Originally Google had taken issue with the Chinese authorities after several user accounts were deliberately hacked. It was also ordered to filter out search results via its Chinese site that were deemed to be unfit for public consumption and so it made a number of changes in order to partially comply with the Chinese Government’s requirements whilst partially circumventing others and further incurring the ire of the authorities. Back in March 2010, Google began to redirect any search requests made on its Chinese site to the equivalent site based in Hong Kong. Here the Chinese rules over censorship of search results did not apply and so it could freely give Chinese users access to the web addresses most relevant to their requests, no matter what they were looking for.

Google’s work-around was clever, but it was hardly covert and, as such, the authorities reiterated their demand that Google reinstate the Google.cn website and enforce the mandatory filtering of search results. Google has a lot to lose in this situation, as the Chinese government threatened to withhold the renewal of its license to operate in the region until some kind of compromise was reached that was acceptable to both parties.

Google made another double-edged kowtow to the authorities after it reinstated the Chinese version of its site. However, instead of filtering search results, the website simply provided visitors with a link to the Google page that operates out of Hong Kong. This small partition between the sites was deemed as significant enough to comply with the requests of the authorities, but the question of the licence renewal was left up in the air, with Google’s sustained presence in China hanging by a thread of diplomacy.

In most cases, the question as to whether or not to filter the search results in China is academic, because the government has already imposed an embargo on many sites, meaning that even if users could view the links on Google, they would be unable to access the sites due to the nation’s enforced firewall. Of course Google is far more than just a search provider, as its services extend into most areas of the online world. This means that its exit from the Chinese market would leave a large number of users without much needed services and it has become a point of contention for many residents who fear that Google would leave a gap that no other provider could fill. It is important to note that Google is not actually China’s most visited search engine, with this honour going to Baidu. As a result, it is set to expand its maps and multimedia services to entrench its presence in other ways.

Although Google had feared that it would not receive a renewed license from the Chinese authorities, early in July its wish was granted and a typically minimalist statement from the search giant was accompanied by stoic silence from the government. Most observers took this to suggest that a compromise had been reached and analysts predicted that Google had won certain concessions whilst having to accept its losses in other areas. In this scenario it is said that both Google and the Chinese authorities had something to lose and that this was surely a driving force behind any negotiations. According to some sources there were actually no negotiations between the two firms in the run up to the renewal of the contract and Google might even have been taken aback by its renewal.

When Google announced that it might be pulling out of the Chinese market back in January 2010, there was a certain section of Chinese society that reacted despondently to this news. Some even went as far as laying bunches of flowers and lighting candles outside of Google’s Chinese headquarters, although the precise reasons behind this behaviour are unknown. It is believed that Google has the backing of the educated classes in China, with pressure placed on the authorities by leading figures in order to ensure that Google could return and operate in its intended manner without hindrance. The fact that so much of this information is based on speculation suggests the scale of the media blackout which has otherwise fallen over this particular chapter in Google’s history.

Google is now able to continue to operate in China until 2012, at which point it will have to go through the renewal process all over again. The authorities will also look into the suitability of the licence every 12 months and it is possible for Google’s right to operate in China to be revoked at any time, so it is still technically on thin ice. After Google announced that its licence had been renewed there was a media frenzy as publications attempted to work out who had come out of the situation looking victorious. Although it is unclear as to whether Google or the Chinese government got the short end of the stick, the clear winners were Google’s rivals, notably Baidu.

Interestingly recent statistics show that Google saw its share of the search market in China drop by six per cent over the second quarter of 2010, according to Chinese research group Analysis International. Over the same period its major rival Baidu saw a six per cent growth in its own share, which suggests that it was able to mop up those users who ditched Google while its presence in China was in a state of flux. Google now officially controls 24.2 per cent of the Chinese search market, although at the start of the year it held a much healthier 35.6 per cent. Its losses have allowed Baidu to grow from a 58.4 per cent stake up to a staggering 70 per cent figure, which could worry Google’s American paymasters. This is because advertisers that had previously used Google.cn for publicity jumped ship to Baidu, which means that not only was its market share dropped but the revenue generated by advertisements moved into Baidu’s coffers.

Baidu has taken the battle for Chinese dominance to Google’s back yard in the last few weeks after its CEO visited Google’s native California in order to seek out the cream of technology talent to take back with him in order to build Baidu’s international reputation. This is a year in which Google has seen the value of its shares fall, whilst Baidu’s are up by 82 per cent thanks to its continued growth in the world’s largest country. Baidu is a younger, more sprightly firm than Google, as it went public only five years ago and could well be following in the footsteps of its American counterpart as it strives for global domination. The news that Google would be staying in China did have a small impact on the market and the US giant saw a 2.4 per cent increase in the value of its shares immediately after the announcement was made, which only partly offsets the 25 per cent decrease that has plagued it in the first half of this year.

