Internet

Steve Jobs confirms no iPhone tethering for iPad

Apple founder Steve Jobs has confirmed that users of the new iPad will not be able to tether their tablet to the internet using the 3G connection of their iPhone. The Register reports that Jobs replied with an unequivocal “No” from his iPhone, when emailed by Swedish trance DJ Jezper Söderlund asking if a Wi-Fi-only iPad could use an iPhone’s 3G tethering.

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Steve Jobs confirms no iPhone tethering for iPad

Microsoft launches Bing TV ads in the UK

Microsoft has launched a new TV advertising campaign in the UK promoting its ‘decision engine’ Bing as an alternative to Google , by mocking the “information overload” that often accompanies its rival’s search results. The Guardian reports that the $2 billion (

Increasing Your Conversion Rate

Generating traffic to your website is always the primary concern once you have got your website up and running. But all that traffic you generate will mean nothing if you cannot generate any sales. Of course there is a step that is between traffic generation and sales, and that is conversions.

Conversions can be anything from a Sale (the best conversion of all) to an inquiry, newsletter signup, download from the site, etc. Getting people into the conversion category is the first significant step you make towards a sale, because this gives you a “foot in the door”. Once you form a link with potential customers, you can keep in contact in various ways so that they will remember you first when they think about a product that you sell. The following are a few simple tips to keep in mind to increase conversion rates:

Identify your target audience - Once you do this, customize the pages to suit this particular audience. Having a general page that caters to all will not do you any great favors. Selling your product on that page is actually a secondary objective while forming a connection with the user is the primary objective you should focus on.

Choices, choices, choices - This is great if you are running a mega mall. Since you are not, cut down the choices. Having a few focused products to choose from will really work for you. The other thing to concentrate on is to make the page “idiot proof”. Everything must be simple and to the point, where the user does not get confused.

Be irresistible - Your call for action must be so tempting that they will be compelled to give something as simple (in their minds) as their contact details/email address in return. This is all you need in order to begin your relationship with that user.

Website Marketing Tips

Without good marketing your website might as well not exist. After all, what is the point of a good product if no one knows about it? The secret to good marketing is to make your website stick out like a sore thumb - in a good way. The key thing to remember here is that users want information/answers really really fast. So it is up to you to get their attention and keep them there.

Know what they want - Your website must address an issue that the user is interested in. Having a website that deals with “Koi Carp feed and care” would be one such example. But once you have site like that, do not talk about anything else but Koi Carp. The moment you do, the users will deem your site worthless and walk away.

Get the right design - Avoid unnecessarily flashy colors and cluttered information. Keep it simple, to the point and easy to navigate. Whatever you do, do NOT use pop ups.

Content - The look and feel is useless without good content, so always be sure to back up your site with good, well-written content. This will make your site a place worth returning to.

User Friendliness - Use images, icons, mini info displays, etc to give your users quick information at a glance. Online ordering, comprehensive contact information, testimonials, etc will also boost your image in the eyes of the user.

Advertise - Get your website in the user’s mind where ever you can. Newspapers, radio, TV, bumper stickers, social media, forums, etc which means anything and everything you can get your hands on. Drive the traffic there and if you have done a good job with the previous four tips, the site should do the rest for you.

Smaller browsers demand greater presence in Microsoft’s ballot screen

Six web browser manufacturers have complained to the EU that Microsoft’s browser ballot screen does not give fair representation to their products. Microsoft was required to offer Windows users a choice of web browsers from 1 March, following an anti-trust investigation by the European Competition Commission that found Microsoft Internet Explorer to be taking too large a slice of the browser market, due to it being the default option for Windows operating systems

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Smaller browsers demand greater presence in Microsoft’s ballot screen

House of Lords ruling could block YouTube

A new Bill approved in the House of Lords may have drastic consequences for video sharing sites such as YouTube, Vimeo and FootyTube, as well as any other site with material infringing copyright protection. The Digital Economy Bill had sparked much uproar with leading digital companies - including Google , Yahoo! and Facebook - writing to Peter Mandelson about Clause 17 that would have given future secretaries of state new control over monitoring user data and introducing new technical measures. This clause was removed but replaced with a late amendment that will allow a high court judge the right to issue an injunction against any site with a “substantial amount” of copyrighted material.

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House of Lords ruling could block YouTube

Online news overtakes newspapers in USA

Research has revealed that 11 per cent more Americans now access news online than read newspapers, which could sway the opinions of major news providers towards charging for online content. The BBC reports that online news sites were found to be the third most popular means of accessing news content among US citizens surveyed by the Pew Research Center. The survey found that 61 per cent of respondents typically got their daily news online, placing it behind local TV news channels which accounted for 78 per cent and national TV or cable networks - such as NBC, CNN or Fox News - which took 71 per cent

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Online news overtakes newspapers in USA

Government withdraws plans to cut off illegal file sharers

The British government has stated it will not cut off internet access from illegal file sharers, following a petition in response to its Digital Britain campaign launched in June. The Guardian reports that a petition on the Number 10 website urged Gordon Brown “to abandon Lord Mandelson’s plans to ban individuals from the internet based on their use of ‘peer to peer’ file sharing.” Although the original petition only attracted 550 signatures - just 50 more than is required for the proposal to be considered - the issue was apparently deemed a significant one for the government’s popularity, particularly as many users pointed out the contradictions to the government’s typical “three strikes” policy and aim to get all of Britain online. The government responded: “We will not terminate the accounts of infringers - it is very hard to see how this could be deemed proportionate except in the most extreme - and therefore probably criminal - cases

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Government withdraws plans to cut off illegal file sharers

Microsoft opts for ballot screen

Following some recent legal talks with European antitrust officials, Microsoft has agreed to provide its European users with a ballot screen. Essentially, the screen will provide European users with a list of browsers to download (Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Opera and Internet Explorer), rather than just Internet Explorer.

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Microsoft opts for ballot screen

Google to take-over ‘Social Search’ engine Aardvark

Google’s social networking capabilities are once again set to expand. Following on from the release of Google Buzz , Google’s very own social network, the Mopuntain View giant is now to take over Aardvark in a deal said to be worth around $50million (

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