I have long been a critic of Microsoft and Yahoo in the field of 'online search'. Google monsters both in this market, yet the duo have never managed to resolve their boardroom differences to do the logical and combine forces to take the giant of search on as a more serious challenger.

Well eureka! The deal is finally done. Yahoo will use Microsoft's new search engine Bing on all its websites, and in return Microsoft will hand over the management of all premium search advertisers to Yahoo.

After all this time, it took no cash. Just an exchange of resources that will see their global market share climb to about 30%. Google has 65%.

In Australia, the Yahoo/Microsoft partnership will not even reach 8% on current estimates, as Google controls 92%. But it is a start!

Traditional Australian media companies are at it again; attacking web innovators Google for their latest bold step in unifying a search category. The search category this time is 'real estate listings'.

Recently, Google Australia announced real estate listings are now able to be searched via the revolutionary Google Maps.

Fairfax, owners of real estate listing website Domain, and News Limited, owners of RealEstate.com.au, are threatening to pull out their significant advertising dollars from Google if they become a competitor.

SMH quotes Greg Ellis of REA Group (realestate.com.au) as saying: "It will be interesting to see how Google reconciles its ability to encourage companies to purchase Adwords, buy Google Maps and DoubleClick services and then compete with those companies who currently or intend to buy these services. It's a discussion that should occur across the Australian internet landscape, not just within REA. We are reviewing our options. No decision has yet been made."

Ellis' comments are ludicrous. They follow on from that of Rupert Murdoch - News Ltd chief - who said earlier this year that Google should be investigated for not paying for media content in some of their search results.

Both these individuals are shooting themselves in the foot. A significant amount of their traffic comes from Google, thus threatening to not spend with them is laughable. Starting a fight with Google is also ill-advised.

If you haven't seen Google's latest Australian experiment  - Google Real Estate - please do so by watching the video below:

Your web developer will become your first business partner. I will state the traits that are important when choosing your web developers. You need a firm with:

• •  
    • a track record of working with entrepreneurs
      
      
    • an SEO-web development angle; i.e. a web company with a focus on web marketing and search engine optimisation
      
      
    • social media marketing expertise; i.e. a firm which will help you get the best out of Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.
      
      
    • a face that you can talk to, with a mouth that sounds like they know what they are talking about
      
      
    • a web systems background, preferably with their own CMS (content management system). The system they build you will be the crux of your business for as long as it is around
      
      
    • a respectable pricing structure

Now, this section could easily be confused for a plug for my company, KayWeb, as we tick all the above boxes... but... we need to be given the opportunity to prove that!

3) Advertising plan

No website has attracted visitors with zero advertising.

It could be PR, which gives you free editorial advertising, or something more organised like SEO, banner advertising, email marketing, radio advertising, television, buses, billboards, etc.... they key is that advertising MUST be planned and budgeted for.

SEO is a must for any website, as a presence on Google and other search engines will be the key to your long-term viability.

4) Budget

You need money.

For development by good developers, you will have to pay. For advertising in revenue-increasing areas, you will have to pay. For staff and resources, you will have to pay.

Many web businesses have taken different approaches here. They either have savings to count on, a rich relative willing to put in, or they offer shares to potential investors or venture capitalists.

What you do will need to suit you.

5) Set goals

It is very important to be able to measure your success or failure against an original plan.

You always have a main goal, e.g. you are building this web business to sell it to a major competitor, or you are building this web business to become a millionaire, or to create a bunch of mini-sites around it, etc.

Then around that main goal, you can set mini-goals to accomplish whatever your dream is.

Without goals, you will not know how you are going.

That's it for now. Feel free to give me a call to discuss in more detail. Reach me at KayWeb Sydney on 1300-793-646.

We know that Google Chrome OS will be open source, meaning developed by potentially thousands of developers both inside and outside Google circles.

We know that Google Chrome OS will be "lightweight", unlike the more modern Windows operating systems, which are so heavy, they refuse to run efficiently.

We know that Google Chrome OS will be initially designed for release on netbooks (small notebooks / laptops).

