IE8 features Me.dium’s Social Search

August 29th, 2008 by Charles S. Knight
Posted in News | No Comments »

Me.dium, a social software company, today announced that its Social Search service , the first crowd-powered search engine, will be integrated into Microsoft’s new Windows IE8 Beta 2.   Me.dium joins EBay, Facebook, and Yahoo as featured partners for IE8’s Beta 2 launch today. Microsoft has chosen Me.dium as a launch partner because of the unique value it provides to search, and Medium’s ability to help IE8 take the web experience “beyond the page.”

Me.dium’s Social Search has a unique ability to harness the activity of the crowds to let users find information that has relevance based on what people are actually looking at right now. This enhances Microsoft’s IE8 promises to deliver the best browser for what people do every day, making that experience faster, easier and safer than ever. Searching is the most commonly performed task on the web. By featuring Me.dium’s innovative search experience, IE8 now provides the user with an entirely new level of crowd-powered information on top of traditional search, and helps users to keep up with what’s hot, and see recommendations ranked by what people are actually looking at; reflecting the changing interests of the online community.

“Because Me.dium’s Social Search results are ranked by what people are actually looking at in the moment, we’re able to surface news, reviews, pictures and videos that are hot right now. And as the zeitgeist of the online community changes, so do the search results,” said Kimball Musk, CEO of Me.dium. “IE8 provides the perfect platform to keep up with what’s hot using the Me.dium IE8 search service. Type a term into IE8’s Search box, and Me.dium returns a list of results showing the hottest pages online right now relevant to your query. Me.dium also provides visual indicators next to each search result, letting you know if the page is increasing or decreasing in hotness, and how long people tend to spend on each page, keeping you in the know, without you having to leave your browser.”

In addition to adding social ranking to IE8’s Search offerings, Me.dium’s integration with IE8 includes the Me.dium What’s Hot Webslice and the Me.dium Discovery Accelerator, weaving crowd-powered relevance throughout the user’s experience. Also, along with the aforementioned features, the Me.dium Social Toolbar will continue to be a featured recommendation on Microsoft’s new IE Add-Ons website (www.ieaddons.com):

The Me.dium What’s Hot Webslice, first demoed at MIX08, allows users to keep up with what’s hot, right within their IE8 browser. The WebSlice updates frequently with hot website recommendations influenced by the surfing behavior of Me.dium’s users. Editors at Me.dium add their own personal touch to publish this guide to the hottest pages online right now.

The Me.dium Discovery Accelerator takes the user “beyond the page” to discover new content. The user highlights a keyword on any webpage and, with a simple right-click of the mouse, opens up the Me.dium Discovery Accelerator – a small window packed full of socially-driven content recommendations related to the highlighted term. From there, the user can click on a link in the window and be taken to a new, related web page.

The Me.dium Social Toolbar Add-on shows off IE’s extensibility. Enabling users to surf the web with friends, “follow” each other to discover new content, and chat about what they are seeing in real-time; the Social Toolbar also features deep Facebook integration, so users can send messages and share content with their Facebook friends as they surf the web. Additionally, the Social Toolbar offers users content recommendations related to the pages they are currently browsing.

Me.dium Social Search – Visual Search: Find the hottest news, reviews, pictures and videos. Simply install Me.dium’s Visual Search service, then type a term into IE8’s Search box – Me.dium will display a list of results showing the hottest pages online right now relevant to your query.

Me.dium also provides visual indicators next to each search result, letting you know if the page is increasing or decreasing in hotness, and how long people tend to spend on each page.
Me.dium launched its alpha version of Social Search in partnership with BOSS (Build Your Own Search Engine) a new web service platform offered by Yahoo!. Me.dium’s Social Search provides highly differentiated results from traditional search engines. While other search engines base relevance on how content links across pages, Me.dium’s Social Search shows you the most popular news, reviews, pictures and videos that other people are actually looking at in relation to your search term.

You will want this Mobile Search white paper!

August 29th, 2008 by Peggy Salz
Posted in Guest Authors, Verticals | 1 Comment »

By Peggy Salz

Mobile Marketing Association Releases Mobile Search White Paper;

Outlines Opportunities, Challenges & Potential Pay-Off For Paid Search

Hot off the presses, I see the Mobile Marketing Association has released a white paper on mobile search, developed by the MMA’s Mobile Search Task Force, chaired by AOL and JumpTap, and in collaboration with other MMA members including Microsoft, Nielsen Mobile, Qualcomm and Yahoo.

The valuable primer walks us through the opportunities and challenges for mobile operators, marketers and portals/publishers. The document takes a balanced view, reminding mobile operators that they are “ideally positioned to provide their customers with search tools” and outlining the options they can chose from to offer mobile search services. However, I miss a discussion of the pivotal importance of brand (for mobile operators) and reasons why mobile operators should employ all mobile search tools/services at their disposal – as long as they brand the most valuable piece of real estate:

The mobile search results page. (I believe this control is a critical component of an effective mobile search strategy, a topic I address in my analysis of what’s really at stake in the Verizon-Google deal in another post later today.)

