This is my First Google Doc! Post. You can Try this too!

As I explore, here's to raise a toast to the newly re-design www.kidsfreesouls.com - Visit again for updates on n often....Enjoy!

Keep the Faith!

- ilaxi patel

Microsoft is back in news. Microsoft hopes to charm small businesses with a new bundle of software and services called Office Live, available for public beta testing started recently. They will be offering free, basic Web site for your company- courtesy of Microsoft and some third-party ads that will run on the page. Office Live will also offer monthly subscriptions to a bundle of 20 Web-based "applications," many of which are templates for organizing and sharing information online.

Yahoo has offered free Web pages to small-business owners since spring 2005. However, Microsoft's page templates have more eye-appeal as I browse through the site.

Sign up for Office Live and get your own Web Site Design for Free. You can even sign in here and see the demo too.You will find more feedback on Office Live Blog. Though, they have a Free version, the sign up do require to enter your Credit card no. which I guess is a 'No No' - the other options are all paid. Also Find a Faq file here with Getting Started

However, for the tips n tricks on Designing, Microsoft offers Free copy of Entrepreneur Magazine's I Hate My Website! 10 Easy Ways to Improve Your Website, Plus 9 Things Never to do. And get a free subscription to the Office Live Advisor newsletter too. All you need to do is fill up your details here and Download.

I understand the Beta Office Live is offered only in selective countries and India is not yet on the list!

- ilaxi

Burnt your Feeds with Feedburner? Lately, you must have noticed the Headline Animator is not reflecting the posts headlines. Through it's many transformations, the Feedburner Headline Animator is now turning to a unique Marketing Tool. You can now Pubvertise your Live Content to a Wider Audience. With the Feedburner feed advertising network, content publishers will now have the ability to create their very own dynamic, feed-powered ad units and place them in the feed ad network (all by themselves). "No sales folks, no ad trafficking to ensure the creative is current. No speed bumps", mentions their Blog. You get a wider audience knowing you and your contents which Feedburner places the dynamic content in front of the audience who's subscribed to the most popular feeds.

The feeds has wide coverage in newspapers too - like newsweek, usa today, wired and many more sites. Login to your Feedburner account, navigate to Publicize tab and click for the Headlines Animator. You can create an Ad - all depending on the $$ you can afford to spend and all depending on how much you want to be Popular. Enjoy!

- ilaxi

Google makes Newspaper Advertising Easy in US. Google Print Ads, the extension of Adwords will now make advertisers and agencies to run newspaper ads across US - whether the space is bought in one paper of many. Google Print allows advertisers to select newspapers and place bids for ad space in them. The newspapers than approve or decline the bid. As Google Print is a dynamic offer based market place, Advertisers propose the price they're willing to pay for an ad.

Google calls for a small group of advertisers who can try out the Beta Test here on the google site. If Interested, Be an Early bird. You can watch a Demo here. The complete list of newspaper partners can be found on the site.

- ilaxi

Copyright Royalty Board decided to raise royalties for Internet broadcasters and also double the rate in next five years. Hence, National Public Radio (NPR) took the initiative and appealed the CRB’s decision, but was denied the request by a panel of judges. Kurt Hanson, who publishes the Radio and Internet Newsletter, had organized a Day of Silence to showcase what could end up happening with the ridiculous rate hike.

In protest of royalty fee increases, participating Internet radio went silent yesterday . Listeners were asked to contact representatives in support of the Internet Radio Equality Act, and they did. Servers were overloaded and Congressional switchboards were constantly busy. Here is the Webpronews Video. For further read, visit the website.

Broadcasters, Yahoo!, Pandora, Rhapsody, MTV Online, Live365 stations, etc. are not happy with the unfair target. Last FM did not mean to punish listeners but in no way can escape the fee hike.

Well, I have no idea whether Desi live radio was silent or not but here, you can listen to all your desi songs. As for me, I am happy with the Yahoo Launchcast - My exclusive playing songs online. Enjoy!

