Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Googland

Googland

[G] Spare two cents?

Posted: 29 Mar 2011 04:08 AM PDT

Blogger Buzz: Spare two cents?

Published by Brett Wiltshire

We had a fantastic week in Austin during SXSW, and it was a pleasure getting to talk to so many of you who dropped by our booth and party. We always learn a lot when we get to speak with our users and it makes a big difference when we're thinking about the next exciting things to work on.

In that spirit, we thought we'd give those of you whom we weren't able to talk in person a chance to pass along your input on Blogger and the way you publish content online. So for those with a few thoughts to share and an extra few minutes lying around, please check out our quick survey.

Thanks, and we really do appreciate it!
URL: http://buzz.blogger.com/2011/03/spare-two-cents.html

[G] Live Webinar: Stay up-to-date with recent Google Apps innovations

Posted: 29 Mar 2011 03:23 AM PDT

Official Google Enterprise Blog: Live Webinar: Stay up-to-date with recent Google Apps innovations

100% web applications have many advantages over legacy and single tenant hosted technologies. There's no need to wait years for the next big software release or manage a complex set of installers, software patches, and hardware upgrades. With Google Apps, new features are available with a simple refresh of the web browser.

We want to make it easier for customers to stay up-to-date with what's new. On Thursday March 31 at 10am PST, I'll be hosting a recap where you'll hear about new applications like Google Cloud Connect for Microsoft Office and powerful new features like Google Apps Scripts support in Google Apps, Smart Labels, updated Contact Manager and the ability to sign outgoing messages with DKIM. I'll also review the updated Google Apps feature release process which enables IT admins more granular control of the roll-out / deployment of updates.

For nearly real-time information on updates to Google Apps, administrators and users can follow along through RSS, email alerts or Twitter. If you'd like a refresher on previous quarters' developments, you're welcome to watch the replays on YouTube.

I hope you can join me. Register to attend the live webinar on March 31 at 10am PST.

Posted by Jeremy Milo, Google Apps Marketing Manager
URL: http://googleenterprise.blogspot.com/2011/03/live-webinar-stay-up-to-date-with.html

[G] Happy Birthday Google Finance!

Posted: 29 Mar 2011 03:11 AM PDT

Google Finance Blog: Happy Birthday Google Finance!

Posted by Karolina Netolicka, Product Manager and Laura Hughes, Consumer Operations

Google Finance celebrates its fifth birthday today. We thought this would be a great opportunity to look back on the last five years and highlight some of the most exciting features we have launched.

Google Finance launched on March 21, 2006 with pricing data from the New York Stock Exchange, NASDAQ, Amex and Euronext. Our most innovative feature at the time was the now-familiar interactive chart that seamlessly scrolled, zoomed, and showed a timeline of news coverage for each company. Later that year we added the ability to track your investments in a portfolio.

New Features

In 2007 we added some major new ways to access Google Finance. We launched our first mobile application and iGoogle gadget. In addition, we added the GoogleFinance functions which allow you to easily incorporate financial information into your Google Spreadsheets.

In 2008 the big addition was the Stock Screener. In 2009 we added Google Domestic Trends, which uses search data to track the state of the US economy. Finally, last year we added options data and the ability to chart the performance of your portfolio.

Apart from these big launches, we've also made countless smaller improvements. Both charts and quotes now automatically update while you're viewing the page. You can display technical indicators on the chart, view after-hours trading data, and expand the chart across the whole page. You can see information on related companies for all US public companies. And your portfolio now adjusts your holdings for splits and dividends.

Data Coverage

Over the years we have expanded our data coverage to 24 exchanges in 15 countries. More importantly, though, Google Finance has pushed for consumer access to free real-time quotes. In 2008 we were the site to launch real-time quotes for NYSE and NASDAQ
to non-logged-in users. Since then, we have upgraded all of our data in China and India to real-time.

Today, Google Finance continues to deliver timely financial data to users all over the world. Our users rely on us for our stability - Google Finance was one of the few services to stay up during the flash crash on May 6, 2010. As much as you rely on us, we also rely on you. Last year we launched a Product Ideas page, receiving over 5,000 feature ideas. This type of user engagement is what has allowed us to offer you the product we present today. Thank you all for a great five years, and here's to many more ahead!

Then (2006):



Now (2011):

URL: http://googlefinanceblog.blogspot.com/2011/03/happy-birthday-google-finance.html

[G] The ads you’ve been searching for: Introducing AdSense Custom Search Ads

Posted: 28 Mar 2011 02:52 PM PDT

Inside AdSense: The ads you've been searching for: Introducing AdSense Custom Search Ads

Here at Google we've put a lot of work into displaying the best ads on search results pages, and we want your results pages to benefit too. If your site is search-focused -- for example, if your users are looking for jobs, travel, products, or local businesses -- the ads you display can now be targeted to the same search query you use to return results. This means more relevant ads for users, more revenue for publishers, and better value to advertisers. Today we're excited to share our latest AdSense for search product: Custom Search Ads.

