I am sure that all of you have been received more spam in your gmail or webmail account in the last few days than before, which is not really common for Google. Today I read on the GoogleWatchBlog that apparently the Google Captcha was cracked and therefore the Spam-Bots are starting to spam Gmail now. Very annoying!
Check out the new version of the visual Search Engine, called Quintura. Besides giving the normal text result on the right, Quintura also visualises the keywords, relevant to the search, in the form of a cloud. The visualisation definitely needs to be improved but an interesting concept because the widget can be embedded on your website for free. Interesting concept to visualise search results, although it is not the fastest. Read more on Techcrunch.
(Source: Quintura)
A while ago we wrote an article about the API project called OpenSocial, which can be eventually plugged into many portals and systems. When Google, MySpace and consorts launch an initiative such as OpenSocial, then it means serious business.
What happens when the giant Microsoft opens up their ports for outside developers? You should read this article “Microsoft to Share More Technical Secrets” published by NYTimes. This inevitably implies some sort of revolution!
Fashion still stands for a significant part of the revenue for online retailers, who endeavour to develop and improve their ways of presenting and marketing their products online. Merchants and developers are getting very creative as you can see with the 3D retail space modulation of Kinset Technologies, the connection of billboards to the internet through QR codes or the currently developed Bluetooth Billboards by Ströer and many more.
Reviews and ratings, despite the latest developments at eBay, however are an increasingly important factor for increasing the online sales. These reviews however need to be independent and unbiased and written by real shoppers, e.g. Reevoos. The article “Stilbildung im Internet” or “Stylecreation in the Internet” published at the FAZ is a very interesting article describing how the true fashion scene is commenting and blogging about fashion independently: Fashion as seen on the streets and not sold by retailers seems to be the latest trend of independent fashion critics.
Check out the most famous blogs about fashion: thesartorialist.blogspot.com, facehunter.blogspot.com, shoeblogs.com, styleclicker.net, glamcanyon.blogspot.com, gofugyourself.com, www.slow-wear.de.
The whole team wishes you a very Happy Valentines Day!
We tripped over the concept of Gimahhot, which is quite an interesting B2C consumer-empowering shopping tool. Prices for a unique product, sold by several merchants, are determined by the supply and demand and the price evolution graph demonstrates the development, similar to the price history of Twenga.
However the difference is that the consumer can decide whether to buy the product at the current price or request a reduction from the merchant. This request, valid for a time specified by the shopper, is sent to the different merchants, selling this product, and the merchant can decide whether they are willing to accept and match the request or not. It is an interesting concept that the individual consumer can approach the merchant and express his intent or willingness of buying the product at a cheaper price.
We know that Social Shopping is the big thing in e-commerce now, which has brought up many interesting players such as Edelight, DaWanda, Smatch or Shoppero.
As I have found out through the interesting article on Exciting Commerce with the title “Social Shopping: Amazon Friends & Interesting People” I had to discover that Amazon and Ebay have now joined the ranks of competing for the social shoppers.
That will make things interesting!
Everbody in Germany has heard about disputed Spickmich.de, the start-up of Tino Keller, Phillip Weisenhiller und Manuel Weisbrod. This teacher rating page has been in the media many times now and this TAZ article I think is one the most interesting ones.
That German teachers dislike criticism or feedback is well known (reasons undisclosed) but one teacher now had to find out the hard way at court that she cannot refrain her pupils to have an opinion about her. The court in Cologne has denied her to have the feedback and reviews about her deleted and she needs to face up to reality. Why is she worried that students say something about her if her teaching skills and methods are so impeccable?
