Blogs

We all know Facebook has captured the attention of internet users. In fact, this interesting social networking giant has encouraged the handful of people who hadn't yet dabbled with the net to jump on and 'network'.

Facebook currently has 175 million registered users, who log in and view things others in their network decide to share - including photos, videos and dialogue with others they are connected to.

Among the successes of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his team of tech geeks have been their ability to educate the masses on certain web technologies. We web developers and marketers have been trying to add the acronym 'app', short for WEB APPLICATION (aka web software), into the dictionaries of public and business for many years now, and Facebook has managed to do this seamlessly.

By offering interesting applications, from games to useful tools, to their users, Facebook has brought this 'app' term to the fore.

The beauty of Facebook's set-up for developers and entrepreuners is that it is open source. This means that developers like us can develop apps and earn fame by promoting it to Facebook users. What Zuckerberg and Facebook gain from this is they keep developers with smart ideas using their platform rather than encouraging them to create their own and potentially compete with the social networking website, which began as a way to get Harvard campus students communicating online, and hasn't stopped growing since.

We at KayWeb have been receiving a growing number of requests from people who want to develop Facebook Applications (Facebook Apps). Some just have good ideas and aren't interested in the potential financial rewards, but most are businesses who are trying to take advantage of the interactivity Facebook provides by developing an application that could provide the gateway between the social folk on Facebook and the products/services their businesses provide.

In the last month, KayWeb has received 18 proposal requests for Facebook Applications for businesses, and this list will continue to grow!

Those who know web know Microsoft's Internet Explorer, in any version, is slow and hopeless. It has now been revealed the most widely-used internet browser has a SERIOUS security hole that leaves computers exposed to hijack attempts.

Anti-virus software maker Trend Micro has confirmed that the said 'hole' helps criminals trick you and I into entering websites that contain code which can steal our passwords, as well as more serious information such as financials.

Trend Micro security researcher Paul Ferguson told the Associated Press that this flaw has not been repaired by Microsoft.

Microsoft, according to the same news network, is "investigating the flaw and is considering fixing it through an emergency software patch outside of its normal monthly updates, but declined further comment".

Quite frankly, this is not good enough.

I will encourage everybody I know to switch browsers immediately. There are viable options out there that won't only help your security; they will also speed up your daily business on the internet.

The best option at the moment is Firefox (please click here to download), which is developed by the Mozilla open source community and has been leading innovation in the browser game for many years now.

Other viable options include Google's Chrome (please click here to download), which has less features than Firefox but is getting better day by day. It is now out of beta testing mode.

And Apple's Safari (please click here to download) is also a solid performer and is available for both Mac and Windows.

The move by many web users to the above options has Microsoft quaking (Firefox already has 20% market share according to recent statistics).

Internet Explorer would be far less dominant if it wasn't a default on all Windows computers, which is also a reason that some major PC manufacturers are now doing deals with the likes of Firefox and Google to include their browsers as defaults.

* Feel free to read Internet Explorer review by respect IT review website, CNET. Click here.

With the festive season around the corner, direct research of KayWeb clients has shown increased activity in ecommerce websites, particularly those offering gift options like digital goods, fragrances, clothes and hardware.

This may seem only logical with Christmas around the corner, however a deeper analysis shows that the economic doom and gloom has made people realise that online is the best place to find a bargain.

Shopping in malls and shopping centres is very time consuming and tiring. The thought of going to your nearest Westfield includes:

• Driving to the shopping centre
  
• Trying to find parking
• Walking a distance to get into the shopping centre
• Walking a distance from the shopping centre entrance to the shop you seek
• Seeing people you do not want to see
• Looking for the exact product that may or may not be on the shelf
• Looking for your make and size
• Walking to the next shop to compare prices
• Walking back to negotiate a better price from store 1
• Purchasing your product, knowing it may be cheaper in a shopping centre in another suburb
• Repeating the buying process for each individual product
  
• Repeating the walks, 'hopefully' with heavy bags in hand
  
• Being offered a new credit card by some exchange student
• Finding your car
• Loading your car
• Driving home

Putting these steps into text is hard enough... performing them, as most would know, is infinitely tougher.

Enter the convenience of online shopping.

• Jump on the web
• Google for your desired product, being as specific as model number if you wish
• Click the first few options to compare prices
• Pay securely
• Have it delivered

While Google is no doubt great, there is now even better options when browsing online. Websites such as shopping.com and Get Price do the hard work for you.

• eBusinesses list their products and prices on these websites
• You jump on this website and search for a brand of digital camera or fragrance
• It lists for you the prices from cheapest to most expensive
• You click on the cheapest; it takes you directly to that product on the said website
• You pay securely
• Have it delivered

The online option of shopping is no doubt the best option for today's time-poor class of human. This was proven with the advent of ecommerce.

But now, with the economy treading such uncertain waters, the online option of shopping has proven itself as the best option for those seeking a bargain!