Top Search Terms in India for Internet

Crucial Data for internet marketers and SEO's ( India)

Latest data from Google Zeigeist shows that in Search queries, Indian internet surfers clearly show what they do mostly on the web - its emails!

No suprise that out of the top 10 keyword searches on Google in India, 8 searches are for email or for search engine names.

Google seems to have understood the trends with Indian perspective long back when the introduction of ads in Gmail came in to picture.

Rising Searches: Latest Trends in India

Among the rising searches, surprisingly Microsoft Windows 7 is the rising search word on Google in the last 30 days with a whooping 120% rise.

Infosys makes a 40% rise and scores a 4th position while rediff money is 3rd with the same percentage rise.

Conclusion:

All the future online marketing decisions should be conceptualized using Google ( search for content tool) and email marketing campaigns to the best of results, specially for India and the online internet user community.

Serious Security flaw in Microsoft IE 7

So far Firefox (FF) is considered as a secure browser, here is one more feather in the cap of FF.

As per wikipedia, here is a market share comparison among web browsers -

Internet Explorer: 70.72%
Firefox: 20.27%
Safari: 6.77%
Chrome: 0.78%
Opera: 0.73%
Netscape: 0.48%
Other: 0.24%

Adding to the security woes, CNN reports a serious vulnerability in Microsoft IE.

Here is the news:

NEW YORK -(Dow Jones)- Users of Microsoft Corp.'s (MSFT) Internet Explorer Web browser could be open to attacks from criminals hoping to glean passwords and financial information as the software giant works to fix a security flaw.

"Microsoft is continuing its investigation of public reports of attacks against a new vulnerability in Internet Explorer," said the company in a release on its Web site.

The attack on Internet Explorer differs from many in the past that were successful only when users downloaded attachments that could exploit security cracks in the browser. In this case, victims' computers could be taken over simply by going to an infected Web site.

"This type of attack has been happening for a while, what's new is the unpatched IE tips off and draws attention that this sort of attack is working," said Cross Research analyst Richard Williams. "Ordinarily, by the time the news hits, the flaw has been fixed."

Microsoft said it is only aware of attacks on the Windows Internet Explorer 7 version of the browser, though all versions of the world's most popular program for surfing the Web are potentially vulnerable.

------------

Microsoft released an urgent security update today for Internet Explorer on all currently supported versions of Windows.

How to get the updates
If you are using Windows Vista you can manage your updates through the control panel. For more information, see Windows Vista: How to update your operating system.

To manually download available updates, go to Microsoft Update or in Windows Vista go to your control panel. After your computer has been scanned to see which updates it needs, click the Custom button to find and choose the update you want to install. We recommend you install all High-Priority Security and Critical updates immediately.

Microsoft Update is a new service that brings you all the features and benefits of Windows Update plus downloads for other Microsoft applications including Office.

As per the official site, there are much benefits to use Microsoft Update plus downloads,

Benefits :

Improve your computer’s health and security.
Regularly update your computer with the latest software from Microsoft to boost the security and reliability of your Windows PC.

Easy and flexible.
Microsoft Update is easy to set up and use. Download and install updates automatically, or customize the choices that are right for you.

New features, better performance.
Every month, Microsoft releases new drivers and software that increase the performance and functionality of your Windows-based computer. Get enhancements as soon as they are available using Microsoft Update.

The below URL can help you find your appropriate service packs and updates from Microsoft :

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms08-078.mspx

Web 2.0 , Interactive websites and U

Web2.0 , Intelligent web , Interactive web ?
What you should know about web2.0 is what is it all about and what benefit will you get if you adhere to the web2.0 standards and technologies for your website.

According to wikipedia, the definition is

Web 2.0 is a term describing the trend in the use of World Wide Web technology and web design that aims to enhance creativity, information sharing, and, most notably, collaboration among users. These concepts have led to the development and evolution of web-based communities and hosted services, such as social-networking sites, wikis, blogs, and folksonomies.

The term Web 2.0 is coined during the first O'Reilly Media Web 2.0 conference in 2004 which suggests that web2.0 does not refer to any specifications in technical terms. It does show some new ways to use the webs to those who use it ( web and software developers and engineers) along with the end user ( all net surfers).

In terms of user experience and business web2.0 is a creative and effective tool for those who are website owners by providing the interactive solutions and instant data as per customer preferences ( example : AJAX Search, where some part of the page changes and not all, so time is saved in loading the page, improving the user-experience)

For the end user, better inter-action and chance to participate in the process of web knowledge sharing + customizing ( tagging and community participations) is amazingly familiar experience rather than dry and static sites which act as a poster or a booklet online.

