testing

Microsoft has launched beta testing for a service called Vine, which was originally conceived after Hurricane Katrina. Some are comparing the service to Twitter, but I don't exactly see the connection other than it lets you communicate with your friends, which could pretty much be said of any social network, email service, or telephone.

Update: I contacted Facebook asking for more details on the testing, and I was given only the following official statement from the company:

Our exploration of utilizing content to increase conversion rates began with analyzing statistics to uncover opportunities for improvement, followed by how to create and implement good content to compel visitors to take action. The natural next step is testing.

Update 2: LiveSide who shared that tweet about Microsoft saying Kumo was only a test name is now saying they made an error and the tweet didn't actually come from Microsoft. So...disregard that. Let's just say there's no certainty one way or the other.

Mozilla has a new project called Test Pilot, which it uses to test usability of its products. It collects data from users on a strictly voluntary basis, and shares that data with the public anonymously so others can use it too. In fact, the testing platform itself will be available to the public as well.

Google seems to be offering beta testing of a new AdWords budgeting feature called "Timeframe," which allows users to choose between monthly and daily budgeting. Barry Schwartz at Search Engine Roundtable says the beta testing has been confirmed, and points to a WebmasterWorld thread that includes a response from an official Google representative:

When Google Suggest was first released, Google freely admitted that its development had begun about four years earlier.  Since the feature did little more than save keystrokes, this seemed kind of sad.  Only now Google's testing some upgrades that might make Google Suggest both sophisticated and profitable.

Google's not the only one passing out some tips to get businesses ready for the holidays. They recently offered some tips for utilizing Google Analytics, Google Checkout, and of course, the ever-popular, Google AdWords. Had their deal with Yahoo gone through, you may have been able to incorporate some of these tips with Yahoo's advertising platform, but it seems that it was not meant to be.