Read the rest of Peggy’s post HERE - and download the Mobile Search white paper!

Gridwell search engine with those little favicons

August 29th, 2008 by Charles S. Knight
Posted in News | No Comments »


Gridwell is a search engine designed to provide an easier interface for people to use.

The gridwell search engine does this by:

  • using a site icon (favicon.ico) against the search results
  • displaying more search results per page
  • allow navigation between search results with less mouse movement
  • simplifying the displayed search results
  • accessing search gridwell directly from the browser

If a website domain uses an icon (called favicon.ico), then this icon is displayed next to the search results, to help identify useful sites. Websites that use this icon can be found by looking next to the website URL in the browser toolbar. For example looking at the URL in browser toolbar for this page you can see a small icon favicon to the left of the URL, this icon is the one used against the search results.

The search box is on the right of the page as opposed to the top of the page. This allows more results to be displayed on a page at a given time without the need to scroll through the results, so you can get to the relevant search results quicker. You can navigate through the results without having to move the mouse, so you can get to the relevant search result quicker.

The most useful information is returned in the search results which are

  • title of web link
  • description of web link
  • name of website that link is from
  • icon if available from website that link is from

The search can be performed directly from your browser, rather than typing http://search.gridwell.com into the browser first then typing in the search.

Microsoft To Acquire Ciao For $486 Million

August 29th, 2008 by Charles S. Knight
Posted in Majors, News | No Comments »

Or, “If you can’t beat’em, buy’em!”

An excerpt from today’s InformationWeek:

Ciao’s Web sites let users search for and buy a wide range of tech products while comparing prices from numerous online retailers. It operates sites in seven major European countries and languages. Ciao also recently launched Ciao.com, a beta site aimed at the U.S. market.

Ciao users can rate products, provide feedback and create lists of their favorite gadgets and appliances. Microsoft officials said the sites would be integrated into its Live Search portal in Europe, where Ciao is most popular.

Searching for news on China? China Knowledge

August 29th, 2008 by Charles S. Knight
Posted in Global | No Comments »

From their website:

Our Business
China Knowledge is in the business of providing business solutions and products on China. Within the Group, we have publishing, newswires, research, online and a wide range of consulting services offer to foreign businesses seeking opportunities in China. Our products and services also serves domestic clients which include governments, ministries, state-owned and private enterprises seeking to market to the global markets.

Our business model is unique and powerful as it seeks to fulfill the most basic informational needs to complex execution services.

Publishing
One of the important differentiating strengths of our publishing business is our nimbleness in adapting to changing market trends in order to meet the needs of our clients. Having been the pioneer and first to offer contents in numerous industries and sectors ahead of our competitors, we have gained valuable reputation with our clients worldwide.

Professional Publishing
China Knowledge Press is a leading provider of high-quality and in-depth contents to professional, investors, bankers and academia worldwide. We constantly research the markets to understand the needs of our clients. As a pioneer in publishing some of trendsetter guidebooks have earned us the reputation of being the first in numerous industries and sectors. Since its inception into China Knowledge group, the products have reached out to more than 52 countries across 5 continents.

Customize Publishing
The high quality and contents that spot on the latest industries trends has enable our products to capture the attention of many foreign financial institutions and 5-stars hotels that target businesses in China. Our early product customized to our clients has increasingly becoming popular as corporate gifts and even display in thousand of rooms in these hotels.
Leveraging our global distribution and our brand name, many local governments and ministries are collaborating with our regional offices in publishing local contents. Our value added services extend beyond other international publishers is our ability to make transactions happened.

Financial Publishing
China financial weeklies are now becoming the regular source of up-to-date financial research intelligence to make crucial investment decisions in growing financial markets in China. Most notably, the stock markets of Shanghai Stock Exchange and Shenzhen Stock Exchange. The growing important of Chinese companies in Hong Kong Stock Exchange also provides this division to expand the research titles. We are also looking to expand the coverage on China-based companies that are listed in other stock exchanges include Taiwan, Singapore, New York, Nasdaq and London.

Market Research
Our research reports pioneer in publishing some of the world’s first industry intelligence. We seek to deliver in-depth and objective information, and offer services to global businesses seeking opportunities in China, and pride ourselves on maintaining the highest standards of quality and integrity in our research and consulting service.

Today, our research capability covers more than 40 industries across China. Our teams of research analysts based in numerous Chinese cities are highly qualified and excel in providing highest quality business intelligence that is business practical. The analysts are often engaged in collaborative consulting relationships with our clients to make executable strategies in meeting business and financial objectives.

Many renowned investment banks, government bodies, private equity investors have used our research in their huge investments. The contents are also available in Thomson Corporation, Bloomberg, Reuters and many other online resellers.

Newswires
China Knowledge Newswires is a premium brand on quality, in-depth and timely news covering China. Our newswires is featured on a variety of platforms and reaches an extensive audience on print, radio, TV and internet. The global content providers and news aggregators have been relying our news either to enhance their content and extend their sources. Alibaba, the world’s largest B2B portal, has been relying solely on our news on China.

