Google Wave Could Replace Gmail; Blends Video, Facebook, and More

Google is previewing a new web application to developers that may eventually supplant Gmail. Google Wave goes beyond the basic capabilities of email in order to let people communicate and work collaboratively in real-time with text, photos, videos, maps, gadgets, and social networking feeds from other sources on the internet.

A “wave” is equal parts conversation and document. A user starts off by creating a wave and adding people to it. Everyone on a wave can insert a reply or edit the wave directly. It is being billed as concurrent, collaborative rich text editing, where you can see on your screen nearly instantly what your fellow collaborators are typing in your wave. That means Google Wave is well suited for quick messages as well as for persistent content. A “playback” function is also available to rewind the wave and see how it evolved.

The project is being headed up by Software Engineering Manager Lars Rasmussen, who joined Google with his brother Jens after their tiny mapping startup named “Where 2 Tech” was bought by Google. Technologies from that company eventually became a part of Google Maps.

Source: http://www.dailytech.com

Google launches new free Social Media Tool

Google is hatching a new species of email and instant messaging, but the internet search leader first wants the hybrid service to evolve even more with the help of independent computer programmers.

The free tool, called Google Wave, runs in a web browser and combines elements of email, instant messaging, wikis and photo sharing in an effort to make online communication more dynamic.

Google hopes Wave simplifies the way people collaborate on projects or exchange opinions about specific topics.

Google offered the first glimpse of its latest offering during the Mountain View, California-based company’s annual conference for software developers who build programs on top of its services.

The rest of the web-surfing public won’t be able to hop on Google Wave until later in the year.

By the time Wave rolls out for everyone, Google hopes independent programmers will have found new ways to use the service.

Among other things, Google is counting on outsiders to figure out how to weave Wave into the popular internet communications service Twitter, social networks like Facebook and existing web-based email services, said Lars Rasmussen, a Google engineering manager.

Rasmussen and his brother, Jens, helped build Google’s online mapping service, which sprouted a variety of unforeseen uses after its 2005 debut because of the ingenuity of external programmers.

Having learned their lesson from the mapping experience, the Rasmussens wanted to give evelopers ample time to tinker with their newest creation before unleashing it on the rest of the world.

The Rasmussens broke away from Google’s mapping service in 2006 to concentrate on building a service that would enable email and instant messaging to embrace the web’s increasingly social nature. They contend email hasn’t changed that much since its invention during the 1960s.

“We started out by saying to ourselves, ‘What might email look like if it had been invented today?’” said Lars Rasmussen, who worked on Wave in Australia with his brother and just three other Google employees.

Wave is designed to make it easier to converse over email by providing tools to highlight particular parts of the written conversation.

In instant messages, participants can see what everyone else is writing as they type, unless they choose a privacy control. Photos and other online applications known as “widgets” also can be transplanted into the service.

The service could easily accommodate advertising like Google’s five-year-old email service already does, but Lars Rasmussen said it’s still too early to predict how the company might profit from Wave.

Source : http://www.in.com/news/readnews-science-technology-news-google-launches-new-free-social-media-tool-9411269-42e336b8c6973ca30ebe5c60a4653b445f8ac6ba-hp.html

Link Building Tips – Must Read

1. Submit your site to Web Directories. This is a pretty monotonous process that can get you several hundredbacklinks if you have the time. An alternative would be to hire a manual directory submitter. Here’s a list of web directories you canuse. You can also find some blog directories here.

2. Submit Press Releases to PR sites. A basic press release about your website’s launch can be released to several PR websites, who will distribute it to various online news outlets. A good way to get a free link. I recommend using PRWeb and PRLeap.

3. Reciprocal Links with Similar Websites. Its important to pick sites that are of high relevance so you’ll not only get links but traffic. Reciprocal linking can be useful from the beginning but don’t overdo it. You can find link partners by emailing them directly or searching through webmaster forums.

4. Squidoo Lenses. A Squidoo lens is fairly easy to create. It only takes around 15 minutes to set up one fully and you’ll be able to insert a bunch of anchor text links to your website along with your feed content. Hubpages is another similar site you can use.

5. Article Submissions. Create a short article on your niche topic and submit it to article directories for a back link and some traffic. You might get more links if your article is picked up and published on other websites. Here is a list of article directories, sorted by Alexa and Page Rank.

6. Social Media Profiles. There a whole bunch of social websites online which allow you to insert a link to your website on the profile page. Sign up for some of them, preferably using a user name and avatar that brands your business or you as a person. This might come in useful when you decide to promote your site via the social website in the future.