Technically Speaking O'Reilly categorized the websites as four levels in the hierarchy of Web 2.0-ness:

Level-0 applications (working offline as online). Examples MapQuest, Yahoo! Local, Google Maps etc.

Level-1 applications operate offline but gain features online. Examples Google Docs & Spreadsheets etc.

Level-2 applications can operate offline but gain advantages from going online. Example Flickr ( a photo sharing community generated database)

Level-3 applications, the most "Web 2.0"-oriented, only exist on the Internet, Examples eBay, Craigslist, Wikipedia, del.icio.us, Skype, dodgeball, and AdSense etc.

Internet 50% slower -- Cable Failure

Internet users in India struggled with slow surfing speeds on account of the breakdown of two undersea cables in the Mediterranean -- (Sify News)

Bogged down by slower-than-usual Internet speeds for the last couple of days? Brace yourself for a couple more such days... (Techtree)

Extensive damage to two undersea cables has thrown Internet activity across large parts of India, Asia and the Middle East, out of gear. (Rediff News)

Internet users in India struggled with slow surfing speeds and companies tapped redundancy systems to overcome a disruption to international. ( Times of India)

Two undersea telecommunication cables were cut on Tuesday evening, knocking out Internet access to much of Egypt (NewYork Times)

India's digital pathway has shrunk by half because of a Mediterranean undersea cable snag, affecting Internet services and businesses with clients (Calcutta Telegraph, India)

nternet outages disrupted business and personal usage across a wide swath of the Middle East on Wednesday (Seattle Times, United States)

Blu - Ray site Hacked!!

Competition and use of black hat techniques by someone (nothing proved yet so no blame game) but the fact is Blu-Ray website was hacked and it was re-directing to HD DVD site.

Tech2 news suggests:
The war between Blu-Ray and HD DVD has been carrying on in full swing this entire year. There have been a lot of charges traded and numbers proclaimed, about who is winning the format war. Carrying the war to the next level, an HD DVD enthusiast hacked the Blu-Ray website and re-directed it to the HD DVD website.

Web 2.0 Indian Social Media Networking Updates

Top Social Networking sites with Indian presence:
1. MySpace (US)
2. Orkut ( Mostly in India and Brazil)
3. Facebook (US)
4. Linkedin (Professional Networking)
5. Friendster (US)
6. BigADDA (India)
7. Rediff Connexions
The growing Web2.0 boom and the social media enthusiasts have a lot to tell.Here is a news from Businessweek, which shows why India is at the top of social media marketing and where is the web going next....

For the past year, global networking sites have been growing in popularity among young Indians. According to JuxtConsult, a New Delhi-based online research and advisory company, 44% of Indian online traffic uses the Internet just for social networking. Google's (GOOG) Orkut is the most popular social networking site in India, with a 64% market share. Facebook is also winning many Indian fans, especially students.
India is as hooked on social networking as any other country. Part of the reason is easier broadband connectivity. A 2007 report by the software industry association group Nasscom estimates broadband subscribers—currently 1 million—will hit 20 million in three years. By 2010, the total number of Internet users in India will grow to 100 million, from 40 million now. This will surely enhance virtual hangout plays like the social networking sites.

Read the full story here at Businessweek.

What is TED?

TED

Ted is an organization, that organizes, a forum every year in California, where scientists, intellectuals, artists, some politicians, techies, let the world know their innovative ideas and amaze the world. As the caption says: "Inspired talks by the world's greatest thinkers and doers"
http://www.ted.com

Every talk is awe inspiring and phenomenal.

Latest Talks on...

1. Larry Brilliant makes the case for optimism
2. Juan Enriquez wants to grow energy
3. David Keith's surprising ideas

I’m going to be all over this. Anyway check it out; if you’re anything like me this will inspire you.

One more Indian Government site Hacked by an anti-US

Another Hacking activity detected on one of the Government site, causing the hosting providers and the webmasters to re-think on the security issues.

New Delhi: The Goa government was in for an online shock on Saturday when its Information and Publicity Department’s website was hacked allegedly by a Turkish group that posted anti-America slogans on it.The website, which was designed to display information on the details of Goa administration and related information and government schemes was flooded with graphic images of executions and arms seizure.State Information Secretary in-charge J P Singh was quoted as saying by PTI that the matter was a serious one and will be looked into.According to Government watchdog CERTIN, close to 3,000 Indian websites have been hacked this year, 140 in October alone. In September, Google mail accounts of key government officials were tampered with and earlier, passwords and login names of the National Defence Academy and key Indian embassies were splashed by a hacker on this website. Goa police say the alleged hacker Huseyingazi has cross-linked the website to www.turkmilliyetcileri.net which flashes anti-America slogans, police said. One of the comments reads, "United States of America which is feeding on and strengthening behind close doors the universal terrorists is the greatest terrorist country."

