The number of users going online for their daily dose of news is increasing. According to a new poll conducted by Compete and Cisco, 62% said that they use the Internet to keep abreast of current events. Online news sources are now second only to television (82%) in terms of total use. Democrats are more likely to use a combination of web 2.0 technologies and “traditional” news sites to get their information, while Republicans are more inclined to use search engines. YouTube use, meanwhile, seems to be split down the middle. Other listed media includes newspapers and magazines (49%), radio (30%), and mobile devices (4%).

Yahoo has made the decision to pull the plug on its Live service. Live was designed to be a streaming video site, similar to former Free Line all-star Qik. “We’d like to thank everyone who has participated,” writes Keith Thornhill at the official Yahoo Live blog. “It has been really interesting (and entertaining) to see all of the ways broadcasters have used Live, developing it into a place for all sorts of social interactions.” At press time, Live will be shut down December 3rd. A town hall meeting discussing the move will be held on Wednesday.

In other news, MySpace has added someone new to the “friends list” — MTV Networks. The Fox Media and Viacom subsidiaries are teaming up to create Auditude, a new advertising firm that specializes in online video. The new service will create a series of ads targeting users who regularly upload content derived from such networks as MTV, VH1, and Comedy Central to MySpace TV. In addition, users will also receive a few “attribution ads,” which are designed to inform the user of air times and show listings. “Auditude’s solution is to simply monetize all that ‘illegally’ shared content,” writes ZDNet contributor Richard Koman. “Go ahead and share it, BitTorrent it, whatever. We’ll insert the advertising and the more you share, the more ‘file views’ we’ll serve up for advertisers.” Auditude is up and running now.

Elsewhere, there’s Notifu. Notifu is a handy little web application that allows you to interact with a large group of people quickly and efficiently. Several different and diverse messaging systems are supported by the online service, including email, phone calls, text messaging, and instant messaging services. Notifu also comes with a wide variety of advanced features pre-loaded, such as user polling and message tracking. Notifu is available now for all “traditional” Internet users. A specialized iPhone app is due in the near future.

Finally: Thanks to the technological “one-two punch” of digital cameras and flash-based media, instant cameras have become near relics of the past. If you are one of those who still yearn for the “simpler” days of instant photography, then Poladroid is for you. Poladroid is an interesting little service that lets you create “Polaroid pictures” online. The process couldn’t be simpler — just drag the image of your choice to the virtual camera and let the service do the rest. The result is an authentic looking Polaroid, complete with sound effects. Fun to use, Poladroid is the perfect tool for anyone who has updated their photography equipment, but still wishes to recapture some of that old “Polaroid magic.”

C-SPAN, the usually dull television network that made the Democratic and Republican National Conventions worth watching, is at it again. This time around, it’s due to the Debate Hub. Not only does the Hub allow you to embed video from the debate, you’ll also be able to edit that video as well. Just need a thirty second clip to prove an argument on MySpace? Edit it down and away you go. As with the Conventions, C-SPAN will be providing specialized Twitter feeds, as well and a point by point search, letting you bring up the opinions of each candidate with ease. The C-SPAN debate hub will cover both the Presidential and Vice Presidential debates.

In other online video news, Amazon released it’s own online video service. Similar to Hulu, it lets you just click and play online videos instantly. Unlike Hulu, you won’t find any commercials gracing these videos. Even though some of the content is pay to view, there are quite a few freebies, letting you taste how good the service is before you use it.

It seems as if Americans are more nervous than ever when it comes to their online security. According to a new poll conducted by Consumer Reports, 82% are worried that their credit card numbers will be stolen online. In addition, 72% of those surveyed believe that their web use is being tracked by a variety of online companies. When asked about what should be done to prevent the uneasiness, a whopping 93% stated that Internet companies should always ask for permission before taking data. Furthermore, 73% also added that consumers should have the right to “opt out” of any such service.

Continuing our fun with numbers for a moment, TNS Media Intelligence is reporting that Internet advertising campaign spending has risen 8% in 2008. In contrast, the money spent on newspaper and radio advertising has went down 7.4% and 6.5%, respectively. Many analysts believe the shift is due to many companies switching their focus from “traditional” media to the Internet. Despite the rise in Internet spending, the overall spending for advertising has dropped by 1.6%.

And to finish off the week, we have a great article about dragging more traffic to your website. In An Easy Way to Bring More Traffic to Your Website and Discover What Your Customers Want, Jennifer Haubein runs down some pretty snappy and simple ways of driving more traffic to your website. Most of it is pretty much common sense, but the way she combines the different aspects make for some interesting ideas.