7. Social Bookmarking/Voting Websites. Certain social voting websites like Netscape or Digg are often crawled by search engines and their links do help to get a website indexed. 3spots has the biggest list of social voting and bookmarking websites I’ve seen so far.

8. Forum Signatures. Sign up for some forums in your niche and start contributing to ongoing discussions. Insert a link to the homepage or some inner pages of your site.

9. Create a Tool, Theme or Widget. Pay a designer to come up with an add-on application or template that is related to a specific social network, popular website or platform. Include a credit link that points back to your designated website.

10. Blogs on Other Blog Platforms. Use existing blogs you have on other blog networks. Or set up different versions of your blog on different blog networks like WordPress.com, Blogger and Xanga. Link to specific webpages on your website.

11. Comment on Other Blogs. Start commenting on relevant and popular sites in your niche. Don’t just spam for links but focus on building a relationship with other bloggers as well. Write a relevant comment and try to avoid using keyword names or signature links.

12. Guest posting on other blogs. Like article and press releases, this one involves having readily available content you can send out to certain blogs in your niche. This is great for getting relevant links and traffic.

13. Hold Contests. Some websites often offer contests in a bid to attract anchor text links from bloggers. An example is this iPhone giveaway on Gary Lee’s site. Contests allow you to determine the specific anchor text but its possible that too many links using the designated keyword may harm your domain instead.

14. Collaborative Projects. You may need to develop an article specifically for a writing project, blog carnival or meme but it will usually get you a couple of back links, depending on the number and generosity of the participants involved.

15. Offer your Expertise. This will apply if you have a specific skill set such as web design, copy writing, translation or SEO. Write to an established website and offer to revamp/optimize their website in return for a mention or credit link on a web page. This offers excellent branding, particularly if your offer is picked up by a website with a decent audience.

Source: Link building tips for New -

10 Words to Use in Your Website Copywriting

Copywriting. It’s the backbone of your website. If you don’t use the right words, you’ll never convert your visitors into paying customers. So, stop focusing on those keywords for a minute, and start focusing on using these 10 results-driven copywriting words.

1. You–This is the most important word in your website copywriting. Unfortunately, few websites use it. Instead of saying “we we we” over and over, use “you.” Why? Because consumers are selfish. They only care about how your product will benefit them. They don’t want to read website copy that is just your company stroking its own ego the whole time. Remember, copywriting is a conversation. So, talk with your reader rather than at them.

2. Free–George Carlin once had a bit where he talked about how you can get people to do anything if you give them some gadget, like a toaster, for free. The word “free” is intoxicating. People love feeling like they’re getting something for nothing. More importantly, people online are wary of losing something to a scam. If you offer something for free, you put them at ease and build some trust with them. Whether it’s a free consultation or a free e-book, consider having a free offer on your website. Just don’t overdo it, or you’ll come off looking spammy.

3. Guaranteed–Again, online shoppers are more cautious than traditional shoppers. And for good reason. Let’s face it, there are lots of scams floating around the internet. Using trust-building words like guaranteed can help potential customers feel as if they have nothing to lose. It’s comforting for them to know there is always an out should the product not live up to their standards.

4. Easy–Staples has built an entire brand based solely on the word “easy.” People love easy.

5. New–New has always been an effective buzzword. This is even more true in today’s technology-driven world. Customers are demanding the latest and greatest products. They want to be on the cutting edge.

6. Proven–Of course, new means nothing if it isn’t proven. So, if your unique selling point is that your product uses cutting-edge, new technology, you better make sure you let your visitors know it’s proven to work also. Some people are afraid of new, and it’s your job to prove how it will benefit them. Statistics help.

7. Results–This goes hand-in-hand with proven. Your potential customers want to know what results they can expect with your product. Don’t hide behind vague industry terms and meaningless jargon. Get straight to the point. Tell them exactly the results and benefits your product or services will deliver to them.

8. Save–Save is another buzzword that’s been thrown around forever. It can be even more effective today with the condition of the economy. But the word “save” doesn’t always have to be about price. Your product could “save” time for the consumer. It could “save” them from trouble. It’s not always about saving money, especially if you’re marketing yourself as a top-shelf brand.

9. Maximize–I like the word “maximize” because it creates the perception that your product achieves the maximum benefits possible. However, make sure you aren’t too vague when you use this word. Back it up with facts that show how your reader will “maximize” the benefit.

10. Benefit–Copywriting 101: tell your readers how they will benefit from using your product. What better way to accomplish that than by using the word “benefit?”

How many of these words do you use in your website copy? Would you add any to this list?

Resource:    http://digitallabz.com/blogs/10-words-to-use-in-your-website-copywriting.html