more about this, read the initial release on Yahoo
Currently much of the business benefits of utilising Second Life come from the associated PR, however those that can utilise the potential of Second Life could be in for a bumper year.
December 19th, 2006
Social networking sites MySpace and Bebo took up the top 2 results on the most searched keyword phrases on Google in 2006. This continued the prominent trend of Web 2.0 websites making significant inroads into the mainstream with Metacafe, RadioBlog and Wikipedia also featuring prominantly in the Top 10 (at 4,5 and 6).
The rise in popularity of community sites was also a feature of the list with the term “Video” in at 7, reflecting the growth in services such as Youtube and Metacafe, as well as similar offerings from Google, MSN and Yahoo.
In the “How to” section, people most wanted to learn how they could refinance, set up a wiki page, drift, podcast, scream and levitate.
The top 10 were as follows:
1. Bebo
2. MySpace
3. World Cup
4. Metacafe
5. Radioblog
6. Wikipedia
7. Video
8. Rebelde
9. Mininova
10. Wiki
December 19th, 2006