- ilaxi

The Chicago based Feedburner has been Acquired by Google! Google believes that feed-based content and advertising is a developing space where they can add value for users, advertisers and publishers. FeedBurner's technology and talented team are a great addition to Google's current solutions for advertisers and publishers. Though, the official deal is closed, the terms of acquisition are confidential. Feedburner has been providing exception tools to content providers throughout the world. As of time, feed-based advertising is of great value. As more and more content emerge on the web, users look for an easier way to aggregate that content. Advertisers can reach their target audience while maintaining high quality user experience. Currently, Feedburner feeds 431,171 publishers who've burned 736,494 feeds as of 29th May 07. Blogger. TypePad, WordPress, Myspace or podcast/video feeds are burnt at Feedburner. You can Publicize, Optimize, Analyze, Monetize at Feedburner. However, the best feature now would be focusing on the Live Stats! The Google Analytics tool will have a way to go with Feedburner Stats, thus providing better optimizing and marketing strategies. You can grab the Headline Animator and subscribe to all Blogs Feed Reads.

Subscribe in a reader

It's Resync your way to Healthy feed now. Boost up your Readership if you have a blog or just burn your podcast and videocast feeds which now number to over 112,998 at Feedburner. Google gobbles Feedburner and you can read more here on the Google and here's the Feedburner Blog too.

↑ Grab this Headline Animator

Subscribe Kidsfreesouls Blog - All my other Blogs too! Enjoy!

Btw, did you know WEB 2.0 SITES MAKE UP the fastest-growing category on the Web--doubling their traffic over the last year, according to data presented Monday by Nielsen//NetRatings at an industry conference in New York. Social networking sites with the highest traffic growth included Feedburner (385%), Digg.com (286%), MySpace (170%), Wikipedia (161%), and Facebook (134%).

A bright future lies ahead for video advertising too, in particular, for Web 2.0 sites. Market researcher eMarketer forecast online video advertising to grow to $2.9 billion by 2010 in a study released Monday. Video will play a huge role in advertising and marketing and that is for sure. Watch there for the Google video ads soon to be seen....Enjoy!

- ilaxi

Google is Microsoft's biggest competitor currently, vying for dominance in a lot of the same spaces. And I think competitions are good for users.Google announced on 17th april,Tuesday on it's Corporate Blog that it has acquired Tonic Systems, which specializes in collaborative presentation software. It will be adding presentation software to its Google Apps suite of office software. Due this summer, it will complement the word-processing and spreadsheet software Google has already released. Users of the Web-based Google Docs & Spreadsheets software can log in from any computer through a Web browser and collaborate, making simultaneous edits and changes to files.This will enable to generate and share presentations.

- ilaxi

When we search Google, Google keeps logs of all searches, along with digital identifiers linking them to specific computers and Internet browsers. It records search, IP address & cookies, Now, Google would start to make those logs anonymous after 18 to 24 months, making it much harder to connect search records to a person.

Sometime ago, I logged in to my Google Account and there, my search was stored in my account. I real got wondering as I could delete my search too, as it disturbed my privacy search! Thus, Google has made it accessible to retain search data in personalized Search as long as you like it with an option to delete it too. Here is the Google Blog which highlight the Google Search Privacy and here's Google Privacy for all who want to know further into the details.

Btw, if you are Blogging on Cricket, Join the world Cup Excitement and become a Cricket Blog King. Enjoy!

- ilaxi

Google has introduced Google Gadgets to make webpages even more interesting and useful to visitors.A webmaster can add Weather, calendar, clock or a quote of the day to your own page. Just pick the gadget you want from directory of “Google Gadgets for your webpage,” customize that gadget, and copy-and-paste the HTML into your page's source code. Then, reload to see the gadget on your page.



Webmasters can even make their own gadgets and submit to google. Surfers get a wider choice to select your gadgets. You can make on jokes, cartoons, crosswords, news or whatever. Creating a gadget seems easy. Little experience with web design or programming is needed. Here is a link on how to create gadgets. All you need is "time...time...& time...some breathing space while you work!" Enjoy!

- ilaxi

Reuters has invested $7m (£3.7m) in an internet startup, aiming to push the world of blogging further into the mainstream. Texas dotcom firm Pluck brings together almost 3,000 highly rated blogs and syndicates them to news media organisations for use on their websites. The service covers subjects such as politics, sports, technology and travel, and has negotiated deals with news groups including the Washington Post and Guardian Unlimited. As part of the agreement, Reuters will syndicate third-party blog content alongside its news and information.

Also, several major newspapers, including The San Francisco Chronicle, The Houston Chronicle, The San Antonio Express-News and the Austin American-Statesman who began syndicating and displaying high-quality blog content from the BlogBurst syndication network on their web sites. BlogBurst, the industry's first blog syndication service linking new and traditional media with a blog-powered newswire service, now includes many activated and available blog sources. Pluck helps its customers leverage the new open content model that has emerged of Web 2.0 technology.

