Jun 3, 2012

Google to Overhaul Shopping Service, Introduce Purely Commercial Model

Google to Overhaul Shopping Service, Introduce Purely Commercial Model:




Google is planning a major overhaul of its shopping feature in which it will shift to a purely commercial model built on Product Listing ads.
The shift, to be completed this fall, is designed to “make it easier to research purchases, compare different products, their features and prices, and then connect directly with merchants to make their purchase,” according to a blog post from the company.
Google is calling the new experience Google Shopping. Confusingly, a tab called Google Shopping already exists, but when you click on it, it leads to Product Search. Product Search is a mix of paid and unpaid placements. Google Shopping will consist of all paid placements, which is based on bids that retailers send via a constant feed. (However, search results for products will also include purely organic results below the top and right side of the page.) The change will give consumers better search results, says Sameer Samat, vp-product management at Google. It may also add to Google’s revenue stream.
As an example of the changes in store, Google provided the following image for Product Search as it currently appears:




Here is how Google Shopping will look this fall:




As illustrated, the major change is the product ads vs. “product universal,” Google’s term for organic results that it had highlighted the same way.
Another change is for more specific queries. In this case, while the searches above were for “tents,” the following is for “marmot limelight 2p.”




In addition to those changes, Google is rolling out Google Trusted Stores, a program it quietly introduced in April that takes into account reviews, shipping times and other factors to give Google’s seal of approval to merchants. While that program may help level the playing field with eBay, the overall changes to Google Shopping appear to be a bigger threat to Amazon.
In December, The Wall Street Journal reported that Google was in talks with major retailers about a new service that would add cheap 24-hour shipping to Product Search. Google would oversee the shipping feature, which would show whether stores have a product in stock and can deliver it within a day. The program might involve the United Parcel Service and local courier services, according to the WSJ.
Samat declined to comment on that report.
Image courtesy of iStockphoto, kyoshino
More About: amazon, ebay, Google, shopping
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Write, Read, Share on Widbook, the ‘YouTube of Books’

Write, Read, Share on Widbook, the ‘YouTube of Books’:




The Spark of Genius Series highlights a unique feature of startups and is made possible by Microsoft BizSpark. If you would like to have your startup considered for inclusion, please see the details here.
Name: Widbook
Quick Pitch: The YouTube of books.
Genius Idea: Write, share and collaborate with authors and book enthusiasts..
Who says people using social media don’t have the patience to read anything too lengthy? A new site called Widbook provides a platform to share books and publish your own.
Book lovers and authors can share stories with others in their social networks, as well as create digital bookshelves to peruse. One of the most interesting features of this site is the ability to collaborate with other authors to create a digital book.
Invite writers to add the next chapter and continue sharing — like a Mad Libs for books. You can publish the chapters as you write on Widbook, even if you’re not finished with the book, and share those chapters with your network on Facebook, Twitter and Google+.
To sign-up for the site, which is currently in beta, create a username and password. You’ll then be able to create a profile with photo (optional) and some basic information such as what college you attended and your employer. Find out which Facebook friends are on the site and connect with them. Then the fun part: pick your favorite genres of writing from a number of options, including “technology & the Internet,” “sports” and “children’s books,” to name a few.
Once your profile is updates you can submit a status update to your friends on Widbook. On your profile page, you’ll see recommendations for books from other authors you might enjoy reading. The site also functions as a social network for writers. Send messages to other writers or following them through the site.
Right now, if you write a book you can’t export it from the site, but that’s a function that will eventually be available when the site launches out of beta.
Would you use Widbook? Tell us in the comments.
Image courtesy of iStockphoto, AnthiaCumming
Series Supported by Microsoft BizSpark

Microsoft BizSpark

The Spark of Genius Series highlights a unique feature of startups and is made possible by Microsoft BizSpark, a startup program that gives you three-year access to the latest Microsoft development tools, as well as connecting you to a nationwide network of investors and incubators. There are no upfront costs, so if your business is privately owned, less than three years old, and generates less than U.S.$1 million in annual revenue, you can sign up today.
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The Beginner’s Guide to Tumblr

The Beginner’s Guide to Tumblr:




Tumblr is a micro-blogging platform that churns out more than 64 million posts daily. There are 57.5 million blogs on Tumblr, which might seem intimidating to anyone not already using it.
Tumblr could be useful to you for many reasons, depending on what you’re looking to get out of it, for example, inspiration, scrapbooking, communication or a portfolio.
The site is a mix of bloggers, brands and tastemakers. But to keep it simple, there are essentially two types of bloggers on Tumblr: those who create original content and those who curate, or re-blog posts.
Depending on how you want to utilize the platform, this guide will help you move from a Tumblr novice to power blogger.

