Gawkwire: Web Hosting and Internet News Resource

Gmail in real-time: Google does the Wave

2009-05-29T09:44:00-04:00

(cnet) Google on Thursday publicly demonstrated Google Wave for the first time at the Google I/O conference in San Francisco. Billed as "the e-mail of the future," Google Wave is the result of a multiyear project inside of Google to reinvent the inbox, blending e-mail, instant messaging, photo sharing, and perhaps, with input from developers, connections to the world of social networking.

Google Wave is an attempt to "combine conversation-type communication and collaboration-type communication," said Lars Rasmussen, who launched the project with his brother Jens after Google acquired their mapping start-up in 2004. The brothers Rasmussen said they were inspired by the fact that two of the most commonly used Internet communication technologies--e-mail and instant messaging--are based on relatively ancient offline communication techniques, namely the letter and the telephone.

The Rasmussens were given the authority to create "one of the most autonomous independent groups we've had at Google," said co-founder Sergey Brin in a press conference following the demonstration. Given the success the brothers had in developing the technologies behind Google Maps, Brin was inclined to "give them the benefit of the doubt" when Lars came to him pitching a bid to reinvent Internet communication.

They came up with Google Wave, which organizes Internet discussions in the trendy stream of consciousness fashion. ...Go to source

http://www.gawkwire.com/technology/gmail_in_real-time_google_does_the_wave.html

Tucows Commences to Repurchase up to Four Million Common Shares

2009-05-28T14:00:00-04:00

(Domain News) The closing price of Tucows' common stock on the NYSE Amex on May 22, 2009 was $0.38 per share.

Under the tender offer, shareholders will have the opportunity to tender some or all of their shares at a price within the $0.36 to $0.45 per share price range. Based on the number of shares tendered and the prices specified by the tendering shareholders, Tucows will determine the lowest per share price within the range that will enable it to buy 4,000,000 shares. If shareholders of more than 4,000,000 shares properly tender their shares at or below the determined price per share, Tucows will purchase shares tendered by such shareholders, at the determined price per share, on a pro rata basis. Additionally, if more than 4,000,000 shares are properly tendered, the number of shares to be repurchased by Tucows pursuant to the tender offer may, at the discretion of Tucows, be increased by up to 2% of Tucows' outstanding shares, or approximately 1,378,000 shares, without amending or extending the tender offer. ...Go to source

http://www.gawkwire.com/domains/tucows_commences_to_repurchase_up_to_four_million_common_shares.html

Sedo reports secondary domain market up 6.5% in Q1

2009-05-27T14:00:00-04:00

(Domain News) The average selling price was EUR 1,935 per domain, up 14 percent from a year ago. Worldwide, the .com extension accounted for over 75 percent of the top-level domain sales, followed by .net with 9 percent and .info and .org with 7 percent each. ...Go to source http://www.gawkwire.com/domains/sedo_reports_secondary_domain_market_up_6_5_in_q1.html

Set your DVRs: Twitter to develop reality TV series

2009-05-26T10:07:00-04:00

(cnet) Critics of the microblogging service declare that, like reality TV, tweets are just mindless ego-fodder being released on the masses by the second.

Well, now the two ego-fodder receptacles appear to be coming together for the further enlightenment of the world.

Variety reported Monday rather up-to-the-minute news of Brillstein Entertainment, a powerful artist management company, and Reveille Productions, the folks who used to be owned by NBC Entertainment's co-chairman, Ben Silverman, and have produced rather likable TV in "The Office" and "Ugly Betty."

These two significant players are about to make a reality series in cooperation with Twitter. ...Go to source

http://www.gawkwire.com/video_tv/set_your_dvrs_twitter_to_develop_reality_tv_series.html

.ME Domains Hit Quarter-Million Milestone

2009-05-23T06:00:00-04:00

(Domain News) Montenegro's .ME Registry has seen significant growth since it launched the domain extension worldwide just over one year ago. In fact, .ME is the fastest growing new ccTLD.

