Social media is slowly sneaking into mainstream consciousness … at least in the United Kingdom. According to a new study conducted by pollster Hitwise, social sites such as MySpace and Facebook made up about 10.9% of all Internet traffic during Christmas week. YouTube also officially overtook Windows Live Mail/Hotmail in site hits for the first time. “The successes of Facebook and YouTube, along with similar sites, meant that social networks accounted for 1 in every 10 UK Internet visits during Christmas week,” says Hitwise Research Director Robin Goad. “Over the last 12 months traffic to the category has increased by 20%, and it now ranks behind only Entertainment, Search Engines and Shopping and Classifieds in terms of UK Internet visits.”

In other news, it seems as if phishers have started to exploit Google for “fun” and (mostly) profit. Scammers have been passing around an email claiming that the recipient has “won” an invitation to the new Google Calendar. All the user has to do is enter his or her user name and password. To heighten the farce, the user is then taken to the real Google Calendar site. As always, never trust a site or an email that asks for your login information.

And to finish up the year, we have something a bit odd. As many of you know, every episode of Doogie Howser, M.D. would end with Doogie (Neil Patrick Harris) typing a log entry into his then top-of-the-line IBM PS/2 computer. For those of you who wish to bring a little of that “80’s style” into the new millennium, there’s Twoogie. Twoogie combines all of the fun and frivolity of Twitter with the utter eyesore “retro cool” of late 80’s computing. While it doesn’t add any functionality to Twitter, Twoogie does make microblogging a bit more fun.

…And with that ends the first year of the Free Line. Be sure to come back tomorrow for our big, five-feature New Years report.

Another day, another abbriveated edition of the Free Line. The full, unfettered version that you have come to love will return soon.

The folks in control of Hulu, the online video site that allows average users to watch television programs for free, are mulling over a plan that would see the service tackle a worldwide audience. Currently, the Fox/NBC co-production is only available to users in the US. “The concept of Hulu is predicated on being a global business,” said Hulu CEO Jason Kilar in an interview with MediaPost. “Our mission statement describes us helping people to find and enjoy the world’s premium content wherever and however they want. That will be predicated on finding the right partners and having a business model that enables us to create value for advertisers, content partners and our shareholders.” There is currently no timetable as to when, or even if, the expansion will occur.

In other news, it seems as if the world of online auctions is about to join the world of microblogging. Called Tweebay, the new service allows users to use Twitter to bid, talk, and comment on various auction items. The only real problem many have with the service is the lack of comments. As many a veteran “eBay” hunter can tell you, the comments section is sometimes the only way one can diferenciate genuine sellers from scam artists. Tweebay is available now to all users.

And finally: Television host and Digg mastermind Kevin Rose has released his list of New Year’s resolutions, and the contents are interesting, to say the least. In amongst the personal (drink wine, learn yoga) and the quasi-professional (make an iPhone game), sits a note that has the Internet talking — build a better Digg. While no one is exactly sure what he is talking about, many within the industry believe that it is a continuation of the “beautify Digg” campaign that Rose has been spearheading for months. Rose, nor anyone else from Digg, has chosen to comment publicly at this time.

Welcome to today’s action-packed, if slightly abbreviated, edition of the Free Line. Despite the time of the year, the web doesn’t sleep and neither do we. We will be back to our old selves tomorrow. In the meantime…

The United States is the number one host of malware in the world, says security firm Sohpos. According to the findings, US-based computers and servers hold a surprising 37% of all malicious code and programs, up about 37% from the previous year. Many within the industry believe the number is due to both economic fears and the 2008 presidential election. Coming in behind the US are China (27.7%, down nearly 50% from the previous year), and Russia (9.1%).

Elsewhere, The folks at Google have officially beefed up its base image search engine. The big news this time around is the addition of choice.  Users can now easily narrow down their search to find clip art, pictures of people or animals, and hand-drawn sketches. The new options are accessible through a drop-down box found on the search results page. Google Image Search, complete with the new options, is available now for all users.