In the most recent developments, Google has announced that it will be shutting down two of its Chinese platforms due to lack of custom. The Tianya.cn site and its technical support service are coming to an end, which could be the first indications that Google is feeling the pinch after losing users to rivals, although this might also be interpreted as a sensible move that will help it to focus its efforts on promoting the core of its search business in China.

Despite the recent troubles, most experts are convinced that Google’s falling market share is temporary, as its global brand image is strong and it has vast resources available to it. Google’s Chinese search engine is expected to regain users now that the Chinese authorities have settled the dispute, although the clandestine manner of its creation and the lack of general transparency can hardly be deemed as a victory for free speech and expression, which is surely what Google would have sought. Google has modelled itself as synonymous with the freedom of information in the west and this stance is clearly at odds with the national firewall and extensive online censorship which is imposed on Chinese users by the government. But when business gets this big, it’s easy to see how ideologies can be overlooked.

At present, the penetration of internet connectivity in China is at some 30 per cent, but by 2015 the government plans to push this up to 50 per cent. This will drive demand for IT & computing courses as the population familiarises itself with internet technology. Given the vast population of the country, this represents a significant portion of the market over which Google could potentially hold sway if it manages to retain its licence to operate. If Google ever butts heads with the Chinese authorities again, it could easily find its position destabilised and rival search providers could again gain momentum and market share.

Carbon offsetting is something that happens when individuals and businesses try to reduce their net carbon emissions indirectly, through an alternative means.

There are many varied options available; tree planting is the most common.

The intention of carbon offsetting is to combat global warming.

Trees take in carbon through photosynthesis, and convert carbon dioxide and water into oxygen and plant matter.

And so, in turn, will reduce atmospheric CO2 levels.

Carbon is released if a tree or its lumber burns, but as long as the forest is able to grow back, the result is carbon neutral.

For many years now however, there’s an increasing debate that planting a tree outside of the tropics to alleviate climate change is a waste of time. For example, that planting new trees and forests may initially release some of the land’s existing carbon stores into the atmosphere.

Nevertheless, the facts about the positive effects of tree planting remain intact and are still out there in abundance, therefore influencing people to continue planting trees across our countryside.

Here are some facts on the positive effects of tree planting:

Trees…

Are crucial to life on Earth Generate oxygen and store carbon Keep some of their local wildlife from being homeless and on the streets Provide raw materials and shelter Some thoughts to ponder:

The United Kingdom is currently one of the least wooded countries in Europe Less than 12% of the UK is woodland compared with the European Union average of 36% coverage Ancient woodland, which constitutes more than a few hundred years old, covers only 2% of the United Kingdom This ancient woodland is one of our richest source of wildlife habitat Whatever the general consensus of opinion, Karma Technologies’ belief is that trees and woodland is too precious to watch dwindle away.

We need to protect our trees, woodland and forests and in doing so, help sustain our wildlife, flora and fauna. It all has a knock on effect, and we all should care a great deal.

Without trees, life would be dull. No falling of leaves in the autumn and no buds in spring. What a terrible place it would be!

If not for these reasons alone, then trees should be regenerated so that future generations can enjoy and revel in their beauty and strength.

Make sure that our trees are safe and then everyone can make their own mind up as to whether they are as important as some may say…

A carbon footprint is a measure of how everyday activities have an impact on the environment, hence a footprint. They are gaged in terms of how much green house gases are produced and measured in units of carbon dioxide.

Some people aren’t aware that there is a carbon footprint and also a secondary footprint.

The secondary footprint is based on our consumer habits. For example, foods bought out of season at the shop or supermarket has to be shipped or flown from abroad. This all adds to the carbon footprint.

One way to make an impact on our secondary footprint is to buy organic and buy local. It’s also always best to buy food that’s in season. Making sure that the food label confirms where the produce came from. This all makes a difference.

Another ‘to do’ on the list is to switch off lights in a room when it’s empty. Don’t leave the TV on stand-by etc. Its common sense really once you get into it. It could save you some money too.

Meanwhile, Government legislation appears to be gearing up towards change.

The United Kingdom hopes to reduce CO2 levels by 2050, by an impressive 60%.

There’s still some way to go however, as on average, a household in the United Kingdom emits 6 tonnes of CO2 every year.

A website that provides green advice and links to consumers is www.green-solutions.com – they hope to be able to help people make informed decisions about the way they live on a day to day basis. Check it out, and make a change today…

Are you thinking of getting your website built?

