Microsoft has re-introduced MSN portal with a completely new look and feel which has been termed by users as the most dramatic redesign of the decade. The newly redesigned MSN portal webpage is much simpler to use and a lot of unwanted elements that earlier cluttered up the page has been cleared. The new things introduced include a central location for video, Facebook and Twitter incorporation, a new local area and an emphasized search option.

Microsoft reports that MSN currently has about 600 million uses globally making it larger than Yahoo. This website is a huge asset in many ways the most important of which is the fact that it drives approximately forty-five percent of all Bing queries. A glance at the new MSN portal is all that it takes to reveal the superiority of the new outlook and design of the webpage.

Users can log in and access their Facebook and Twitter accounts through the new MSN portal and the activity streams of both websites will be displayed at the lower right of the homepage. The local edition has also undergone a tremendous change with a range of local content like restaurants and hotels, entertainment, news, traffic and gas prices getting aggregated and displayed in a direct and easily accessible format complete with maps and local search functionality.

Microsoft decided to revamp the MSN portal based on user feedback and a growing sense that the old look was outdated and non functional. You can see a lot of personalization on MSN but not to the extent of Yahoo as Microsoft believes that very few users will be interested in such a high degree of personalization. The new portal is believed to roll out globally within a few months time and the look may vary slightly from country to country. The newly designed MSN portal will definitely be one to look out for in the coming months.

Popularity: 3% [?]

Labor Day which fell on Sept 7th of this year is a United States federal holiday and is celebrated as a dedication to the social and economic achievements of American workers. Though the character of Labor Day celebrations have undergone tremendous changes in the recent years, its essence still remains very much the same. On this day, the entire nation pays tribute to all American workers who symbolize the country’s strength, freedom and leadership.

Google and Yahoo, unfortunately, do not have any Labor Day logos or themes. But you need not worry about this as there are plenty of others who have the perfect themes to portray the essence and soul of this special day.

Bing is a website which has bought out an excellent Labor Day theme. The picture shows the silhouette of a worker against the backdrop of a clear blue sky with the inscription ‘Some people think today is the last day you should wear white until next spring.’ There is also a link on the page that can direct you to more Labor Day news and stories.

Another interesting theme is from Ask.com which depicts the feet of a person relaxing on a hammock overlooking the serene blue beach waters. This also carries an inscription ‘Need to relax this Labor Day?’ This day is all about rest for the average American worker and this is the message that is conveyed in this theme.

The eye-catching theme from dogpile.com shows a dog resting on a hammock with a cool drink in hand. ‘You’ve worked hard all year so take a break for Labor Day!’; this message is the ideal one for every worker on this special day.

Cre8asite forums.com has decided to keep it simple yet powerful by having a theme that depicts the stars and stripes of the American flag with the site’s name in the middle. And Search Engine Roundtable wishes all its users a very happy Labor Day this year.

This day of rest is rightfully yours; go out and enjoy!

Popularity: 2% [?]

Mothers Day as celebrated with all prosperity, joy and wisdom in the internet and there would not be a single surfer who might have just missed this chance to wish their Mother as the search engines had everything described on their scene. The mesmerizing and cool logos brought out by Google and other search engines were just unbeatable.

Google had a very pink color with a vase having lovely flowers in it denoting a sweet and pleasant day. The Mother’s Day logo from Yahoo! was an animated one of a mother and child kangaroo sweeping out the hearts away with its cuteness and loveliness. The AOL animated logo had a pink heart written “MOM” in it thus giving everyone the real day and also talking about the specialty of the day with a wonderful ribbon and buds tied pretty well.

The entire scene was mind blowing at the Live.com page which had a Cheetah with its kid sharing some wonderful moments together. The Logo hosted by Ask.com was very colorful, bright and scenic with vast green landscape with bright colored flowers and Mother and child playing games here and there. It also had another treating sentence at the end wishing all mothers. “Happy Mother’s Day to all you super moms!” was the ending logo at the end of the page.

Google did another challenging alteration of changing the Street Views in Google Maps of guys to that of a mom and son. The Search Engine Roundtable had a bright red heart telling Love You, a message for all Moms out there.

It was simply a splendid day at the web side!

Popularity: 2% [?]