More than 15 million unique visitors per month turn to live BlogBurst sites SFGate.com, Statesman.com, Chron.com and MySanAntonio.com for the latest news, entertainment and commercial information. With the addition of syndicated blog content from BlogBurst, visitors to these sites can enjoy an expanded perspective on a variety of topics. Bloggers are rewarded with increased exposure and reader traffic through attribution and links back to their blogs.

Following on the foot-steps goes MSN India with it's recent features of MSN Contribute. Accepting manually, the articles submitted by Contribute readers are checked and posted on their main page with viewers who can read, rate and even labelled 'Editor's Choice'. So, if you think you can pen your thoughts, express your views, get your thoughts published - contribute on web - Blogburst or msn contribute or Goarticles - Choice is entirely yours!

- ilaxi

Saturday, (27th Jan) thousands of Americans will march on Washington DC to demand peace and justice in Iraq and the Middle East. The global Avaaz.org is working to raise a worldwide voice of solidarity through an international virtual march. Avaaz supporters in Washington have offered to carry real banners and placards at the US demonstration,showing how many internet marchers from all round the world are joining in.

Moveon will carry the flag of each country that generates more than 500 internet marchers.Avaaz has mobilized over 45,000 people from over 100 countries to join the call to oppose Bush's military escalation and demand a real plan to end this war.Visit here to support Moveon-Avaaz

- ilaxi

The popular hangout on web might be Orkut for Indians but My Space is fast pacing up with multiplied websites providing My space goodies like layouts, profile pimps, comment codes, etc. To avoid the mistakes Orkut did, My Space announced recently that it will develop technologies to help block convicted sex offenders by partnering with Sentinel Tech Holding Corp. They will build a database that will contain the names and physical descriptions of convicted sex offenders in US. An automated system will search for matches between the database and My space user profiles. Parents, school administrators and law enforcement authorities have grown worried that teens are at risk on My Space and other social networking sites, which provide tools for sharing photos, creating personal pages and using pimp up profile sites. In October, about 12% were teens on My Space.

Well, this reminds me to mention the Dinosaur Band Rockosaurus Rex, Aliens come down to Earth with a profile at My space. They are the Rock Band Group who entertain children & adults too, with their new CD 'Big Bang' Rock Rhymes for Kids. You may read my review of this CD here on my site and get into the groove with kids dancing n romping on kiddie rock rhymes. Enjoy!

- ilaxi

Books go live at Google Books
 
As we all know Google had encountered the Copyright issue earlier but now the alternate Google Book Search program offers Publishers and Authors new features for online Book experience. Google has designed a new browsing interface and you can simply scroll through the pages, or, for full view books, view them in two-page mode and flip through just like a book. You can zoom in, switch to full screen, and jump directly to the chapters that interest you. If the book is part of the public domain, you can comfortably read it on screen or download it if you prefer. For an in-copyright book, just follow the links to buy it or to find it in a library.

For this, Google Book Search now features links to WorldCat's free Web service. The Google service, which lets you search the full text of books provided by participating libraries and publishers, includes "Find this book in a library" links that lead to the WorldCat Web record for an item. There you can enter a geographic identifier such as postal code and receive a list of nearby libraries that hold the item.

The "Find this book in a library" link to WorldCat typically appears in the right-hand column of any Google Book Search "view," beneath descriptive information for a book (title, authors) and "Buy this book" purchase options.

The WorldCat link appears within all four available Google Book views:

>>the Full View offering access to the full content of a digitized title;
>>the Limited Preview that lets you read only several pages of the book;
>>the Snippet View that contextually presents passages of the book which contain your search terms; and
>>the basic record view which does not feature a content preview.

Advanced Book Search also has Library Catalogs option.Google's Advanced Book Search also now allows you to limit a search to "Library Catalogs." Results produced by this limited search contain "Find libraries" links that lead to the WorldCat Web record for each item. (Some search results may also include links to other non-U.S. national catalogs.)

Google Books already has a Library Project in the pipeline and you can view the same here.

Well, I am happy that MJ books are now available for viewers at Google Books and also, my very own Guardian of Angels is soon to go live for view online, partnering google books search program. Enjoy!

- ilaxi

My space is for all the music freaks on the web and you sure apt to make good friends and listen to good music too!

Here is Rick Paul from My Space friends. Rick Paul sings from Lake Forest, California. Rick Paul's songs combine memorable pop/rock and country melodies with mature, often thought provoking, lyrics on life and love. His songs have been recorded by independent artists from the USA, Europe, and Asia.

