Now you can search the internet in an entirely new way by starting your search with an image. This could revolutionize how we search online by not only using text, but now Google’s search engines can “see” a photo and index similar photos that match your search.

Go to the Google search engine, and at the top left are tabs for different types of Google searches. The one labeled ‘Images’ is the one you need to click on. (photo left, click to enlarge)

Once there, if you notice at the right of the search bar there is a camera icon that reads ‘search by image’ if you hover over it with your mouse cursor. You can either click that then paste the image url or upload from your computer. Even easier, you could just drop the image into the search box.

I just conducted a test by using a screen shot of a pool table from Yahoo Pool. I saved the photo to my desktop, and when I dropped the image into the search box, immediately images from Yahoo Pool were indexed with 129 similar image results. This tool could prove to be rather useful depending on your search needs, but now there is the option to search with a photo instead of having to type in phrases.

Once you conduct a search on an image, you can then refine your search by entering a descriptive word in the search box.

Keep posted on my blog and website for news, tips and advice on a regular basis, and contact me for ideas for your next small business website design.

Any of the comments that you make on fan pages or public posts with the Facebook Comments social plugin can now be indexed by Google. Will this affect how you post considering that your comments may be indexed? Although Google isn’t violating any privacy laws by doing this, we may see more censoring on the social media website.

If your profile is private then the Googlebots won’t be able to index your comments, however postings in fanpages can be traced back to you by Google. The content was already public, Google just made it much easier to find.

Had you been cautious of your postings and do not mind having them tied to your name, you probably don’t have a problem with the change.

Not only is Facebook is being watched by Google, but Google can now index AJAX and JavaScript content on websites with Facebook comments built in. This means anything posted in a forum or public page can now be easily found with Google’s search engine.

What this means from a website designer’s perspective is that I see the potential for more non-deceptive means of advertising using social media to promote one’s business. If Google is indexing content from Facebook and other websites forum posts, this is an opportunity to gain more website visitors just by being more active in these online communities.

Google’s all seeing eye is peering into the far corners of the internet, so be careful what you comment and watch what you say. Make some postings about your business and now you just may get indexed for them.

Advertising with YouTube may be a good idea to promote your small business. Make your own YouTube video and post the link on your Facebook, or embed the video on your blog. Whatever you do, adding a YouTube video could be an easy way to get you more business with a personal touch.

Even someone with little computer knowledge can make a video. Producing a quick Video is really easy to do, and can be about whatever you want, of course never posting anything illegal on the website. Give an instruction tutorial on something you think there may be a need for, interest your readers with a video blog, or show the physical location of your business in action. Having a video with yourself in it creates a personal touch that your readers can relate to.

Uploading the video to YouTube is about as easy as uploading or saving it to your computer. Either create an account or log into an existing one then click the “upload” link at the top right of youtube.com. Once you have a video uploaded you can review any positive or negative feedback you may receive and adjust these factors for your next video. Remember you are making your video viewable to the world, and should consider being responsible for the video content and be careful with the amount of information you disclose.

Keep posted on my website for news, tips and advice concerning small business website design, and contact me today for options and ideas concerning a custom website design for your own business.

I noticed that when it was first unveiled, the new look of Facebook was disliked by the majority of people who used it. Now I notice with the live feed at the right and friends lumped together in the chat, the protest against it had died down.

There are rumors going around that there may eventually be a charge for Facebook, and I can pretty much surely say this simply won’t happen. If you notice on the sign-in screen they clearly state: “Sign up, It’s free and always will be.” I couldn’t see them in defiance of their own motto.

There is an iPad scam going around Facebook, and even messenger as well. I would avoid a link that says anything like: “Click here to get your very own iPad for free, thousands are being given away!”.

Be careful what you click on, and if you don’t trust an application 100%, do not allow them access to your account. Facecrooks is a great helpful friend to have on Facebook who gives current, up-to-the-minute information on scams and other things going on within Facebook you might want to learn about, avoid, and pass around to others.

Avoid clicking on messages that say, “Check out this video of you” unless you know and trust the person or have verified its authenticity from another form of communication with them. The sender’s account quite possibly may have been compromised and a 3rd party is sending the links to you. These links can take your personal information to log into your account and cause you to spread them to your circle of friends as well.

Adjust your privacy settings that most people don’t know about. There is a new privacy setting on Facebook called “Instant Personalization” that shares data with non-Facebook websites and it is automatically set to “Allow.” Go to Account > Privacy Settings > Applications and Websites > Instant Personalization > Edit Settings, and uncheck “Allow”. If your Facebook friends don’t do this, they will be sharing information about you. Be wary of stalkers on Facebook and set your photos on visible only to friends under your privacy settings.

I’ve personally avoided game applications such as Mob Wars and Farmville, but proceed at your own discretion. There always will be some kind of threat in social networking, but the key is to stay a step ahead of it.

For some related topics on this subject, have a look at Using Facebook for Business, Clickjacking in Social Media and Viral Infections on Facebook, and contact me today for help with tips and ideas for a custom website design.

Adding custom social media buttons on your website or blog gives your online visitors the option to “Share” on Facebook, “Tweet” on Twitter, or add your site to multiple other social media websites on the net.

Allowing your website visitors to be able to share and tweet about your blog or website allows you to have more exposure in your business online. More exposure on social media websites could bring you more traffic and in turn, more potential clients.

I recently added these buttons to every page of my website and blog, and can offer the same service to you, if you have a website or blog set up already. Adding these social media buttons to EVERY page of your blog or website could be a very timely process for you, so you may want someone like me to handle that for you.

