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It seems as if Google Talk will finally be integrated with AOL’s AIM client.

This upgrade to Google Talk and AIM couldn’t have happened any later!

It has been two years since Google bought 5% of AOL and announced, amongst other things, that the integration of the two clients would occur as long as certain conditions were met.

As to how the integration will work or what all the conditions may be, that is still largely unknown, but it is safe to bet it has something to do with Google serving ads through AIM.

Given that Google has been strategically partnering with and acquiring many companies that it now uses to serve ads through. It seems like the most logical step for Google is to now desire to serve ads through AIM, the most popular instant messaging on the web.

If my predictions become a reality, Google will take on step forward to becoming the one stop shop for anyone looking to buy ads in RSS feeds, search engines, in many popular web destinations, and a many other, now unforeseen, locations- basically almost the whole internet.

Was introduced to FeedM8 through Mobile Marketing Magazine - I’m intrigued. Through FeedM8, you can “mobilize and monetize” your feed or blog. FeedM8 will make the conversion for you so that your content comes out looking pretty good on a mobile browser and screen. In addition, they will share revenue with you from the ads that they place on your mobile site. Here’s an example of what this site looks like after being distributed through FeedM8 (colors and presentation are also customizable - this is the default version):

Once you’ve set up your feed and created your login/account, you can add more feeds and check analytics. Naturally, before you begin “earning money” you’ll have to verify that it is actually your feed that you’re laying claim to. You do that by inserting a code into your next blog post. Once it’s verified by FeedM8 you can remove it….then just select how you want to get paid and voila! (On our mobile version of Overroll the ad at the top of the page is for a mobile version of Wikipedia on your phone….not a bad partner, I’d say. At least it’s not for local dating or concert tickets.)

From Mobile Marketing Magazine we see that many people have signed up including Mashable, ESPN, Engadget, GigaOM and on… I’d have to say that it’s a pretty nifty little way to quickly get up and mobile without worrying about too much, and quick comparison on your mobile browser of www.overroll.com versus www.FeedM8.com/overroll reveals that the latter is much easier on the eye (at least on my LG CU5000 - no iPhone here just yet).

We’ll keep you posted on revenue earnings. After all, it will take at least a few business days for them to mail me my check…

Last year in Tokyo during the Holidays, a group called Semitransparent Design completed their ninth installation of unique, interactive architecture using lighting. Of course, standing out is no easy task in the electrical circus we know as Tokyo. In this new installation, users were able to interact with light columns using their voice either through mobile or over the Web.

Semitransparent’s Ryoji Tanaka explains: “Akarium as an illumination project has been going on for eight years. When we joined the project, the light design had already been fixed and the lights were going on and off just through time-based programming. We enhanced the project with interaction, and by placing an interactive devices in a public space, we wanted to observe the changes in people’s communication.

Take a look:

Clearly, this is artistic excellence but it also raises some important questions. Should we be looking to expand the interactivity of our social media tools beyond the tools themselves? How can brands utilize mobile and Web based tools to create consumer participation beyond uploading videos on YouTube or passing around a new application on Facebook? And, can consumer participation in the digital space shift the thoughts, moods and brand perceptions of ‘passer-bys’ on the streets of our cities? If so, can we be sure to make these experiences meaningful?

Via: Ping Mag

Adobe has now entered the list of companies providing web-based applications, joining the growing list of such companies as Google and Microsoft who are offering online solutions to applications that in the past have only been accessible on your local hard drive.

I see this as a major indication as to where the Internet is going…

To date, the Internet has evolved faster than anyone could have ever imagined. In the relatively short amount of time that the Internet has been accessible to the general public, it has grown by monumental leaps and bounds; it’s a juggernaut with seemingly indefinite potential. And I see “fully Internet based PCs” as the next step in its evolution.

When I say, “fully Internet based PCs,” I mean the creation of PCs that are just, in essence, portals to your “Internet PCs” or virtual machines. We no longer will have a need for fully featured operating systems or applications to exist on your local hard drive, because one day Internet speeds, along with its accessibility and availability, will be so high-speed it will be able to handle any type of hardware emulation.

