Keep Your Reputation Clean On The Net With "Reputation Management"

Google, I think in managing the people who come running to it to remove personally damaging or embarrassing information. Even though Google is not responsible for such data on it's servers on search farms, first place people write seems to be Google.
Always, Think three times before putting your personal information online.

But there are more things yoou could do if the horse has already left the barn. I think the following article is both valuable to everyone.
You can read it also on Webmaster Central Blog
Managing your reputation through search results

Friendster Patents On Social Networks May Make It Unfriendly To Other Social Networks

I do not like patents but they do excist and we all got to live with them! Techcrunch published the following data on some of the Friendster Patents, (since our report they got two more) and I hope some one, one of those big boys, validate these;

No. 7,478,078, titled “Method for sharing relationship information stored in a social network database with third party databases.” It was first filed on June 14, 2004.
The patent describes the sharing of information between users and applications based on relationships between users, as well as other uses. Most social networks today do exactly this, and may violate the patent:

By having a way of obtaining relationship information from an online social network, operators of online services can manage services based on the relationships between their customers. For example, a site offering a directory of members may allow each member to limit who may access his or her member information, or who may communicate with him or her, based on the closeness of the relationship between the requesting member and him or her. In addition, providers of online services may use methods of the present invention to allow users to control the accessibility of personal information maintained in an online environment. Furthermore, operators of existing database are better able to target particular information (e.g. advertisements) to individuals with an interest in receiving it, based on the premise that people closely related to one another in a social network share common interests, goals, lifestyles, and the like.

This patent joins the previous four Friendster patents. From information supplied by the company:

• In July 2006, Friendster was awarded its first U.S. patent describing how people are
  connected in the context of an online social network, titled “A System, Method and
  Apparatus for Connecting Users in an Online Computer System Based on Their Relationships within Social Networks” (U.S. Patent No. 7,069,308).
• Friendster was granted a second U.S. patent in October 2006, which discloses the
  process of enriching other users’ profiles with text, video, pictures and additional content,
  titled “Method of Inducing Content Uploads in a Social Network” (U.S. Patent No.
  7,117,254).
• In March 2007, Friendster added another patent to its portfolio, titled “System and
  Method for Managing Connections in an Online Social Network” (U.S. Patent No.
  7,188,153), which describes a technology that manages connections in a social network and allows members of the social network to add friends, personalize their network through arranging, ordering and classifying their connections, and search and browse profiles of other members of the social network.
• In December 2008, Friendster was granted its fourth patent, titled “Compatibility Scoring of Users in a Social Network” (U.S. Patent No. 7,451,161), which discloses a unique methodology used to calculate compatibility based on expressed interests between users of a social network. This includes scoring the compatibility between two members of a social network based on their interests and scoring the correlation between two interests for a given member of a social network.

Oogle In 51 Languages Through Google Translate

I use Google translate very often to communicate with some of the people that I work with but when we do not have a common language, through translation bots on Google.
I also use it to browse through foreign language websites and news sites.
Sometimes it also helps you to horn a language that you are learning or have learned a while ago and forgotten for lack of usage.
What ever the case, now you have opportunity to translate in additional 9 languages, bringing the total languages on Google Translate to 51!
I also leaned some thing today;

You can translate e-mails within GMail, translate web pages using Google Toolbar, translate RSS news feeds from around the world in Google Reader, and translate documents in Google Docs.

And if you work with translations a lot, Google Translator Toolkit might help you a lot.

Official Google Research Blog: 51 Languages in Google Translate

"I Am What I Learn" Tell Us How! To Win $1000 From Department Of Education (DOE)

YouTube and Department Of Education has come together to boost the morale of US Students and teach all of us the value of education.
All the students of USA has to do is make a video (two minutes or less) showing how the education will guide you to your dreams and goals of life, and upload it to the Department of Education's YouTube channel.
I wish I had such opportunity when I was in high school, as there were many things I could do with $1000 to achieve my dreams, which I have reached in any case, due to the excellent education an opportunities I received.
The contest is open to U.S. middle, high school, college and post-grad students, ages 13 and up, and the deadline to submit is October 20. For complete rules and FAQs, please visit www.ed.gov/iamwhatilearn.
YouTube Blog: If Only Every Homework Assignment Had Prizes Like This...

#tc50 Hash Tag For TechCrunch50

I know I will not be lucky enough to attend (I will be in Palo Alto for whole day!) but Dior was waving his entry pass at our faces yesterday. I hope to hear from him more details as well as sticking to regular channels of social media to keep me informed.
TechCrunch has advised all to use #tc50 hash tag for all the for all TC50-related posts, photos, videos, etc and that will be a sure fire way to locate information. You can also use #techcrunch50, if you are happy at typing 8 characters. TC has even given some example how to use the suggested hashtags;
Twitter: #techcrunch50 or #tc50
FriendFeed: #techcrunch50 or #tc50
Flickr: techcrunch50 or tc50
So please be socialable and make my life easier for a day! Give us the news, and use hashtags.
Techcrunch on #tc50

National September 11th Memorial & Museum

Another September 11th has come and passed. I remember how shocked, sad and mad I was on that day. I was at home but in the morning I dropped my girl friend at the campus and saw scores of bewildered people.
I only found what was it when I came home and my jaws dropped, it took me full five minutes to come to senses and call my girl friend and ask her to come home.

