Beta Testing Begins for Google Wave

Google first showcased Wave in May 2009 creating an internet buzz that led to their Wave video on YouTube being viewed 4 million times.

Wave allows multiple users to collaborate on projects in real time, speeding up the the writing process by allowing users to add, quotes, videos, maps and and audio. Wave also has an in-built translation chat tool which allows two users who speak two different languages to chat to each other in real time with Wave translating instantly.

Images, video and text can be dragged from external applications and dropped straight into the shared 'Wave.'

Each 'Waver' can view the history of how each Wave has developed over time with a simple slider.

Using robots, Wave links easily with other applications such as Twitter and Picassa via their APIs.

The only drawback seems to be that Wave works in all browsers except Internet Explorer and currently is open by invitation only.

Yahoo launches new-look web portal

Yahoo have relaunched its web portal with an enormous $100 million dollar advertising campaign.

The new look portal will allow users to integrate other third party web services such as Hotmail and social networking services. The left-hand navigation now features customisable bookmarks which when the user mouses over, pop-up to show a snapshot of the site. These bookmarks include a large number of links to non-Yahoo websites such as Kelkoo and BBC News, potentially taking the user away from the Yahoo site.

Yahoo's chief executive, Carol Bartz is hoping that the relaunch will bring in more users and greater advertising revenues. Their deal with Microsoft also allows them to control the sales team which will sell banner advertising for both companies.

Hasbro team up with Google to launch Monopoly City Streets

Toymaker Hasbro bills it as "the biggest game of Monopoly of all time." Monopoly City Streets uses Google maps data, allowing users to buy any street in the world and add it to their real estate empire. Once you own a street, you can charge other players rent and build new property.

The website www.monopolycitystreets.com is currently responding slowly due to the rush of people eager to buy their own street. But the experiment will run until the end of January 2010.

This is the first time Google data has been used in a worldwide game and we expect similar ventures to follow from other online partnerships.

Whole new streams of advertising could be generated for Google in the virtual world. Perhaps virtual billboard advertising could outstrip the real world at some point in the future.

On the downside we may see private citizens battling for control of their virtual streets preventing companies from erecting virtual eyesores outside their virtual houses. Or PPC adverts fly-posted on our virtual national monuments.

Predicting 'going viral' - SEO research

New research has been published that examines how viral messages spread around the web. A predictive model has been developed to forecast the spread of viral messages across the Internet.

SEO firms, online marketers and consultants will be interested in the model that helps understand how new information spreads when distributed online.

It is possible to predict how many people will receive viral messages to within a one per cent error rate.

Read more information about the viral research