Google is getting into the publishing business. The search engine giant has worked out a deal with several major authors to bring their work online. Moreover, the new Google publishing house will not be available to e-Readers such as the Amazon Kindle. By eliminating e-Readers from the equation, users will not feel the need to buy yet another piece of equipment. “You don’t have to look at [a computer screen] at a funny angle, and today’s monitors have better resolution than ever,” says Google co-founder Sergey Brin in an interview with USA Today. At press time, a launch date for the new service has yet to be announced.

In other news, Facebook has taken a commanding lead over MySpace when it comes to worldwide popularity. Facebook received 161.4 million unique hits in September, a 4.7% increase from the previous month. MySpace, on the other hand, is down 1.6% to 117.9 million unique views. MySpace remains popular in the United States, where it holds a 59% share of the market. Rupert Murdoch’s favorite social network is said to enjoy similar popularity in Germany and Japan as well.

Elsewhere in the world of web 2.0, there’s Trutap. Trutap is a new service that promises to bring the wonders of the Internet to the average, everyday cell phone. Aside from the promised (and, let’s face it, totally expected) Facebook compatibility, users can check their favorite instant messaging service and browse Flickr and Photobucket with ease. The service is also compatible with such blogging platforms as Typepad and Blogger. While it isn’t exactly an original idea — most cell providers offer these services for an additional charge — the completeness of the package, as well as the unbeatable price (free), makes this suite well worth the download. Trutap is available now.

It seems as if AOL has contracted “upgrade fever.” Aside from the standard array of bug fixes, the new site lets users work with their MySpace, Facebook, Bebo, and Twitter account without ever leaving the front page. Users can also overhaul the page to their liking, adding new widgets, RSS feeds, and more with only a few clicks. “Consumers want choice and relevance in their Web experiences,” says AOL Vice President Bill Wilson in an interview with WebProNews. “We will continue to enhance the appeal… by adding more relevant programming, customization opportunities, greater integration of third party content, improved design and access to social networks directly from AOL.com.”

And to finish off the week: As long term fans of the Free Line know, we’ve covered more than a few Firefox extensions in our day. We even went over a hodgepodge of Opera widgets last August. Users of Internet Explorer and Safari, on the other hand, always seem to be left out in the cold. If this is you, well then today is your lucky day. We have ten extensions and plugins designed to make your personal web browsing experience a pleasurable one.

Internet Explorer:

• FoxyTunes - Control the media player of your choice, find lyrics and more, all without minimizing Internet Explorer.
•  ieSpell - Adds a surprisingly accurate spell check to all IE text boxes. ieSpell supports American, Canadian, and the Queen’s English right out of the box.
• IEPro7 - Add a variety of interesting and useful tools (crash recovery, improved page searching, mouse gestures, etc.) to IE.
• Zemata -Add pictures, links, and added information to any blog post.
• Delicious - IE users get to join the link sharing party that is Delicious.

Safari

• Keywurl - Search the web from your address bar, just like in Firefox.
• Safari Prairiefire - Give your bookmark folder a good cleaning.
• Cooliris Previews - Check out the contents of a link without actually clicking on it.
• Inquisitor - Add a powerful “predicting” search bar to Safari. Inquisitor is based upon Yahoo BOSS technology.
• ForgetMeNot - Easily organize and save your tab layout.

Are you disappointed that your favorite extension, widget, and/or AppleScript wasn’t covered? Are you a loyal Chrome, Konqueror, Epiphany, SeaMonkey, or Camino user that wants to spread the word about the best add-ons for your chosen browser? Bring it up! The Free Line is all about free exchange of ideas and products.

It seems as if the folks behind MySpace are looking to shake things up a bit. The social networking giant is testing out a new user interfacing system being referred to by some as “MySpace 2.0.” The idea behind the overhaul is give the average user as much control as possible over their accounts. Those who wish to update their profiles, for example, can now use a Flash-based tool preloaded with several popular design templates. In the current setup, users who wish to update things either has to fiddle with Javascript code themselves or go with a variety of third-party tools. At press time, the new and improved MySpace design is only available to users of the Canadian arm of the site.

In other news, Google has finally introduced “deep linking” into YouTube videos. For those unaware, “deep linking” is a tool that allows you to determine the starting point of a particular video. The new parameters are designed to go after the designated video’s address. While deep linking might be new to YouTube, it’s old hat for Google. The ability to specify starting points has been a part of the old Google Video codec for nearly two years. Deep linking for YouTube is up and running now.