Rick is about to release his new album EP 'That Time of Year' with all the songs for Christmas. This comes after a successful 'The Lord's Prayer' - Our Father who art in heaven.' Rick has sung a beautiful song 'You get what you want' and you can listen these songs on Rick's my space too. 

My Most fav song of Rick Paul is Help Us Understand.

"Help Us Understand"
(Rick Paul)

A little boy in his bedroom, tears streaming from his eyes
Fell to his knees as he cried
He said, "God, I know you can hear me, and you can do all kinds of things
If I can't have Mommy back, would you give her angel's wings"

Oh, Heavenly Father, please help us understand
Why so many suffer in this world that's in your hands
Though we trust you have your reasons
If this is part of your plan
Oh, please, please, help us understand

A young man from the suburbs called his wife from work that day
Said, "tell everybody I'm okay"
Then he paused, and told her he loved her, and she should hug the kids for him
They never saw his face or heard his voice again

Oh, Heavenly Father, please help us understand
Why so many suffer in this world that's in your hands
Though we trust you have your reasons
If this is part of your plan
Oh, please, please, help us understand

Oh it hurts so much
That it's hard to go on
One moment here
The next, they're just gone

Thousands of crying voices were silenced that dark day
All we could do was watch, and pray
So many who tried to help them would sacrifice their lives
As steel and concrete towers crumbled like ice

Oh, Heavenly Father, please help us understand
Why so many suffer in this world that's in your hands
Though we trust you have your reasons
If this is part of your plan
Oh, please, please, help us understand
Oh, please, please help us understand

- ilaxi
(My space on My space!)

The recent news around is Google Inc plans to start selling advertising space in 50 top newspapers, expanding the Internet search efforts to provide services off the web and making it easier for companies advertising online to also show off their products in print.

A group of more than 100 Google Advertisers will be able to place bids for space in The New York Times, Gannett, Tribune and Washington Post during a three month test period according to reports on my desk.

Now, I feel this system will indeed increase sales as online journalism is in thing today and competition from online advertising also on a rise. Also google will gain more customers during its pursuit of print, radio and television marketing. Advertisers will have better opportunities to pick specific newspapers and specific sections for their ads. Buisnesses would place bids on ad size, sections and days a newspaper is offering and the publication can view the bids and make selections. The newspaper reserves the right to choose to accept as many bids as their reach.
Yeah, the newspapers would have a wider chance to tap in a group of advertisers and for sure, the print is going to stay even with the online Journalism and blogging journalism is on rise. It only remains to be seen how the trial period goes so that google can start this project by next year.

Any views on this?

- ilaxi

King of Search & King of Video gets together last month. Google Acquires You Tube. View the message of the You Tube Founders Chad & Steve. They spent monthly cost of $1 million with over 23 million users. The 20 month old company fetches $1.25 billion in the google takeover. Google getting mightier on the web.

- ilaxi

Ever seen the Coca-cola ad on You Tube? An amusing Aamir Khan. Recently, Google enters into Entertainment & Recreation with You Tube takeover. Coke, Pepsi, Nike, so on - brands spend money where eyeballs are rolling. There is more money in branding than cost per click and Google adwords apt to find targets here. The best Internet Purchase of the year by google. However, I fear Google's Orkut known as Opium of the Internet masses, is getting into trouble in India with its Hate Groups & Anti social elements. The Aurangabad bench of the Bombay high court, comprising Justice AP Deshpande and Justice RM Borde, issued notice to Google last week following a public interest litigation initiated by 22-year-old advocate Yugant R Marlapalle-Also an Orkut Member, he objects of a community burning Indian flag. 

Remains to be seen how communities are controlled like this one - not only on Orkut but www itself! Well, I heard, Orkut is being re-designed again! 

- ilaxi

ITVidya.com in collaboration with Sinhgad Technical Education Society has hosted a 2 day Conference on "Technopreneurship : Empowering Budding Entrepreneurs" to be held on Friday 29th and Saturday 30th September 2006 in Pune.

Many want to start their own business but do not have the proper guidance,resources and the know-how to do that and this event is just tailer-made for them. The Target audience is Aspiring Entrepreneurs,New Startup Founders,Engineering Students,MBA students and Working Professionals. Though there is a nominal entrance fee, the two day sessions are planned to provide budding technocrats with a holistic understanding of business dynamics and acceleterate their transition to technopreneurs.