Over the years, the world’s largest media groups, news provider and research vendors uses our newswires to add to their product lines. For example, China Knowledge’s newswires is resold in Dow Jones & Company’s Factiva, Lexis Nexis, Thomson Corporation’s Dialog, ThomsonOne, Euromoney’s ISI and many other similar businesses are negotiating for our newswires.

The in-depth comments & analyses are sought after by major newspapers worldwide. Each day, these stories are published to reach to audience who demand quality stories.

Many English televisions also rely on our newswires in preparing their daily news stories. Our analysts and writers have frequently appeared in these programs.

Online Portal
China Knowledge Online is the only internet service concept that strings products and solutions that assist foreign businesses seeking and doing business in China. Subscribers can access the complete usage of newswires, databank, financial information, marketing services and many other business databases.

With subscribers globally, the online portal is becoming a recognized resource on ‘Everything Business on China’.  The online platform allows China Knowledge to carry out marketing of its guidebooks, research reports and its wide range of services.

The new portal was launched in November 2007 with the concepts from some of the world’s most successful internet business. The concept combined the newest trends and development that based on: ‘search ability’, ‘simplicity’ and ‘connectivity’.

Over the next 12 – 18 months, there will be more video-streaming adding on to the portal to enhance the visual-audio impact.  Major 5 stars hotels in China have used the access to offer their guests to boost their hospitality service.

Consulting
China Knowledge Consulting has been the most dynamic and complete in terms of consulting services to foreign companies seeking business opportunities in China. On the outward, we offer the most complete services to local Chinese government departments and companies in pitching their services to overseas businesses.

We have become a trusted name in executing complex tasks required by our clients in many parts of China leveraging on our extensive operations. We have unparallel depth of both functional and industry expertise as well as breath of geographical reaches in China. Over the years, our consulting has evolved into one that adds tremendous values in areas of financial advisory services capable of executing mid to large size transactions.

At heart, we are a big family who are passionate about taking immense challenges that create values and trusted relationship with our clients.

Corporate Advisory
Our goal is to help our clients to move into China in shortest time and the most effective and optimum mode. The division’s strength has always been: “Local Knowledge + Local Contacts” strengthened with industries expertise.  Very often, the quality service has extended the opportunities with our clients in most of the assignments we undertake.

Financial Advisory
One of our key competitive edges is the financial expertise which has been the core of our consultants. Most are qualified with relevant knowledge and experience.

The financial advisory team has been actively servicing major foreign private equity investors, venture capitalists and asset management companies.

Media Planning

The Media Planning division exists to help companies and governments to run multi-tiered, multi-national, integrated media programs that are focused, cost-efficient and most importantly – deliver results.

Our expertise and industry knowledge in China media industries and our global network of media partners and owners make us incredibly suited to execute strategic and effective media plans. We have helped local governments in different provincial cities in China to achieve the maximum and effective results with professional advisory services.

Recruitment

The development of recruiting high profile and effective executives for our clients becomes an important component of our supply chain of consulting services. We acknowledge the key factor in driving an acquired company to success depends almost entirely on key managers. With our knowledge in the supply of industry experts, our recruitment service can ensure our selected candidates not only perform beyond our clients’ expectations but equipped with the right leadership to make each acquisition successful on a mid to longer term basis.

When we are assigned to scout out the most suitable candidate for leading and managing businesses in China, and we have an edge over, even the most specialized headhunters and competitors, in knowing our clients most intimately and thoroughly.

TV Media

Our television documentary production began with corporate sponsorship. Being an independent production house allows us to feature the programs in many business channels which are every rigid in broadcasting external produced programs by competing televisions.

Beyond the traditional televisions and cable TVs, our programs are now brought into the in-flight entertainment screens. Through some major specialize distributors, our programs had been screened in major international airlines.

Going forward is to convert China Knowledge’s contents derived from in-depth research onto the screen.  Our continue success will rely on strength of combining our print and online products to enhance marketing value for our sponsors and advertisers.

Translation Services

Every assignment is taken with the highest quality and professional services. It has moved up the ladder of managing larger marketing communication role. Works for Capitaland, Patek Philip, high level government officials and even Ministers’ speeches are evident of our standards. More complex work on legal, scientific, medical, technical and financial materials are now becoming our 24/7 operation.   The effective communication result of each work is the guiding principle of this division.

The Future
In the course of China Knowledge’s history, the firm has developed 5 underlying strength that serve us well today and will, we trust, do so in the future:

(1) Our ability to execute complex transactions makes us the natural choice. No one single competitor has come close to our expertise, depth of knowledge, network of operations and contacts.

(2) Local knowledge has been our core competency supports by extensive network of operations across China.

(3) Learning and sharing the Chinese government development plans and blueprints thoroughly, and throughout the organization ensures our direction align with the central government.

(4) Win-win strategy approach is our firm belief that the long term business depends on this.

(5) Serving our clients with professional attitude is our must have in every assignment we undertake from client be it government or private enterprise. We do not discriminate the size of assignments.