Here are our top 10 guidelines to help you ask the right questions.

1. Make sure absolutely everything is detailed in the proposal you receive, with no hidden costs, and you understand the Terms and Conditions of the company you choose.

2. Your proposal should contain information about post delivery of your project, such as support, bug fixing, extra development and the charges involved.

3. Ensure you have a phased delivery of your project, so you can work and feedback on the site whilst it is still in development.

4. Confirm that you will be the owner of the code and the end product – not the development company. You are paying for it after all.

5. Always ask for a previous client list, and if possible any referrals that they can provide to confirm that previous client’s projects were delivered according to specifications and time.

6. Ask about the code that will be used to build your web pages. XHTML and CSS should be used where possible to produce search engine optimised pages that validate according to industry standards, and produce fast loading pages.

7. For public facing websites, remember that you want your website to look the same on every Internet browser on the PC or MAC (this is full cross-browser compatibility).

8. Your site should be accessible, as this is now a legal requirement. This means literally that the site is accessible to all. Your site should include at least basic tools to enable this.

9. If using a database, make sure you understand what database platform you require, and the implications of using certain databases for particular reasons. Many databases have costly user licenses, which may be fine for Intranets, but for external facing sites this can be expensive.

10. Remember that if using a server-side technology to display database data on your web page, MySQL database is free.

Contact us at Karma Technologies to read more, and see more of what we do

Podcasting software are among the recent tools that techies are using in the area of digital publishing. The idea of broadcasting information using the online medium had started long back. With several innovations added to various digital publishing mechanisms, podcasting has become a buzzword lately. Podcasting is a rather simple technique and can be easily accomplished using simple to use podcasting softwares. A striking feature of podcast and is that, as soon as new content is added, it is automatically downloadable or associated with the subscribed services. The users (subscribers) can thus get ready updates on the services they have subscribed to.

Before going into the details of podcasting software and their uses, let us first quickly understand what podcasting is. A group of media files are published on an online medium, Internet using RSS feeds. These files can then be viewed or listened to on a computer or other media players. Thus, the whole process of being able to publish media files on computers and portable devices is called podcasting or also is simply referred to as podcast. The term, podcast was actually coined from combination of ‘POD’ (Portable on Demand) and ‘cast’ taken from broadcast.

Having technically understood what podcasting let us now look at some podcasting software and tools that will help you get your media content published. There are many basic podcasting softwares that will help you get started. One can also find advanced P S for refining and optimizing the media content for enhanced broadcast quality. It is desirable to have at least basic knowledge of computers and Internet to be able to use these podcasting tools.

• To begin with, one needs audio or video recording software. This would also help in editing the media so that desired output is obtained. Audacity and RecordForAll are examples of such softwares.
• The next step would be to optimize the file so that it can be uploaded and published over the net. MP3 is the most preferred format for this purpose. Encoders can be used for this purpose, which form an important utility in podcasting softwares. LAME and iTunes can be used for conversion purposes.
• Using certain media players is recommended so that the final publishable media can be checked for its quality and performance before it is uploaded on the Internet. Any media player like Windows Media Player, WinAmp, and so on should be sufficient to test the media file.
• Finally, when the above steps are completed, one would need uploading software (FTP) to transfer the podcast from local computer to remote server location. Many FTP softwares (CuteFTP, SmartFTP, Ws-FTP) can be downloaded from the Internet and used.

Generally a combination of the above tools forms a complete podcasting software suite. However, there are all-in-one podcasting software that quickly allow broadcasting of the media content. AudioBlogger, and FeedForAll are two such examples of podcasting softwares.

Website hosting generally means storing information pages at a remote location (servers) from where people can access those pages over the internet. There are plenty of Website hosting options and plans available in the market today. Many website hosting plans are offered free of cost and have sponsored advertisements on the hosted web pages. Such plans can be used hosting a personal website or a single page. Businesses and organizations of all sizes usually use enterprise level premium fee based web hosting plans.

A typical Website hosting cycle would involve the following steps:

• Creating required web pages on the local machine.
• Depending on the platform and programming language in which the pages are created, web space is acquired. For e.g. if the pages are in ASP then Windows based server should be taken, or if the pages are in JSP/PHP, Linux based server must be obtained. However, if the website comprises simple HTML pages then any type of web server would suffice.
• If the requirement of the website demands user interaction and/or some data to be stored then adequate database space should be procured. For e.g. MySQL, Oracle, and so on.
• The amount of web hosting space that will be required to host your web pages needs to be determined. Also, it needs to be considered that the web site might grow in future and so adequate arrangements for additional web space need to be made in advance.
• After the DNS of the server location is pointed to the domain name, the locally developed web pages and other relevant files can be transferred to the remote server location using FTP (File Transfer Protocol).

