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Filed under: Internet, Utilities, Web services, Microsoft, Beta

Microsoft to launch web analytics tool

Gatineau
Seriously, is there any cool Google service that Microsoft isn't trying to duplicate? There's book search, health sites, map services, and now web analytics. (Of course, we can't blame them, seeing as Google's taking on Microsoft Office with a web-based clone).

Right now, Google Analytics is probably the most powerful free web-based analytic tool on the market. Sure, it has a few quirks that you probably wouldn't find in a commercial application. But it gives you a lot of control over how you analyze traffic on your web site.

It looks like Microsoft is preparing to launch a new web-based tool that will be at least as powerful. Microsoft's Ian Thomas introduced the new project, code-named Gatineau, at Web Analytics Day. A private beta is expected to launch next week. At first, Gatineau will be available only in English and only in countries supported by Microsoft's adCenter.

Microsoft is currently accepting applications for the beta.

Filed under: Web services, Microsoft

Microsoft launches AdSense-alike adCenter

MicrosoftLast August we mentioned that Microsoft was working on its own online ad franchise a la Google's AdSense and the Yahoo! Publisher Network. Today that came to fruition with Microsoft's official announcement of adCenter. adCenter sounds like a clone of Google and Yahoo!'s ad networks but with a few twists. First of all, there's some heavy demographic-pimping going on, with adCenter giving advertisers "sophisticated information about consumers, including their location, age, gender and sometimes, their level of wealth," though personally-identifiable information will be left out. The system will also allow advertisers to choose particular times of day or days of the week when their ads will be shown. Microsoft is also planning to take adCenter basically everywhere else, including e-mail, MSN Spaces, mobile applications, Office, and Xbox Live. Uh.. great.

[Via Slashdot]

Featured Time Waster

Forumwarz - a potentially offensive time waster

I pwn UAfter spending the better part of an hour on Forumwarz I still can't decide if it's just sick or if it's kind of fun. It's a bit like a car wreck on the highway. I know I shouldn't be looking but I can't quite turn away.

It's sick, it's twisted, it's the internet on it's worst level and darn it, it's kind of fun. At least for a little while.

Forumwarz is a parody role-playing game that takes place on the internet - or at least the Forumwarz version of it. Your goal is to complete missions that are given to you through a mock up of GoogleTalk called Sentrillion.

Your first "friend" is ShallowEsophagus who begins giving you missions to pwn various forums by being a troll. Depending on the character type you are assigned at start up, you have tools like drooling on the keyboard or bashing your head on the keyboard that you can use to destroy forum threads and eventually, pwn a forum.

Future missions involve buying illegal software from the Russians, pwning more difficult forums and other internet oddness.

Completing missions gives you cash, called Flezz in game, and items that you can pawn or use in other missions. The game is NOT for those easily offended. It's crass, coarse and there are frequent f-bombs in the fake chat sessions.

This is also a game for a more mature audience as it requires you to shop at the Drugs R Fun store to get various concoctions to improve your playing, engage in certain cyber activities to get more Flezz and just generally use a more adult perspective.

If you can get past that, here are the more enjoyable and time-wasting aspects.

View more Time Wasters

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