Mashup - 10 Fascinating Googlers

To find my mashup I returned to the site we used in class, Programmable Web.  I searched through different mashups but I decided to focus on the mashup, “10 Fascinating Googlers”.  This mashup gives a description of Fortune Magazines 10 most Fascinating Googlers.  However, we are not just given a list of names with brief descriptions.  The 10 people are plotted onto a map that is available to view 3 different ways (map view, satellite and hybrid view).  You can set the mashup to “autoplay” where a box will pop up, person by person, giving you a picture, description and their location on the map.  You can also “disable autoplay” and view the profiles at your own speed.  This mashup is very easy to use and the information is very interesting.  The map is not quite necessary but it is a nice feature.  Viewing this mashup has definitely made me more comfortable using mashups, this was very easy to navigate and use.  I would suggest several of the mashups on the programmable web site.  

link to mashup site:

http://www.programmableweb.com/mashup/10-fascinating-googlers

link to mashup:

http://www.mibazaar.com/googlers/

Who Gives Better Answers, People or Computers? Ask ChaCha

ChaCha, a computer automated text messaging answer service was launched in January and now has approximately 1 million users. ChaCha allows anyone with a cell phone to text message ChaCha (242242) and ask a question about anything. The guide working for ChaCha will find the answer and text you back in less than 160 characters for free. The guide searches the internet on sites that are approved by ChaCha to find an answer. Currently, some people are worried about the accuracy of this system. Even if you receive an answer, how do you know if it’s correct? At this time, ChaCha has a 93% accuracy rating. ChaCha also allows people to be their “guides”. Many guides are stay at home moms and college students because of the convenience. They are paid by the number of questions they answer.

I, along with a couple of my friends have tried out ChaCha and have received correct answers. However, on my first text I was told that standard text messaging rates apply so I am unsure about the cost. Personally, I would rather have a friend use internet on a phone or on an Itouch to look up the answer and save my money. ChaCha does provide a very convenient and quick service. It is very nice to have available and after a few months I will be interested to see if the number of users are still increasing.

Facebook Launches Redesign

The famous social networking site, Facebook, has gotten a facelift. If you have not yet converted to the new redesign of facebook you will soon have no choice. This week facebook users will be forced to use the new version of facebook whether they want to or not. Mark Zuckerberg, the 24 year old creator of facebook, has always had to face unhappy users and protesters when releasing a redesign of facebook. This time, however, he has changed his ways in releasing the new version hoping people will be more likely to ease into the new design. The redesign was available seven weeks ago for users to try and so far 30 of the 40 million people who have tried the new version have stuck with it. However, there are also groups forming that are protesting the new redesign. Within the next week all facebook users will be forced to switch to the redesign and hopefully the transition will be more smoothly than others in the past 2 years. The "news feed" was released about two years ago and at first people disliked the idea and protested. Zuckerberg was forced to make public apologies and change a few different privacy settings. He is now hoping that even though people at protesting now, users will become more comfortable and not have a problem with the new design. I think that after users have adapted to the new setup of facebook there will not be any issues. As soon as people use the new design for a few days and familiarize themselves with it, it will feel normal. When new versions were released in the past people complained at first but now most have realized that the newer versions have been positive changes.


http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1840165,00.html?cnn=yes

Google Unveils Free Browser Chrome is an article that was posted to CNN.com on Tuesday of this week discussing the new internet browser Chrome that Google is releasing this week. Google already has an extremely popular search engine and they are finally releasing a new web browser. I say finally because Google has had an innovative search engine for quite some time but they are just now releasing a new web browser, what was the hold up? However, Google is taking quite a brave step in introducing a web browser to compete with Microsoft's Internet Explorer which is used by 75% of people on the web. Can Google really convert some of the 75% to their new web browser? Many people at first, I'm sure, will be intrigued and try out Chrome. But will these interested people stick with Chrome or return to using the comfortable Internet Explorer provided by Microsoft? Google has done an amazing job promoting and gaining users for their popular search engine but can they do the same for their new web browser?