In other update news, streaming video service and Free Line all star Qik is now compatible with all Blackberry devices. Many analysts see the addition as a major step on their journey to mainstream acceptance, which has included visits with Marc Andreesen and stops at both the Democratic and Republican National Conventions. “This brings Qik to a much broader platform, and also helps cement Qik’s lead in terms of device support well ahead of competitors Kyte and Flixwagon,” says TechCrunch contributor Jason Kincade. The alpha release of the Qik software is available now for all Blackberry users.

Elsewhere, OpenOffice.org has hit another milestone. The open source favorite has set a new download record — three million copies downloaded in the first week. Surprisingly, over 80% of the downloads came from Windows users. While the number of Linux downloads were low by comparison, many analysts believe that it’s due to the way the operating system works. Unlike Windows and OS X, Linux users have software updates delivered to them automatically through services such as Yum and apt-get. “So how many people are already using OpenOffice.org 3.0? No-one knows,” writes OpenOffice marketer John McCreesh. “We know the number of downloads is considerably less than the number of installed copies. So five million users already?”

Finally, Internet marketer and blogger Michael Baker has written an interesting article detailing how you can operate a “sticky website” –  a site so full of content that it almost forces users to come back for more. “Returning visitors are easier to convert into paying customers because the more often they return to a site, the more trust they have in that site,” he writes. According to Baker, it all boils down to five simple tips:

1. Start a forum.
2. Maintain a blog.
3. Offer a few surveys from time to time.
4. Small games never hurt.
5. Update regularly.

Do this, he says, and your overall web presentation will be on the upswing in no time. “No one will want to browse a site that looks the same over ten years, so keep your site updated with fresh bites!”

The use of online video sites such as YouTube are on the rise. In a recent poll conducted by D S Simon Productions, 65% of all online media sites use so-called “outside video sources” to supplement their content. Furthermore, 67% of magazines, newspapers, and radio stations and 45% of television stations say that their respective websites have used at least some outside video with the past year. Out of those polled, 79% state that they plan on using outside video sometime in the immediate future. “Web Influencers [sic] are now the mainstream media,” said D S Simon president Douglas Simon in a statement to Online Media Daily. “We need to understand the content needs of these Web Influencers if we hope to communicate successfully in the online world.”

Elsewhere in the polls, not everyone is down on the economy. According to a DLA Piper survey, 66% of business executives polled believe that the “Tech Bubble” troubles of 2000 was worse overall than the current crisis. Only 25% said that they are planning to cut back due to financial concerns. While the mood isn’t exactly upbeat — 75% said that their businesses have been negatively affected by the market’s volatility — the survey suggests that things aren’t as bad as it could be.”Those responses reflect an opinion that the impact of the current crisis on the technology industry is more residual than the 2000 crash,” says DLA Piper co-head Peter Astiz.

Moving to the web, data tracker Hitwise has published an interesting list detailing the twenty most popular websites in the month of September. Coming in first is Google, with an industry leading 6% market share. Despite its impeccable reputation amongst the web elite, Google’s Gmail mail service came in eleventh with a 0.79% share. The undisputed king of the web-based email services is Yahoo Mail, which came in second overall with a surprising 4.7% share. Other notable rankings include MySpace (third, 4.01% share), Facebook (eighth, 1.2% share), and YouTube (tenth, 0.93% share).

Our last stop on the survey train takes us to England. According to the London Telegraph, 92% 0f those polled said that they were at their creative worst at 4:33 in the afternoon. In contrast, 25% said that they were at their best past midnight. Nearly 44% mentioned that a quick shower usually gives their minds a proverbial “second wind.” The survey also suggests that people tend to be more inspired in the lavatory than anywhere else. It just goes to show that creativity can truly strike at any time … unless the time in question is 4:33, that is.

And finally, it seems as if Microsoft’s search interests are about to get the “social” treatment. A derivative of Live Search, U Rank allows users to not only customize their searches, but also share them with others. Although still in development and fairly bug-filled, many critics consider U Rank to be an interesting departure for Microsoft. “This… takes search into a different direction by putting a lot of emphasis on social interaction,” writes RedWriteWeb contributor Frederick Lardinois. “We can see how this new interface could be very useful if you are working in a team that is focused on a very specific topic.” U Rank is up and running now.