Finally: Cuil, the search engine designed to “beat Google at its own game,” might be down for the count. Although it debuted with considerable hype last July, Cuil has failed to keep the audience it had over the summer. Some analysts say that the failure is due to its indexing service, which has been described as everything from “poor” to “takes down sites.” With absolutely no sign of actually fixing their problems, Cuil seems to be destined for the “Road to Nowhere.”

Hello and welcome back to the Free Line. Due to the Christmas holiday, we believe that the last thing anyone wants to do is read up on hardcore, “serious” tech news. So with that in mind, we once again welcome our good friend, Browser Extension Friday. Our traditional format, featuring loads of that “web 2.0 news you can use,” will return on Monday. With that said, here we go:

Act One: Expand Your Mind - As many of you already know, today’s web browsers can do much more than just … well … browse the web. Here are five extensions and widgets designed to truly push what a web browser can do.

1. Presdo Event Calendar Organizer Doodad - For Firefox. Add a comprehensive “coming events” calendar to your browser. Many popular sites and social networks are supported, including MySpace, Gmail, and Ticketmaster.
2. Artist’s Sketchbook - For Opera. A handy little widget that allows you to edit pictures. While it isn’t exactly Photoshop, the Artist’s Sketchbook is more than suited for the occasional “touch up.”
3. Scientific Calculator - For Opera. A full calculator, complete with trigonometry functions, memory slots, and a random number generator.
4. iTunes Widget - For Opera. Add a little bit of iTunes functionality to everyone’s favorite Norwegian browser.
5. Tetris -For Opera. Because we all need a little “Tetris” in our lives every now and again.

Act Two: My Top Five - These are my top five favorite Firefox extensions that have yet to be covered on the Free Line. Be assured that I actually use all five of these attachments in my daily life.

1. Adblock Plus -Easily the best advertisement/image blocker out there today. A definite “must-have.” Adblocker Plus is also available for the somewhat obscure, Firefox-based, K-Meleon browser as well.
2. Download Statusbar - Moves the “download” list from a separate window to the bottom of the screen. Not only does it make downloads easier to track, it cuts down on desktop clutter as well.
3. Fancy Numbered Tabs - Adds — you guessed it — fancy, numbered tabs to Firefox. While it might seem a bit goofy, this extension can be very, very useful. The only real downside is that it stops counting at “eight.”
4. Locationbar² - Adds “links” to the address in the location bar.
5. TubeStop - Removes the “auto play” feature found on many online video sites. It will also disable many of the oddball “overlays” that tend to accompany YouTube videos.

The people of Japan are not exactly fond of Google Maps Street View. There is currently a petition making its way through twelve major cities asking Google to remove their roads from the database. According to the petition, which is backed by several high-ranking politicians and professors, the Street View photography team continually disregard their citizens’ right to privacy. The service then distributes the images “more easily, widely, massively and permanently than ordinary cameras and surveillance cameras do.” To many within the industry, the situation in Japan is eerily similar to what happened in Paris last May. In that case, many French citizens felt that the Google team broke actual privacy laws while preparing the service. Google has yet to respond to the outcry.

In other Google-related news, it seems as if a “unique view counter” has been added to YouTube. Previously, users and video “owners” had to rely solely on the page views to build their analytical data. While that information is indeed useful, it completely ignores the concept of “view padding” — multiple viewings performed by friends and family with the express purpose of driving up the view counter. Thanks to the new tool, amateur videographers can now see if they are true YouTube legends, or just legends in their own mind. To access the new feature, simply go the video’s Insights page, click on the ‘Views‘ menu tab, and select ‘Show Unique Users.’

