But the Web as an application platform has plenty of flaws. Chief among them are the bevy of clients available for the reading of web applications each of whom follow their own set of rules. By far, the most frustrating thing about developing simple websites to advanced applications is making sure each entity is cross-browser compliant. Although the browsers are becoming more standardized with each new release, there is still a very relevant dinosaur that rears its ugly head every time. That dinosaur is Internet Explorer 6. Conceived as a part of Windows XP and Windows Server 2003, Internet Explorer 6 achieved a usage of nearly 90% in 2002 and 2003. The Internet Explorer series has slowly been on a decline since the release of Mozilla’s widely popular Firefox browser and Apple’s Safari browser. However, many legacy web applications are only supported on the Internet Explorer 6 platform thus many corporate networks restrict the installation of other browsers or even more updated versions of Internet Explorer which are much more standards compliant than the IE6 dinosaur.

Non-standardization across browser platforms is perhaps the greatest challenge when building sites and applications. Unlike the packaging process used for desktop applications which uses operating system componenents to render display, Internet applications require developers to code specifically for not just different browsers but different versions of browsers as Internet Explorer 6 behaves much differently from 7 or 8.

Typeface restrictions are second on my list of pet peeves in developing for the Web. Web developers tend to stick with standard fonts (of which there are around 7 or 8 ) because browsers require the end-user to have the specific font installed on their computer for it to render correctly. It is possible to embed fonts inside of websites to have the user’s browser download a specific font and then rendering it correctly, but this method solves few problems as most fonts are commercially licensed. Without the permission to distribute a selected font, which most if not all companies will grant, then you cannot legally use this method.

A few patch methods exist, but the implementation is difficult and often requires the user to have flash installed and javascript enabled, which a majority do, but nonetheless will prohibit some mobile browsers from rendering correctly.

Although the Internet as a platform has a few flaws that must be dealt with on a case-to-case basis, the ease of installation and upgrading on the client end more than makes up for it. The Internet’s shortcomings are more than made up for since the Internet can essentially deliver enterprise-level applications without a single install (ok, maybe you’ll need a few ActiveX controls, Flash, or some other add-on) and without forcing the user to manually upgrade their product with a new release. Further, the good news is that with each new browser release or upgrade, standardization becomes more and more mainstream. The typeface issue will likely be resolved by the end of the year as a commercial solution is on the horizon of release. I’ll of course keep you updated.

The collaboration feature of Protoshare make this application worth the money. Protoshare easily outclasses their competition with notation tools and the ability to export to HTML so you can actually “click” through the rough draft of a website. With packages starting at $29/mo, the value Protoshare brings far outweights its cost.

www.protoshare.com

For the corporate world, blogs can have an underlying importance that many small business owners don’t know. Sure they’re useful for educating your client base or providing a format for information distribution, but well written, regularly updated blogs receive another benefit that could mean money: search engine rankings.

Most of the major search engines update their listings according to an incredibly complex formula that takes content into consideration and usually in a large way. For corporations, writing regular blog posts about industry topics and doing so with a mindset of which search terms are important to their search listings will yield results.

For a local real estate agent, writing regularly about their area’s real estate news and developments will get them listed higher for the terms relating to their industry. If done correctly and done with patience, they could be on page 1 of Google with the term ‘real estate agent.’ That could very well result in clients that the agent would not have otherwise gotten. After all, you are likely not to be able to find a more qualified website lead than someone who is searching your skill or product online.

Writing a blog does not necessarily mean you will get the search bump you desire. A mindful strategy of writing the right topics for the right people and syndicating in the right places will yield results.

Now, with the advent of a more robust technological core, the Internet has become more organized and more useful. Web Applications are a big part of making sense of the mess. Chances are, you use a Web Application as a part of your daily life. In the trials and tribulations of an Internet-based small business owner, I use several of them and can’t really imagine how I got along without them. Here are my top 10 favorite Web Applications.

#10 MobileMe

10 years ago, Apple was dead. The company couldn’t find a way to to chip away at Microsoft’s domination of the PC market share. Once every blue moon, a game changer enters the equation and completely changes the way people behave. Enter: the iPod. The iPod, in it’s clunky, first generation form was a sight to behold and your local Best Buy couldn’t keep them on the shelves. From there, Apple kept creating the next must-have device that had every young person scrambling to put together the $5.50/hour they made to purchase the next “big thing” from Apple.

