Saturday, February 13, 2010

Googland

Googland

[G] Quincy Jones asks you to join the "We Are the World" Chorus

Posted: 12 Feb 2010 07:31 PM PST

YouTube Blog: Quincy Jones asks you to join the "We Are the World" Chorus

It was 25 years ago when a star-studded supergroup, led by Michael Jackson and Quincy Jones, came together to lend their voices to support an important cause. This song, "We Are The World" topped the charts and was the first-ever single to be certified multi-platinum. Within a year, nearly $50 million dollars were raised for Africa's humanitarian fund.

Today, YouTube, in partnership with Visa, presents "We Are The World 25 for Haiti" featuring more than 75 musicians and celebrities, including Miley Cyrus, Barbra Streisand, the Jonas Brothers, P!nk, Lil' Wayne, members of the Jackson Family and others singing to raise funds for earthquake relief in Haiti. Back in 1985, the original "We Are the World" aired on MTV and was sold on vinyl; the 25th anniversary edition can be viewed on the We Are The World YouTube channel, where there's a "Donate Now" button to help Haiti.



We asked Grammy award winning producer Quincy Jones a few questions about the project. His answers are below, including his call for YouTube viewers to join the chorus by uploading their own version of a classic verse.

YouTube's Five Questions with Quincy

YT: What about the old version of "We Are The World" (WATW) still makes the song relevant today?

QJ: "First and foremost Lionel and Michael wrote a great song. There is a saying that "a great song can make a bad singer sound good, but the greatest singer in the world can't make a bad song a hit." The message of 'We Are The World' is universal and timeless. It's a message of caring for and helping those who are less fortunate, especially when catastrophic events take place as in the case of the earthquake in Haiti. Haiti was far from being in the best place on the planet before the earthquake, but when that happened, it just destroyed the country. How can you look at those images and not stand up and do something? Everyone recognized the need right away, it wasn't hard to get mobilized."

YT: What's the importance of using YouTube to get the "WATW 25 for Haiti" message to a wider audience?

QJ: "Are you kidding me? When we talked about the coming 'information age' a decade ago, most people didn't understand the immediate impact that it would have. With the stroke of a key on your keyboard or cell phone, images and messages can be transferred all around the world to hundreds of millions of people in seconds. That's an enormous amount of power, how can you not try and harness that resource to help people in need."

YT: How can "WATW 25 for Haiti" viewers on YouTube get further engaged to take action towards social change - in the case of Haiti in particular?

QJ: "Well, first you can 'Download to Donate', but I would love to see everyone take it to the next level and get involved on a more personal level by posting video responses. But it doesn't stop there. As long as you pay attention and are aware of what is going on in Haiti and places like Haiti around the world, there are always ways to get involved. People who are suffering and in need will never turn their backs on someone offering them a compassionate hand."

YT: YouTube viewers are encouraged to make their own videos with original lyrics based on the WATW chorus: what tips would you give these rising producers?

QJ: "I don't know that I can give any tips, but I can tell you that I'm really looking forward to seeing the different interpretations that people come up with. There are some really talented, creative and funny people out there."

YT: What's your favorite YouTube video?

QJ: "Without a doubt I think it has to be the prisoners in the Philippines dancing to 'Thriller.' It's amazing that more than 25 years later, that song and those albums..'Off The Wall,' 'Thriller' and 'Bad'…still hold up. No matter where I go in the world, in every club, at midnight the DJ's come with songs from those albums. It's a perfect example of what I said earlier, a great song is universal and timeless."

Watch, sing along and donate your support.

Michele Flannery, Music Manager, recently watched Rock n' Roll Birdies
Ramya Raghavan, Non-Profits Manager, recently watched "Too Late to Apologize - A Declaration"


URL: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/youtube/PKJx/~3/_Wgmq5yYPpQ/quincy-jones-asks-you-to-join-we-are.html

[G] Streamlined analysis tools in your Campaigns tab

Posted: 12 Feb 2010 01:57 PM PST

Inside AdWords: Streamlined analysis tools in your Campaigns tab

Over the last several months, we've been introducing new ways to analyze and segment your campaign data. As we continue to introduce more data types, we want to make sure that it's easy for you to access these reporting controls. That's why we've introduced a new analysis toolbar in the Campaigns tab of your account. This toolbar consolidates key functionality from the "Filter and views" and "More actions" menus, and appears at the top of each of your data tables:

You can use the toolbar to quickly apply a filter to the data you're viewing or customize the columns on each tab. You can also gain important insights into performance across different networks or time periods by using the "Segment" option:

Controls to show or hide paused or deleted campaigns and ad groups are also now available in this toolbar:

Just like the integration of the popular Search Query and Placement Performance Reports in the Campaigns tab, our hope is that this new toolbar will further streamline reporting and help you to get the most out of your AdWords data and your advertising campaigns.

Posted by Dan Friedman, Inside AdWords crew
URL: http://adwords.blogspot.com/2010/02/streamlined-analysis-tools-in-your_12.html

[G] Sweets for My Sweet

Posted: 12 Feb 2010 12:27 PM PST

Official Google CPG Blog: Sweets for My Sweet

Posted by Jenny Liu, Industry Marketing Manager, CPG

They say that people are cooking more and eating out less, a trend which may even carry over to Valentine's Day this year. So what will people be cooking up in the kitchen?

A peek at Google Insights for Search trends reveals some popular entrees, desserts and even breakfasts on the menu:

Couples are getting into the mood with fine cuts of meat like filet mignon and seafood, and experimenting with interactive recipes, like fondue.


No Valentine's Day is complete without dessert. Chocolate cake and chocolate fondue are extremely popular, but let's not discount non-chocolate favorites like cheescake, red velvet cake and decorated V-day sugar cookies!