In other news, the world of micropayments have officially come to Twitter, thanks to Twitpay. For those unaware, a micropayment is the act of giving an infinitesimal amount of money online to another user or site. The only real problem many within the industry have with the Twitpay is the service’s gaping lack of purpose. Traditionally, micropayments are used in massive online games such as Worlds of Warcraft and Second Life or as a blogger’s “virtual tip jar.” Twitter is not a game, nor is it something most logical people would find necessarily tip worthy. In time, the company hopes for its service to be used as an easy way to donate to charity, similar to the Salvation Army kettles during the holiday season. Whether or not this actually happens, however, remains to be seen. Twitpay is available now for all Twitter users.

Elsewhere, blogger Caroline Rodgers has written a highly informative piece detailing the ins and outs of video search engine optimization, or VSEO for short. “With the growth of video portals such as YouTube and multi-submission sites such as Tube Mogul, it has never been easier to get your videos on the web,” she writes. “So why should you try and go down the root [sic] of selling VSEO to your customers?” According to Ms. Rodgers, proper video optimization comes down to eight simple concepts:

1. Create an interesting file name
2. Use meta data to your advantage.
3. If possible, add a transcript to your video.
4. Make sure that your videos inevitably link back to your site.
5. Brevity is key.
6. “Brand” the video with your logo/site name.
7. Male sure that a few “important words” on your site links back to the video in question.
8. Enable ratings.

Easy to understand and even easier to implement, these tips are bound to help both VSEO and traditional SEO mavens of all levels and skill sets. She writes: “The first step is getting your client to see the value in undertaking VSEO. Using the information supplied in this [article], you should be able to present a fairly strong case to your client.”

Finally, we here at the Free Line would like to wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. As overwhelming as both the Internet marketing scene and the world economy has been in 2008, there is one constant that we all can rely on — friends and family. Keep those important to you close this holiday season. We guarantee that you won’t regret it.

Google is once again the king of the search mountain. According to pollster comScore, the search engine giant and part-time verb laid claim to 63.5% market share in November, up .%4  from the previous month. While this number is indeed impressive, it should be noted that the share takes in account both the base engine and YouTube. Removing YouTube from the equation, Google’s share shrinks to a “mere” 46.5% — impressive, but nowhere near the original number. Other ranked engines include Yahoo (20.4%, down by .1%), Microsoft/Live Search (8.3%, down by .2%), and AOL (3.8%, up .1%).

Elsewhere,  Yahoo has officially invested in the India-based Info Network Management Company, or INMAC for short. For those who are not exactly up to seed with your Indian telecoms, INMAC is best known for its “Call Ezee” 411 directory service. The new partnership allows Yahoo to gain a foothold in India, a territory usually dominated by a combination of Google and various “regional” search concerns, without officially opening a regional office. The deal will also allow Yahoo to appoint at least one representative on the INMAC board of directors. This move comes just days after billionaire Mark Cuban suggested that Yahoo should build up their worth by purchasing stakes in smaller companies. Neither Cuban, INMAC, nor Yahoo have released a statement as of yet.

In other news, it seems as if the Google Docs Help Forums have received a much needed makeover. The new-look forums now feature a “question and answer” format similar to Yahoo Answers and the ability to subscribe to threads via email or RSS. A translation feature is also expected to make an appearance in the near future. “Your feedback proved invaluable when designing the new platform,” writes Stephen Drennen on the Official Google Docs Blog. “Thanks in advance for your patience as we work to build a community in the new Google Docs Help Forum.” The new and improved help space is up and running now.

Moving on, time sheets have gone social, thanks in part to TimeXchange. TimeXchange works on the principle that productivity comes when several people are all working together. Each user has a role, and with role comes certain administrative duties and responsibilities. As more users join the mass time sheet, more responsibilities can be doled out. The base file can also be saved in a variety of formats, including PDF and the default Quickbooks format. Simple to set up and operate, TimeXchange proves that even time sheets can be fun when infused with the power of web 2.0.