Don’t have a blog or website? Contact me today for details on just what it takes to get started! Keep posted on my blog and website for news, tips and advice concerning custom website design.

For directions on adding Google +1, Facebook share, Twitter tweet, and other social media buttons on every page of your blog or website, have a look at this Google Plus One Button Tutorial.

A few months ago Google introduced the Google+ project, a new social networking and real-life sharing website. By keeping up with social media websites such as Facebook, Twitter and Myspace, Google is staying on the cutting edge of social media.

Since yesterday, the Google homepage has had an arrow in the top left corner pointing to the new “You” tab at the very left. If you create a Google+ account and are signed in, that “You” would become your user name.

In order to make a Google+ account you can either sign in with your existing Google account or simply create a new one. Google+ is still in Beta, so concerning the new features that are still in development, you may run into technical issues from time to time.

Once a member, update your public Google+ profile by uploading a photo to help friends recognize you and send them invitations to join your circle. Google Plus connects with Picasa™ Web Albums for uploading entire albums of photos, which is a website somewhat resembling Flickr.

With Google+ you can create circles of people to share with then add more people to your circles by connecting with MSN Hotmail, Android and Yahoo! By creating “social circles”, Google+ allows users to organize their friends into groups. Google+ lets you start a hangout and have fun with all your circles using your live webcam as well.

Take the Google+ project tour, and stay posted on my blog for news, tips and advice concerning internet related topics.

Google Earth 6 now has enhanced features that you just can’t afford to miss. Get the up to minute temperature in any region in the world with a quick zoom. See conditions, precipitation and weather patterns around the entire planet. Google Earth is a great way to explore your world without having to leave the comfort of your computer chair.

You can search the entire world with and locate just about any landmark or location on the planet with ease. Become a world traveler and have access to cities across the globe with Google Earth. Dive into the depths of the ocean, explore remote islands and even fly away to faraway galaxies.

With Google Earth you can locate any businesses such as restaurants, hotels, airports and other attractions by name, address or city with one click. View roads, buildings, oceans and even weather from street view or from up above. With a 360 degree street view, Google Earth makes you feel like you’re right there standing on the road with the ability to look in any direction.

Recently Google Earth had added some long awaited updates to their software. These updates allow the user to experience Google Earth in a way like never before such as a “drive around” ground level view where you can literally tour cities by moving your mouse roller forward and backward. These same software updates allow the user to go back in time on map views as far back as 1995.

Now you’re not limited to just exploring the Earth. Without a download you can use Google Moon to see the moon’s surface and Google Sky to view the many stars and planets of our solar system up close.

Keep posted on my blog and website for internet related news, tips and advice, or contact me for details on a small business web design by phone or email!

The photos on the left are originals of myself and father and grandmother, taken up in China, Maine near the cottages we were staying in during our stay from August 6th through the 20th. The photos on the right side are richer and more vibrant due to adjustments of some color options with Irfanview. (For larger view click on photo)

For Irfanview, located on the ‘Image’ tab below the ‘color corrections’ option should be a series of color related functions including contrast, brightness, gamma correction, saturation and color balance. Raising the saturation gives photos much more vibrant color. Adjust each function independently in order to get the desired effect. Different photo editing and viewing programs have unique options to apply to the original photo, so discover what effects are available by exploring yours.

Follow my blog for tips and advice dealing with web design and other internet related topics. Bookmark my website for future reference and sharing with friends. Have a look in my resources section for free and safe online programs and websites that may be new to you!

Ever wanted to be able to download all the MP3 music you wanted but couldn’t find a website you could trust? Well now the solution to that problem is beind you with the DVD Videosoft Youtube to MP3 converter.

Not only have the ability to convert your favorite Youtube songs to MP3, but also, practically anything that is on Youtube is now yours to download for free. Standup comedy, television shows, documentaries and even movie clips can now be on your iPod, MP3 player or iPhone.

Simply install the software, choose “Free Youtube to MP3″, paste the Youtube links then click “download”. The files appear in a folder you can open after the downloading is complete. The program even has a Youtube to iPod converter to convert videos to your devices such as PSP, iPhone or iPad.

The recent update to the software has given the program easier navigation, a softer look and a simplified setup divided into 8 tabs: YouTube, MP3 & sound, CD, DVD, DVD & video, photos, mobiles, apple devices and 3D. Due to copyright reasons, some videos may not be downloadable from YouTube.

Contact me today for web design related tips and advice and bookmark my blog for the latest on internet related topics.

As the most popular social media website around and the second most popular website in terms of new accounts, Facebook attracts members of all ages. With currently over a steadily growing 750 million active Facebook users, the opportunity for using this social media platform for business purposes arises.

Facebook allows users to introduce webinars, podcasts, blog posts, articles, products and services while connecting with current and potential clients. Create a community around your business and be discovered by those who are searching for your products and services through advertising and promotion online. It is these connections which lead to referrals, customers and return clients.

Privacy settings control which portions of your profile different connections can or cannot see. Using this function allows you to decide what aspects of your business are exposed to your friends and those not friended yet.

Engage with potential customers online by being helpful, informative and providing interaction. One good practice is to ‘like’ other businesses who may need your product or service. When they return the favor and ‘like’ your page, their individual fans will be exposed to what you do as well.

Remember, social media can be a positive experience, but as with anything else online, you should be careful of what you click on. Read my post on Viral Infections on Facebook to better prepare yourself before diving in.

Use the Facebook logo on your printed material, business cards and website. Don’t have a website for your small business? Contact me today for ideas to promote your business with a custom website design for a fair price!