Big news today from Adobe. They’ve announced that they are releasing technology to Google and Yahoo to enable the indexing of flash files (swf files). This effectively enables the visibility of content inside of flash files.

Nothing yet is known on how the content in flash websites will compete with other websites in the search results, but this is the first step.

Read the full story here.

For weeks now, Mozilla, makers of the popular Firefox browser have been involved in a grassroots campaign to fulfill a goal. Their focus, was to set a record for the most downloads of a software in 24 hours. Marketing to the masses of users who utilize their software, Mozilla set the date for this past Tuesday afternoon and pulled the trigger. Aside from some early problems getting to the site due to the masses of people attempting to download the software, the event known by many as Download Day went off successfully. In fact, some eager users were posting the download link well in advance of the wide availability of the download page.

In the end, the folks at Mozilla did an impressive job promoting the event and surpassed even their own goals. They wrapped up the 24 hours with an impressive 8.3 million downloads of Firefox 3. Their original goal was 5 million. As of right now, they’ve reached 11.7 million downloads of the software. That’s impressive by any measure!

For those unfamiliar with the popular browser, Firefox is quite possibly the best browser out there. It’s faster, it can be improved upon with the addition of third-party plug-ins, skins and add-ons, because of it’s open-source nature, it can be utilized on a number of different operating systems and platforms including Mac and Linux distributions, and it creates a better browsing experience.

Here’s the link to the download page…

I just ran across a post on Search Engine Watch that does a great job of highlighting the different types of social media content. Since there is a little confusion with most businesses and consumers as to what is really classified as “social media” here’s a quick reference.

Wikipedia probably defines the term “social media” the best:

Social media is an umbrella term that defines the various activities that integrate technology, social interaction, and the construction of words and pictures. This interaction, and the manner in which information is presented, depends on the varied perspectives and “building” of shared meaning, as people share their stories, and understandings.

See often we mistake social media as just one thing or concept when it is really a whole lot more. Social media mainly thrives on the social interaction between users. A few years ago the most widely adapted concept was to add a forum or a chat to a website to enable the communication between users, giving the user control over some of the content that was added to a website as well as facilitating the social interaction between users.

More recently social media has been embodied in “social networks” like Facebook, Myspace, Bebo, Orkut, LinkedIn and more. The idea of creating connections between friends, co-workers, colleagues and more creating what’s been called the social graph. Social media is those networks and more.

I say more because it seems that almost all new websites that have launched in the last two and a half years have had some form of social media. Delicious exists to allow “social bookmarking”: a website bookmark list that is public and accessible to consumers and tracks the general trends and popularity between new stories, websites, blog posts and more.

In fact, a major push behind Web 2.0 is the idea of social media. Web 2.0 embraces the concept that the internet has matured into something that can be utilized as a platform. Social media takes center stage in embracing this new era by enabling user generated content or UGC. User generated content puts the user in control of the content that appears on a website rather than just one or two webmasters. This is the principal concept behind many of today’s popular social media websites.

In general, here are the types of social media as defined by Search Engine Watch:

1. News Content - Time sensitive events and news stories. Through the proliferation of social bookmarking websites and RSS syndication technology, news stories are distributed, blogged, bookmarked and rated in a rapid pace. Businesses looking to track and monitor the daily flow of information that can affect marketing and online business can use a service like online reputation monitoring to help manage their reputation based on this information online.
2. Sensational/Entertainment Content - This includes things that are aimed at attracting attention to something online. This category is most like to include “viral marketing” - where an ordinary video, blog post, or story can be proliferate through many thousands of people in a very short amount of time. YouTube videos are a perfect illustration of this category. Often people will blog, email or forward a link to a YouTube video they find entertaining or interesting making the video popularity increase immensely in a short amount of time.
3. Resource/Educational Content -You noticed that I pulled something from Wikipedia. If you’ve done a Google search researching information in the past, you’ve most likely come across this website. Wikipedia exists to give the consumer the ability to create the authoritative content on a topic. This type of social media is a perfect example of user generated content and social media.

Social media can seem like a complex topic, but it’s more than likely that in the past you’ve engaged in some form of social media. Whether it be commenting on a blog or news article, asking a question or responding on a forum, creating a social network account, or even just creating an online account to share pictures with your family. It all is considered social media!