Finally, we have the Dataopedia, the newest project from Killerstartups.com. As the name implies, the Dataopedia allows users to research a vast variety of companies without ever having to leave the site. Aside from the basic “what and where,” the Dataopedia shows a complete picture of the firm in question, from page ranking to pertinent WHOIS information to an aray of multimedia and everything in between. Customized versions of the service are also available for mobile phones and Firefox users. Chock full of useful information, the Dealopedia is the perfect tool for anyone who needs the scoop on a company, and needs it in a hurry.

Earlier in the week, we reported that the biggest consumers of online video were those over the age of 35. It has now become apparent as to why this phenomenon occurs. According to Nielsen, 65% of those who participated in the first survey said they usually watch videos between nine in the morning and five in the afternoon, Monday through Friday — also known as the traditional American work week. Out of that number, roughly 34% said that they partake in video viewing during their lunch break, which is traditionally between noon and two. Other “prime YouTube times” include weekends from six in the morning to eight at night (51%) weekdays from five till eight at night (49%).

Elsewhere, Google has made it easier for users of all languages to share and compare vital website data. Using both Google Translate and the base search engine, the so-called “Cross-Language Enterprise Search” allows you to actively translate a variety of websites on demand. “Users can search in their native language, but find every document within the enterprise on the topic,” writes products manager Cyrus Mistry on the Official Google Enterprise Blog. “You can choose to have the results come back in any language and you can even translate the search result snippets (or documents themselves) into any language.” The Cross-Language Enterprise Search is available now to all users.

In Wikipedia news, the encyclopedia known for its user-generated content and gaping factual errors has finally come to the world of mobile phones. As expected, the mobile site offers everything its bigger brother does, only in an easier to manage form. In this case, “easier to manage” means that all pictures, bounding boxes, and colorful links have to sit this one out. In their place sits the mysterious “Spoken Wikipedia,” a as-of-yet inactive feature that already has a few tech bloggers buzzing. Mobile Wikipedia, minus the “Spoken Wikipedia,” is available now for everyone.

Next up on our nonstop cavalcade of free, we have Tweetag. Like the “official” Twitter Search, Tweetag lets you to search for certain words and topics on everybody’s favorite microblogging service. Unlike the name brand equivalent, however, you have the added option of picking your words from the tag cloud. As with all clouds of this nature, the more “popular” the topic, the bigger the physical word. Because of this, working with Tweetag feels more like a liesurely browse than endless searching. Interesting and engaging, Tweetag makes “microblogging from a cloud” such an easy thing to do.

…And to finish off the week, we have the triumphant return of Browser Extension Friday. In today’s actioned packed feature, we’re going to take a look at six scripts designed to improve your overall web experience.

Before We Begin: Before you can try out any of these scripts, you’re probably going to need a small extension. To that end, we have…

Firefox - Greasemonkey. There are also official versions of Greasemonkey available for Firefox-derivatives Flock and Epiphany, and “unofficial” versions for SeaMonkey and musical database Songbird.

Internet Explorer - Greasemonkey for IE. Former Free Line favorite IE7Pro also supports scripting.

Safari - While Safari has a built-in Applescript support, a browser extension is needed for the scripts we will be investigating today. For that, check out GreaseKit.

Konqueror - Konqueror Userscript.

Additionally, both Opera and Chrome have built-in support for most of these scripts.

With that said, here we go:

• Google Account Multi-Login - Easily access all of your Gmail accounts without signing out.
• MySpace Home Auto-Update - Enable an auto-update feature on the MySpace main page.
• _blank Must Die - Stop websites from opening up “dummy” tabs and web instances.
• LookItUp2 - Look up any word on either Wikipedia or a dictionary.
• Ad Slicer for MySpace - Remove the ads (and the ad spaces) that inhabit MySpace.
• YouTube Googler - Give YouTube a distinct “Google Video” makeover.

In an effort to raise taxes without officially “raising taxes,” the New York State Assembly is going ahead with a plan that would add a 4% tax to all digital downloads. The so-called “iPod tax” is just one of eighty-eight new taxes aimed towards discretionary income. Other potentially taxed services include beverages (both acoholic and otherwise), cable television service, and taxi rides. The newfound funds would go to a variety of new social programs, the total cost of which would be upwards of $121 billion. Online retailers Amazon and Overstock.com have filed a lawsuit, saying that the new fees are unfair and unlawful. We will have more on this developing story soon.