Aside from the iPod, my first forray into the world of Apple came vis-a-vis the iPhone 3G. I was late to jump on the bandwagon, but I say that now typing on my new 24″ iMac. I’ve been converted.

One of the not-so-visible things that Apple offers is MobileMe. MobileMe is the everyday person’s Microsoft Exchange. With MobileMe, you can keep all of your important information synced across various mediums. I purchased the $99/year MobileMe when I bought my iPhone and it was a great way to keep my desktop PC, my laptop, and my iPhone synced with all of my calendar and contact data. I easily added my iMac to that loop. Not only does MobileMe sync contacts and calendars, it also syncs photos, bookmarks, and files as well. For $99/year, it’s a must-have.

www.me.com

#9 Wikipedia

Aside from the occasional content vandalism, Wikipedia is a surprisingly accurate compilation of knowledge. Wikipedia is, in fact, found to be as accurate or more accurate than other online encyclopedias such as Britannica and Encarta. These studies, however, drew hostile reaction from Britannica who questioned the survey’s validity. Want to know more about these studies? Google “wikipedia accuracy” and guess who’s at the top? You guessed it, a Wikipedia entry on Wikipeida’s accuracy. I actually find this kind of funny.

If Encarta and Encyclopedia Britannica are the large ships of their industry, Wikipedia is the dingy. Large ships can’t correct course very quickly and takes a lot of time to steer in another direction. Wikipedia can turn on a dime. The knowledge base is updated much quicker than other online encyclopedias due to Wikipedia’s policy of user authoring. For current events, Wikipedia is the first to know.

A famous vandalism incident occurred at the behest of Stephen Colbert, who urged his audience to create their own reality (wikiality). He insisted that the population of elephants had tripled in the last 6-months (while text on the side of the screen captioned: it hasn’t). Lo and behold, entries on elephants were changed to reflect the new reality. Stephen Colbert triumphantly announced that elephants were no longer endangered.

Aside from hoaxes, Wikipedia still serves as point whenever I’m looking up information of fact online.

www.wikipedia.org

#8 Wordpress

What would I do without Wordpress? I guess we could ask what an author would do without a pen, a politician without tax money, or Alex Rodriquez without sterroids. I’d be in a heap of trouble.

Wordpress has transformed the way we do business at O3 Strategies. Starting as a blogging platform, Wordpress and it’s massive developer base evolved the platform into an everyday content management system. We provide a Wordpress installation with nearly every client we come across. It empowers our clients to take control of their own Internet presence. No longer do they have to send an e-mail or make a telephone call to update their site. They can do it all in an easy way that has been unmatched by its pricey competitors. Best part? It’s free. Wordpress will make citizen journalists of us all.

Wordpress is also a developer’s dream. Well built and easily extendable, Wordpress makes it possible to do almost anything regarding Internet copy.

www.wordpress.com

#7 eBay

First man on the scene and the Goliath in its industry, eBay came and crashed the Internet party in September of 1995 known first as AuctionWeb. eBay has been helping grandma sell an attic full of junk and has provided an avenue for others to make mini fortunes. If you’re looking for a discontinued DVD, a mountain bike, a car, or even a house, eBay probably has it.

www.ebay.com

#6 Mint

Mint has made Microsoft Money obsolete. With a slick, very Web 2.0 interface, Mint provides money management tools with a surprisingly low learning curve. And it does it with pizazz to boot.

Simply enter your online banking account credentials, a vehicle loan credentials, or even your mortgage credentials and Mint gets to work downloading all of your transactions, sorting them, categorizing them and giving you great little views to see what kind of junk you’re spending your money on. Kind of a rude awakening.

Mint also tracks your stocks and other investments and gives you histories and ROIs all on the fly, updated that day. If you’re up to trusting an application with literally all of your money account credentials, Mint will certainly surprise you with its functionality.

www.mint.com

#5 YouTube

Being first with a service is often a recipe for big bucks. That’s certainly what Chad Hurley, Steve Chen and Jawed Karim found out when Google gobbled up the video sharing service for $1.65b in 2005. Even with the enormous stature and incredible thinkers of Google, the company found out that Google Video wouldn’t hold a match to the ever popular YouTube.

