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Loopt has taken mobile mapping to a new level. The startup's application not only allows users to see where their friends are on a map, but also lets them text each other within the app and share photos. Since Loopt's beginnings, the company has been proactive in setting high standards for user privacy. For instance, Loopt is a closed network and therefore only allows users to share their locations with specified friends. It also has reached out to multiple privacy groups for their guidance on navigating the privacy terrain.

The privacy requirements of Internet users can vary widely. Some divulge the most personal details of their lives on blogs and social networking sites; others want to remain as anonymous as possible. Users know they have control over what they push onto the Web -- but what about data that portals and other online giants retain on the back end? Online firms are piling up user data to get to know them better -- and serve ads based on keywords in searches and e-mails.

In terms of software, it's often difficult to find a lot of diversity in the workplace. Microsoft holds so much sway over the business world that a lot of new companies outfit themselves with Office simply because it's what everyone else uses. Intezyne, a biotech firm that started in 2004 and now counts 11 employees, has chosen a different route. After some bad experiences with PC hardware and software, it's put Macs into its offices and now uses the iWork software suite for jobs ranging from administrative tasks to investor presentations.

For advertisers, the mobile Web is full of possibilities -- and problems. U.S. adoption of the mobile Web lags behind European and Asian countries. Closed systems have hindered application development, as has the field's wide array of competing standards, platforms and browsers. Small screens necessitate an alternative approach to the standard banner and sidebar ad strategies. Overcoming these challenges can mean a big payoff for advertisers, particularly those selling to a local consumer market.

Web 2.0 applications are quickly taking over traditional activities on the Internet. Web sites are becoming interactive as they offer multiple function applications. This, in turn, is creating greater security risks for both consumers and network operators. One of the biggest concerns is the need for Web 2.0 developers to build their applications with total security in mind from the ground up. Until now, too many developers built software the traditional way with security add-ons at the top of the heap.

The Open Source Development Labs merged with the Free Standard Group on Jan. 21, 2007. The new organization became The Linux Foundation, which now spearheads the goals of Linux standardization, promotion and protection. Jim Zemlin, formerly the executive director of the Free Standards Group, took the reins as executive director. As the new year approaches, Zemlin is wrapping up his first year as the head honcho of the nonprofit home of Linux creator Linus Torvalds. During this past year, Zemlin has observed some significant changes in the Linux OS and the open source market.

As mobile video gains popularity, new content providers are cropping up all over the place to compete for the attention of consumers -- and their recreational dollars. GoTV, a made-for-mobile television network, has a horse in this race. The company, based in Sherman Oaks, Calif., creates its own mobile programming and distributes content for other companies, including Univision. The E-Commerce Times spoke with Steve Bradbury, vice president of content strategy and business affairs for GoTV, about creating and monetizing mobile video and competing with everybody and nobody at the same time.

Buying sponsored links on a major search engine isn't cheap. Getting to the top of the search engine pile without paying your way requires mastery of search engine optimization -- a craft that often seems to fall somewhere between advanced calculus and alchemy. However, for small businesses catering to a local community -- a pizza restaurant, for instance -- simple map marketing can be an attractive combination of free and easy. Just keep your info up-to-date, and whoever's looking for a pizza in your neighborhood will know you're there.

Two-year-old Meebo uses widgets to allow its users to send instant messages from any computer and chat with buddies on any IM system without downloading or installing software. Martin Green, the company's head of business, spoke with TechNewsWorld about the way widgets are revolutionizing the Internet, the ever-growing popularity of personal and workplace IM, "chat rooms on steroids," and the advantages of an unconventional corporate culture.

For a small business that serves a local area -- a restaurant or gardening service, for example -- word of mouth can quickly make or break a reputation. When the conversation happens online in organized and professionally managed forums like Citysearch and YellowPages.com, reputations can be made and broken even faster. At the Interactive Local Media Conference in Los Angeles in late November, ComScore presented its findings on the impact of online review sites on local service purchases.