Perhaps because desserts take time to bake, cool and perfect, recipe searches for these dessert items started to spike several days earlier than non-dessert items.


But Valentine's Day doesn't just stop with a romantic dinner; we see evidence of couples continuing the celebration with breakfast. The most popular item on that menu is the pancake, followed by eggs and french toast. Interestingly, crepes and waffles trended neck and neck last year.

Whatever you may have on the menu, we hope it is romantically delicious!
Have a wonderful Valentine's day!
URL: http://google-cpg.blogspot.com/2010/02/sweets-for-my-sweet.html

[G] Introducing Google Maps Labs, your passport to a world of new features

Posted: 12 Feb 2010 12:27 PM PST

Google LatLong: Introducing Google Maps Labs, your passport to a world of new features


We are pleased to announce the launch of Maps Labs, a set of opt-in features that add useful functionality to Google Maps. Labs allow us to quickly experiment with new Google Maps features, add new ways of interacting with the map, or just try out something wacky. If a Lab proves popular it may become a standard feature of Google Maps in future.

To activate individual Labs features, click on the green conical flask icon at the top right of the screen. This will bring up a list of Labs that you can enable. If you're logged in with your Google account, we will remember which Labs you have enabled when you next visit Google Maps.
To get started we have a range of useful Labs available today. You can enable the Aerial imagery that we recently launched in the Google Maps API. You can zoom in to a particular location just by dragging a box around it using the new Drag 'n' Zoom control. You can browse nearby businesses with the What's Around Here button and test your world geography with our Where in the World game. Or in case you still yearn for the days when you could turn paper maps upside down we even have Rotatable Maps.
We chose not to offer a lab that replicates the experience of struggling to fold a map back up though. If you really miss that, we can't help you.

Because they're experimental, Labs may not be quite as robust as some other features on Google Maps. In fact there's a chance they could change, break, or disappear at any time. Just in case, we've provided an escape hatch. If you discover that a Labs feature causes you problems use this link to disable all Labs and select just those you want to keep: http://maps.google.com/maps?ftr=0.

We hope Labs enhance your Google Maps experience and look forward to adding more in the future. To keep up to date with the latest Labs, get help with a particular Labs feature, or even suggest new Labs, check out the Maps Labs Google group.

Posted by Thor Mitchell, Product Manager
URL: http://google-latlong.blogspot.com/2010/02/introducing-google-maps-labs-your.html

[G] Google acquires Aardvark

Posted: 12 Feb 2010 12:27 PM PST

Official Google Blog: Google acquires Aardvark

When you need an answer to a very specific question, sometimes the information just isn't online in one simple place. For example, let's say you want to know if there's snow on Skyline Boulevard on a given day or the best time of year to plant beans in the Bay Area. You might find weather reports and planting guides on many different sites, but for these kinds of questions, a person with the right expertise can be a lot more useful than a webpage.

That's why we're excited to announce that we've acquired Aardvark, a unique technology company that lets you quickly and easily tap into the knowledge and experience of your friends and extended network of contacts. Aardvark analyzes questions to determine what they're about and then matches each question to people with relevant knowledge and interests to give you an answer quickly.

We're very impressed with the Aardvark team and the technology they've worked hard to build, and we're looking forward to collaborating to see where we can take it. You can learn more about Aardvark's underlying technology and premise by reading this paper recently co-authored by founder Damon Horowitz.

In the meantime, Aardvark is available today in Google Labs, so give it try!

Posted by Johanna Wright, Director of Product Management, Search
URL: http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2010/02/google-acquires-aardvark.html

[G] Want to be a Favorite Place on Google?

Posted: 12 Feb 2010 11:04 AM PST

Google LatLong: Want to be a Favorite Place on Google?


Since announcing our Favorite Places on Google program in December, we've seen a lot of of excitement from the 190,000 businesses selected. That also led to questions from other business owners wondering how their business can become part of the next wave. Well, we're now getting ready to unveil the next batch of Favorite Places, so I wanted to make sure we gave some tips to all those (in the US) who are interested in being eligible before the March 1st deadline:

  1. Log in to Local Business Center with your Google account (or create a new one) at google.com/lbc
  2. Enter information for your business listings and verify that you are the business owner or authorized business listing manager by 12am PST on March 1. This means that you need to enter the PIN number that you receive by mail or by phone call by this deadline. You should allow 5-10 business days for your pin to arrive by mail - so get going now! If you are given the option to verify your listing by phone, the PIN will be delivered to you by an automated phone call within seconds. (Be sure to be ready to write it down).
  3. If you're identified as a Favorite Place, expect your decal with custom QR code to arrive within a few weeks. We'll let everyone know when the mailings have started to go out. You can learn more about the selection process here.

If you verified your listing between the middle of October 2009 and now, you can relax: your listing is already eligible to be recognized as a Favorite Place. Of course, registering with the Local Business Center won't guarantee you'll get one of the coveted stickers, but it is necessary for you to be considered! Retail chains are now eligible to participate - just make sure to request verification after you've uploaded your bulk feed. If you haven't requested verification for a feed that you've already provided, do it here.

In case you're wondering how you could possibly become a Favorite Place on Google with only a couple weeks of having your listing verified: in most cases your business has already been listed on Google for some time through various other data sources, and we have data on how that listing has performed. But when you claim the listing for your own business, it's the best indication to us that your business information is correct.

Businesses which verified their listing prior to October 2009 were already considered for the first wave of Favorite Places on Google, and won't be eligible for another decal at this time. However, if you were already recognized as a Favorite Place and your sticker has since been lost, damaged, or otherwise misplaced, you can request a replacement with this form.



Posted by Ryan Hayward, Product Marketing Manager
URL: http://google-latlong.blogspot.com/2010/02/want-to-be-favorite-place-on-google.html
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