YouTube has given a creative outlet for many who probably wished they didn’t have that outlet such as the Leave Britney Alone video featuring a rather disturbed young man (?) wondering why Britney is being given a hard time. Others like the Obama Girls got their 15 minutes of quick fame. One of my personal, all-time favorites features a little rabid Wolfpack fan, Locke, who can’t bear to hear that the Wolfpack lost the 2006 ACC Championship at the hands of their hated rival. Shown below.

Click here to view the embedded video.

www.youtube.com

#4 Facebook

What would I do with all of my spare time if it weren’t for Facebook? One of the rare cases of being late to the scene but quickly catching up and slaying the beast (mySpace), Facebook has become an ever popular medium to live your life online. CEO Mark Zuckerberg crafted Facebook while sitting in his college dorm room. His first version was a network for Harvard students. It quickly turned to Ivy League students and to all colleges. Remaining as a mostly collegiate application for the first few years of its life, Zuckerberg turned on the faucets and released it to the public at-large in September of 2006. Facebook now has over 200 million active users obliterating its closest rivals. I have an account. You have an account. My parents even have accounts.

I was in college in 2004 when Facbeook hit the scene. Everyone had an account and the first version was rather primitive. The infamous Wall was just a text box and anyone could write or delete anything in it. My how that’s changed.

What makes me mad about Facebook is that the application, in its early form, wasn’t rocket science. I could’ve done it. If only I hadn’t been out chasing the ladies instead. Then I wouldn’t be writing this post and you wouldn’t be reading it. So I guess all of our lives are better for it, right?

Facebook has yet to turn a profit even though the service is perhaps the only other entity that compiles a more complete advertising profile on an individual than Google. Facebook has yet to figure it out, but I’m sure that’s going to change soon. Which leads us to number 3…

www.facebook.com

#3 Google

Coming in at number 3 is Google. Some may question why Google is ranked so low on the countdown. You’ll see later.

Not much for an explanation of Google as everyone knows who they are and what they do. I had written about some newcomers to the scene just last month and concluded that Google has nothing to worry about in the short or long term. Perhaps the forever term.

Google has done an amazing job of first building a fantastic search engine and then compiling search habits on its users to create an advertising profile on each one of its users. It has easily been able to monetize the search industry and is now a multi-billion dollar company. The best part about Google is that they are certainly not resting on their laurels. It seems everyday Google pumps out another fantastic service for the masses, all of them either cheap or free. I guess free is a loose term given that you are giving them mounds of data worth more than gold with every new search.

www.google.com

#2 Online Banking

I hate checks. I hate writing them. I hate standing in line at the grocery store while someone writes one. Everything about them I hate with the lone exception of getting them. Nothing’s better than that.

But what is close is online banking who has largely slayed the check beast. For this article, I am using online banking as a generic term for any company offering your financial profile online. Without these precious little gems, I would be wasting time (and paper) writing those stupid checks instead of clicking around and paying everyone who demands money from me. It has drastically simplified my life and with electronic records on everything, I don’t even keep a check register anymore.

Think of all the baby birds we’ve saved. But not the dodo bird. If only people had online banking in the 1600s.

#1 GMail

No Google didn’t get #1 but one of its products did. The only reason GMail takes the reign over Google is because it has literally sorted my own personal mess into a nice neat pile as opposed to Google which is more concerned with sorting out the world’s mess. And I don’t care about the world. I’m worried about me.

Like you, I still have my Hotmail account laying around. I don’t check it. It’s there only because Hotmail still has me in the system from 1996. GMail is the smartest e-mail application to date, bar none. No more keeping folders. No more losing track of e-mails in the black hole of everyday communication. Applying what Google does best to its e-mail platform, GMail offers a search capability that makes Outlook want to crash (again). And with the introduction of Google Apps, now anyone can craft their own e-mail address and let Google handle the rest. In fact, O3’s e-mail is based on the GMail platform. It’s reliable, it’s searchable, it’s free, it’s everything e-mail should be. And more.

www.gmail.com

And that’s a wrap

These are the Top 10 Web Apps that I can’t live without. If you don’t mind giving up some personal information, the Internet can make life a little more fun and a little more productive.