A lucky few users got to test out Yahoo’s new home page last week. One of the key changes is the added ability to log into third party email accounts such as Gmail directly from start page. The new page also lets users add RSS feeds, both Yahoo-branded and otherwise, to their page. A widespread release of the new Yahoo start page has not been announced.Yahoo is not the only web-based service currently in the redesigning business. Twitter is also planning an aesthetic overhaul as well. The new Twitter features a revamped color customization tool, the removal of the Archive tab, and several general usability tweaks. Several more features, such as easy access to Twitter Search, will be added in future updates. The Twitter team is also asking users for their opinions. All you have to do is send them a message starting with “@Twitter.”

The mobile edition of Google Maps received a huge update last week. Maps users now have the ability to access Google’s Street View technology directly from their phones. Google has also added a so-called “walking mode,” allowing users to get directions that are optimized for foot travel. The new Google Maps for Mobile  is available now for most Java-equipped phones and Blackberry devices.

Elsewhere, Mac and Linux users who want to try Google Chrome have a reason to be happy, thanks to CodeWeavers. The compatibility kingpins have officially released Crossover Chromium, a Chrome derivative designed to operate on non-Windows operating systems. Built upon the venerable Windows emulator WINE, Chromium is said to have all of the functionality of its bigger brother, sans the auto-updater. While it isn’t meant to be a replacement for the real thing, Chromium is great for those who want to take Google’s browser for an early spin. Unlike most CodeWeavers projects, Crossover Chromium is completely free.

Sonia Simone of Copyblogger has seven great tips for people who need a little help writing their blogs. According to Simone, the trick is to look at your blog as a garden. Each idea in said garden s a seed. Spend time with each idea, and make sure that each idea is properly thought out. As the idea grows beyond a couple of paragraphs, more ideas could be added. In time, she writes, you’ll have a blog that is not only interesting, but actually fun to work on as well.

IBM and historic school of higher learning Cambridge are teaming up, and they seem to have the future of collaborative software on their minds. The new IBM Center for Social Software at Cambridge will allow students, professors, and IBM’s own employees and partners to study, test, and implement various Web 2.0 projects. There are currently several prospective products in the pipeline:

Beehive: A social networking site for IBM employees.

Social Accessibility Project: Make websites accessible for those with visual impairments.

Many Eyes: Search for patterns located within a map or spreadsheet then discuss them with others.

Bluemail: A “web 2.0 email reader.”

Olympus: Second Life-style three-dimensional avatars in a decidedly non-Second Life environment — your desktop.

Turning our attention to the world of video, there’s Panda. Panda allows you to load streaming videos to your site without having to deal with establish video providers such as YouTube. The entire process is covered by the software, from letting people upload videos to embedding them in other sites. The only potential drawback to a system like Panda is the initial set up. Programming novices need not apply. If the prospect of coding doesn’t scare you, however, we suggest giving Panda a shot. Total control over your videos is a wonderful thing.

Yahoo has introduced a feature that allows users to play music from within a search. When a user searches for a recording artist, a Rhapsody-branded audio player will appear at the top of the search. Each user can listen up to 25 full songs a month. Any song over 25 will be cut down to a thirty second clip. Despite the limitations of the Rhapsody library, the new Yahoo music search is perfect for those who wish to try before you buy.

Blogger Frank Deardurff has written an interesting piece concerning the common mistakes people make when designing opt-in pages. For those unaware, an “opt-in” page is a site that offers a free goodies such as a newsletter to its users in exchange for their names and e-mail addresses. According to Deardurff, poor writing, the need for excess information, and non-existent follow-ups are all reasons why many opt-in sites fail. Fix these problems, he writes, and you should be getting responses in no time flat.

And to finish out the week, we have FoxTab, a fun little extension that brings Firefox up to the “visual” bar set by browsers like Chrome. When activated, FoxTab gives you no less than five different ways to view your open tabs, ranging from a standard stack to a Vista-like flip animation. Despite the dreaded “beta” tag, FoxTab is a great, stable way to add a little bit flash to the venerable browser.

Search engine use on cell phones is on the rise. According to a new poll conducted by comScore, 25.3 million people in America and Europe used their mobile phones to search the web last June, a 68% increase from the previous year. Google is by far the most used out these engines, clocking in at a 60% market share. Yahoo comes in second with a 34% share in the US.