Looks like keeping a secret in the internet age is neigh impossible. Every time someone tries to keep something under wraps, it gets leaked out one way or another. This week’s example is the oft mentioned MySpace Music. The leaked screen shots pretty much showed us what we already knew — MySpace crossed with iTunes. Unfortunately, there is still no release date for the beta.

One of the major problems that some perspective voters have, especially in mass urban centers, is finding his or her polling place. Luckily, Google is here to help. Google has created a widget for Google Maps that lets you look up where you can go and vote based on where you live.

Speaking of the election, if you’re afraid of someone pulling a “Sarah Palin” and hacking into your Gmail or Yahoo account, CrunchGear has you covered. In Help Key, blogger Scott Merrill tells you how to encrypt your email using the GNU Privacy Guard tools. It only takes a few moments, and is about as secure as you can get these days without a “.gov” email address.

One thing that looks to be really secure is the new Google Android, which made its debut Tuesday as the T-Mobile G1. Like the iPhone, one of the best things about the G1 is going to be the software. Tech site Gizmodo has compiled the top 10 apps for the new Android that are almost revolutionary. While most of them have to do with Google Maps, with a few really innovative apps that use the common phone functions in brand new ways. BioWallet, for example, turns your cellphone’s camera into an iris scanner, and only lets you access your secure, encrypted information

Sometimes using eBay can be a pain. While it might be good for, say, that old Krups coffee grinder from 1976, it isn’t the best place to unload that old Nsync album. If you want to just swap, say books or movies, for new books or movies, check out Swaptree. Don’t want that copy of The Da Vinci Code anymore? Put it up for swap and get that unopened copy of Back to the Future Part II that you’ve had your eye on. It’s fairly easy to use, and you only have to pay for shipping.

Yahoo search just might be coming to a mobile phone near you. AT&T has announced recently that Yahoo oneSearch is now the default engine for its MEdia Net service, which allows users to search for news, weather, and Flickr from their phones. AT&T is just the latest carrier to jump onto the oneSearch bandwagon. At press time, oneSearch is available on sixty different mobile carriers worldwide, reaching upwards of 800 million people annually.

Baby boomers  seem to be catching the web 2.0 bug after all. According to a recent survey performed by the NPD Group, 61% of Internet users between 46 to 61 years of age have visited streaming video sites such as YouTube and DailyMotion, while 41% have visited social networking sites. Baby boomers who visit sites such these on a daily basis are also 15% more like to go to a movie theater or purchase a DVD.

Blogger Mark Jackson has a few interesting thoughts concerning the topic of domain acquisition. According to Jackson, there is more to the price of a domain name than what you see on your bill every month. A domain that costs $10 a year but is horrible in relation to your main keywords might actually lose you money in the long run. On the other hand, a $20,000 a year domain name that includes a few keywords could get more visitors which, in turn, means more money for you. The trick is weighing the actual cost against the money that could be made. Do that, he writes, and the rest is easy.

With all of the news surrounding Google Chrome, it’s tough not to overlook the achievements of other cutting edge web browsers. Early alpha releases of Firefox 3.1, for example, include support of the new video tag found in HTML 5. For those unaware, the video tag allows you to embed any type of video, no matter the format, in your site’s code. In theory, the combination of the video tag and Firefox could make the traditional “Flash embedded video” a thing of the past.

Controversial documentarian Michael Moore has announced that he will be releasing his new film, Slacker Uprising, online. The 97-minute documentary, which chronicles Moore’s 2004 campaign to get young people to vote, features musical performances by the likes of , Joan Baez, and Pearl Jam lead singer Eddie Vedder. The film, which Moore himself says is “not for John McCain supporters,” will be available in high resolution on Blip.TV for three weeks starting September 23rd.

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.

Yahoo Mash, a beta-only social network designed to take on the likes of MySpace and Facebook, is soon to be no more. While it is unclear as to why Yahoo has decided to shut down the service, some analysts say it is due to a combination of poor advertising and a general lack of interest in the project. Others believe it is simply due to the fact that Mash didn’t really do anything all that original or innovative. At press time, Yahoo Mash’s last day will be September 28th.

In election news, it seems as if modern politics and modern technology are crossing paths yet again. Republican candidate John McCain just launched a brand new social network called, appropriately enough, McCain Space. Powered by social networking platform KickApps, McCain Space is everything a McCain supporter would want in a social network and more. On the Democratic side, there’s my.BarackObama.com. MyBarackObama has many of the same features as McCain Space, only skewed to a more “Obama-leaning” crowd. It has yet to be seen how much, if any, impact strategies such this will have on the actual election.