Full Story here

Search Now Extends from the search box

Taking a step further is measuring the search behaviour and user interest analysis, ComScore is now set to consider more than the text box and a search button. Search Engines ( Google, Yahoo, MSN ) are just a part of the overall search a person do on the internet.

According to Beta news,

ComScore is changing the way it records market share of search engine to reflect the changing ways consumers are interacting with sites.

The company had previously been counting the number of search queries to determine a search share. However, the company is now changing those methods so it can add figures from other types of search engines -- like those used on auction sites and retailers -- as well as sites like Wikipedia.

Google + Airtel for Broadband in India

Google Enters the Mobile and Broadband Space in India with Airtel

A news from CIOL suggests,

Bharti Airtel Broadband & Telephone Services (B&TS) and Google entered into a strategic alliance to work together in bringing web-based services to Airtel's broadband internet customers. As part of the agreement, Airtel will offer its broadband customers a world-class portal including Google Search for web-based queries, Google Gmail with 2 GB storage, Google Talk instant messaging/ chatting service, Google Docs and Spreadsheets so users can share and collaborate in real-time, and other services like Desktop & Internet Security Services (consisting of Anti-virus, Anti-spyware, Firewall & Parental Control); Web SMS, On-demand gaming service and music download service, etc.

Mobile advertising is next hot thing to happen in India!!
Be better equipped..

New Domain Name Extensions Coming by 2008

How many domain extensions do you know about ?
Most Popular are the Top level domains or TLDs . They are .com /.net/org etc. In all there are more than 200 TLDs,including the two letter extensions like .in used for country specific websites . Here .in stands for India.

ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) is responsible for the global coordination of the Internet's system of unique identifiers. These include domain names (like .org, .museum and country codes like .UK), as well as the addresses used in a variety of Internet protocols. Computers use these identifiers to reach each other over the Internet. Careful management of these resources is vital to the Internet's operation, so ICANN's global stakeholders meet regularly to develop policies that ensure the Internet's ongoing security and stability.

According to the latest News from Reuters.com,

"
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (Reuters) - The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, which manages the Internet's domain-name address system, said on Friday it was on track to allow an expanded number of domain names next year.

ICANN officials, wrapping up a week-long meeting in Puerto Rico, said their goal was to have in place by next year a permanent process to allow for new, generic top-level domain names, as well as to begin "internationalizing" domain names.

"With the progress we've made is San Juan, we're on track for the new applications and approvals policy to be ready for the start of 2008 and the introduction of new TLDs by mid-year," said Dr. Paul Twomey, president and chief executive of ICANN.

The California-based non-profit organization oversaw two previous extensions of Internet space: the addition of seven TLDS, including .info and .name in 2000, and the addition of another six starting in 2004.

It recently denied a petition to include .xxx as a TLD to be used for pornographic Web sites.

The group is also working to expand the number of characters that can be used to create Internet addresses, currently limited to the 26 Roman characters, 10 numerals and the hyphen. This would allow the use of Arabic, Chinese and a multitude of other characters to be used in domain names. "

Read the full Story at Reuters

Google Picture for Gmail

I got a mail from my friend.
Whats new in that?
Well its about Google Picture and to use in Gmail !!

STOP Words to Avoid : SEO technique

What are STOP words?
Those set of characters which are very very common on the web and are generally ignored by search engines during search.

Its recommended to avoid such stop words in meta tags : Title , Description and keywords on SEO organic technique of on-page optimization.

List of stop words:

about
after
all
also
am
an
and
another
any
are
as
at
be
because
been
before
being
between
both
but
by
came
can
come
could
did
do
does
each
else
for
from
get
got
has
had
he
have
her
here
him
himself
his
how
if
in
into
is
it
its
just
like
make
many
me
might
more
most
much
must
my
never
now
of
on
only
or
other
our
out
over
re
said
same
see
should
since
so
some
still
such
take
than
that
the
their
them
then
there
these
they
this
those
through
to
too
under
up
use
very
want
was
way
we
well
were
what
when
where
which
while
who
will
with
would
you
your
near
not
nearby
weight
quot
nbsp
gt
lt
com
amp
var
raquo
middot
ndash

IncredibleIndia.org bought Business Dimension

In the first ever of its kind in Indian WWW Scenario, A website portal ( Gov. backed company) has bought another e-commerce platform utility provider.

