By Juan Carlos Perez
IDG News Service

Publishers with custom domains hosted on Google‘s Blogger blog-publishing service have been losing traffic for the past week due to a bug affecting how visitors get redirected from the Blogger domain to the publishers’ own domains.

The problem hits when someone tries to visit a blog by going to its Blogspot URL, which follows the format: BlogName.Blogspot.com, instead of going directly to the site’s custom domain.

Ironically, Google is among the publishers affected by the problem, as can be seen by attempting to visit the company’s official blog for its Orkut social network through its Blogspot address. Under normal circumstances, the visitor would be automatically redirected to the custom domain URL, which in the case of the Orkut blog is http://en.blog.orkut.com/.

While the problem is caused by an issue in a Blogger system, its severity varies depending on which browser Web site visitors are using. For example, internal tests at IDG News Service showed that visitors using Firefox 3 or Safari 4 will see a page that warns them they are about to be redirected to a blog that isn’t hosted on Blogger. The page states that the site “has not been checked for spam, viruses and other forms of malware” and gives the user the option to proceed to the page or not. It’s safe to assume that Web surfers with an average sense of caution will not click through to the site, considering the terse warning.

While this is bad enough, the situation gets even worse with Internet Explorer 7, which shows visitors an error page that says the browser can’t display the Web site, giving the sense that the site either doesn’t exist or is offline.

Publishers began reporting the problem on Tuesday of last week in the official Blogger Help discussion forum, and Google acknowledged that it’s working on a solution on Wednesday.

The problem remains unsolved at press time.

The Internet is being introduced to, and embraced by, an audience that is getting younger by the minute. Considering the savagery of the threat landscape, without the proper guidance and protection, young minds do not stand a chance against cybercriminals’ nasty schemes.

Internet: Who Does What?
A study conducted by Pew Internet and American Life Project in 2006 and 2008 determined generational differences in online activities. The results implied that younger age groups, those aged 17 and below, tend to employ the Internet as a tool for creative, and social activities. It also showed that the younger age groups spend more time online than the older groups. Furthermore, a similar study by Pew Internet states that, “Internet users in their twenties are more likely than those in their fifties and sixties to have travelled far and wide online, trying new things and possibly learning hard lessons about the dangers that lurk on the network.”

Danger in Safe Waters
Most net-savvy users are now aware of the risks involved in browsing online. But the tendencies to delve into risky online activities are greater than most for young users, especially with their insatiable thirst for knowledge and untested sense of courage.

Searches
InterntetStatsToday states that 55% of young Internet users are more likely to do searches on a daily basis compared to adults. As reliable and convenient the use of search engines is, it is far from safe. Cybercriminals abuse search engines through SEO manipulation and SQL injections, such that kids searching for the wrong topic, clicking on the wrong search result, leads kids not to relevant information for their next papers, but to a compromised PC instead.

E-mail
ComScore Media reports that 89% of young users who use the Internet still use e-mail, making it a popular activity for young users. Just as much, email is a popular channel for malware distribution, creeping into users’ inboxes in the form of blended threats. Links to sites that lead to malware downloads, phishing sites, and others are usually distributed through spam.

Online Shopping
Online shopping has shaved off some time young users spend at the mall. With just a few clicks the transaction is finished. It isn’t hard to see why about 22.9% of young users make purchases through the Internet. This is despite raised concerns on the security in online shopping. Shoppers are common prey to scammers and phishers online. And even as shoppers try to take precaution, phishers always take schemes to a higher level to fool users. Even experienced buyers are not exempt, much more the young users who may be too excited and willing to exercise their rights as consumers.

Social Networking
An estimate of 61% of kids aged 13 to 17 have profiles in online social networks. The social network audience is teeming with young users, as popular social network MySpace deletes about 25,000 profiles a week, to discourage those who register to the network but fails to meet the 14-year-old minimum age limit. The engagement of young users in social networks has raised concern mainly because of the amount of information kids share in these networks. But this is not the only risks these kids face when engaging in social networks. Social networks are yet another malware vector. Popular social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter have been known to be abused by cybercriminals to spread malware.

Instant Messaging
Studies have shown that young users prefer instant messaging over e-mail. For them, the speed, lack of formality, and convenience of instant messaging offers so much more than the now conventional email. These same strong points however are the same things cybercriminals bank on, in distributing malware through instant messaging. With 15 million of youth actively using instant messaging, they serve as the perfect prey to IM-related malware schemes. Links sent through IM by strangers may strike the young user’s curiosity, and their decision to click on the link may lead them to trouble.

