According to iCrossing,  Google has created a proposal that would enable Google to begin crawling AJAX effeciently.  AJAX, which is typically used to create rich interactive web applications that allow a user to interact with the media, retrieve data and not have to refresh the page for new content. 

In the past Google’s search spiders have had a lot of trouble when it came to reading any kind of rich media.   Of course there were tags and features that came along to help out the engine’s spiders but they still haven’t been able to become consistently good at it.

What is the problem?

Well, Google usually ignores anything in a URL that starts with a hashtag.  These hashtags represent and are known as URL fragments. 

Example: www.google.com  and www.google.com/#fowls

Both read to Google’s spiders as google.com.  The hash tag often is what AJAX reprensents and utilizes.  Basically when you have a page that includes a hashtag in the URL, the spiders will consider the page to be the page one up from it.  (the page before it – without the hashtag).

 Basically Google is now proposing a new strategy that web developers can use to fix this problem and allow their AJAX coding to be spider readable.

Googles Guide on how to make AJAX more search friendly: AJAX and Google Search Guide

Read more on this story and the strategies you can use at iCrossing

Today,  CNN announced that the United States Military will allow its soldiers to Tweet and use Twitter, along with other social networks to post updates and share content.  Before today, the men and women of our military were unable to access social networking sites on military computers.  This is quite a huge move for the government because it will requre some heavy monitoring.  Obviously the government will be like a guard dog with their governance over what military personel are trying to say and share. 

As long as social activity doesn’t comprimise operational security or involve prohibited activities or web sites, the government gives it a THUMBS UP!

From CNN:

“The world of Web 2.0 and the Internet provides these amazing opportunities to collaborate,” said David M. Wennergren, deputy assistant secretary of defense for information management and technology. “It not only promotes information sharing across organizational boundaries and with mission partners, but also enables deployed troops to maintain contact with their loved ones at home.”