Glen Stansberry has written a great article on how design can affect your online business. According to Stansberry, the key is create a simple web design high on relevant content, but relatively low on unneeded extras. Sites full extraneous information, he writes, tend to bother or frustrate the average user. By keeping things simple, you can effectively directly feature your product or service without the potential buyer becoming confused or distracted. Keep it simple … truly great words to live by no matter where you choose to do your business.

YouTube added a closed captioning option to their videos, allowing content creators to provide text for the hearing impaired. The closed captions are very easy to upload, and you can add as many languages as you want. If you’re watching a video and want to use the closed captioning, just press the closed captioning button on the corner of the video. Simple and easy, YouTube close captioning makes it easy for everyone to enjoy your videos.

While Craigslist is a great resource, it isn’t one of the easiest sites to navigate. Thankfully, the Indiana-based Motion Technologies is out to change all of that. With the aptly named Craigslist Reader, you can search through multiple locations and categories at once, allowing you to cross reference information in a way that you can’t currently do on the traditional Craigslist site. You can also set up notifications, alerting you to when Craigslist is updated. With Craigslist Reader, looking through the want ads has never been easier.

C-SPAN, the cable television station dedicated to the goings on in government, is looking to liven up their rather stodgy image. The network is now using a variety of modern tools and services to cover both the Democratic and Republican National Conventions, including YouTube, Twitter, and former Free Line favorite Qik. Third party blog posts from the likes of Arianna Huffington and RedState.com will also be available on the C-SPAN site. The new C-SPAN Convention Hub site is up and running now.

The rivalry between MySpace and Facebook continues. While Facebook is the biggest social networking site in the world, MySpace has more users in America. Many within the industry believe that MySpace’s dominance in the American market is largely due to its ability to disseminate music. MySpace uses a homegrown method in order to bring music to the masses, while Facebook relies on iLike. ILike, in turn, relies on Rhapsody for its streaming content. By choosing to work in house instead of with another company, MySpace is able to give both musicians and fans alike more control over their music. Until this situation changes, some analysts say, MySpace will continue to be the number on social network in the United States.

Thanks to Iterasi, bookmarks everywhere are about to get a serious upgrade. Members of the Iterasi service are not only able to bookmark the physical location of a webpage, but the contents as well. You can then share your webpage snapshots with anyone you please.

In the world of writing, a good proofreader is a must. The same goes for web design. If your website launches with faulty or badly written code, it could spell short-term doom for your business. For those of who you don’t have an HTML proofreader on hand, there’s OnlineWebCheck. OnlineWebCheck scans your code for flaws, errors, and other problems.

Our friends at WebProNews have a great article up discussing the importance of having a good corporate narrative. For those unaware, a corporate narrative is the underlying back story and message that your company is based upon. Writer Jason Lee Miller suggests that your narrative should shy away from the “agenda” of your company and instead focus on the honest, true-to-life principles it was founded upon.

8月25号，这里是午餐帮我是帮主Brad Fallon。先来看C-SPAN，这个有线电视公司以往是专供政府服务，现在却开始想通过互联网来改变其臃肿的企业形象。该网站使用了大量流行的工具和服务来覆盖民主党和共和党各种会议，包括Youtube，Twitter，以及帮主我之前的最爱，Qik。来自Arianna Huffington 和 RedState.com的第三方博客文章也会出现在C-SPAN的页面上。新的C-SPAN 会议聚合站点现已上线，不妨去看看吧

来看另一条新闻，目前MySpace 和 Facebook 之间的竞争依然火热。虽然Facebook已经是全球最大的社会化网络站点，但MySpace却拥有更多的美国本土用户。许多业内人士觉得MySpace的本土优势来自于对音乐传播的能力。他更多的利用本土化方式更更多的用户带来音乐，而Facebook依赖于iLike网站，而iLike则依赖与Rhapsody的流媒体内容。对与越来越多的宅们来说，MySpace给于音乐人及其粉丝更多的音乐掌控感。也难怪分析师会预言，MySpace会继续在美国本土领跑SNS。

接下来，随时随地的网络书签即将会有一个严重的革新。这要感谢 Iterasi，给我们带来这种不仅能保持网址，还能保存网页内容的书签服务。更棒的是，可以分享你的书签截屏给任何人。这种既有书签，又有存储，还有社会化服务，Iterasi是一个很好的选择来收集、记录、分享你最棒的互联网经历。

在写作领域里，一个好的审稿员是必须的。对于网页设计也同样如此。糟糕的代码可以倾刻毁灭你的网站。但现在你有了个免费的HTML审稿员 - OnlineWebCheck。他可以检测你的网页代码是否遵循标准，是否丢失末尾标记，或者其他网站代码隐患。OnlineWebCheck是一个简便实用的工具，来确认你的网站万无一失地正常工作。