Now What?
Like Pandora’s Box, the Internet can bring both the good and bad stuff. The Internet is a place where young people can DISCOVER, CONNECT and CREATE (i.e. blog, post messages, chat, play games, create online profiles). While exciting, it also presents certain dangers.

For young users, proper guidance and reliable security solutions are their best defense, to protect themselves from malicious intent online. The Trend Micro Internet Safety for Kids and Families programme aims to enable and empower parents, teachers, and young people to make the Internet a safe and secure place for today’s youth. For more information and best practices tips, please visit http://us.trendmicro.com/us/about/gc/safefamilies/.

Looking for a photo editor? The usual choices include Adobe Photoshop Elements (starting at about $85 online), which I use to demonstrate techniques here in Digital Focus, and Corel Paint Shop Pro (available for around $70 and up). There are free options as well, like Paint.Net and GIMP. For serious RAW shooters, I recommend Adobe Lightroom (available for about $220 and up).

But these days there’s a whole new way to edit your digital photos: using online photo editors that run from within a Web browser, like a photo equivalent to Google Docs or Zoho. On the upside, you don’t have to install anything, and you can edit your photos anywhere you have an Internet connection. The downside? Just what you’d expect: these programs generally offer only a fraction of the features found in stand-alone image editors like Photoshop, and you can’t work without an Internet connection. This week, let’s look at a few of these online photo editors.

FotoFlexer

FotoFlexer shows that you don’t need to sacrifice all of the photo editing features you know from programs like Photoshop Elements to use an online photo editor.

Once you upload a photo to the site, you’ll see an interface that looks like a simplified photo editing program, complete with automatic exposure correction, red eye removal, and cropping control. But there’s a ton of extra stuff here as well, including support for layers–you can load multiple images and control the opacity of each layer, just like in a commercial photo editor. The program also includes effects like blurred edges, grayscale and sepia conversion, and the ability to “cartoonify” your photos. There’s even a Photoshop-like Curves tool for adjusting exposure, and a full-screen mode so you don’t need to feel like you’re working in a Web browser.

Picnik

Though it’s not the most powerful option out there, I also like Picnik. You can use the simple, tabbed interface to grab photos from your hard drive or photo sharing sites like Flickr, Facebook, and Myspace. All the basics are here. You can rotate, crop, resize, and tweak the colors and exposure. Like Corel Paint Shop Pro, the red eye removal tool can handle both humans and pets. The Create tab is home to special effects filters, like black and white, sepia, color boost, and soft focus.

Splashup

Of all the Web tools I mention here, my favorite is Splashup. It has the most traditional interface I’ve seen in an online photo editor, complete with a menu bar across the top of the page and a toolbar on the left side packed with all the usual tools. Like FotoFlexer, it includes support for layers, so you can combine photos or perform fine adjustments to your photos. Splashup even has its own file format, which preserves layer information, so you can open a project and continue editing later–just like Photoshop. You can load photos for editing from your computer or popular photo sharing sites like Facebook, Flickr, Picasa, and SmugMug.

Photoshop Express

As nice as Splashup is, it isn’t as refined as Adobe Photoshop Express, which is an online version of the familiar Photoshop Elements. You get the same basics as in FotoFlexer–crop, rotate, red-eye removal, exposure correction, for example–but there’s no layer support or any of the more powerful editing and correction tools in Photoshop Elements. You will find some cool stuff like a fill light (which lets you adjust the foreground separately from the background), filters, and image distortion. And like the desktop version of Photoshop, you can choose from among several thumbnail variations of the same effect.

Like the other Web tools, you can upload photos from your own PC or from sites like Facebook, Flickr, Photobucket, and Picasa. Adobe offers a generous 2GB of online storage, and there are subscribe options for additional photo storage as well.

Nokia is bringing the Internet closer to reality in emerging markets with the new mobile phones and solutions that open the door to information, entertainment, family and friends. The Nokia 2330 classic is now available in stores while the Nokia 2323 classic, Nokia 2700 classic and Nokia 2730 classic will be commercially available soon. All these phones come Internet-ready and work with Ovi Mail, giving first-time e-mail users the opportunity to set up and start using an e-mail account (username@ovi.com) directly on their mobile phone.

“The power of the Internet is undeniable,” says William Hamilton-Whyte, general manager of Nokia Philippines. “We’ve seen mobile technologies catalize the growth of the informal sector across the world, empowering local entrepreneurs and having an immediate and lasting impact on people’s lives. Services like Ovi Mail, combines with the mobile phones we’re showcasing today, bring powerful solutions that can be the gateway to knowledge, entertainment and people, without the need for a PC.”

