Digg Updates iPhone App - More Stable, Better Twitter/Facebook Integration

Digg has launched an update to its iPhone app, which comes with better Twitter and Facebook integration and improved stability.

Digg lists the following as key changes in the app:

• Logging in to, or changing accounts on, Facebook or Twitter
• Sharing stories through Facebook or Twitter without first logging in to that service
• Digging a story without first logging in to your account
• Running a search for a random string with no results
• Navigating away from a story while it is loading
• Saving a story or trying to access saved stories
• Loading more user comments related to a story

The app was originally launched in March, then received an update in April, making some stability improvements. Those apparently weren't enough, as most of the feedback Digg has received since then, has been about stability issues. We'll see if they got it right this time around.

Who Would Benefit from the Government Regulating Google Search Results?

There's a very interesting discussion going on about whether or not the government should regulate search results. This begun earlier this week, when the New York Times ran an editorial titled, "The Google Algorithm", which suggests one way "to ensure the editorial policy guiding Google's tweaks is solely intended to improve the quality of the results and not to help Google's other businesses," is to "give some government commission the power to look at those tweaks."

Another way, the piece suggests could be for Google to "explain with some specified level of detail the editorial policy that guides its tweaks."

The piece was enough to not only get a response from long-time search industry reporter Danny Sullivan, via a clever, satirical look at the NYT piece itself (giving the publication something of a mirror to look into), but it was also enough to get Google to respond.

Google's VP of Search Product and User Experience, Marissa Mayer wrote a piece for the Financial Times, which was reprinted on Google's Public Policy Blog (Google also thought enough of Sullivan's response to link to it). 

"What is fair in terms of ordering?" asks Mayer. "An alphabetical listing? Equally, new results will need to be incorporated – new web pages, but also new media types such as tweets or audio streams. Without competition and experimentation between companies, how could the rules keep up? There is no doubt that this will stifle the advance of the science around search engines."

"Abuse would be a further problem," continues Mayer. "If search engines were forced to disclose their algorithms and not just the signals they use, or, worse, if they had to use a standardised algorithm, spammers would certainly use that knowledge to game the system, making the results suspect."

"But the strongest arguments against rules for 'neutral search’ is that they would make the ranking of results on each search engine similar, creating a strong disincentive for each company to find new, innovative ways to seek out the best answers on an increasingly complex web," she adds.

To the NYT's credit, the piece did say that "Google provides an incredibly valuable service, and the government must be careful not to stifle its ability to innovate." But it's hard to see how any government intervention wouldn't stifle innovation.

Twitter's @earlybird Starts Offering Deals

Last week, Twitter announced its new @earlybird account, designed to provide followers with exclusive deals from the comapny's advertising partners and other businesses. Now, the account is in full swing, as it has tweeted its first deal.

The deal comes from The Walt Disney Studios, and allows followers in the U.S. to get a special deal on tickets to the movie "The Sorcerer's Apprentice."

Terms of the offers provided on the @earlybird account are set by Twitter's partners.

"We're just getting started-- we've got an amazing lineup of deals to share in the coming days and weeks with people following @earlybird," says Twitter PR guy Matt Graves. "Several times a week, @earlybird will help consumers discover Twitter-exclusive deals in entertainment, fashion, technology, beauty, travel and more."

The @earlybird Twitter account already has over 47,000 followers. That will no doubt grow significantly as word spreads and people start captializing on the deals provided.

comScore Puts Android Up Yet Again

Palm's out of the running. Microsoft's about to lose its advantage. And although they're still way out in front, even RIM and Apple appear to be in trouble, according to the latest report from comScore, which indicates that Android has taken market share from all of its top competitors.

You can see the data for yourself below. Note that it's not exactly up to date, covering the period between mid-February and mid-May, so RIM, Apple, and Microsoft fans can cling to the hope that they've made comebacks. Also, RIM's loss isn't as bad as the dips corresponding to the other companies.

Still, it looks like Android is making a significant dent in the market.



If these patterns persist, Android will have already toppled Microsoft and secured third place by now. Then Apple will fall sometime around December.

It should be interesting to see how this plays out. Google could spend lots of money and energy in an effort to press ahead, or Apple could do the same in the hope that the iPhone 4 will preserve its market share. Or all of the companies could show a certain amount of patience/confidence by just maintaining their current levels of ad spending. source: www.webpronews.com/topnews/

Analyst Pushes eBay To Launch Fulfillment Program

In the past year, eBay's stock has risen by 17.57 percent. Amazon's stock has risen by 40.92 percent. It's possible to argue that eBay might learn a thing or two from Amazon, then, and an analyst at RBC Capital has done so by suggesting that eBay launch a program similar to Fulfillment by Amazon.

Below, you can see a diagram of how Fulfillment by Amazon works if you're unfamiliar with the arrangement. It makes Amazon an integral part of all buying and selling processes, which is good for the company. It also helps reduce shipping costs (and times), which benefits the buyers and sellers.



Implementing a similar program would then have at least one other benefit in eBay's case, according to RBC's Stephen Ju. As reported by Eric Savitz, Ju said, "Most importantly, this measure would help EBAY to shed its Web 1.0 image and remain more relevant to its base of buyers and sellers."

eBay may want to make some changes sooner rather than later, too. Savitz reported, "Ju maintains his Outperform rating on the shares, but cuts his target to $25, from $30. He cut his 2010 EPS forecast to $1.62, from $1.64; for 2011, he goes to $1.79, from $1.82."

So perhaps eBay's shareholders can start to apply a little pressure if they feel the fulfillment program is a good idea. Launching it would represent a big change from eBay's traditional way of doing business, though, so no one should expect John Donahoe to greenlight the project on a whim. source: www.webpronews.com/topnews/

Facebook Offers Scholarship to Female Computer Science Students

Facebook has announced a new scholarship, the Facebook Grace Hopper Scholarship, which it will award to 5 women university students excelling in Computer Science, to attend the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing conference. The conference takes place in Atlanta from September 28tht to October 2nd.


"Last year I had the opportunity to participate on the 2009 Grace Hopper Technical Executive Forum in a discussion around the challenges organizations face with the recruitment, retention, and advancement of technical women and the solutions to these challenges," says Facebook's Mike Schroepfer. "It was an educational and motivational experience, and I've subsequently met many people who were hugely impacted by attending a Grace Hopper conference."

Applications for the scholarship must be submitted in full by Saturday July 31st. Award recipients will be notified by email of their acceptance on Tuesday August 31st.

To be eligible, women must be enrolled full-time at a university, pursuing a Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or related technical major, and a U.S. resident.

Women who wish to apply for the scholarship can do so here.