In video news, YouTube co-founder Chad Hurley has written a great piece about the future of online video. According to Hurley, services such as YouTube have taken the multimedia power away from major studios and given it to the users. As personal recording devices get smaller and video services become more mainstream, the easier it will be for average users to both disseminate and receive new content. The result, he predicts, will be a one-size-fits-all video hub for everyone.

In other news, we have plaYce. Thanks in part to the wonder that is geo-tagging, you can now see accurate, three-dimensional models of nearly anywhere in the world. Despite the high frame rate, the plaYce 3D models do not put a strain on your browser or your system. The ultimate goal for the technology, says the development team, is to add realistic believable, realistic environments to games. At press time, plaYce is still in closed, early-alpha state.

One of the biggest problems facing software engineers these days is portability. Each new platform usually needs new code for it to work. Mytopia plans on changing this with their new API, RUGS. Free to use, RUGS moves across cell phones, web browsers and just about everything. Although currently featured in a series of online games, Mytopia believes that RUGS is ready for more mainstream recognition.

The Internet is built on the backbone of the world. Thousands of viewers each day probably stumble across you blog, each hoping it’s in their native tongue. If you’re worried about spending money on getting your blog translated into a foreign language, don’t be. AfaBetic has you covered. AfaBetic translates your entire blog for a worldwide audience. Not only do they have a Babelfish style machine translator, but they have experts that go through and make sure each new translation makes sense.

Google is the undisputed king of web-based online video, thanks in large part to its subsidiary, YouTube. According to a recent comScore poll, a whopping five billion videos were watched on Google-related sites in July, giving the company a 44.1% share of the market. Google’s closest competitor, MySpace parent Fox Media, clocked in with 445.6 million videos watched and a 3.9% market share. Other video providers ranked include Microsoft, CBS, and Hulu.

Switching to the world of search engines, we bring you Gazopa. Instead of letting you search for an image using a keyword, Gazopa lets you search using a drawing. A crude drawing of a T-shirt, for example, will get you a list of shirts. Draw a pencil, and you’ll get a wide variety of writing implements. While it’s not a replacement for Google, Gazopa is proof positive that originality still exists in the world of search.

In social networking news, it seems as if the Facebook redesign has become permanent. Up until now, users had the option of either using the new design or going back to the older, more traditional look. Out the 40 million who gave the new look a try, only 10 million reverted to the classic layout. While many Facebook users are pleased with the change, there are some who are lamenting the loss of a choice. At press time, over 900,000 members have signed a position speaking out against the redesign.

Marketing blog Search Engine Watch has a great tutorial up about the benefits of using YouTube videos to both advertise your business and educate your potential clients. In YouTube-ery, writer Ron Jones explains that online videos are more than just disposable pieces of pop culture. According to Jones, organizations and corporations such as Proctor & Gamble, Western Governors University, and even the Free Line use YouTube to get the word out. The trick, he writes, is to constantly evaluate and improve your on content. While it might be “old hat” to some, this article is perfect for those who are just entering the world of online streaming video.

We have covered many social platforms in our day, from Qik to Blinklist and everything in between. We had thought that we had seen it all … then we ran into Devunity. Devunity is a social development platform that allows several programmers to collaborate online. Several popular web-based languages are supported by Devunity’s browser-based environment, including PHP, Python, and AJAX. Although it is still in its infancy, Devunity is already a great tool for those who want a second opinion on their projects or ideas.

Researchers at the Foundation of Research and Technology in Greece have created an experimental malicious Facebook app designed to disable websites. The malware masquerades as a “picture of the day” app. When a user clicks on the picture, the app sends streams of malicious data to the victim’s website. The rouge program was created to test how easily users of social networks can be unknowingly manipulated into participating in a malicious act. Facebook has yet to comment on this issue.

In other news, Google has officially announced the launch of the Google News Archive. Originally started in 2006, Google News Archive allows users to search for old newspapers that aren’t normally available online. According to product manager Pudit Soni, the service features full editions of the newspapers in question, not just certain articles or features. Aside from the traditional search, users will also have access to the service via the new “timeline” feature found in most new Google News pieces. Think of it as the microfiche for the 21st century.

CNN has announced a show based around social networking. Spun off from the popular CNN Newsroom program, Rick Sanchez Direct features CNN correspondent and known Twitter fanatic Rick Sanchez answering questions posed to him via social services such as Twitter and Facebook. Although many analysts are intrigued by the concept, some wonder if the wild and unruly image of social networking will hinder a live broadcast. The show airs live at three Eastern Time every weekday afternoon.