最后，WebProNews刊登了一篇非常棒的文章来讨论一部优秀的企业记事的重要性。因为大家还没有意识到，企业记事即是潜在的企业背景 - 是企业内涵与信息传达的基石。作者Jason Lee Miller建议你的企业记事应避免写成一个企业行程表，而是要专注于真诚地表达企业发展的经历。要看这篇文章的链接，或者今天的其他相关内容，那就马上登录Freelinereport.com

今天就到这里，我们明天接着在2.0分钟内搞定更多的Web2.0新闻

The race for the White House has hit MySpace. A group called the Commission on Presidential Debates, or CPD for short, will be using the social networking supersite for the bulk of its online activity. The group, which is responsible for both organizing and running the four official presidential debates, will offer a variety of services including live streaming of debates and instant polling. Everything should be up and running by September.

The CPD is not the only political group invading the web this election season. In July, we reported that the Republican National Committee had started their own Facebook account. Others might remember the so-called YouTube debates moderated by CNN. Now it’s Senator Barack Obama’s turn to join the web frenzy. Senator Obama has officially launched his own Scribd account, allowing the public to view all of his official documents. Obama’s Scribd account should be up and running as we speak.

What does this mean for our electoral process? Honestly, that’s unclear at the moment. Some say that the trend of turning our politicians into bonafide “media stars” is forcing people to focus more on appearance than policies. Others claim using the new technology helps the average American feel more in touch with the candidates in question. We’d like to hear your thoughts on the matter.

Google has announced the formation of yet another service. Called Google Insights for Search, the service allows users to track the popularity of a certain keyword or phrase across throughout the entire Internet. Expect to hear a lot more about both Insights and its parent service, Google Trends, in the coming months.

According to many, the future of the web is mobile. Performing routine acts such as checking your email, blogging, and reading news feeds is a necessity in this day and age. Well, our friends at Digg are about to make mobile users very happy. The new and improved version of Digg Mobile features  multiple views for popular stories, better loading time, and general usability tweaks. For those of you with older phones, a scaled down version called “Digg River” is available. Both Digg Mobile and Digg River are live.

Social networking has come to the travel industry. TripSay is a social travel site that allows users to rate, discuss, and share all aspects of their trips. Qualified topics include everything from hotel stays to bars and restaurants. The reviews appear as icons on a map, complete with a side full of necessary information. Fun and free, TripSay just might change the way you travel.

Online advertisers are spying on you… or so says the House of Representatives. The House Committee on Energy and Commerce have asked several online advertisers to “provide information about their data collection practices.” According to the official press release, the committee is trying to find out the effects that data collection has on both individual users and the Internet on a whole. Advertisers that were contacted include Google, AOL, Microsoft, and Comcast.

We’ve all seen the ads and billboards that tell us to text phrases like “Magic” or “Pirate” or “Monkey” to a cellphone number for free stuff. If you ever wanted to start a campaign like that for your business, give Tagga a try. Tagga allows you to customize both the keyword that is to be texted and the response message that the user will receive. If you decide to go the free route, an eighty-character advertisement will be attached to each message. Fun, engaging, and unique, Tagga might be the thing you need to step your sales push.

Magazines have finally hit the web… and I’m not talking about hand scanned copies of last week’s Time, either. I’m talking about real looking, store-quality magazines. It’s not magic, it’s Calameo. Calameo is a free service that help you take your boring old PDF files and turn them in professional, magazine-style layouts. The end products even feature page numbers and a nice “page turn” animation. Calameo is the perfect tool for anyone who wants to kick their online brochure or newsletter up a notch, or just wants to add something a bit different to their site.

If there Is one thing that every good online business needs, it’s a creative domain name. However, for many of us, coming up with a good domain name is almost as difficult as creating a business plan. Thankfully, makewords.com is here to help. Makewords is a self-proclaimed “name generator” that searches several major registrars for a name that most closely fits your keyword. It will also tell you if the registrar in question charges for the name that you’re looking at. Makewords is an excellent tool for those who need that small bit of outside inspiration when first starting out.

If there’s one thing that can kill a promising website or e-business, it’s bulky, heavy code. Finding that one piece of unneeded code, however, can prove to be rather difficult. That’s where the Page Weight Calculator comes in. It seamlessly runs through your code, telling you exactly what is causing your code to be so heavy. Everything is scanned, from script headers to comments to excess white space. Think of as the “Richard Simmons” of the web… without the oldies, of course.