Well that eerie feeling still there. I have visited the Ground Zero and what do we find after 8 Years? a big hole. Why can't we build a memorial before all the bickering and in fighting. We should show terrorists that they did not change anything. That we are not scared and we honor our people. Add those people we lost in the wars since September 11 and we have a lot to honor.
But why I started this article is to say about "a website, 911history created by the National September 11th Memorial & Museum in partnership with design firm Local Projects. Make History is a participatory archive that invites people to share their experiences of 9/11 and its aftermath in an effort to preserve the memories of that time. The Museum has created a collaborative storytelling tool that makes innovative use of Street View through the Google Maps API. The Make History site allows people to place and then share their photos and videos in geographical context, collectively piecing together the history that was witnessed, one photo and video at a time."
To participate, simply go to the site and click "Add Your Story." You'll be asked to write about your experience of 9/11 and share your photos and videos, and then to place them at the spot where they were captured.
Learned about it at; 
Google LatLong: Make History with the National September 11th Memorial & Museum
But main Google Blog too had a Article about the same subject.
Official Google Blog: Make History with the National September 11th Memorial & Museum
I told my story, please go tell yours.

Collaborating On Picasa, A Dutch Google Lesson

Collaborating On Picasa,
With all my tiny little knowledge of various languages (of which none are in professional capacity) I roam around different language web sites. Specially Google blogs.
One reason I visit them is to horn my language skills and another to learn many a tricks and tips with Google products.
Today I learned a bit of Dutch language and collaboration on Picasa! Which I did not know before.
If you are familiar with Google Docs sharing feature, you know that a bunch of colleagues could work on the same spreadsheet, adding their own columns or rows.
So up to now when it came to photo albums, we all had our own albums that we shared with family but not many worked on a single album, unless you wanted to share your account, which is not advisable, even with your family and friends.
Now Picasa has a collaborating feature that allow multiple people work together on an album. Let us say that a bunch of people went on a holiday together and took many a photos on their own. This group of people want to have a single album that every one can share. Yes it is possible with Picasa now.
The initiator creates and album and adds collaborators by inviting them by email;
Once the photos are in do not forget to use the "Add Name Tag" feature. It is wonderful way to locate the people you know!
Thank you Thomas Kang, for the Dutch lesson and the Picasa Tip.

You can find more on Picasa Collaboration here.

Het Google-product blog: Samenwerken aan Picasa-webalbums

Tags: picasa, Google Docs, Picasa collaboration

Orkut Photo Albums Get Face detection

When I started working with face detection on my Picasa albums, I was thrilled and It was fun to discover how viral it was. You could basically get your family and friends to do the editing for you. Basically when one is recognized in an photograph that is shared, all the photos of that person get recognized.
In group photos, you might not know all the people in them but your contacts and family and friends do!.
So with Orkut getting this feature, you will be relieved of having to tag each photo individually, Orkut will try to recognize your photos as they are uploaded and to make the task even easier, there is an auto fill feature, just start typing the name of your friend and the the auto fill will complete the name.
Keeping the privacy in mind, only your friends will be able to tag you in their photos. Of course if you do not like or want it, you could turn this feature off.
I am for one looking forward to it.
orkut Blog: Face detection in orkut photo albums– photo tagging just got easier

Tags: Face detection, Orkut, picasa

iGoogle social! Go Social With Your Home Button

If you have set your home button to iGoogle (if not check it out as it provides most of the Google Services from one location and if you want more, there are gadgets galore which you could incorporate to your iGoogle site.) you will be able to god social with social gadgets for iGoogle.
The 19 social gadgets Google debuted today will make your homepage more useful and fun place to come when you fire up your browser.

If you're a game fan, you might find Who has the biggest brain?, Chess or Scrabble a way to show your expertness. You will be also be on the top of news and happenings with media-sharing gadgets from NPR, The Huffington Post, and YouTube. The social To-Do list gadget might make it easier to pu all these in to a manageable form.
Be social, Be nice, to somebody, even if it is yourself.

Official Google Blog: I scream, you scream, we all scream for iGoogle social!

Tags: iGoogle social, ocial gadgets for iGoogle, Social networking

Hiroshima, Never Again.

I have stood in front of this structure and weeped. This happened a long time before even I was born and far away from where I was born. But all the agony and destruction that I have witnessed ran across my mind. It was not easy to recognize that it was real. It was real that little children who had nothing to do with the war vaporized.
Not again, Never Again. Say no to Nuclear Arms, anywhere.
Recognize people for who they are! We are all the same, packaged in different colors and sizes :)

Tags: Hiroshima, Atomic Bomb, Nuclear Arms, weseepeople