DragonStyle

Setting trends

This is a really fun feature- I have been using search history (not on purpose, just sort of accidentally), so I have some data for them to use. The suggested that I should also search for rss channel.

Posted by Yu Chen, Software Engineer

As part of the personalization team, I'm pretty addicted to looking at my search history for interesting patterns. So I decided to go a step further and write a script to pull together some stats about how I was searching. We thought other people might like to see this sort of thing too, so today we launched a Trends feature that gives you a look at a list of your top searches and clicks and other info about your search activity.

To use it, you have to turn on Personalized Search and be signed in to your Google Account while you search. (If you don't have a Google Account, it's easy to create one for free.) Just click the "Trends" link on your Search History page, or go directly to your Trends.

Setting trends
Originally Posted on 12/21/2005 1:22 AM
by A Googler
Official Google Blog

improved search experience on live.com

Live.com's new search feature has been updated to address a glaring issue- the broken back button behavior.  Now, I think I can actually give it a try!

We just released some significant (and needed J ) updates to the live.com search experience. This includes fixes for some of the top user complaints, so we hope that you'll enjoy these. Some of the highlights include:

Improved UI

Search results now span the full page
Improved UI for search tabs aka filters

Browser back behavior (we're really excited about this one in particular :) )

Click on a search result, filters, pages and click the browser back to go back to your previous search results/state

Permalinks
Improved add to page experience, with control over number of results and tabs

improved search experience on live.com
Originally Posted on 12/20/2005 10:53 PM
live.com blog

Google Zeitgeist 2005

Google's 2005 year end Zeitgeist is now available- but actually nothing very interesting in it...

Link to Google Press Center: Zeitgeist

Tom Biro wonders when RSS is really gonna get simple?

Although it's true that managing hundreds of feeds gets to be a pain, for many users, several icons at the bottom of a page just don't represent something easy or understandable. The real challenge for RSS is whether the mainstream users will ever really get the value of subscriptions, and in particular, whether that value will be extremely simple for users to take advantage of (and sure, some of the value comes from having lots of feeds, but for mainstream users my bet is that this will be less of an issue).

Tom Biro saw that we were getting together with the Firefox team to make the icon common, but is wondering when we’ll get together and make subscribing to a feed very simple.

Well, that’s the $64,000 question, isn’t it? Anyway, the IE team is doing a lot of work on user testing trying to get this as simple as absolutely possible.

I’m actually a lot more worried about other things rather than can an average user figure out what subscribing is for. I have no doubt they’ll figure it out. After all, the home page of the BBC now has two RSS icons. Even the EUFA told me they were seeing plenty of usage of its RSS feeds.

Tom Biro wonders when RSS is really gonna get simple?
Originally Posted on 12/18/2005 4:56 PM
by scobleizer
Scobleizer - Microsoft Geek Blogger

YouTube - SNL - The Chronic of Narnia Rap

The folks at The Lonely Island ended up becoming writer and actors for SNL. It looks like their first video is out, it is hilarious!

Link to YouTube - SNL - The Chronic of Narnia Rap

Update on the feed icon

IE has settled on an icon to represent a feed that is available for the current page, and it looks like they've made an excellent choice.

I recently posted about the search for an icon to represent feeds in IE7. We’ve found one. It’s orange. Check it out.

- Jane

Update on the feed icon
Originally Posted on 12/14/2005 2:17 PM
by ieblog
IEBlog

Windows Live Favorites Sidebar

The rollout of Windows Live services and applications continues. This remedies the most substantial problem with the online version of favorites included as a part of Windows Live.  I wish they'd do more with the shared favorites, though. I spose that's coming soon.... The below is an excerpt from the MSN add-ins page.

With Windows Live Favorites for MSN Search Toolbar (Beta) you'll be able to access your favorites from any PC, add new sites easily, find your favorites quickly, and manage them even when you are away from your home PC.

What you can do with it:    

• Easily import your current favorites from Internet Explorer and MSN Explorer to Windows Live Favorites and use them right away
• Find favorites quickly based on name, address, or keyword - so finding what you've already discovered on the Web is simple 
• Add new sites to your Windows Live Favorites with a single click, and access them from anywhere
• Collect and save new links even when you're away from your home computer

 

Windows Live Local launches: 45-degree view not especially useful

A more harsh review of Live Local.  I agree with the assessment that the tiling isn't great, and I find the whole rotation thing very disorienting, but I think its a bit much to write off the birds-eye view as a gimmick. 

All in all, Windows Live Local does add some nice features (and even works in Firefox, albeit slowly), but Microsoft's big selling point, the 45-degree bird's eye view, though fun to play and surf landmarks with, is little more than a gimmick.
 

 

Windows Live Local launches: 45-degree view not especially useful
Originally Posted on 12/8/2005 4:45 PM
by Jordan Running
Download Squad

Windows Live Local

Windows Live Local is absolutely jaw dropping. I just spent a few minutes touring around, and the bird's eye views are absolutely incredible.  Boston and the surrounding area have great coverage- both my home and office have incredibly high resolution bird's eyes for them. Some of the more off the beaten path places still don't have the bird's eyes, but that is to be expected. For example, check out my old hood in Boston.

In addition to the visual candy, there are a host of small things- driving directions that can be customized and printed nicely, pushpins and more. 

Wow.

Link to Windows Live Local

Adobe-Macromedia acquisition official tomorrow

Congratulations to everyone at Macromedia!!!

Adobe has posted a press release announcing that their acquisition of Macromedia is expected to close tomorrow, December 3. That means they'll have passed all "regulatory clearances," and as part of the $3.8 biliion deal Macromedia stockholders will get 1.38 Adobe shares for each of their MACR shares. What this means for the Macromedia product lines is still uncertain. Are there any Macromedia (or Adobe) bloggers out there talking about this?

[Via Digg; image stolen from David Robinson at FlashInsider]
 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Ads by Google

Adobe-Macromedia acquisition official tomorrow
Originally Posted on 12/2/2005 2:05 PM
by Jordan Running
Download Squad