Any brand that doesn’t have some sort of Twitter strategy for 2010 should seriously consider making the jump now.

It is also notable that Bing beat Google to the punch on this one. Even though it was only by a matter of days, this shows that Microsoft is pushing Google in the innovation race. As the two companies constantly try and one-up each other, we the user stand to benefit greatly.

Gulf WebDev built the new Century 21 Professional Realty website around the WordPress content management system and then set it up to interface with all the relevant Social Media websites. When a new Real Estate blog is added to the website, the blog title and description are simultaneously broadcast on Twitter, LinkedIn, and FaceBook. As for the new design, Gulf WebDev built a Florida theme from scratch that incorporated the colors found in the Century 21 logo. We then picked some original New Port Richey photography from the Gulf WebDev library and added it to the site to achieve the local connection. The final product may be seen by visiting www.century21professional.com.

Here is how it works. If you are using IE7 or IE6, head on over to Microsoft’s Browser for the Better website and click on the green button that says “Download Internet Explorer 8 for free”. Microsoft will then donate to Feeding America’s network of 206 local food banks. Please note that upgrading from Microsoft.com does not count. Only complete downloads from the Browser for the Better website will qualify.

This is a win-win! A campaign to stamp out both IE6 (the arch nemesis of web designers everywhere) and hunger must be applauded and therefore Gulf WebDev wholeheartedly supports the cause. Help us help you and pass this on to your friends through Twitter, Facebook, and all other forms of social media that you may be using. Internet Explorer 8 is a great product and there has never been a better time to upgrade.

In an effort to prove that they are not simply resting on their laurels and enjoying the view from the top, this week Google unveiled their new search engine codenamed Caffeine. According to the spokesmouth, Caffeine will be more comprehensive with improved speed and accuracy. We were then given a link to the new search engine and instructed to give it a spin.

Upon arriving at the Caffeine search portal, I couldn’t resist trying out a search term relevant to this site: New Port Richey Search Engine Optimization. Wow! The results sure came back fast! It was virtually instantaneous. I am pleased to see that in the local results, Gulf WebDev is still in the A slot on the Google map. However, in the organic search results below that we are nowhere to be found. Even worse, we are not even on page two!! At this same moment in time Gulf WebDev is number four in the organic results on google.com.

It is now obvious to me that when Google switches over to the Caffeine the rankings will shuffle up a bit. This is a fact of reality that companies concerned with search engine visibility should be aware of. Otherwise, it could be the ole “here today, gone tomorrow” scenario.

This search engine consultant is going to hit the books hard the next few days to try and figure out Google’s method to their madness. Time is of the essence. Although Google has stated that Caffeine is “ready”, we still have no official launch date. Therefore, there is no better time than the present to start preparing for how the switch to Google’s new Caffeine engine will affect your website.

When will this happen? Well…. as with anything Microsoft does, the trust-busters will want to take a good look at this one. However, at the end of the day this deal should have no problem getting the green light. From that point, speculators are saying we can expect to see the proposed changes go live on the Internet some three to six months later. More than likely, this will be sometime in early 2010. This gives those of us concerned with SEO (Search Engine Optimization) plenty of time to get our ducks in a row.

While nobody is predicting that the Micro-hoo partnership will dethrone Google, it certainly will be a force to be reckoned with. The winds of change they are a blowing. Therefore, there is no better time than the present to make sure your website is optimized and placing well in Microsoft’s Bing search engine results. According to the latest statistics, once the deal goes through Bing will have roughly twenty percent of the search engine market. This is a number too large to be ignored.

To put it in perspective, Rankmark.com is the most highly visited website that Gulf WebDev handles averaging about 840 visitors a day.  A whopping 15% of all visitors show up using Internet Explorer 6.  This is more than Safari (Apple’s browser with 7.94%), Chrome (Google’s browser with 2.02%), and Opera combined!  The IE6 market share is so large that it can not be ignored.  Therefore, instead of developing web content using the latest and greatest technologies to create a better user experience, we are stuck in the Stone Age supporting an outdated, eight year old IE6.

I am of the opinion that if IE6 users were going to upgrade or switch to a new browser it would have happened by now.  Those users will continue to use IE6 until their computer dies.  Therefore, their hands need to be forced for the betterment of all mankind and I applaud YouTube for their efforts.  Now if only Amazon, Ebay, Facebook, and the other big fish would follow the example set before them we might be able to stomp out IE6 like the cockroach it is.

Not sure if you are part of the solution or the problem?  Head on over to ThisMachine.info to find out which browser you are using.  If you discover that you are in fact using Internet Explorer 6 then run (don’t walk) to Microsoft’s website and upgrade to Internet Explorer 8.