Although this idea is nothing new and is happening all around us (Gmail, Meebo, Zoho). I feel that only now is technology becoming available to actually implement these ideas. And though we are not quit there yet, we are moving ever so closer to its full-scale adaptation.

Facebook’s ability for users and companies to make and distribute applications within its social network has been a rather unstoppable force within the Web 2.0 world. And it has been exciting seeing all the applications that have been developed and all the companies that have jumped on board to build their presence on Facebook. But until now, the only people that could actually make applications for Facebook were people with the ability to code- leaving all us non-coders out of the fun.

Therefore, WidgetBox.com has published a web-based tool that allows anyone to create an application for Facebook.

The application creation tool is one we’ve all been waiting for, and one many people and businesses can benefit from a great deal. For instance, small businesses can now setup a basic application to help promote their business and users can make tools to share with friends- all at no cost at all or having to learn any programming language.

Truthfully, I see this as just another indication that Facebook will one day be the biggest and best social network on the web.

We all know there’s nothing cooler than being the first on the block to have that new gadget. And the same goes for having early access to that hot new website currently in beta.

Why? Well… We get the status of being an “insider,” but mostly I think we just like to have bragging rights.

Still, whatever the reason, having access to different websites before everyone else is a very cool thing. Not only do you get bragging rights, but it may give you the opportunity to grow your business by giving you a head start on the competition. However, sometimes it can be very difficult to get an invitation unless you know someone or buy it.

Yes…I said, “Buy it,” I’ve seen many invitations being bought and sold on eBay in the past.

So, before you go ahead and pull out your wallet or beg your friends or business associates for an invite to that cool new website, check out Mashable Invites. Mashable Invites, by the great people at Mashable.com, is an invitation swapping service solely for Web 2.0 websites. The service works very well, so check it out. And hopefully you have some invites to contribute to the community as well.

Nevertheless, this is one of the coolest services out there and a vital tool for anyone looking to get an edge on what’s coming out in tomorrow’s Web 2.0 world.

I was just reading this line from CNET’s article a few weeks ago about Google’s Marissa Mayer talking about iPhones and Google applications. To date I hadn’t read anything about these kind of numbers (football season might be taking away from all that new media reading), so they struck me as very interesting:

Usage of Google mobile apps rose 10 percent each week for the first three weeks in June and saw a 40 percent to 50 percent spike almost overnight after the iPhone was launched…

Now despite all the hype and rumors, I know many are asking why Google would even make a phone. My first thought upon reading this quote was how Google doesn’t even appear to need its own phone. As the search king and an online product developer and monster of search advertising with a huge brand name, can’t they just let folks like iPhone and Nokia make the toys and stick with making money from the fact that everyone will continue to use their stuff on these new devices? Seems like that would be the easy answer, especially given numbers like this.

However, the thing to probably consider that while this quote might be a great thing for Google and a boost to their business, there is always more to be had. So while making more money and serving more ads because people are more apt to surf the web on their new iPhones is cool, wouldn’t it be slightly cooler to own the platform on everyone’s phone, bundle ads with almost everything in exchange for cheaper/free services and have Google drive the mobile web? Probably. With mobile advertising reportedly on the cusp of finally hitting big (thanks in part, yes, to things like the iPhone), wouldn’t it be nice for Google to control the whole thing? Probably.

Will it work? Who knows. How much will people believe that someone like Google is able to make a phone that they like? Will being known as the advertising giant and search giant help or hurt? What sorts of bundles will come with the phone that make it worth while? Will there be price breaks? So many questions.

Well the simple answer is no. The ability to view which IP addresses have been editing pages in Wikipedia has always existed, but now a student from Cal Tech has gone ahead and not only simplified the process, but has also created a searchable database of IP addresses making changes to pages. The website, Wikipedia Scanner, is straightforward and easy to use, just one warning though, the site is very time consuming!

