Apple announces social networking service which will display the music interests of friends via iTunes, iPhones and iPod Touch Read on

Johns reaction: Another week another product launch. Apples world domination project continues

Each year, over 500 companies enter the international awards and more than 3,500 websites are submitted for judging. IMA has announced that Brightlabs has been recognised in the top 10 agencies (and the sole Australian company on the list) for consistently representing the highest standards of excellence in web design and development. Read on

Rishads reaction: We are extremely happy to have made the list and I am especially proud that an Australian company was able to make an appearance, particularly given the calibre of international firms represented. I would like to thank all our wonderful staff and clients for making this possible.

TWO firms want to redefine the internet. Or so it seems, judging by the legislative framework proposal that Google and Verizon, an American telecoms operator, published on August 9th. Read on

Johns reaction: This will mean that certain vested interests get preferential data treatment. Making its harder for small start-ups. The age of the facebook from left field could be past and may be a motivating factor as it gives the established companies more time to copy model. Big business is ultimately about predictability for shareholders.

You notice it when you're reading email, but not so much writing it. Most email clients show just the first 50-75 characters of a message in the inbox view. Write your first line to that limit, and you'll likely get noticed. It s a tip offered up by web PR consultant Steve Rubel, who notes that an ebook author reached through his own crowded inbox and managed to get a click-through with a first line that grabbed him. Rubel dubs it tweetifying of your email s lead sentence, but it s actually about half a 140-character tweet. The idea is the same though let the character limit guide you to a punchier first impression. Read on

Brads reaction: Good idea

UK digital champion Martha Lane Fox has announced plans to get everybody of working age in Britain online by the end of the current Parliament. Read on

Johns reaction: Nice idea but finding the cash to support the aims of Network Nation would be a challenge.

Today, Amazon released its highly anticipated Kindle e-book reader software for Android devices, which gives Google s smartphone and MID operating system immediate legitimacy as an e-Reading platform. But how well does the software stack up to the iPhone/iPad version? Surprisingly, quite well. Read on

Johns reaction: Let the e-Reader Content Wars Begin

If your brand or website are engaged in social media you re most likely already tracking what people are saying about you on the web. The tools listed below can be used for a variety of things, like tracking mentions of your social self. Or, to see who is talking about you or your brand on twitter. I tested each one of these, and they all give different results. I would suggest that you do the same to see which tool suits your needs. Read on

Johns reaction: Tools listed to see who is talking about you or your brand

Last week we were duly shocked by the discovery that the government is looking into a proposal to make ISPs retain a log of every website you ever visit. Now it's coming out that they may want ISPs to link that information to other personal data like your passport number. Read on

Johns reaction: This is the same government that goes ape when Google monitors your web activities or facebook does not protect your privacy.

Mark Zuckerberg said earlier this month that the company wasn't building a rumored web-based e-mail client. He said he favored products around short-form communications. Statistics on teenage social networking use may be a good reason why. The company s chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg said that based on the latest figures, teenagers are using e-mail less and less and that e-mail may even be on its way out. Read on

Brads reaction: Not sure if email on its way out but it certainly needs to transform.

t's the most wonderful time of the year time to look back at the oddest, creepiest, quirkiest and downright freakiest ads that we covered on AdFreak this year. We've selected 30 spots from all over the world that truly left us with that not-peaceful, uneasy feeling. The majority are PSAs their freaky means apparently justified by humanitarian ends. The list is also heavy on the U.K., another reminder that we can always count on the English (and the Welsh) for a solid dose of depravity. So, here's to the freakiest of 2009, and more of the same in 2010. Read on

Johns reaction: Some interesting ads here, if not a bit freeeeeeky