Geni is a social network built upon the idea of family trees. The main goal of the service is to create a family tree for the world, and so far it’s moving steadily onward toward that goal with 20 million profiles so far. While it doesn’t help find long lost descendants, Geni is the perfect tool for all of you who wish to keep track of the people you have already found.

And finally, blogging resource Copyblogger has a nice article about the so-called secrets of blogging. According to writer Sonia Simone, great blog content comes down to the “four C’s” – clarity, color (compelling stories), cut (editing), and carats (loyal fans). By basing your pieces on these four basics, she writes, you will have an effective blog that is high on both content and personality.

Google has officially released Google Suggest to the masses. First launched in 2004, Google Suggest is a feature that lets Google recommend different search phrases that might correlate with your search. While many other Google products have already adopted this technology, this is the first time that it will be available on Google.com. Other Google-based products to already use this feature include the Google Toolbar and the Google Search option in Firefox.

In other news Shelfari, which was covered in the June 26th edition of the Free Line, has been purchased by Amzaon. For those unaware, Shelfari is a social networking site designed for those who love a good book. Shelfari users can catalog their favorite works, share their opinions with other readers, and even talk to their favorite authors. Amazon also owns 40% of Library Thing, Shelfari’s chief competitor and bitter rival.

In another Free Line follow-up, Qik, the handy little service that turns your cell phone into a portable webcam, has announced a new round of funding. Facebook board member and Ning-cofounder Marc Andressen and HP’s Ben Horowitz are leading the charge, with both saying that they have each donated a “significant amount” to the project. Many analysts believe that this funding is just what the company needs to stay ahead of similar services such as Kyte and Livecast.

What the Font is a free web tool that can help users to discover the names of some of the web’s most popular fonts. Fonts can be analyzed via a web link or through an uploaded JPEG image. Within seconds, What the Font will provide you with several samples of fonts that most closely match the sample. Easy to use, What the Font is the perfect service for those who are on the never ending quest for the right font for their site or business.

It seems the many people have trouble when it comes to keeping their blogs fresh. For the average user, a boring blog can cause their readership to go down. In the world of business and marketing, a stale and unattractive blog could cost you money. Writer Liz Fulghum has dealt with this problem first-hand, and she is here to help. In “The Top 5 Ways to Keep Your Blog Content Fresh,” Fulghum describes a few simple steps that you can take in order to assure that you have the best content possible. Her tips range from setting up a realistic update schedule to having a few extra posts ready for the days when you’re not feeling up to writing something new.

Microsoft has officially entered the world of Facebook applications. Redmond recently launched Collabio, a game designed to study keyword creation. In Collabio, Facebook users pick which words best describe their friends. Points are tallied by the amount of times a keyword matches a keyword listed by another friend/player. The ultimate goal, analysts say, is to fully understand why an individual picks one keyword over another.

In other news, Ma.gnolia, a social bookmarking site similar to Delicious, has recently announced plans to update its site. Ma.gnolia 2.0, or M2 as it’s currently known, will be built upon entirely new code and will be completely open source. Users will be able to download and run their own version of M2 and link it to the main Ma.gnolia.com site. Support for other technologies, such as the OpenID system, is currently being looked at. M2 is expected to launch in September.

Industry blog TechCrunch has a fascinating article about the popularity of Yahoo Japan. Yahoo is currently the reigning king of the Japanese search scene, a sharp contrast to their “distant second to Google” status everywhere else in the world. According to writer Serkan Toto, Yahoo’s success in Japan is due in large part to the company’s willingness to adapt its business practices to more properly fit into the Japanese marketplace. Aside from the traditional search and mail services, Yahoo Japan runs their own broadband ISP, has deals in place with the likes of Sharp and Myspace, and even holds the naming rights the baseball stadium in Fukuoka.

Blogger Monika Mundell has compiled six tips to help you properly market your product or service. The key, according to Mundel, is to be emotional in your presentations, but at the same time stay positive and energetic. By approaching things emotionally, you will have a better chance of tapping into the emotions of the consumer. Mundel also suggests employing tried and true marketing tactics, such as the high-pressure sales routine, when needed.

We finish our trifecta of helpful articles with a great piece on Google AdWords. In “The Second Reason to Use AdWords,” writer Mark Widawer states that the tracking tools that lie within AdWords can tell you a boatload about which keywords are the most important to your site. Once you have collected the proper keywords, you can then employ them in other facets of your site.