But in a good way!

It’s fun and interesting searching through pages and IP addresses to find who is changing what- you never know what you might uncover!

For instance, did you know Sony once changed Halo 3’s Wikipedia page to say “Halo 3 won’t look any better than Halo 2?”

Ouch…

The funniest part is that the list goes on and on, from corporations too government agencies, it seems everyone is making changes to Wikipedia pages.

Happy hunting everyone!!

Ok, so I could have chosen a less obnoxious title. Also, it’s not like I was the only one making the point…but STILL.

Today we find out many things from Apple, including that they are releasing the iPod “Touch,” which is basically an iPhone without the phone. What I found almost more interesting was the following:

1) They will be discontinuing the 4 GB iPhone. While supplies last, they can be had for only $299. See engadget for more.

2) The price on the 8 GB iPhone has now dropped to $399 from $599.

…I would just like to take this time to reference my post from June when I noted that the storage size of the iPhones was just not enough to get it done right. The 4 GB iPhone was apparently lagging way behind in sales, and I’m sure it won’t be long before the 8 GB model is just not enough and a 16 or 32 model will be on the shelves (Christmas was my earlier prediction.) When you’re encouraging people to watch portable video and put all their tunes one on device, 4 GB isn’t going to cut it. In my mind, neither will 8 GB, so I’m going to hold off on getting one for now. But at Christmas I might have something to ask for.

In any case, it’s amazing to see everything that Apple comes forward with. The new iPod, the redesigned Nano, new iPhones….It is also quite clear that the download and portable media paradigm is shifting heavily to video. If you thought the iPod video was cool, brace yourself. Now we wait for the “Goog” phone and what Sony has up its sleeve and then, as consumers with the holidays fast approaching, wait for the prices to fall.

From Mashable, among others, we find that Facebook will soon be listing profiles in search engined like Google, MSN and Yahoo. So if you have a Facebook profile and you have not set it to private, I can “Google” you and find your Facebook page.

To be more accurate, the full profiles will not return in search results, just something that looks like this (from the Facebook blog) :

So your full listing will not appear, but people will certainly be able to get to it provided that they login (or join).

What does this mean? Well, ultimately it will certainly mean more page views and traffic for Facebook, along with more users signing up for their service. Imagine if you’re looking for your old high school friend. Well, you probably do what many people do and just “Google” that friend and voila! - you spot their picture and profile on Facebook. But then how to get in touch with that person? Join Facebook, of course. Considering the number of name searches that probably take place on Google on a daily basis, this should turn out pretty well for Facebook. To be accurate, other social networks, including LinkedIn, have a similar functionality. If you Google your friend who has a LinkedIn profile, it will likely return fairly high in the search results. The page is a shortened version with only some information but also a neat invitation to join LinkedIn so you can see everything about that person.

For Google, it’s more information to index, which is good for them in their quest to index, well, everything. Knowing that you can find friends and old co-workers and the like using Google only makes it a more attractive search engine for users, which of course makes it more profitable for Google.

For the average user, it will open up their profile to more people. That’s either good or bad, depending on your preference and feelings about privacy. Other than name, I don’t believe there is any more information that Facebook will pull from your profile for now. It’s in Facebook’s best interest to get your profile showing up in search more, but from your standpoint you might not want that. Perhaps down the line there will be more opportunities to pull some other information that could help locate someone. For instance, if I don’t remember that person’s last name but I know our High School name then could I find his Facebook profile using Yahoo?

Of course, any Facebook user can control what information is out there in these searches. You can now uncheck a box on your settings page that removes your profile from search engine results. You have about a month to do that, so if you’re worried about privacy you have some time.

Another thing to consider in this development (and in others from similar sites) is how you manage your online reputation, a point brought up here. As more information about you is available to others in search engines, you need to be conscious of what is out there and what people can find. You wouldn’t want your prospective employer (or your current employer for that matter), for example, finding your profile if it had some compromising photos or rants.