The really neat thing about this is that is runs across tons of platforms and browsers, even on tablets and smart phones.  You are placed on a server alongside dozens of other players as you all compete to gather items, gold, potions, and advice from sages and villagers.  It reminds me of The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, I suppose because it looks just like it, has similar music, similar goals, and similar items to find.  The only thing I can’t figure out is how to save my character so that when I log in from my laptop browser, then later from my iPad, I can access a saved game.  Here is a video introduction to the game, in case you want to check it out.

If the two sister bills pass it would give the Attorney General the capability to make and maintain a list of sites that they believe to be participating in infringing activities. You may not be able to share on Facebook or buy windows on sites like www.allglasswindows.com!  Then those sites would be blocked by internet service providers, search engines, advertising networks, and payments, without a court hearing or a trial.

Whether or not these two will pass is unforeseen, but they could potentially lead to big changes to the internet.  The video below goes into more detail and might help you to get a better understanding.

In fact, people are using both Facebook and Google+ in ways that might surprise you.  It seems that people who have two accounts are the ones with the most to say about the dual social networking phenomenon:

“I’m using Facebook mainly for family and friends now, same as I used to.  Lots of them weren’t even interested in G+, so making a complete switch wasn’t an option for me either. But I do use Google+ to network with strangers who share certain interests I have.  It’s mostly interest based social networking, I guess you could say.” said one user.

Here is a graphic that will show you how people are using both of these social networks:

Obviously, hitting YouTube and Google would be your best bet.  To make that a little easier for you, we’ve got a video right here that shows one person using Siri in some interesting ways.

Another cool thing to note is the “Trending Up” and “Trending Down” data near the bottom of the infographic you are about to see.  Social sharing sites have experienced exponential growth, while lesser social networks and social bookmarking sites have experienced declines.  Check it out!  You’ll need to click to expand the graphic so that you can read all stats.

The three primary rap battles you’ll find there are:  Google VS Yahoo!, Google VS MSN, and Yahoo! VS MSN.  Viewers have voted for the winner already, and voting appears to be closed, but that’s not reason for you to miss out on the fun.  I’ll let you know which of the raps was my favorite:  Google VS MSN.  The dude in the MSN outfit is priceless.  I can’t help wondering where people come up with ideas like these.

Below is the first rap I watched in the series.  Make sure you have your volume up and get ready to laugh:

To make it a little easier to comprehend, you can think of it like your online banking, email, and social media sites.  You don’t need a serious degree in computer science or a masters in criminology to understand how to use the cloud properly.  It is quite simple to understand and has great benefits.  If you are always on the go, then using the cloud is a great solution for you and your small business.  There are also the added cost benefits of using the cloud.  The solutions are affordable and you will not require outside IT support for your business either.  Learn more about how small businesses are using the wonderful cloud and how you can too.

Recently, the iconic Apple co-founder and CEO Steve Jobs announced his retirement from the role of CEO, following the lead of his contemporary freinemy, Bill Gates, into the position of Chairman of the Board of the company he started so many years ago. There is no doubt he had a tremendous influence on the product lines Apple released over the years, and this has a few people worried about what they can expect from the company now that Jobs has turned over the helm.

Here is an infographic that pays homage to Apple designs over the last several decades.  Have a favorite?  We’d love to hear from you.  Be sure to check out the latest technology news and documentaries on satellite television;  join today through dish2u.

Google is currently running test sites for a small group of brands on their new platform, and says that brand pages will be ready come late fall. But there are several things brand marketers can do in the meantime that will help them utilize Google+ for what it is, rather than just mimic Facebook strategies (that probably won’t work as well on the vastly different platform):

1. Do Your Community Research

Check to see if your main influencers and market niches are on Google+. It would be pointless to spend time and money on a Google+ page if there isn’t a certain level of interest and influence. Decide what your brand’s threshold is. For example, if you are selling Direct TV channels, and Google+ is filled with mostly younger users (looking to get away from Facebook’s public platform) and prefer online streaming rather than paid TV service, then your niche on Google Plus may have to be more geared towards sports packages and NFL Sunday Ticket.

2. Use it Yourself

In order to best understand how your brand will be seen on Google+, you should know everything about how users operate on it. Many users flocked to Google+ because of how it was different from Facebook. Find out what those differences are and how you can take advantage of them without offending the reason why users like those differences.

3. Create Your Community Strategy

#2 definitely streams right into #3 here- find out what communication channels are most enjoyed by users and why users prefer certain channels better than Facebook or Twitter. After you have fully immersed yourself in the social media networks and know their ups and downs find out all the different ways to connect with users and what would be the best way for a group of users to connect under the umbrella of your brand.

4. Decide on Success Metrics

Facebook has Likes, Fans, clicks and impressions, comments, Twitter has re-tweets, followers, tags, etc. Figure out how you will measure your success on Google+, whether its fans, +1′s (that is, if you’re not buying them by the bundle for SEO purposes)

5. Develop a Rollout Plan

Figure out how you’re going to communicate to your niche market and current clients that you have opened up on Google+. Once brand pages are implemented, there will undoubtedly be a cascade of marketers jumping on board bombarding users with a ton of content. It might be smarter here to take a more conservative approach, slowly rolling out content while trying to figure out the system. Most importantly, brainstorm how you will communicate to your users what you’re doing on Google+, and this should include a different purpose from Facebook or Twitter. Of course, you want to be on as many social media channels as possible, but it looks better if you’re also to show users how the platform serves a different purpose for your company and provide a different experience for users. If your Google+ brand page is just the same as your Facebook fan page, then there’s no reason for users to be interested and your success metrics will show it.

In answer to the yet unnamed charges by the FTC, Google issued a statement on their website on recently. In that statement, they claim that they make hundreds of changes to the algorithms each year so that the Internet user can have the best experience. They point out that not every company can be number one in every search. Google further claims to be looking for new ways to make advertisement more relevant to the user. Furthermore, they are working on finding ways to provide search results even faster. Google will continue to mark advertising particularly clearly. Google also points out that they strive to be an extraordinarily transparent company and provide much information through Webmaster Central, miscellaneous support forums, post on YouTube and diagnostic tools. They also offer claim in the post to give information on changes to algorithms. Google also claims to be giving webmasters more information when their sites are dropping for specific reasons. In the blog, they also state that Google clearly understands that the searcher is responsible for the information they want to appear on their computer.

The question for webmasters then is what does this mean to them. First, it means that Google will still be around for many years regardless of what happens. Remember, it took the FTC twenty years to arrive at a decision on Microsoft.

Secondly, webmasters must pay more attention to other search engines. In particular, they must consider the algorithms from other search engines such as Yahoo and Bling as they gain more of the market share. It is also crucial that webmasters consider the importance of directories as more people are relying on them than in the past.
Third, use the tools provided by Google to learn as much about the process as possible. For the moment, take them at their word, read everything on these sites. Apply all that information to the work that the webmaster is producing.

Fourth, assess the impact of social media, like Facebook. Make sure that the webmaster is taking full advantage of all opportunities in social media. Also, make sure and observe what is being said in social media carefully. Friend the top names and companies in this area, so that the webmaster is getting all the information possible.

The next few years may be extremely intriguing as the FTC investigates Google