Another day, another “best of 2008″ list. The entry this time around is from MySpace, home to fun, frivolity, and other things that teenagers seem to enjoy. According to the social networking mega-power, the most popular search term of 2008 was Twilight. The popular vampire romance story was also the most watched movie trailer as well. The song of the year award goes to “Whatever You Like” by rapper T.I., while the “top musician” honors go to pop star Taylor Swift. Other number ones include Dane Cook (top comedian), Kevin Smith (top filmmaker), and South Park (top video search term).

Former Free Line all-star Jumpcut has sadly reached the end of its life. The service, which let users edit, modify, and “remix” various video files, was shut down by Yahoo Wednesday in an apparent cost cutting move. “It was a difficult decision that we wish we didn’t have to make,” writes the team on the official website. “But it was necessary in order to focus resources on other Yahoo! sites.” While the service is not accepting any more video files, those clips that still inhabit the Jumpcut servers can still be edited. For those who still wish to give Yahoo your video files, the Jumpcut team suggests that you go to Flickr instead.

Elsewhere, Google has updated the AdWords Editor. Many users of the program were taken by surprise by the release, as it was not officially announced beforehand. The big news this time around is the addition of your “Keyword Quality Score,” which can be accessed directly from the program itself. Other changes include the ability to send feedback to Google, the addition of “first page billing estimates,” and the normal array of bug fixes. The new and improved Google AdWords Editor 7.0 is available now for all users.

And finally: Social supersite Delicious has added “bulk editing” to the already packed slate of features. For those unaware, bulk editing lets you modify a number of different files at once. While the obvious application for this feature is the creation (and ultimately, removal) of wishlists, bulk editing will also come in handy for a variety of “seemingly mundane” organizational tasks. The only real complaint, albeit a minor one, is the lack of a “bulk delete” feature. That aside, bulk editing is the perfect tool for anyone who needs to tidy things up in a hurry.

There are a few things that one should expect at this time of year — the Holidays, forty-year old animated specials featuring stop-motion reindeer, talking snowmen, and, of course, “top ten lists.” The latest entry on the “best of ‘08 hit parade” comes from Twitter fanatic Xavier Lur, who has painstakingly compiled a list of the most popular “Twitter-loving celebrities.” Topping the list in both the world and United States divisions is President-Elect Barack Obama, who has a staggering 149,001 followers. Behind him sits Digg founder Kevin Rose (79,096 followers), with news powerhouse CNN (67.669 followers) rounding out the top three. Those topping the country-specific lists include British comedian and unabashed Linux lover Stephen Fry (32,058 followers), Canadian television tech personality Amber Mac (17,546 followers), and Australian blogger Darren Rowse (20,885 followers).

In related news, Six Apart, the company best known for the Movable Type blogging client, is entering the microblogging game. The new system, which is tentatively called Motion, is designed to add an array of Twitter-like features to your blog without sacrificing any of its unsability. It allows you to set up multiple instances directly on your blog, essentially creating a private microblogging network for you and your readers. Although it isn’t exactly a “Twitter killer,” Motion could be the perfect addition for anyone who wants to add something a bit different to their webspace. The beta edition of Motion is available now.

In social networking news, a new poll indicates that good, old-fashioned “word of mouth” is making a comeback … in a way. According to the survey, 54% found that product information derived from a representative on sites like MySpace and Facebook was more helpful than the information found on the product’s official website. Nearly 63% said that they would share their personal “brand experience” with a company representative if given the chance, with 67% stating that they would “spread the company line” to others using their network of choice. “These findings are particularly interesting because they support what we have been saying all along,” DEI CEO Lou Cuming told WebProNews. “Word of Mouth is a valuable marketing tool that should be combined with traditional media to create an integrated marketing strategy.”