Selecting a website hosting plan depending on the operating system, disk space, and database has been already discussed above. Let us now look at different types of web hosting services.

• Dedicated web hosting – entire web server is owned by a single user and is provided complete rights over it.
• Shared web hosting – many users use the same web server and share the server resources.
• Reseller web hosting – the users can themselves act as web server owners and allow other users to host websites on their own space.
• Managed web hosting – the user owns the web server entirely, however, is given only limited access to resources and configurations.
• Clustered web hosting – same content is hosted on different servers. This aids in effective use of the resources.

Apart from website hosting services there are many specialized services that cater to file hosting, blog hosting, image hosting, and many others.

When selecting a website hosting plan [http://www.karmatechnologies.co.uk/hosting.htm] it is important to consider the details mentioned above. However, it is also prudent to take into account the performance parameters, reliability and support services of the web hosting company.

Content Management Systems (CMS) have simplified the way content is published on websites and intranets these days. A CMS is an easy-to-use tool that requires minimal technical skills. Any lay-man can easily create text and multimedia rich web pages this way. However, you are not just confined to designing and publishing web pages. It also allows maintenance of documents and other content.

A CMS can also be used for specific purposes like document management, knowledge management, website content management, and so on. There are many systems available that are bundled with more or less similar features and are equally effective. Many of these can be tailored for a specific type of working environment and are usually referred to as bespoke content management systems.

Broadly they can be classified as enterprise level CMS and Open Source CMS. Enterprise content management systems have advanced elements like workflow management and security features. Open source CMS are free-to-use tools with all the required basic functionalities. Content management systems also depend on the type of platform used like the programming language (ASP, PHP, JAVA, and so on) and the supported databases (MySQL, Oracle, and so on).

Much of CMS success can be attributed to its usability aspect. The ease of use does not necessarily mean how simple it is for the author to get the content published on the web page. The usability factor of a content management system also takes into account the following:

• Simple to design layout, publish the content, and speedy deployment.
• The ease with which the CMS can be learned.
• The manner in which the errors are reported and controlled.
• Portability between versions and scalability on various platforms.

Apart from easy functionalities, a CMS should ideally include the following features:

• Customizable templates that can readily applied to content.
• Workflow management and document management.
• Advanced plug-ins and upgrades that comply to latest web standards.
• Content virtualization, where a virtual copy of the content can be worked on by multiple users.

A bespoke CMS allows the users to renew the content on any page or portion of the website.bespoke content management systems are best used when there are distinctive requirements like multi-lingual support, automatic link check, access rights depending on the roles, convoluted database systems, and so on. It is useful to have requirements and implementation objectives clearly defined before selecting and finalizing a content management system.

Simply put, an intranet application is a small internal website running within a secured business environment. Intranet is basically a network of computers in an organization that is used for sharing of data among the employees. An intranet-application is also sometimes referred to as corporate portal or private business network. Depending on the requirements it needs to cater to, the application can be basic in structure or exhaustive with complex interlinks and data exchanges. Stephen Lawton, a technical editor, introduced the term Intranet in 1995.

A typical intranet application works on HTML and TCP/IP, similar to internet. However, the basic difference is that the entire setup runs on LAN (Local Area Network). Intranet application development involves use of hardware with networking capabilities and software technologies that include web servers, browsers, TCP/IP, Ethernet, and WiFi systems. When the organization uses internet on the same network, the application is usually configured behind a firewall through a gateway so that unauthorized access is restricted.

Intranet applications should ideally allow the employees at levels to access required information, take decisions, and perform in an effective manner. Thus, the intranet application development cycle must be carefully planned and accomplished. Following steps can be considered when designing an intranet application.

• Define objectives – set the guidelines for which the intranet is being developed and will be used, and so on.
• Prepare the intranet plan – chart out the structure of the intranet, hardware and software that will be used, number of users and their access rights, nature of the information available on it.
• Design and implement intranet applications – having acquired the necessary resources complete the intranet designing, deployment, and other implementation tasks.
• Create awareness about the intranet – promote the intranet among the relevant users so that it is effectively used and the set objectives are fulfilled.

There are many advantages of intranet application, foremost being improved productivity and reduced costs.