If you are a student and interested to know further about the itvidya projects, ring up Ajay Sanghani on his mobile 098200 20753 or just click to itvidya and join the group of tech - IT knowledge, Networking and Opportunities.

- ilaxi

As google celebrated its 8th Birthday on 27th September, it's been my fav search engine on the web. My affair with Google Search started way back as I explored the web. I almost fell in love with Google and I found it a 'wonder of wonders'. This has ever been my first Internet Crush and since years, my day began with google and ended up google as I updated my websites.

In September 1998, Google Inc. opened its door in Menlo Park, California. The door came with a remote control, as it was attached to the garage of a friend who sublet space to the new corporation's staff of three. The office offered several big advantages and also provided a parking space for the first employee hired by the new company. He was Craig Silverstein, now Google's director of technology. Google.com was in the Beta version then and answered over 10,000 search queries each day. Their ladder to success was sure as in December 1998, PC Mag named Google as one of its Top 100 Web sites and Search Engines for 1998. By 21st September 1999, the Beta Label of Google Search Engine came off from the site and became Time magazine's Top Ten Best Cybertech list for 1999.

Google got the Webby Award and a People's Voice Award for technical achievement in May 2000 when Founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin spoke few words of acceptance 'We Love you Google users. And this turned out today with people saying "We Love You Google". Quality of search results is all that matters with Google. Most comprehensive web search and here's Google come a long way with :
google search, Google mail, Google Earth, Google Moon, Google Maps, Google Tool Bar, Google Adwords, Google Adsense, Google Store, Google Desktop, Google Video, Google Blog Search,Google Talk and more n more!!! Yeah, Google Labs & Google Print and all more....

Today, in 2006, we have the Google Video Player and its the best featuring upcoming on the web. Also a brand new Google video Store. A free pack was also announced at its Birthday and here is the same for download by people residing anywhere.

Thank You Google and yeah, again 'May the good lord god bless Google and the team.

-ilaxi patel
Editor, kidsfreesouls.com

Indian Govt has a lousy idea of Blog censorship that their Instructions landed up the ISPs to block all blogspot blogs!

Post 7/11, the Government decided to block sites and gave a handful of list to ISPs. Out of a misunderstanding of both Technology and Security, ISPs blocked all the Blogger Blogs. CERT (Computer Emergency Response Team) of the Telecommunications demanded the block to some sites with no explanations to the drastic action of blocking all blogger sites. As a result, Indian Bloggers on the web with over 42,000 Bloggers on the Google owned blogspot.com suffered from this action. They have already formed "Bloggers Collective Group" and Wiki on Bloggers Against Censorship - a Campaign against Indian Government's apparent notice to various ISPs to Block the various websites and blogs hosted on blogspot.com. The bloggers demand their constitutional right to Freedom of Speech & Expression as Indian Citizens. Bloggers like Peter Griffin, Amit Verma, Dina Mehta, etc. have made all their efforts to help the blogging community to view the blogs and provided helpful hints and support.

A unique script has been provided by Dr. Awab Alvi, a Pakistani founder of 'Dont Block the Blog Campaign' and the Blogger Blogs can be viewed here. All you need to do is, just enter the name of the Blog. eg. kidsfstech, kidsfreesouls, sambhaav - all blogs that are hosted on Google's Blogger (blogspot.com) You will be able to read these Blogs here. A lot Thanks to Dr.Awab Alvi.

The Department of Telecom (DoT) has now instructed the ISPs to Block only the websites and blogs specified in the Instructions to them earlier. The order further says that the ISPs operating in India should strictly comply with the order dated 13th July 2006 and provide unhindered access to Internet. They are only supposed to block the limited number of web pages and websites not the entire network of domains hosting some of these blogs. They are also asking the ISPs to clarify why they should not take action against them for blocking harmless sites and causing a lot of troubles for the end user in the country.

Strangely, still Bloggers are unable to access blogs hosted on Google’s Blogger service even now. They need to sort to services like pkblogs.com .

Some Bloggers are moving for legal action ironically to be based on the Information Technology Act, 2000. In Section 66, this Act defines 'Hacking' - as gaining illegal access to any website, or preventing access to a website through illegal means.

My Blogs (mjakbar.org & swagatgroup.net) two of the blogs, out of many that I manage, can now be accessed with Blogger.com Tech tools as they now appear on this site powered by Blogger. Any person with a hosted website need to change the settings in blogger.com to publish its blog via ftp, thus ignoring the ban. However, this demands Blogger help, tech skills, hosting space and unnecessary changes!

- ilaxi