Google

SSL (Secure Socket Layer) is the name of the technology that encrypts the communication between a browser and a web (or email) server. This changes the standard HTTP (hypertext transfer protocol) to HTTPS which adds encryption. This site is secure; you can see the green lock in the header. Why is this important? Well, eCommerce sites absolutely need to be secure since users will be entering private information. It is absolutely essential to encrypt that information. But what if you aren't processing financial transactions? Do you still need SSL? We monkeys say enthusiastically YES! and believe that in the future all sites  

Now, it looks like Google will take their support of all things HTTPS one step further in Chrome and will mark all websites that don't serve up an SSL certificates as non-secure. 

This week, Panda becomes part of Google's core ranking algorithm. Panda came out in 2011 as a way to lower the ranking of sites with low content and high amounts of advertisements with the goal of reducing spammy results. It has been changed and updated many times over the last few years.

Last year Google announced they would be using HTTPS as a ranking signal with the implication that it would be considered heavier in the future. Well, the future is now! Yesterday Google has taken the next step in security and will now index HTTPS pages over their HTTP counterparts, even if those pages aren't directly linked. 

Last week, Microsoft announced that they are now accepting Bitcoins for XBOX and Windows store purchases. This is another great step forward for Bitcoin and other crypto-currency users. I love seeing more avenues open to spend alternative currencies. 

Mozilla, the company that makes Firefox, is also leaving Google behind and switching their default search engine to Yahoo.

100,000 stars is an interactive galaxy created by the Labs at Google. Showing off the capabilities of HTML5, you can explore the immediate galaxy using buttons or intuitive gestural commands and learning as you go with the integrated hover tips. Oh, and it's pretty too!

The first question to consider is who is your audience. For me it's our clients and fellow designers. We also have content geared more towards programmers and crypto currency enthusiasts. This means every article isn't written for every user, so we use tagging functionality to keep related content together.

Monkeys believe in web security and privacy and have been participating in the Reset the Net campaign. We have been encouraging all web site owners to add SSL encryption to their website for security and privacy for their users. An added benefit is that Google is starting to use HTTPS as a ranking signal.

Apple has announced that their new operating systems' built in search tool, Spotlight, will show Bing results instead of Google results. I'm amazed to see Apple choosing a Microsoft solution over a Google solution and have been following this story closely.