We’ve put the finishing touches on the all new Summer Bridal Show website which is now live! It’s a new design based closely on the last one we did for them for the Holiday Bridal Show.

Check out the screenshot below and click here to view the new website .

I’ve been behind when it comes to upgrading my Wordpress blogging platform. In fact, they just released their version 2.5 of their system and I was still on version 2.1.3. So, I made the leap and decided to upgrade.

For those of you who have not upgraded, it’s always a good idea to do so every now and then as the upgrade process is a great way to back up your blog files and database in case something happens down the road. Plus, they add new and exciting features into the newer versions that can easily simplify what you are doing.

The upgrade process was simple and I LOVE the new features. They integrated the "sidebar widgets" plugin into the system and a new plugin update system informing you of any software updates to WP plugins (although this may have already been in previous updates)

Also, the UI is dramatically enhanced. The posting process is a lot simpler with integrated functionality to add photos, video, audio and more to a post. And I am in love with the tagging system.

Here’s a few screenshots:

Two websites that I frequent made design changes on Friday. Google, changed their Google Docs editor design to streamline and simplify the look. The result… it looks a bit like Office 2003, but I like it.

The other website is LinkedIn. They changed their layout around to add side navigation left of the connection status updates. I think it looks more like what Facebook has… what do you think?

LinkedIn:

and Facebook:

We’ve been very hard at work putting the finishing touches on a new website for Patti Jefferson, a Realtor here in Indianapolis. The new website features a property search, community information, resources for buyers and sellers and a custom designed blog. You can visit her new website at http://www.tuckerteamindy.com.

Also, we want to congratulate Patti on exceeding sales of 3 million in 2007! Congratulations, Patti!

I haven’t posted a blog post in a little bit because I’ve been working on several new websites, including our own. We’ve just put the finishing touches on it and you can now view the new home of InspireMedia at http://www.ImInspired.net.

It’s a bold, yet simple design with a sprinkling of Ajax controls and highlights the services you’ve come to expect from InspireMedia and some you didn’t know we offered. So take a peek at the new InspireMedia!

Google made a new post on their official blog today responding to Microsoft’s $44.6 billion bid for Yahoo.

While Google has been patient in responding thus far (not wanting to show their colors early), they made quite a bold statement today by offering a position against the Microsoft offer saying “the openness of the Internet is what made Google — and Yahoo! — possible” and that “Microsoft’s hostile bid for Yahoo! raises troubling questions”.

Google’s primary concern with the deal is that it could possibly undermine the openness and innovation that made the internet (and Google and Yahoo!) possible. With Microsoft’s current dominance in the PC market, the notable concern is great that they will seek to create a dominant force in online search. Past projections for a combined Microsoft and Yahoo search would put them at a 30% market share in online search. That creates a major contender for Google who serves half the online searches in the US.

This could also signal a very big anti-trust issue (although that is yet to be determined) with Google seeking a monopoly on searches in the US. A merger between Yahoo and Google would already create the largest host of emails and IM chats around.

Google even goes so far as to ask that “could a combination of the two take advantage of a PC software monopoly to unfairly limit the ability of consumers to freely access competitors’ email, IM, and web-based services?”

It’s a very good question and one that should be addressed as the offer progresses. I doubt, though, that Microsoft would be allowed to limit access to services using their software or email dominance.

I’d like to hear your opinions. Is the deal a positive move for online search and media? Or is it a move that could potentially cause more harm than good? Or is it too early to decide?

Here’s a copy of the post:

Yahoo! and the future of the Internet

Posted by David Drummond, Senior Vice President, Corporate Development and Chief Legal Officer

This hostile bid was announced on Friday, so there is plenty of time for these questions to be thoroughly addressed. We take Internet openness, choice and innovation seriously. They are the core of our culture. We believe that the interests of Internet users come first — and should come first — as the merits of this proposed acquisition are examined and alternatives explored.

You know, it’s not every day that a celebrity comes out and creates a new online service. But today, Damon Wayans bucked that tradition by announcing his new startup, WayOutTV.

Now, I am just waiting to get access to the beta and I’ll post on it when I do.

Brian Solis over at bub.licio.us had this to say, “The way I described it … was, it’s like Will Ferril’s Funny or Die, but funny.” Here’s the link to his original post on the service.