The following is a special report from SMX West 2009.

First up Peter Linsley of Google ran through some of the concepts behind Google images and also factors that may influence ranking of images on Google which included some of the following: more…

Since the proliferation of the Internet, instant messaging has become a very popular means of communicating on the Web. Even with the rapid growth of Twitter, many people still communicate using IM. Now, there is no shortage of IM protocols out there; these include ICQ, AIM, GTalk, Yahoo, and Facebook, to name a few. IM readers aim to solve the mess of having all these programs open at once. more…

Is it time to rethink who we market to on the social networking giants? What do you think the average age of a MySpace and Facebook user is? Perhaps 16 for MySpace and 22 for Facebook? more…

VeriSign released its Q4 2008 Domain Name Industry Brief (PDF) yesterday, a document that zooms in on “the state of the domain name industry through a variety of statistical and analytical research”. Let’s take a look at their findings and stats. more…

Nothing can be more useful than handy tools you can use “on the fly” in your design process. Whether you’d like diagramming application, create vector images, format or optimize CSS code, generate patterns- you can use dozens of tools to make your life easier. Today we wanted to share with you a comprehensive list of more than 40 online tools that will really make your life easier and on the fly. more…

The co-founder of Twitter Biz Stone has confirmed that Twitter plans to charge businesses for extra services. There are few details or dates. But that’s the question in all of our minds—especially the investors who put $20 million into Twitter and I assume want to see a return. more…

Thanks to its open-ended design and a thriving user community, Twitter is fast outgrowing its roots as a simple, easy-to-use messaging service. Enterprising hackers are creating apps for sharing music and videos, to help you quit smoking and lose weight — spontaneously extending the text-based service into one of the web’s most fertile (and least likely) application platforms. more…

Google has already indicated that it plans to offer a platform for Chrome browser extensions, but now we finally have what looks like a firm date on when that will arrive. Apparently, a Google developer conference scheduled for May 27th will include a session on developing extensions for Chrome, which leads Google Operating System to conclude that we’ll see the extensions platform go live on or before that date. more…

2009 will be the year where video-over-IP really breaks from the niche to the mainstream, but let’s be honest: technology for technology’s sake is not the end goal. If you are a tech entrepreneur or a marketing executive, you use technology as a tool to achieve communication or financial goals. Knowing how to take advantage of online video technology is crucial to generating great returns on your content or marketing spend.For both startups and Fortune 100 companies, getting on board with online and mobile video is increasingly key to attracting and engaging a fickle audience. The next generation of big-time consumers (those under 18) are already more likely to be watching video on a computer or mobile phone than they are on a traditional television set. more…

Where you are is as important as what you’re looking for. That’s why more and more services are looking to location as a filter for providing relevant information when and where we need it. So it only makes sense that Google - a company known for its ability to deliver relevant information - get into the location-aware app game. Today, they jumped in with both feet by releasing Google Latitude, a way to keep track of your friends’ current whereabouts - and let Google have a view into your nomadic or sedentary habits. more…