Elsewhere, it seems as if Yahoo is planning to take their web 2.0 expansion to the next level. The overhauled mail service is designed to give the user’s email box a distinct “social networking” feel without overdoing things. The new mail setup can also be linked to Yahoo’s recently altered Profile page, allowing users to see their friends directly from their inbox. Although the new setup might be a welcome change for some, many within the industry are already criticizing the move, saying the new system is much too difficult and tedious to set up properly. The new Yahoo Mail setup is available now for all users.

Finally, media giant CBS is currently mulling over a plan that would turn its TV.com website into a Hulu-esque video service. The new plan would see the site ditch its usual array of short video clips and trailers for a slate of full series and episodes, while keeping the “TV information hub” status it currently enjoys. As many fans of the Free Line already know, this isn’t the first time that the so-called “Tiffany Network” has experiemented with online video. Some might remember the Social Viewing Room, a social video site based around live chat, interactivity, and the popular sitcom How I Met Your Mother. A launch date for the new TV.com is unknown at this time.

Legendary pollsters Nielsen have released their data concerning the growth of online video in 2008, and the results are, to say the least, surprising. According to the findings, nearly 60% of videos loaded from sites such as YouTube and DailyMotion are from people above the age of 35. Younger viewers, on the other hand, tend to watch more diversified content more often. “Initially, it is a bit shocking,” writes the team on the official Nielsen blog, Connecting the Dots. “But the truth of the matter is that video has already reached popularity to the point that the video universe, in broad terms, looks much like the overall Internet audience.”

Entrepreneur, sports executive, and generally polarizing figure Mark Cuban has a few interesting things to say when it comes to the future of Yahoo. According to the Dallas Mavericks owner, the solution to Yahoo’s financial woes is simple — buy up the competition like there is no tomorrow. “Yahoo has a very simple business. Generate traffic and monetize it,” writes Cuban. “Their strategy should be to acquire every and any company that makes their traffic, services, content or monetization stronger.” If all goes well, he theorizes, Yahoo won’t need another company like Microsoft to bail them out. It would also prove once and for all that the company might not be as “washed up” as many think. “Yahoo has the opportunity to be the ultimate next generation media company. Google does one thing well, search. Yahoo is and should be the best at everything else. It just has to stop being afraid of its own shadow.”

Elsewhere, Twitter is the latest major media concern to sign on to Google’s new Friend Connect service. Users can now use their Twitter IDs to access everything the Friend Connect universe has to offer, from Google Doc to AOL Instant Messenger and everything in between. The service also adds your Twitter contacts as friends automatically, making it easy to stay in touch no matter which service is in use. The addition of Twitter is big news for the fledgling service, which has to compete with both MySpaceID and Facebook Connect. While many within the industry applaud the new Google/Twitter partnership, some wonder if the existence of three “universal login services” is even necessary. The new, Twitter-centric Friend Connect is available now.

In other Google-related news, the search engine giant has begun to make a few changes to its Google Suggest feature. Instead of providing a series of “related searches,” Suggest now simply provides a sponsored link that takes the user directly to the site. Full-fledged advertisements have also been spotted, but these links do not interfere with the normal Suggest listings. At press time, the new “intsa-link” technology is active for only established organizations (UPS, for example) and news stories. While beta testers have been working with the new addition for a few days now, it is as of yet unknown when the feature will hit the general population.

Finally, we have Zannel. Zannel is based around the idea that iPhone users need a microblogging service of their very own. Like Twitter, the service lets users send short messages back-and-forth at rapid speed. Unlike the name brand equivalent, however, users can use the included map to see what other activity is going on around them. In addition to the root program, the map picks up Twitter and Flickr usage as well, making it easy to find new things and people. Easy to use and set up, Zannel is perfect for anyone who wants something a bit more “technologically advanced” from their portable microblogging client. Zannel is available now for all users.