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New Media News Every Morning

Velingo releases Content Recommendations for Search

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Velingo Ltd., provider of Targeted Content Recommendation solutions for online services, has announced that its Spotlight technology is now available both as a Firefox add-on and as a widget for any search engine.

Spotlight is based on collecting vast amounts of data– such as users’ behavior and user-generated content– analyzing it, and building global knowledge to provide optimized and personalized recommendations for each customer and service. The patent-pending technology exposes users to relevant content, building loyalty while increasing providers’ revenues.

Unlike other social search systems that rely on manual voting and tagging by users, Spotlight builds massive knowledge base – transparently and automatically, without involving users in the process. Spotlight for Firefox is compatible with the three major search engines: Google, Yahoo and Live. By using Spotlight recommendations, users can easily expand or narrow their searches, for a better search experience.

In addition to Spotlight for Firefox, Velingo also released a web-based code generator wizard that helps providers embed Spotlight into their search pages. Code generation for a search engine takes only a few minutes, after which, all that is required is to paste the code inside the search page.

Originally posted on February 12, 2008 @ 7:00 pm

AOL acquires Goowy

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AOL has acquired Goowy, a start-up that specializes in widget and analytics applications. Financial details of the acquisition were not disclosed.

Goowy is also behind yourminis.com whic enables web users to search for widgets to install in their blogs, and Goowy Webtop, a package of consumer tools such as a multiple-network instant messenger, email, calendar, contacts, file storage and games.

Originally posted on February 4, 2008 @ 12:44 pm

KickApps releases version 3.0

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kickapps.pngKickApps announced the release of version 3.0 of its SaaS application suite. This version makes it easier for web publishers and developers of all levels and experience to deploy Social Networking, User Generated Content (UGC), Programmable Video Players and Widgets. In addition, the new release extends a web publisher’s ability to manage media, members and reporting— essential elements to growing a successful online community.

KickApps 3.0 opens community creation to a wide range of non-technical web publishers. A powerful new WYSIWYG site creation and deployment interface allows web publishers with minimal technical knowledge the ability to build and customize social media websites and widgets with just a few clicks. These point-and-click features also help experienced web developers achieve rapid prototyping and fast deployment.

KickApps 3.0 also includes an array of community experiences that focus on driving member engagement and viral growth: community news feeds, social graphs, one-click media syndication, media-enabled message boards and customized group features.

One of the most powerful enhancements is the KickApps 3.0 Affiliate Center. The KickApps Affiliate Center is where web developers deploy, customize, manage, monetize and moderate their online communities. Version 3.0 transforms the KickApps Affiliate Center into a dynamic control panel that provides real-time data essential to growing audience and engagement. The KickApps Advertising Manager in the Affiliate Center enables ad insertion from all major ad networks for optimal monetization.

Originally posted on January 31, 2008 @ 10:53 am

YouChoose.net Introduces ‘Distributed Social Networking’

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YouChoose.net, whose tagline is “Turning Passions into Actions,” announced the release of its YouChoose Widget.

“Most blogs and online news articles allow people to post a comment. But most sites haven’t developed the critical mass of users to appear active or induce comments. Adding the YouChoose widget to those websites provides that critical mass by supplying an immediate active community. When a blog or article is posted, relevant discussions that are taking place across the YouChoose.net ‘Distributed Social Network’ are immediately displayed on the blog or news site. These replace the usual ‘comment’ link,” Mike Dever, co-founder, explained.

Because that discussion is taking place across potentially thousands of other websites, there is an active community of participants that keep the conversation flowing. Any comment or reply posted on any of those websites is distributed across all of those websites through the YouChoose widget.

Originally posted on January 29, 2008 @ 3:22 pm

Fluid Social brings rich-media merchandising widgets to social networking sites

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Fluid, Inc. today introduced Fluid Social, the fastest, easiest way for companies to create interactive merchandising widgets for social networking sites and personal pages such as iGoogle, blogs, Facebook and MySpace. Part of the Fluid Retail merchandising suite, which has been deployed by dozens of retailers, Fluid Social enables companies to leverage the assets already in use in their online store to create rich-media branded widgets.

Fluid Social is the first productized solution for distributed merchandising. Its full-featured administrative tools make it possible for marketers and merchandisers to control both brand and product content displayed in widgets in real time, without involvement from engineers. This means the widget’s content remains fresh, relevant and in sync with their on-site merchandising strategies.

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Originally posted on January 22, 2008 @ 3:38 pm