In addition to great targeting, Custom Search Ads are designed to fit your existing search results' look and feel. Instead of pre-defined sizes, you can specify the precise width of each ad unit along with the number of individual ads to display, the ad layout, font size, font face, and much more. You can take a look at how some of our first publishers are using these today on LemonFree.com or eCrater.com.

With Custom Search Ads, we can rapidly develop and launch new search ad formats and extensions without requiring you to update your search code. For example, on Google's results pages we've been busy testing new search ad extensions to provide users with information like locations, product images, page links, and merchant information. Two of these new formats are available today in Custom Search Ads: Ad Sitelinks and Seller Ratings. Ad Sitelinks extend the value of ads by showcasing up to 4 additional links to specific, relevant content within an advertiser's site. Seller ratings add star ratings below a merchant's ad aggregated from review sites across the web. These help highlight ads for merchants highly recommended by online shoppers. As new formats are developed in the future, we'll continue to bring them to Custom Search Ads so you benefit automatically.

To get started with Custom Search Ads, sign up today! We're currently only able to accept and support a limited number of publishers, but we're excited to review your application and expand this program in the future.

Posted by Ben Lisbakken, Software Engineer and Michael Brandell, Product Specialist
URL: http://adsense.blogspot.com/2011/03/ads-youve-been-searching-for.html

[G] The do's and dont's to increase cost per click

Posted: 28 Mar 2011 02:52 PM PDT

Inside AdSense: The do's and dont's to increase cost per click

In previous blog posts we've explained what RPM is and how it's influenced by what users do when they come to your site. We want to take this conversation a step further today, and discuss some strategies that can potentially increase the cost per click (CPC) of your ad units.

Though we can't quantify a good or bad CPC, there are several things you can do (and a few that you shouldn't do) if you're trying to increase the CPC of the ads on your site. Take a look at some of the best practices outlined below:

DOs:
  • Enable all of your ad units to show both text and image/rich media ads. By increasing the number of advertisers competing for your ad units, the ad auction will make sure that the highest paying ad will be shown. Learn more from one of our publishers who made this change, and edit all your units in bulk with the new AdSense interface.
  • Keep your filter list small so you don't lower your revenue potential by blocking the highest-paying ads. Watch this video to better understand the ad auction and how to enable the most competition for your ad space.
  • Increase the number of ads competing for your site by setting up your custom channels for placement targeting. Read this post for more details and instructions on how to set these up.
  • The top-paying ads will be shown in the ad unit that appears first in your HTML code. To take advantage of this, you will need to understand which of your ad units has the highest clickthrough rate (CTR) by using custom channels. Then, you can easily change the code of your website to make sure that your top performing unit is the one with the highest-bidding ads.
DON'Ts:
  • Some publishers believe that by writing about high paying keywords they will be able to improve the earnings on their site. This is not a practice that we encourage. In fact, we always recommend to write about subjects that you know well and that you are passionate about so you can continue to create the compelling, original content that attracts visitors to your site.
  • Don't use scraped content. It's a violation of our policies.
  • Don't create multiple accounts. Publishers are not permitted to maintain multiple AdSense accounts under the same payee name, and having the ad code of different accounts on the same website will not affect your CPC in any way.
  • Finally, don't try to manipulate the standard behavior, targeting, or delivery of ads in any way that is not explicitly permitted by Google. In case you have any doubt, read the AdSense program policies.
We hope this helps you optimize your AdSense implementation and maximize your CPC. Leave us a comment with the results!

Posted by Marco Viappiani - Inside AdSense team
URL: http://adsense.blogspot.com/2011/03/dos-and-donts-to-increase-cost-per.html

[G] New home page for the new AdSense interface

Posted: 28 Mar 2011 02:52 PM PDT

Inside AdSense: New home page for the new AdSense interface

We'll now be showing you earnings for today, yesterday, this month so far, and last month as well as any unpaid finalized earnings and most recent payment information. Important alerts will appear in a bar at the top to make sure you don't miss anything critical.

We're still working toward more improvements based on comments we've heard, including the ability to view your top channels from the home page. Stay tuned for many more features that you've been asking for! Please continue to send us your feedback on the new interface by joining the conversation in our forum or through the 'Report issue' link in the upper corner of your account.


Posted by Dan Banfield & Madhuwati Lagu - AdSense Engineers
URL: http://adsense.blogspot.com/2011/03/new-home-page-for-new-adsense-interface.html

[G] New in-ads notice label and icon

Posted: 28 Mar 2011 02:52 PM PDT

Inside AdSense: New in-ads notice label and icon

You've probably noticed that AdWords ads appearing on your site have a special "i" icon that expands to an "Ads by Google" label in the bottom corner of the ad. Users who click this label are taken to a page where they learn more about online advertising and the ads they've seen. Giving users clear notice about the ads they see is a high priority for Google and for many in the online advertising industry at large.