1. Getting Started


Tumblr registration is simple: You only need an email address, password and username. However, considering there are 57.5 million blogs on Tumblr, it’s possible that you won’t get your first choice of username.
With Tumblr, you can change your URL later, so if you absolutely hate it down the road, that can be fixed — but keep in mind that change will affect SEO.
Be sure to upload a default image, too, to complete your profile.

2. What Do I Do With This?

Once you have an account, there are a number of following options, depending on how you want to utilize the site.
Some use Tumblr to write and create original content, for example, to document lifestyle, travels, milestones or to showcase work.
Tumblr hosts some hilarious parody and nostalgia blogs that cater to specific persons, places or things.
If you’re not creating your own content, Tumblr is also great for curating. Many users browse the web for the best and most interesting things they can find. It’s up to you to decide what that is: hilarious videos, inspiring quotes, breathtaking photos? Whether you like animals, fashion, art, music, film or just a random assortment of interesting finds, decide what you want to blog about before going further.
Here are a few examples of what others are doing on Tumblr:

3. Customizing



1. Quadro






From the font to the layout, the Quadro theme is a close tie with the Pinterest pinboard.
Click here to view this gallery.
Aside from suiting your blog to your personality, one of the most fun things about Tumblr is the ability to customize themes. Tumblr themes offer the ability to customize the look, feel and functionality of your blog.
Try to avoid the default theme, simply because there are hundreds more to choose from, and many talented designers have put a lot of effort into them.
Some themes are free, but if you really want your blog to stand out, consider paying for a premium theme that offers more personalized options.
Once you’ve selected a theme, you can customize further by editing HTML, changing colors or font type, adding a background image or adding pages.
Here are a few of our favorite themes:

  • 12 Free Tumblr Themes to Class Up Your Blog



  • 8 Professional Tumblr Themes for Your Small Business



  • Mashable Picks: Our 11 Favorite Tumblr Themes



  • 9 Free Tumblr Themes That Look Like Pinterest




    • 4. The Dashboard



    Tumblr’s dashboard is really user-friendly, no matter the format of content you want to post.
    If you’re not ready to publish a post, or want to come back to it later, you can either save as a draft or schedule it in the queue. Both options are on the right side of the dashboard.
    At the top of the dashboard, next you your profile picture, you’ll see a series of colorful icons labeled by format: text, photo, video, etc. Depending on what you’re trying to share, the options in each individual post box are really easy to figure out.
    For added convenience, you can place the Tumblr bookmarklet at the top of your web browser. There are a number of other useful tips here.
    The tabs at the top of the dashboard allow you to filter between views: either just your posts or those from people you follow. (We’ll talk more about your followers later.) If you want to see your posts in the back-end, click on your tab. To view it as your chosen theme, click on your profile picture.
    Each post in the dashboard has a series of buttons at the top-right, which let you engage with others by re-blogging and liking their posts. (This is where the distinction between original content creator vs. curator is most prominent.) Most original content bloggers don’t re-blog very often because they are publishing to a certain style or subject.
    However, the more followers you have, the more quickly their posts move on your dashboard — remember, there are millions of posts each day. If you want to keep all of your favorite posts in one place, the little heart at the right corner of each post is your friend. You can then click the heart tab on the far-right to access all of the things you’ve liked in one place.

    5. Navigation

    By now, you should be set up and ready to “tumble.” But half the fun is discovering what other people are posting, especially if you’re using the platform to curate, or re-blog. So, how do you find other interesting people and blogs?
    Tumblr has a series of tags, which you can view in Explore, that separate individual posts by different interests — for example art, humor, music, fashion, television, etc.
    A select group of people manage each tag and hand-pick posts best-suited for the category.
    Additionally, Spotlight is a Tumblr feature that showcases various noteworthy blogs within each tag.
    You can read more about some of the tags and their editors here:

    6. Connecting With People



    Tumblr is not just for self-engagment. There are a number of ways to connect with people you know and reach out to new people.
    First of all, by authorizing Gmail, Twitter and Facebook, you can see which of your friends are already using the platform.
    If you’d like to reach out to someone privately, see the envelope icon at the top-right, where you can send a message. The feature offers different styles of paper-themed backgrounds and fonts, which makes each message seem more personal.
    Some users have also enabled the “Ask Me Anything” feature. Keep in mind the user can post any question on his site, but you can always opt to ask anonymously.

    7. Mobile

    Once you’ve successfully navigated the basics of Tumblr, take your blogging on-the-go with the platform’s free mobile app — available for iOS and Android.
    The mobile app’s features are pretty similar to the website, except that the dashboard appears slightly more minimal. Otherwise, all of the things explained above are available on mobile — you can still post all the same formats of multimedia, and even customize your blog.
    Tumblr is as vast as it’s never-ending dashboard — there’s a lot more to the site, but this overview should give you a good head start.
    What tips do you have for someone testing out Tumblr for the first time? Share your advice in the comments.
    Image courtesy of Tumblr, silas216
    More About: blogging, features, microblog, Social Media, trending, tumblr, tumblr themes
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