The .ME domain extension has proven to be incredibly popular worldwide. More than 48,000 applications were received to participate in the current online auction of .ME domains which ends in just a few days. The next online auction, hosted by NameJet.com, is scheduled to begin June 5

Many in the online marketing community believe .ME's popularity directly correlates to the domain's branding power. ...Go to source

http://www.gawkwire.com/domains/me_domains_hit_quarter-million_milestone.html

Virtual domain names

2009-05-22T09:27:00-04:00

(Domain News) Weblo,has filled a patent couple of years ago and now it has been published.Even though all they sell are virtual,such as states,celebrities and many others,they describe their domain names as good as they can."Weblo has opened a secondary domain name market inside the Weblo parallel universe. You can register any non-trademarked domain name at Weblo even if the real world domain name is taken outside of Weblo. Weblo domains often turn up in search engine results before real world Internet domains do. When you buy Weblo Domains, you get a website that you can build for each domain by adding pictures, videos, news and more. You can park your site or redirect it inside and outside of Weblo to drive traffic anywhere you want it to go." ...Go to source http://www.gawkwire.com/domains/virtual_domain_names.html

Dell's Latitude 2100 brings Netbooks to schools

2009-05-20T14:00:00-04:00

(cnet) The basic components are similar to what you'd find in almost any other Netbook--Intel Atom CPU, 1GB of RAM, Windows XP--but the chassis of the Latitude 2100 is specifically designed with young users in mind. Somewhat thicker and heavier than typical consumer Netbooks, the system has a semi-rugged feel and a thick rubberized cover, along with an optional anti-microbial keyboard.

The entire package reminded us in some ways of the original Intel Classmate laptops, which were the first examples of Netbooks. One new feature that seems especially intriguing (but may tax the Intel Atom processor) is an optional touch screen. ...Go to source

http://www.gawkwire.com/reviews/dell_s_latitude_2100_brings_netbooks_to_schools.html

Will Obama Re-nationalize ICANN?

2009-05-19T09:26:00-04:00

(Domain News) In his summary of the speech, Mueller notes Mayer-Schoenberger saying the EU was typically about 4 years behind and was now willing to accept and confirm the American decision to privatize ICANN. Moreover, the EU no longer has any substantive policy position but is focused entirely on structures and processes. "But just as the Europeans come to accept a privatised ICANN the U.S., he said, is starting to question it," with Mayer-Schoenberger predicting the Obama administration will re-nationalize ICANN. ...Go to source http://www.gawkwire.com/domains/will_obama_re-nationalize_icann.html

GM Registered Restructuring Related Web Domains

2009-05-18T14:00:00-04:00

(Domain News) The auto manufacturer has said that it will likely have to file for bankruptcy protection if it is unable to restructure its bond debt, ensure major concessions from its union workers and prove its financial viability before the June 1 deadline set by federal officials.

After accepting billions in federal bailout cash, company executives say that if they are forced to file for bankruptcy they will likely try to quickly liquidate their best assets by selling to a new operating company.

Last month, Chrysler LLC filed for bankruptcy, after which Epiq Systems Inc, a private claims agency responsible for processing court documents during the company’s bankruptcy trial, posted a number of court documents and details of the case for free access through chryslerrestructuring.com. ...Go to source

http://www.gawkwire.com/domains/gm_registered_restructuring_related_web_domains.html

New Report Shows .INFO Domain Safest from Phishing Attacks

2009-05-15T09:35:00-04:00

(Domain News) The results of the Survey show that, during the second half of 2008, .INFO had the lowest phishing rates and the lowest average attack duration among the gTLDs measured. .INFO’s phishing durations were half the world average.

