Netscape Browser Development to be halted
The Netscape browser was launched way back in 1994 and was for many years the leader in the web browser wars, but since being overtaken by Microsoft’s Internet Explorer and then acquired by AOL in 1999 Netscape Navigator has slowly disappeared off the browser charts.
The latest browser usage statistics show that the once dominant Netscape now navigates less that 1% of internet traffic. Internet Explorer commands over 75% of internet traffic while the relative newcomer and Netscape Navigator’s spiritual successor Firefox has captured 16 percent of the internet browsing pie. Come February 2008 all support for Netscape Navigator will be halted.
Feed Validator for Syndicated RSS and Atom Feeds
Feedvalidator.org is a website hosting a feed validator for syndicated RSS and Atom feeds. Recently there were some problems with the Caribwebdev.com RSS feed and this feed validator helped to diagnose the problem which turned out to be a outdated plug-in for the website.
The feed validator is written in the Python programming language, is open source and can be run from any web server that meets the requirements. Visit feedvalidator.org to diagnose and fix problems with any RSS or atom feed.
Live Search Box - Add search to your website or blog
Microsoft is current number three in the search engine race behind Google and Yahoo, but they recently re-branded their search offering to Live Search and even more recently updated their Live Search Engine. Like Yahoo Search Builder, Live search provides a customizable search box that can be used on any web page or blog that searches within a website or the entire web using the Live Search Engine.
The Live Search Box comes in two formats the basic search box or the advanced search box. The basic search box allows for the searching of a specific website or the entire web by copying and pasting a pre formatted code unto a web page and editing the relevant section with the language code that your website is displayed in. The advanced search box offers more options and allows for the searching a specific websites and the customization of the look and feel of the search box produced.
Advanced Live Search Box Steps
- Choose get started under the advanced search box from the live search menu.
- Type in a display name for the search box being produced; enter the url of the websites or websites to be searched.
- Check or uncheck whether or not a search macro should be used or created for the search bar then click next.
- Customize the size, language and colour of the Live search bar, then click next.
- Finally copy and paste the code generated to the section of a webpage you would like the search bar displayed.
Graphical Representation of Steps
Firefox 3 Beta 2 Released
The second beta release of the Mozilla Foundation’s Firefox 3 web browser is available with a slew of new features, updates and fixes. Many bugs have been worked out since the Firefox Beta 1 release but please note that release is only for testing purposes and there may be many bugs that have yet to be worked out. Download and evaluate the latest beta version of the popular open source browser in your native language at the Firefox website and be sure to read the official beta 2 release notes.
Release Notes Excerpt
These beta releases are targeted to Web developers and our testing community to gain feedback before advancing to the next stage in the release process. The final version of Firefox 3 will be released when we qualify the product as fully ready for our users. Users of the latest released version of Firefox should not expect their add-ons to work properly with this beta.
Every Webmaster should be using Stumbleupon
Stumbleupon is a very popular, award winning, web 2.0 social site that at the time of writing post had over 4 million users world wide. The free service allows web surfers to discover new and interesting websites while recommending sites they have found to be interesting and useful. All users need to do is register and download a free, easy to install toolbar and they can stumbleupon new discoveries while recommending web destinations for their contacts and friends.
The Stumbleupon Toolbar
The stumbleupon toolbar is what makes the service so accessible easy to use. The toolbar is compatible with the two most popular web browsers, Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox. While browsing just click the thumbs up icon for a website you like or would like to recommend or click the thumbs down button for a sites you dislike or would not like to recommend. Clicking the general stumbleupon icon would allow you to view a site that fits the interests you entered when registering for the website. An online demo available on the stumbleupon website does well to explain many of the features of the toolbar.
Stumbleupon toolbar with text labels turned off in Mozilla Firefox
Remember to Socialize
To get the best out of stumbleupon you will need to be a participating member of the stumbling community. Fortunately this is not a difficult process as just adding a free existing stumbles to your friends list while and also recommending stumbleupon to you friends does well to build up your stumbling reputation and authority. Actively stumbling or marking websites you like or dislike regularly is quick and easy and pretty soon you friend list will grow automatically.
Why is Stumbleupon Useful?
Apart from being free, easy to use and fun, stumbleupon can be a very important traffic generating tool for web developers. Unlike other social sites like Digg which may be biased to certain topics and offers dismal traffic unless you hit the frontpage, SU is a tool that fits any kind of website covering almost any topic as SU users have already decided what their interests are from their profiles. The web developer’s work should then be spent ensuring that their web pages are “sticky” when stumbled upon so that visitors who discover their pages will return. So if possible be sure to install and use stumbleupon tools and buttons on your webpage, participate the SU community and do your best to trap as much as the traffic send to your website through the Stumbleupon.
Monetizing websites are now a lot easier
The internet has grown into a place with a wealth of information which is easily accepted from anywhere because it has no boundaries and no qualifications are necessary. With that said there are millions of websites providing a wealth of information and entertainment. Website owners however most times need to earn from their pages especially pages which are not just corporate or business placeholders.
Varied Monetization Strategies
Some websites are designed from the ground up with earning as its primary aim. Websites such as online stores, affiliate sites and auction sites need only focus on improving their product or service to improve earnings, but what about websites which have earnings as a secondary objective or sites who are not selling anything specifically but need to stay viable and support themselves financially or return profits for the owner? Free sites such as online portals, blogs, social networking, gaming and entertainment websites might fall into this category.
Luckily, now more than ever, there many monetization options for website owners. Banner advertising, contextual advertising, affiliate programs, page sponsorships, widgets, membership programs, sponsored presentations, direct ad sales, polls and surveys cover the majority of options available to a website owner wanting to earn from his or her websites(s). In future posts we will be testing and evaluation the performance of various advertising options and by posting our reviews we hope our readers can understand the myriad of advertising options available and see which ones are useful to them.