According to extensive Nokia consumer research, nearly half of the emerging market customers state that they would rather connect to the Internet over a mobile phone than a PC. As a result, Nokia has developed locally relevant solutions that consist of affordable mobile phones and applications, designed and built from the ground up to meet the specific needs of customers in the developing world. Hamilton-Whyte adds, “while many people are still primarily using voice and text, the Internet does offer a whole new range of opportunities. Ovi Mail has the potential to be the first digital identity for many people in emerging markets. Unlike most other e-mail services, an Ovi Mail account can be created and used directly on a Nokia device without ever having to use a PC. Since the launch of the beta stage of the service in December 2008, around 90% of the e-mail accounts have been created on a Nokia phone.”

Nokia 2700 classic

The Nokia 2700 classic is one of Nokia’s most affordable, full featured handsets. Offering up to 2GB of storage via the memory card slot, the phone also has an integrated digital music player and a 2.0megapixel camera, making it equally competent for imaging and music. The Nokia 2700 classic also allows users to set up an Ovi Mail account directly on their device. Anounced earlier this year, the device is to be released commercially in the third quarter of 2009.

Nokia 2730 classic

The Nokia 2730 classic, which works with Ovi Mail, is Nokia’s most affordable 3G phone offering faster access to the Internet and a richer browsing experience. With the steady spread of 3G data networks across the developing world, it’s ideal for staying connected with friends and family, and sharing one’s life with others. The Nokia 2700 classic is expected to be commercially available in the third quarter of 2009.

Hamilton-Whyte concludes, “With our longstanding commitment in emerging market, a Nokia customer can be confident that any product we offer meets a strict and consistent set of high-quality standards. This is particularly important in markets where technical assistance and repair shops are not easily accessible.”

www.AyosDito.ph is the latest online classified website to make its presence in the Philippines to serve the local and expatriate community. Since its public launch on 2 March 2009, it has attracted more than 27,000 visitors per day and 16,000 live advertisements. Its growth is poised to make it the leading general classified portal in the country.

The adoption of the commonly used term “Ayosdito” which means “Ok Here” reflects the company’s confidence that users will have a positive experience with the website to help them with their online classifieds needs.

Ayosdito.ph is managed by 701Search Inc, incorporated in November 2008 as a subsidiary of 701 Search Pte Ltd, which was established in Sept 2006 as a joint venture between Southeast Asia’s leading media organization Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) and Norwegian media group Schibsted ASA.

In line with its thrust to be the most preferred general classified portal, www.AyosDito.ph launches its promotional activity entitled “Post And Win”. The promo starts on May 8 and will run until June 31, 2009. To get a chance to win, advertisers must post an ad within the promo period to earn a ticket. There will be seven weekly draws and one grand draw which will be held on July 1. All draws will be done electronically. The ad placement is for free and advertisers will also get a chance to win iPods, an HP Mini notebook, a digital camera for the weekly draws. Grand prize winners can choose an iPhone or a three-day, two-night trip for two to any of the following destinations: Singapore, Hongkong, Boracay or Palawan.

Unlike many of the online classified sites that are available to the local Filipino populace, AyosDito.ph offers four distinct advantages over the other industry players.

1.       Clean and concise user-friendly interface. Buyers and sellers can easily search for items of their choice via the search fields of either product category or region. Because of the ease in navigation, AyosDito.ph has received positive reviews and support from users and advertisers.

2.       Nationwide scope and Regional clustering. This offers a convenient reference for buyers and sellers to target the relevant populace within their same locality. The website has the map of the Philippines on its home page, with its 16 regions and provinces marked out for ease of use.

3.       Moderated advertisement postings. All product listings are reviewed and moderated to ensure that only bona-fide high-quality product and service advertisements are listed. Advertisements offering prohibited and pirated items and unwholesome services will not be published. Currently, AyosDito.ph offers eight broad categories of popular items – Vehicles, Properties, Electronics, Home and Personal Items, Leisure/Sports/Hobbies, Business-to- Business, Jobs and Services, and others.

4.       No membership or signing-up fees. AyosDito.ph was created as a hassle-free and effective platform for users to buy and sell at their convenience and to encourage more Filipinos in particular to buy and sell online.

“AyosDito.ph offers a compelling platform for the sellers with a far-reaching e-marketplace of ready buyers and in turn, gives buyers access to an extensive listings of products and services. We are committed to grow this website to be the premier one-stop shop for Filipinos to conveniently buy and sell anytime and anywhere within the Philippines.” said Jose Manuel Pabalan, general manager of 701Search (Philippines) Inc.