“The .INFO registry is at the forefront of protecting Internet users from online identity theft across the world,” said Greg Aaron, Director of Key Account Management and Domain Security at Afilias, and a co-author of the study. “In January 2008, Afilias implemented a vigorous anti-phishing program working closely with .INFO registrars. We are pleased that the hard work of the .INFO anti-phishing team and dedicated registrars have propelled .INFO to the top spot for safety from phishing.” ...Go to source

http://www.gawkwire.com/domains/new_report_shows_info_domain_safest_from_phishing_attacks.html

12 ways to track traffic for your blog

2009-05-14T09:14:00-04:00

(cnet) I've found and tried 12 online applicatons that track your blog's traffic. Some are better than others, but they're all designed with the same goal in mind: helping you grow your blog. ...Go to source http://www.gawkwire.com/technology/12_ways_to_track_traffic_for_your_blog.html

India's dot to set up registry to create more web addresses

2009-05-11T14:00:00-04:00

(Domain News) As Indian firms are likely to fall short of web addresses by 2011, the government is working out a migration path to the next generation Internet protocol address in India (from Internet Protocol IPv4 to IPv6), said industry experts. ...Go to source
http://www.gawkwire.com/domains/india_s_dot_to_set_up_registry_to_create_more_web_addresses.html

Top 5 Considerations When Choosing Cloud Storage

2009-05-11T10:02:00-04:00

(WebHost Blog) To better understand how customers approach the buying decision when considering cloud storage platforms, The Planet pinpointed five important differentiators every hosting customer should consider when evaluating the adoption of cloud storage:

1.Performance - It’s important to match the platform with your application’s performance needs. Many cloud storage platforms only provide 2-3 Mb/sec of transfer speed – that’s fine for most backup and archiving use cases but is likely not sufficient for production data. When evaluating platforms, you should also schedule multiple tests with varying traffic and load scenarios to gauge the consistency of service.

2.Ease of Integration - The ease of user access is critical to product adoption in web applications. Many cloud storage products require the use of proprietary APIs for integration, so you would need to specifically develop for that cloud storage platform to implement the solution. When you’re evaluating the switching costs of moving to a new cloud storage platform, remember to factor in these development and integration costs, as they can add up pretty quickly. To minimize switching costs, some platforms offer standards-based integration software so you can use common protocols like CIFS, NFS, FTP or HTTP to get your content online without the proprietary API learning curve.

3.Your Data’s Location - Most cloud products do not offer specific locations for data to reside. In fact, many providers offer data “in the cloud” as if “the cloud” is a location rather than an access medium. While in many cases the physical location of data is unimportant, sometimes being able to select a location is beneficial. If you are building a disaster recovery plan; working to reduce download times for a specific customer; or attempting to pass strict security audits, then where data resides is critical.

4.Flexibility - One of the most appealing features of cloud storage is the flexibility of its on-demand design, which manifests itself in two primary traits: scalability and elasticity. Most cloud storage products should free you from the task of capacity planning, hardware budgeting and upgrading. Watch out for minimum-usage commitments, as they can negate the inherent benefit of capacity being available on-demand. Cloud storage products should provide elasticity, with capacity that grows as your business requires it and scales back as soon as the excess capacity is no longer needed.

5.Usage-Based Billing – Paying for only what you use is certainly appealing. The primary aspects on which to judge the pricing of a cloud storage product are simple: how much storage capacity will you use and how much bandwidth will you need? Keep a sharp eye out for “hidden” fees, because in many use cases, they can add up quickly to be as much or more than the primary elements of your bill. “Hidden” fees to watch out for include: connect fees, account maintenance charges, and charges for “puts” and “gets.” Cloud platforms should offer simple and predictable monthly bills.

With the growing popularity of the cloud, there’s a lot of misinformation permeating the Web. On The Planet’s web hosting blog, we’ve posted a few articles about the hype and buzz surrounding “the cloud.” The platform has incredible potential and can play a great role in your hosting infrastructure right now, but it’s not going to completely change the game … yet. The industry landscape is shifting. We’re not just focused on dedicated servers and managed hosting anymore.
We’re adopting new technologies, but more importantly, we’re trying to understand where those technologies fit and what real-world benefits they provide to hosting customers.