According to DNAIndia.com,
The Tourism Ministry's Incredible India website on Wednesday acquired a business dimension with the launch of an e-commerce platform that will allow firms to conduct a host of travel-related activities

The platform, developed jointly by the Ministry along with EVIIVO, a tourism e-commerce company, is accessible on the main site www.incredibleindia.org and will facilitate small and medium industries to conduct a host of travel related business activities, mainly booking of accommodation at the destinations.

Privacy policy redefined by Top 3 SE

After the latest buyouts by search giants ( Google, Yahoo, MSN) now comes the concerns about user data and privacy intrusions. Most of the users fear of losing there personal information to commercial benefits.

In view of those concerns the search engines are finally taking a step to tighten the privacy policies.

According to Washingtonpost.com,

Online search companies Google, Yahoo, Ask.com and Microsoft are tightening their privacy policies in the face of mounting public, congressional and regulatory agency concern about the vast amounts of personal data they gather and store.

Yesterday, Microsoft announced it would make all data on search queries anonymous after 18 months. This week, Yahoo is to outline plans to make a user's search history anonymous within 13 months. On Friday, Ask.com said users could ask the firm not to retain their Web searches ...

Top 20 IT-ITES employers in India for FY 06-07

NASSCOM, the chamber of commerce and “voice” of the IT software and services industry in India, today released the rankings of the top 20 IT-ITES employers in India for FY 06-07. The top 20 companies collectively employ over 500,000 people of the 1.6 million employed directly in the industry. The rankings are based on the India-based headcount of firms with IT-ITES operations in India, as reported to NASSCOM in its annual survey. As per the rankings, TCS is the leader followed by Infosys Technologies and Wipro Technologies.

Drop Shipping : Ecommerce Marketing Funda : Explained

What is Drop Shipping or drop shipment?
Drop shipping is a supply chain management technique in which the retailer does not keep goods in stock, but instead transfers customer orders and shipment details to wholesalers, who then ship the goods directly to the customer . The retailers make their profit on the difference between the wholesale and retail price.

Scams :
envelope stuffing, chain letters, pyramid schemes, multilevel marketing, etc.

Ecommerce and Drop Shipping :

Auctions:

Many sellers on online auction sites, such as eBay, also drop ship. Often, a seller will list an item as new and ship the item directly from the wholesaler to the highest bidder. The seller profits from the difference between the winning bid and the wholesale price, minus any selling and merchant fees from the auction site.

Guidelines to protect yourself from home business scams (http://www.michigan.gov/cybersecurity/0,1607,7-217-34396-108704--,00.html)

Don't pay money to get a job. Never pay money to any company which promises to employ you to work at home.

Don't believe in immediate big profits the easy way. Home-based business is just like any other business; it requires hard work, skill, advertising, good products or services, and time to make a profit.

Avoid responding to unsolicited emails promising work at home opportunities. Many unsolicited emails are fraudulent and promise easy money only to trap you.

Research and decide. Find out everything you need to know about work at home. Research on companies you will be dealing with and find out about their agreement. Take your own time to decide.

Ask other people who work at home. Ask them if the company kept its promises.

Know the refund policy. If you have to buy equipment or supplies, ask whether and under what circumstances you can return them for a refund.

Understand your legal requirements. Some types of work cannot be done at home under federal law. Look for the nearest U.S. Department of Labor in the government listings of your phone book and get information.

Too good to be true. If something appears to be too good to be true, then it probably is.

India China IT competition Status

Infosys Chief Mentor N R Narayana Murthy said on Monday that though India was 20 years ahead of China in the Information Technology (IT) sector, Beijing was fast catching up with India in the sector by focussing more on education.

Addressing the induction ceremony of the company's InStep Programme in which over 125 candidates were selected among the 12,000 global aspirants here, Murthy said China was growing well in the IT sector giving better focus on education programmes which were fit for other other nations to emulate.

Though China had done extremely well in the manufacturing sector and created over 130 to 140 million jobs, it lagged India in software sector. However, China had extraordinary quality to overcome the gap and surge ahead in this sector also, Murthy replied to an internee from Beijing.

Complete story here

Indian IT / ITES Growth $100 b in 2011

Reasons to Smile again!

According to reports, the already reining Indian IT industry will cross the $100 billion mark in revenues within the next five years with a growth rate of 18 percent compound annual growth rate (CAGR).
Facts say, the Indian IT/ITeS industry has clocked INR 1,98477 Crore of revenue in 2006, up by an impressive 31% over 2005, which is in line with the gained momentum since 2003, mostly due to balanced domestic IT spending and exports revenue. Growth driven by IT infrastructure, business apps, security products and services, outsourcing and software managed services and digital products/services.

Growth always drive business and vice-versa !!
Long live Internet marketing..