We know that among the Google Chrome OS partners already signed up are the number 1 and 2 netbook manufacturers, Acer and Asus. Other partners include Adobe, Freescale, Hewlett-Packard, Lenovo, Qualcomm and Texas Instruments.

And we know that Google Chrome OS will be web-centric.

In fact, according to Google: "Google Chrome OS is being created for people who spend most of their time on the web..."

And finally... we know one other other thing...

Microsoft, which hasn't come up with a decent operating system since 2000 (even that is debatable), will be crapping their pants as Google is using its successful open source techniques to target another piece of the MS pie.

Recently, Google went after Internet Explorer with the Chrome internet browser. On most computers, Chrome loads and works at least 10 times faster than IE.

Even more recently, Google announced the pending launch of Google Wave - a communications tool that will revolutionise email and internet communication, moving people away from Microsoft's Outlook and other Office products which are duplicated in more innovative and faster ways via Wave.

Moreover, Wave was announced in the same week Microsoft announced the launch of their next new search engine to take market share from Google - Bing. Using Twitter Trending Topics as just one judge, Wave was the far more exciting announcement that week.

Once in a while you come across something on the web that makes you smile. Now, an organisation called the Happy Planet Index surveys countries on their Life Expectancy, Life Satisfaction and Ecological Footprint... coming up with a rating that determines its happiness.

Sounds logical. LOL (which means 'laugh out loud' for those not on internet chat since ICQ).

Anyway, clicking here (which is link to world map according to the Happy Planet Index) will show you their findings.

In case you cannot wait, I can report that Costa Rica is the happiest nation with a ranking of 76.1. In fact, only Costa Rica's Central American neighbours even get close! Cigar-rolling and trade-embargoed Cuba is surprisingly very happy also...

Australia is pretty crap, while the USA and most African countries sit in the dreaded red zone on the Happy Planet Index.

If there was no internet, surveys like this will not have a voice.

Kutcher, rated number one Twitterholic, has over 2million followers. This means that more people saw the news from his tweet filtering into their computers, Blackberrys and iPhones, than watching the news at that time.

Jackson's death came only hours after the death of fellow celebrity Farah Fawcett (of Charlie's Angels fame). So some news agencies on the web decided this could become a tragic day for all celebrities, and they decided to report Jeff Goldblum fell to his death while filming in New Zealand.

Tweeters took this story and obituaries started to follow.

Also following this story was Channel Nine's clown of a celebrity reporter, Richard Wilkins. Wilkins reported Goldblum had died to a national television audience.

But... this was not true. Goldblum is alive. News of his being alive also broke officially on Twitter. Before his media people could make an annoucnement, celebrity Tweeter Kevin Spacey stated:

"Jeff Goldblum is alive and well. I just spoke to his manager. Stop these stupid rumors."

This was re-tweeted by many, including popular Tweeters like Perez Hilton and Demi Moore.

Back to the death that was in Jackson... Australia's state-owned media source, the ABC, decided to use Twitter to create a whole story about Australian celebrity testimonials for the musical genius.

Tweets by Delta Goodrem, The Veronicas, Wes Carr, Grinspoon and others are all featured in this news story.

Michael Jackson's death is a media event not too far behind Pricess Diana. The difference between the two is that new media is here for Jackson's sad passing. Twitter especially is here.

And it is a competitor to traditional media. To the extent that traditional media use it to learn of news, then break their own versions of it.

On this sad day, this blog must end with an RIP message to Michael Jackson. As Goodrem said, you will always "be remembered through song". And commiserations to the Jackson family.

Nagin's story was inspirational, particularly his intent on spending extra to build New Orleans 'green' in the rebuilding effort. It felt as though he wanted to treat the environment fairly in the hope Mother Nature will return the favour when handing out natural disasters in future.

Of course, it is deeper than that. Clover Moore laid out her plans for a sustainable City of Sydney, referred to as Sydney 2030. Both mayors admitted most green decisions were not comfortable, nor are they vote- or support-winning politically. But they said it was necessary.

KayWeb - the company I own - will soon release details of how we are going green.