Toluu : SocialRumble

SocialRumble

The social net and a bit of web 2.0

Google blogsearch has relaunched with a completely new look. Gone is the plain looking page of the past and in it’s place is a plain page that looks very much like Google News. Guys, why couldn’t you have put some innovation into the design. Sigh!

The front page has the top blog posts from around the web. You can browse by categories. There are 11 categories to select from and these are on the left hand side bar. I will give Google this, the page is very easy to navigate because it is so simple.

Against the top posts is the number of blogs carrying that story and over what time period. Each story on the front page has a little snippet and then 3 links to blogs carrying that story.

So I like the fact that Google Blogsearch has received an update but I have to say I am underwhelmed. I feel Google could have done so much more.

Pets Have a Social NetworkOctober 2

Zootoo is a pet social network. Ok it is not actually a social network for your pet but a social network for you and other pet lovers. You can add a profile of your pet which is kind of fun. I am sure my goldfish really want to be on a social network.

This site has some cool features such as being able to easily find pet services in your area. You can also find great pet products which can be rated by the community. It is also active in good causes such as animal shelter makeovers.

The site also has what you would expect in a social network such as making friends, joining groups and so forth.

There is an answers section where you can find great answers to your pressing pet questions. You can also answer questions and you could find yourself becoming a resident pet expert.

Zootoo is nicely implemented and quite a lot of fun for you and your pet. Well worth a try.

Another New Page at FacebookOctober 1

Have you seen the new login page at Facebook yet. I am not sure that they have rolled it out completely yet but I happened to see it yesterday. It should be off no surprise that Facebook are revamping this page as well now that the new profile layout has been rolled out to everyone.

As you can see it looks a little different from what we used to see but at the end of the day it is still mainly a page to login from so it really is not anything too get to excited about. I wonder if we will see a “petition against the new login page” group started.

I am interested in hearing if you have seen this page yet.

Hotmail Gets a BoostSeptember 30

I believe some people still use Hotmail so if you are one of those then watch out, Microsoft are rolling out an update. What Microsoft has updated with Windows Live Hotmail is the layout, the speed and the storage limit. In terms of speed it is faster (not slower) in case you were wondering and the storage limit is now 5GB and grows.

Not everyone is happy though. Some users are already complaining about the new layout but hey I am sure they will get used to it. Either that or go over to Gmail. I really do not see the problem with the new layout which gives the impression of being more minimalist and spacious. What is wrong with that?

I actually think Microsoft have down a good job, albeit they could have done it a long time ago. Anyway if you have not seen the update yet it is coming your way very soon.

Save PandoraSeptember 28

Pandora is in need of a minor miracle. The popular music site is in need of legislation to save it. The music industry wants to hit it with crippling fees, fees that Pandora will not be able to sustain.

So Pandora has been fighting ever since the music industry announced their intentions. The last real hope for Pandora rests on a bill called “The Webcaster Settlement Act”. Hopefully a decision on this bill will be reached in the next few hours.

It is such a shame that the music industry are bringing online music sites such as Pandora to their knees. The music industry has to be one of the most disliked industries around. Time and again they display utter greed and no considerations for the consumer or actually how they can work with the Internet for the better. Instead they try to bring everything online crashing down.

We all watch this space with interest. Fingers crossed for a positive decision in Pandoras favour.