About Kevin Hazard: Kevin the Web Hosting Evangelist for The Planet, the world's largest privately held dedicated server, managed hosting and data center colocation provider. Given his years of experience in the hosting industry and his focus on customer service, you can usually find Kevin posting on The Planet Blog, tweeting (@theplanetdotcom) or working directly with customers in community forums.

http://www.gawkwire.com/web_hosting/top_5_considerations_when_choosing_cloud_storage.html

Report: AT&T to cut iPhone service plan by $10

2009-05-09T06:00:00-04:00

(cnet) The article cited analyst Michael Cote of Cote Collaborative saying that there is a "strong possibility" that AT&T will drop the entry-level price of its service plan to $59 from $69. Apple is expected to unveil the latest iPhone on June 8 during the company's World Wide Developers Conference in San Francisco.

AT&T declined to comment for this story, and Michael Cote did not respond to an e-mail request for an interview. ...Go to source

http://www.gawkwire.com/business/report_at_t_to_cut_iphone_service_plan_by_10.html

Racist domain name upsets Facebook users

2009-05-09T06:00:00-04:00

(Domain News)After an abundance of Facebook statuses referring to the popular site called 'Niggabook', Howard University junior marketing major Vance Lewis did his own research to follow up on the subject.

Lewis found that a new Web site domain brought users straight to Facebook's homepage, known as 'niggabook.com.'

"I was mind-blown that something as horrendous as that could exist," he said. "What's more mind-blowing to me is how it hasn’t been shutdown yet."

According to GoogleTrends, the search for the domain name was at its peak Monday evening around 10 p.m. The website has been gaining popularity since, although no one knows its purpose.
"I don’t understand why someone made that link," said senior economics major Jared Gregory. "Even though a white person created Facebook, it's really diverse. I don’t see any type of logic behind making it." ...Go to source

http://www.gawkwire.com/domains/racist_domain_name_upsets_facebook_users.html

FAQ: Demystifying ID Fraud

2009-05-07T09:43:00-04:00

(cnet) Also contributing to this paranoid feeling are all the reports of phishing scams, including IRS and tax-related scams; data breaches at retailers like TJX, where more than 45 million accounts were exposed; and payment processors like RBS WorldPay, where stolen data led to cloned cards and ATM withdrawals last year.

This all got me to wondering exactly how the data gets from my credit card or keyboard ends up as money in the pockets of criminals. ...Go to source

http://www.gawkwire.com/technology/faq_demystifying_id_fraud.html

Moniker Extended Online Auction Closes Today

2009-05-07T09:39:00-04:00

(Domain News)The online auction started on Wednesday, April 29 at 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time (8:00 p.m. Eastern) and will run for a full week, closing on Thursday, May 7 at 12:15 p.m. Pacific time (3:15 p.m. Eastern).

Some of the featured names available in the extended online auction include: ...Go to source

http://www.gawkwire.com/domains/moniker_extended_online_auction_closes_today.html

Unauthorised domain names

2009-05-05T14:00:00-04:00

(Domain News) Rodney Ryder,partner, Kochar & Co, the law firm of Deccan Chargers, says, "Unauthorised domain names could be used for commercial purposes leading to significant damage to brand names, cyber fraud and data fraud."

In India,complaints about illegal domain names can be filed at The National Internet Exchange of India.This might take about two months for the dispute to be solved. ...Go to source

http://www.gawkwire.com/domains/unauthorised_domain_names.html

HostingCon 2009 is Coming

2009-05-05T01:49:00-04:00

(WebHost Blog) I have personally participated as a speaker or panelist at every HostingCon event since its inception. I recall that last year’s panel on marketing featured none other that myself and another writer and industry marketing veteran from WebHostMagazine and WebHostBlog - Mr. David Dunlap.

A recent email notified me of my acceptance as a speaker at HostingCon 2009. Among the bits of information in the email sent from the HostingCon organizers was the fact that this year the group received over 120 speaker proposals. While the selection committee had difficulty narrowing the speaker field down, the remaining chosen speakers are noted to create an ”exceptional program with diverse and timely topics and actionable substance”.

But don’t take my admittedly biased opinion on HostingCon without some backup - here’s what a few other website hosting professionals had to say about HostingCon 2009.