• Faster access to information and updates allows the employees to make quicker decisions and take actions, thus improving the overall productivity of the organization.
• It facilitate accurate flow of targeted information across verticals and horizontals, which could possibly reduce number of emails floating around in an organization.
• Important policy documents, training materials, company knowledge documents can be maintained on the intranet application and can be accessed from a single source when required.
• There is no need to maintain physical copies of information or other documents and hence IA prove to be cost effective solutions.

Though intranets offer many advantages, it is required that intranet apps development is robust enough to handle multiple users at a time, and at that same time ensure that corporate confidentiality is maintained.

Many website development companies, in earlier times used simple HTML to design websites. However, when certain design needed to be changed, it became very tedious to carry out those changes across all the pages of the website. Cascading Style Sheets, also popularly known as CSS, solved this tiresome task of making changes to every web page or the HTML document.

Website development companies started using CSS to make their work easy of formatting the HTML document. Before CSS was introduced HTML tags were used to characterize fonts, tables, headers, paragraphs, and so on. The browser would then read these tags and present a formatted HTML page to the user. Tags for various formatting structures were embedded within the HTML and the content of the website. With more HTML tags getting introduced it became a little difficult for the website development company to manage the content and the presentation of the website. Introduction of cascading style sheets made it possible to separate content from the style of the website. One of the significant advantages of CSS was that it allowed the developers to organize the formatting and content of more than one page at one time.

Web design using CSS has been evolving for quite some time now and web development companies have been adapting to the latest versions. After scaling out CSS1 and CSS2 versions, CSS3 is currently being developed and is being modularized. There are various ways in which the CSS can be sourced for the HTML page in the browser.

• The web page designer/developer can define style sheets that can be referenced from an external file or embedded into the HTML page itself.
• The user can have styles defined for the browser that will override the styles applied to the webpage. Such a CSS file is stored on the local computer of the user.

Though web design using CSS has simplified things for designers and website development companies, there are still some limitations that must be certainly considered when using cascading style sheets.

• The browser support for CSS is not standardized yet and older versions of some browser cannot decipher the style tags. Thus the desired layout of a webpage is not completely obtained.
• Designers at times need to compromise on the visual effect of the webpage, as it is not possible to have different backgrounds for every graphic element.
• CSS does not support any shapes other than a perfect rectangle thus putting a limitation on use of aesthetics for various shapes.
• CSS does not allow full control on the vertical placement of the layout as much as it does for the horizontal placing of elements on the webpage.

There are few other drawbacks that might limit the use of CSS. However, these are being worked on in current version CSS3 and certainly with the advantages and the ease that CSS offer, it is unlikely that website development companies stop using CSS.

An ecommerce website essentially deals in online transactions for purchase and sale of products over the internet. Ecommerce is an abbreviated form for Electronic Commerce and is also sometimes referred to as eCommerces. With the advent of Internet, trades over ecommerce website have grown significantly and so has EC Web development. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) governs and regulates the activities of the ecommerce websites.

website development has facilitated and eased many operations that include the following, either individually or in combination:

• Funds (money) transfer over the internet
• Automation of data collection systems
• Electronic data exchanges
• Inventory management systems
• Supply chain management systems

Ecommerce has revolutionized the way business is done on the internet. However, it was a long struggle, as the security features were still being developed and implemented. Security was a major concern as ecommerce websites mostly dealt with cash transactions and involved online payments using credit cards. Thus it was a challenge for most of the ecommerce website developments to gain the confidence of the people and get them to transact on the World Wide Web. During the dot-com boom many “brick and mortar” establishments went online for their business and flourished as ecommerce traders. Many home based businesses tried their luck on the World Wide Web and started selling their goods online. However, many such hurried and random online businesses collapsed with the burst of the dot-com bubble. Companies and ventures with real strong fundamentals and business models sustained as revenue generators in the ecommerce space. Some of these include eBay, Amazon, Office Depot, Staples, and other similar ventures, which had office stationery, music/movie CDs and DVDs, books, and so on.

Ecommerce website development involves a stable consideration of various technical facets:

• A foremost consideration is about the strategy and a strong market research that will define the success of the ecommerce venture. This must be adequately backed by a professional management and a technical team to build a profitable business model.
• Designing a robust website that provides complete information about the products and services. The ecommerce website should be able to suitably facilitate information sharing and flow among the customers, partners, suppliers so that a common view is shared among all these.
• The systems on which the website is being developed and hosted should be scalable, stable, reliable, and highly secure. Proper fail-safe, encryption, and hardware redundancy features must be well in place.
• The ecommerce website development should be on latest technologies and respond quickly to technological advancements, and if required to social and economic changes as well.

An ecommerce endeavor, like every other business, focuses on the customer experience. The ecommerce website must make certain that customer feels pleasured about transacting online and returns for future purchases.