Google Launches Log Search for the Cloud
February 5, 2010
Google just introduced message log search for Postini, its group of cloud security and archiving services.
"When messages pass through the Postini service, header and transaction data about these messages is stored in a log," explains Gopal Shah of Google Postini team Previously, admins only had access to this data through customer support. With the Message Log Search feature, email administrators can now easily run searches on these logs and drill down to the details about how specific messages were processed."
Administrators can look at things like whether messages were delivered, quarantined, archived, or encrypted.
"Say an admin was checking the delivery status of all inbound emails from Matthew Smith," says Shah. "Message Log Search returns results which include who received the message, date/time, disposition, and more."
The feature has been available in beta testing, and Shah says customers have found it useful for things like tracking errant emails, figuring out why certain people didn't get messages, proactively searching for "problem senders", etc.
Log search is now available through the Postini service administration console, and in Google Apps Preimier Edition.
Have You Read This?
> Google's Postini Suffers Problems
> Google Pushes Its Security And Compliance Products
> Google Rolls Out New Email Security Services
Wordpress Blogging from Android Devices
February 3, 2010
Wordpress has announced the launch of Wordpress for Android (1.0). It is currently available in the Android Market. A lot of what we do on the web is now done from mobile devices, so it only makes sense that this would include blog management.
While it may not be the most convenient way to write a new post, users may find it particularly helpful for at least keeping up with comments and responding. The following clip shows what it can do:
Features of Wordpress for Android include:
- Configure and manage multiple blogs
- Comment moderation including the ability to reply to comments
- Create and Edit Posts including categories, tags and photos
- Create and Edit Pages
- Get notified of new comments in the Android notification bar
"Users of the popular wpToGo app for Android will feel right at home in WordPress for Android 1.0, as the source from wpToGo has been used as the foundation for the WordPress app.," says Wordpress. "wpToGo will be discontinued as all development efforts move forward with the Open Source WordPress for Android app."
There is a forum set up for Wordpress for Android discussion. Users can converse about troubleshooting, weigh in on future development in the requests and feedback area, or test beta builds of future versions in the beta testing area.
Have You Read This?
> Google Connects Friends on WordPress Blogs
> WordPress Lets Bloggers Help Make the Mobile Web Better
> WordPress Receives Grammar Check Plug-In
Twitter About to Get More Useful for Businesses
December 15, 2009
If You don't think Twitter is useful for business now, new features may change your mind. Twitter announced that it has begun limited beta testing of a new feature aimed at businesses, called "Contributors." The feature allows businesses to have more control over who is posting for their company Twitter account, and to make that information visible to users.
Would you find such a feature useful? Comment here.
"The feature appends the contributor's username to the tweet byline, making the business to consumer communication more personal; e.g. if @Twitter invites @Biz to tweet on its behalf, then a tweet from @Twitter would include @Biz in the byline so that users know more about the real people behind organizations," explains Twitter's Anamitra Banerji.
Businesses have already been finding different ways to personalize accounts. For example, the WebProNews Twitter account (feel free to follow it) utilizes "@cotags" to sign Tweets. However, this practice requires adding characters to tweets, and sometimes every character counts. If you're trying to optimize your tweets for maximum retweeting (which can in turn drive traffic to your site), you want to leave as much space as possible for followers to add their own information.
Twitter's new "contributors" feature should solve this problem. Businesses who regularly utilize Twitter will be anticipating the roll out of this feature. There's no telling how long this limited beta testing will go on though.
The important thing for businesses to keep in mind is that Twitter is finally getting serious about becoming more useful to them. There are a great many ways that businesses can use Twitter and the company knows this of course. Now, however, they seem to be set to start really catering to businesses. The new "Contributors" feature is apparently only the first of an unspecified number of business features Twitter is currently working on.
"The simple features that Twitter has offered to all users has worked for business users as well," says Banerji. "As Twitter becomes more integral to businesses, they will need more business specific features from Twitter – both on the web and API. We have been working on some of these features and are ready to start a limited beta test of one that's further along in development."
The key words there are "working on some of these features." Twitter is looking to start monetizing its own business, and catering to other businesses is bound to be a step in that direction. Ads and commercial accounts are said to be coming to Twitter soon. The commercial accounts would come with premium features, such as analytics. In fact, Twitter COO Dick Costolo recently said that multiple authors would be a part them as well, and that is exactly what they're testing right now.
We don't know what other features Twitter may have up its sleeve, but it will be very interesting to see what they come up with and how businesses respond. Either way, businesses are going to want to keep a close eye on what Twitter does, because it could have huge implications for key areas of how their businesses communicate online down the road.
What features would you like to see Twitter offer businesses? What would make Twitter more useful to you? Talk to ArisYulianta and Friends... here.
Have You Read This?
> Driving Traffic with Twitter
> Need More Examples of Twitter's Usefulness to Business?
> 10 Great Ways To Use Twitter To Your Business's Advantage
Microsoft Bing Goes Live In The UK
November 13, 2009
Microsoft has officially launched the UK version of its search engine Bing, taking it out of beta where it has been since late May.
During the past several months of beta testing, the Bing team has been working on making its search features more relevant for UK users.
"Bing is ready for the UK consumer, with our revolutionary way of searching the Internet proving very popular," said Ashley Highfield, vice president of Microsoft UK's Consumer and Online Business.
"Features such as Categorized Search, Twitter and Visual Search are providing a different and intuitive experience, and are enabling us all to make informed decisions and discover more of the web - faster."
Key features of Bing UK include:
- A localized UK homepage, with unique imagery and 'hotspots' - click through information boxes provide users with a wealth of information. A tool for discovery and inspiration.
- Visual Search, helps users search (maybe for a new purchase) using visual images and meta data without having to type in keywords.
- More Instant Answers, created to give users a quick response options to a search question, such as how is Liverpool doing in the premiership or which tourist attraction should I take my in-laws to at the weekend
- See who or what is being chatted about with global live Twitter feed searching, pulling up Tweets in Bing searches in real-time.
- Looking for the best deals? - an integrated shopping experience with Ciao UK searches the Internet to find the best prices, reviews and local availability. Bing supports making the best shopping decisions based on community feedback - not just advertising.
- Not sure how to get there? Bing Maps is based on insights from our Multimap users. Bing Maps now offers new map styles, imagery and transit integration as well as draggable routes.
- Bing has been built for the UK to help consumers get to key local sites and services in fewer links by including popular links, search boxes and suggestions within best match.
"We will continue to innovate and introduce new features on an ongoing basis by listening and responding to what UK search users find relevant," said Highfield.
"Removing our beta tag is merely the first step to signal Bing is here and already has features that are superior to those provided by other search engines."
Have You Read This?
>Bing Gets A Bunch Of New Search Features
>Bing Managed Big Gain In October
