A Japanese programmer has created a gadget for Google's Friend Connect service that aims to clue Web site owners in to who's visiting their site and when. Based on the Google-backed OpenSocial APIs, Friend Connect is an application that lets Web site owners add social features, such as a profile button, to their sites by copying and pasting a few lines of code. Moreover, it's easy to use; users log in using an existing account from Google, Yahoo, AOL, or OpenID.

by Vera H-C Chan Groom your Schnauzer. It's time to take the pup to work. Friday, June 26, is when man's best friend learns what you do all day to bring home the bacon bits. If you haven't heard of Take Your Dog to Work Day , you've been stuck in a doghouse for the past 10 years. Pet Sitters International, a member organization of human beings, unleashed the event in 1999 to get attention for pet adoption.

by Mike Krumboltz Remember high school? We do. The desperate hunt for dates ranks high on our list of memorable traumas, but the dread-fueled anticipation over the  SAT takes the cake. Things haven't changed a bit. Today, high school students were given Web access to their scores. Searches immediately soared. Throughout the day, lookups for " sat scores " and " college board " (the outfit that administers the test) posted triple-digit gains. Those queries were to be expected.

Yahoo plans on shaking things up with a new site redesign and a major rebranding effort. One suggested new tagline/motto is "Your Home On The Web". Guess Carol Bartz - the new CEO - sees us web users as homeless. Okay that may not be a fair shot but it should have Yahoo thinking a little bit more about a tagline. Most people have their default browser pages set already and to push for grabbing a bigger share of them is a smart idea, but that tagline may not be the way to go.

The trial of Google executives charged in Italy over the publication of a video on YouTube where a handicapped child was beaten has been postponed, the BBC News reported . "On trial are Google's senior vice president and chief legal Officer David Drummond, former chief financial officer George Reyes, senior product marketing manager Arvind Desikan, and global privacy counsel Peter Fleischer," BBC News noted. This story first broke in February when charges were made.

by Josh Bernoff As a young man I was a science fiction fan. Not just a reader, a fan who went to conventions ("cons"), gathered in weekly or monthly meetings and argued arcana, sought autographs and bought fan art. Among fans there was a ubiquitous argument. Many believed fervently that Fandom Is A Way Of Life ( FIAWOL ). Their lives revolved around their fan activities. Others responded that Fandom Is Just A God Damn Hobby ( FIJAGDH ). They loved to be fans,

In the last six months, we've seen uploads from mobile phones to YouTube jump 1700%; just since last Friday, when the iPhone 3GS came out, uploads increased by 400% a day. This growth represents three things coming together: new video-enabled phones on the market, improvements to the upload flow when you post a video to YouTube from your phone, and a new feature on YouTube that allows your videos to be quickly and effortlessly shared through your social networks.

by Mike Krumboltz In the wake of the scandal surrounding South Carolina governor Mark Sanford , several key political players have surged into the spotlight. One of the brightest is Nikki Haley , a 37-year-old Republican from the Palmetto State. Ms. Haley, an Indian-American, currently serves in the state's House of Representatives. However, like all good politicians, she has her eye on a bigger prize - the mother of two is running for governor in 2010. And now,

It takes time to build links. But if you're going to do it then you might as well do it right. Build your links with diversity in mind. But what exactly is link diversity? Link diversity is link building that incorporates a multi-faceted approach to building links so that inbound links to your website come from a variety of sources with a variety of PageRank authority and relevance.

by David Carberry A few weeks ago I attended the Maryland Chamber of Commerce session on Social Media and Online Marketing with guest host Mario Armstrong from XM radio. The panel consisted of Greg Cangialosi, CEO of Blue Sky Factory , Matt Goddard, CEO of r2integrated and Leah Messina, CEO of Sinuate Media . The panelists spoke about various topics such as; online tools, social marketing and challenges their clients face.