Jeff Hardy, Vice President of Business Operations with SmarterTools, Inc. commented, ”SmarterTools has customers and technology partners in over one hundred countries. HostingCon is one of the few events that brings the industry together in a way that provides an opportunity to renew our network of industry professionals and meet new ones. Each year SmarterTools comes away from HostingCon with new ideas and perspectives that helps us drive to excellence in our host-friendly software and SaaS offerings.”

Daniel Foster is co-founder of UK web hosting firm 34SP.com and had these comments regarding HostingCon, ”We’re planning to attend HostingCon 2009 in Washington, D.C. to see what’s hot in the industry this year, what people are talking about and where their plans are taking them. We’re also looking forward to catching up with friends made at previous HostingCons and meeting new faces. There’s at least as much to be gained from the show floor and evening events as there is from the presentations given during the day.”

Takeshi Eto, V.P. Marketing and Business Development with ASP.NET hosting firm DiscountASP.NET adds, ”We attend every year because HostingCon is a great opportunity to network. Also, being a niched Windows hoster, we go to a lot of Microsoft events and it’s good to get exposure to what is going on with other areas of the hosting industry.”

Be sure to check out the full story at HostingCon.com. You can see the list of exhibitors, and soon you’ll have access to the complete list of speakers as well. I hope to see you in Washington, D.C. in August.

About: Derek Vaughan is a web hosting industry veteran, marketing consultant and writer. Mr. Vaughan has architected the marketing growth of several prominent web hosting success stories leading to acquisition including Affinity Internet, Inc., Aplus.Net and HostMySite.com. Prior to his entry into the web hosting industry, Mr. Vaughan was responsible for online marketing at The Walt Disney Company where he marketed ecommerce for the ESPN.com and NASCAR.com brands. Mr. Vaughan received his M.B.A. from Vanderbilt University and currently serves on the HostingCon Advisory Board.

http://www.gawkwire.com/events_html/hostingcon_2009_is_coming.html

Protect yourself of domain name hijacking

2009-05-02T06:00:00-04:00

(Domain News) This is a type of domain hijacking.There is another,called Reverse Domain Hijacking,which means that someone wants to acquire your domain name accusing you of violating trademarks with the domain name, and demanding that the domain be transferred.

Here are some advices of how to protect your domain name from beeing hijacked given by Brett Lewis, Internet Attorny: ...Go to source

http://www.gawkwire.com/domains/protect_yourself_of_domain_name_hijacking.html

Widget brings Twitter to World of Warcraft and other PC games

2009-05-01T13:49:00-04:00

(cnet) If that happens, you can blame PlayXpert, a maker of various in-game widgets for PC gamers. The company today announced the PlayXpert Twitter Widget, adding Twitter functionality to the existing PlayXpert software, which works with WoW and other online PC games.

In-game widget engines such as PlayXpert (which bills itself as an "in-game operating system") run alongside PC games, offering voice chat, Web browsing, and other tools for players, without the need to quit or ATL+TAB out of the game to launch another app (popular examples include Xfire and Steam). ...Go to source

About: New York native Dan Ackerman, a former radio DJ turned journalist, has written about technology and music for publications including Spin, Blender, The Hollywood Reporter, and USA Today. He hosts the weekly Digital City podcast and the New York edition of Editors' Office Hours. Dan's new album, Tales Out of Night School, is available now. E-mail Dan.

http://www.gawkwire.com/technology/widget_brings_twitter_to_world_of_warcraft_and_other_pc_games.html

AuDA Refuses Settlement with Bottle Domains After Accreditation Termination

2009-05-01T04:51:00-04:00

(Domain News) auDA terminated Bottle Domains' accreditation, and hence ability to act as a registrar for .au domain names, due to what auDA considers to be a serious breach by Bottle Domains of its Registrar Agreement.

However in their article IT News seems to misunderstand what an injunction actually means. The courts have not indicated whether the case is likely to be decided in auDA's or Bottle Domains' favour. Rather, the injunction has allowed the status quo to continue until the appeal by Bottle Domains can be heard in a court of law. ...Go to source

http://www.gawkwire.com/domains/auda_refuses_settlement_with_bottle_domains_following_accreditat.html