Microsoft’s goal is to challenge Google in its search dominance. Google has become an international household name and Microsoft badly wants that. Microsoft has happily sat on their success for the better part of the 90s and 2000s. But with market share shrinking, its competitors popularity increasing, and Vista crashing, Microsoft needs a crutch and it hopes that… Bing… will be it.

We will see. But like our test of Wolfram Alpha, I don’t see anything that Microsoft can do to drive a wedge into Google’s market. It’s almost an ironic dose of its own medicine: Microsoft dominated the personal computer market for almost two decades with little that could be done to stop it. Apple came up with an ingenious little device called the iPod that was a complete game changer for the company. The iPod single handedly thrust the company back into relevance and it hasn’t stopped since.

Although Microsoft is in no danger of going under, they are looking for that “game changer” that will set the company back into technological relevance. A dominating search engine could be the way, but that hill is very, very steep.

We will see.

New York Post article: http://www.nypost.com/seven/05262009/business/microsoft_bing_ing_it_on_google_171003.htm

Wolfram Alpha was launched this past Friday to huge pomp and circumstance, and like Bill Gates’ release of Windows 98, the application failed almost immediately. Nonetheless, Wolfram Alpha was back up by the weekend and rebranded as a test release. This isn’t completely uncommon nor does it affect my first impression of it… yet. So let’s get to work.

What can you ask a computer? Anything I guess. As many of my close friends know, I’m quite privy in the kitchen and one thing I’m always doing with a laptop in the kitchen is conversions. So I asked Wolfram Alpha the following question: “How many ounces are in 14 gallons?” This probably isn’t a question I would ever ask it, but why not.

Wolfram Alpha first interpreted my input with some pretty advanced regular expressions I’m guessing.

Convert 14 gallons to fluid ounces

So far so good. It has correctly determined what I’m looking for.

1792 fluid ounces

There we have it. It correctly did the conversion for me. Here’s where I got really impressed. Not only did it give me what I’m looking for, it also gave me some other important ancillary information.

56 quarts

112 pints

224 cups

53 liters

0.053 cubic meters

52,996 cubic centimeters

Very nice. The first 3 or 4 could be applicable before delving into information that may be useful to scientists or researches, certainly not to the amateur chef. It quickly devolves from usable everyday information into more scientific babble as it presents comparisons as volume.

(6 x 10^-4 to 0.0014) x forty-foot equivalent unit (2TEU)

(0.001 to 0.002) x twenty-foot equivalent unit (680 to 1520ft³)

(0.0024 = 1/423) x standard volume (1000 mol molar volume constants)

Wolfram Alpha gives a few more tables of information that I’m not going to share because I didn’t understand what the last one meant and I imagine it gets deeper from there. Overall, I would say that Wolfram Alpha did its job and presented my question with more than appropriate answers.

Now let’s have some fun with Wolfram Alpha. I asked it a question without a clear answer because of bias. A computer is supposed to be unbiased, right? Go.

What is the best college in North Carolina?

This review hangs on the answer to this question. If it answers North Carolina State University, I’ll be happy. Any other, I’ll claim it to be junk. What did Wolfram Alpha say?

Wolfram Alpha isn’t sure what to do with your input.

Fair enough. It gave me some suggestions on “good input” and provided links to things I may have meant, one of which is “college in North Carolina.” That term was a link, so I clicked it. The result? Wolfram still couldn’t understand what to do with my new input that it provided. I don’t see a real problem with this since the question wasn’t a great one to begin with.

I tested a few more searches with Wolfram and found that it is actually really well done when asking questions of fact. Who was the 17th President of the United States. Andrew Johnson came up and gave me some good information on Johnson, including biographical information, his successors and predecessors, even his Vice President (which was blank because he didn’t have one). Wolfram Alpha handles this type of question extraordinarily well.

As a first impression, I don’t see Wolfram Alpha as being much of a competitor to Google. Google doesn’t try to answer questions as much as it gives you a place to go to find the information you are looking for. Wolfram isn’t going to tell you where to get the best pizza in town or deliver a blog about the best colleges in the area. Google will. If Wolfram Alpha is a competitor to anyone, it would be Wikipedia but it would need several more evolutions from here to rise to that.

This is just the first step in a series of upgrades that O3 will be working on with SFN. Stay tuned to see what’s next.

Stay tuned for details!