SearchEngineUpdate with Vanessa Zamora - 04-02-2008 Part II
Abstract: 1. IOS Approves Microsoft Open XML As Standard, 2. UK Survey Reveals High Number Of Children On Social Networking Sites
Vanessa Zamora
Video Content Producer, SearchEngineWorld
9:08 pm on April 2, 2008 (utc 0)
Transcript
Wednesday April 2, 2008
IOS Approves Microsoft Open XML As Standard
The International Organization for Standardization announced the approval of a bid from Microsoft to make its Open XML document format a standard, ending a divisive year long battle with software rivals. The approval will make software that uses Open XML, such as Microsoft’s Office products, more appealing to government and large corporate customers, who prefer to purchase ISO-certified goods. It also means that development of the specification will be done through the ISO, which counts members from over 100 countries. Microsoft Open XML format will compete against the already approved IBM and Sun Microsystems ISO format called Open Document Format. Despite the majority vote, some open-source advocates have expressed concerns that standards status would give Microsoft more market power.
UK Survey Reveals High Number Of Children On Social Networking Sites
A survey by media regulator Ofcom revealed that of 5,000 adults and 3,000 children polled in the UK, 49% of those aged between 8 and 17 have a profile page on a social networking Web site. News Corp’s Myspace, says its users should be at least 14 to register, while Facebook and Bebo claim a minimum age limit of 13. However at present no technology is used to actively verify the age of users, and with more than a quarter of 8 to 11-year-olds claiming to have a profile page on a social networking site according to Ofcom, children’s online safety has become a growing concern. The U.K.’s Byron review into Children and New Technology and Home Office governmental department are establishing reforms aimed at protecting children online, including a voluntary code of conduct for Social Networking Web sites, and an agreement from Bebo, MySpace and Facebook to set profile pages of anyone under 18 to a default high privacy setting.
9:08 pm on April 2, 2008 (utc 0)