I am terrible about taking the time to watch the news or read a newspaper, but i do make an effort to stay up to date through google news. I realized recently that I have no idea where Google gets their news from. I always simply trusted Google. Thus, today I began my quest to know the source of my news.

To begin, I went to the about Google News page to find how Google defined themselves as a news provider. This was very helpful. “Google News is a computer-generated news site that aggregates headlines from more than 4,500 English-language news sources worldwide, groups similar stories together and displays them according to each reader’s personalized interests.”

Now that I new Google News wasn’t simply reproducing news from CNN or FOX I wanted to know how they filtered there 4,500 sources and decide which news stories to display. As I dove deeper I found that Google’s News articles are selected and ranked by computers that evaluate, among other things, how often and on what sites a story appears online.

The same way Google gives out page rank and determines which sites are most relevant for organic search is driving what news we read. There is, however, a personalization element that changes things up. Users of Google News are offered links to several articles on every story, so one can first decide what subject are of interest and then select which publishers’ accounts of each story is preferred.

My concern is that although Google News apparently uses a democratic methodology of determining news, is that the media as a whole is not democratically controlled. News stories that make it into google by there ranking system of relevancy may be relevant by standards of controlled and biased news. The demographic that mostly uses the internet for their source of news is simply going to be spoon fed the majority opinion with little opposing view.

Google should look to better filter results by offering a the most relevant articles of  not only the majority view that is most viewed, but also the opposing perspective. This to me means relevancy.

It’s common knowledge that the internet is changing the way entrepreneurs do business.  We can reach aglobal marketplace, have a storefront that’s never closed, and intereact with customers on an easy-to-use interface.  But one thing entrepreneurs overlook is how many resources are our there to help them achieve their online entrepreneurial goals.

After using technology (like any good entrepreneur) and doing a quick Google search for entrepreneurial resources, I discovered I-trepreneur.com, a site devoted to helping (as the name alludes) internet entrepreneurs.   It’s streamlined site has content that any entrepreneur should take the time to read. 

Sort through articles on Entrepreuenruship, SEO, Marketing, or the Internet and you’ll find a wealth of information.  There are articles of useful web resources for internet entrepreneurs,   overviews of top marketing trends for 2009, and general  info about how the game of entrepreneurship is constantly changing.

If you have a free minute, or even if you don’t, you need to take a few minutes and read this regularly updated I-trepreneurship blog.

One of the primary reasons people use the internet is to shop around and compare prices. Everyone is always on the hunt for the best deal. If you clicked the link you realize that there are better ways to find the best deal than simply poking around with a gun.

People are looking to save time and money when shopping online. That means there is a need, a pain that needs to be met. Price Comparison sites are all over the web because of this, but few are as usuer friendly as dealoz.com.

Dealoz.com is the wizard for turning the internet price comparison game into winning site for users to find the best deal.With so many things be offered through E-commerce these days it is nearly impossible to find a website that successfully gathers this information and puts out on the web in an not overwhelming and viable option.

Dealoz.com has solved this problem by narrowing there focus to the main products/services sold online. There powerful price comparing search engine focuses on Books, Movies, Music, Video Games, and Computer Electronics. There database searches are unbiased and consist of more than 594 online stores.

When one searches for a product, such as a school textbook through dealoz.com, the result is not merely a link to the “cheapest price” and providing a link to make your purchase. Rather, dealoz.com allows the user to see a comparative list of the 594 stores and 100,000+ sellers in their database that is selling that specific textbook. Below is an example of how dealoz.com organizes your search.

Dealoz gives all the valuable information a seller is looking for upfront and even provides available online coupons and applies them for your purchase. Because of how user friendly and convenient dealoz.com the site is truly valuable for online users. The deal hunter will soon be extinct!

Wikipedia is perhaps the most revolutionary site on the Web today. 

A bold claim? Yes, but not that far off from the truth. What other site can you go to with (literally) any topic and get relevant, up to date, and usually accurate information? What other site can you personally add information about areas of your own expertise and passion? Wikipedia is  doing what the other sites can only dream of doing. They draw people to them because of their incredible volume of interesting and relevant content. 

As site managers, our goal should be to make our individual pages full of relevant content that is easily accessible by users. This is the ticket to increase site traffic and to keep the same people coming back for more. It is not just a one time deal, it is a process. As simple and commonplace as it seems to us frequent users of the internet, there is alot to be learned by looking at the simple wonders of Wiki.

Tons of useless sites with old information that no one cares about. For years this was the internet norm. However, Digg, Stumbleupon, and sites like them are becoming revolutionaries on the internet. They are placing direct pressure on sites to make relevant content. Digg users vote for the sites that they like and people like sites that are relevant. Thus, while everyone is preaching the merits of relevant content, Digg is showing the big sites (and small ones) why you have to do it.

It’s what people want and with the help of sites like Digg the internet is rapidly becoming a more useful tool for the everyday user.