We'll soon start to change our in-ads notice icon to a new icon that expands to an "AdChoices" label. These notifications were developed by the online advertising industry's Self-Regulatory Program for Online Behavioral Advertising to more proactively give users notice and choice about the ads they see. With the change from our "i" icon and "Ads by Google" label to these new notifications, we hope to show our support for this cross-industry initiative, and to increase our users' understanding about ad choices through adoption of an icon they'll see on ads across the web.



In a few weeks, we'll begin to show the new icon and label on most ad formats across the majority of English-language sites. Over time, we'll expand the notice to ensure that all English-language publisher sites in the Google Display Network come within the Self-Regulatory Program (until then, these sites will show the existing "i" icon and "Ads by Google" label). This will be the single most widespread rollout of the "AdChoices" label to date, and we're encouraged that others in the industry are similarly adopting it. We're also looking at ways to increase transparency and control in other languages and countries. In the meantime, those languages and countries will continue to see the "i" and "Ads by Google" notice.

Just like before, users who click on the "AdChoices" label will be taken to a page where they can learn more about online advertising and the ads they've just seen. This page will also provide a link to the Ads Preferences Manager, where users can control the types of interest-based ads they see. Our tests of this new icon and label showed that they should not have any effect on ad performance. We think this rollout will help users better understand the ads they're seeing, and we look forward to seeing widespread adoption of this label throughout the industry.

Posted by Katrina Kurnit - Inside AdSense Team
URL: http://adsense.blogspot.com/2011/03/new-in-ads-notice-label-and-icon.html

[G] 33 million streams in 189 countries around the world: The YouTube Symphony Orchestra Grand Finale

Posted: 28 Mar 2011 01:35 PM PDT

YouTube Blog: 33 million streams in 189 countries around the world: The YouTube Symphony Orchestra Grand Finale

On March 20, the Grand Finale of the YouTube Symphony Orchestra 2011 was held at Sydney Opera House and live-streamed to the world on YouTube During the week-long festival leading up to the finale, 101 musicians from 33 countries joined together for the first time—immersed in new cultural experiences, musical mentorship and performances in one of the world's most iconic symbols of the arts.

During the three-and-a-half hour Grand Finale—and as people in different timezones awoke to re-broadcasts—the event was streamed 33 million times around the world to 189 countries. This included 2.8 million mobile live-streams—making it one of our biggest ever streaming events to date, on mobile and desktop. That means the event was streamed to nearly one-and-a-half times the entire population of Australia, where the event took place.

One of the goals of the YouTube Symphony Orchestra is to make classical music accessible; the total data transferred by the stream was a whopping 422 terabytes—the equivalent of 145 million MP3 files of classical music being emailed around the world.

The top 10 countries viewing the performance online were:
1. U.S.
2. Germany
3. Italy
4. France
5. Poland
6. Russia
7. Australia
8. U.K.
9. Brazil
10. Taiwan

Enormous thanks go to all our Symphony members who flew to Sydney from around the world and put their hearts and souls into an extraordinary performance. You surprised and moved people and had some fun along the way!

For the rest of you, you can read about the experience of YouTube Symphony Orchestra 2011 cellist Mathisha Panagoda in a guest post on the YouTube Australia blog. And if you missed the Grand Finale, you can watch the full concert and highlights from the last week anytime at youtube.com/symphony.



Ed Sanders, Group Marketing Manager, recently watched "YouTube Symphony Sails highlights".


URL: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/youtube/PKJx/~3/L1CxHoum9R0/33-million-streams-in-189-countries.html

[G] “Our Gone Google Story”: Introducing our Ad Contest Winners!

Posted: 28 Mar 2011 09:40 AM PDT

Official Google Enterprise Blog: "Our Gone Google Story": Introducing our Ad Contest Winners!

Several months ago we invited you, our Google Apps users around the world, to tell us why your organization should be featured in the next phase of our Gone Google campaign. We were humbled by your many thoughtful entries which shared your Gone Google story and gave us more insight into how Apps has changed the way you work in your company, school or non-profit.

Today, we're excited to announce our 10 global winners and unveil their Gone Google outdoor ad right in their own city. These ten winners represent Google Apps users across three continents and five countries, representing a variety of industries including real estate, restaurant, e-commerce, as well as education and not-for-profit. Congratulations to the following organizations (and check out this map for the location of their outdoor ads):
  • 3Tailer (Online Retail) - Charlotte, North Carolina, USA
  • Boise State University (Education) - Boise, Idaho, USA
  • Boxx Group (Construction) - Antwerp, Belgium
  • Edina Public Schools (Education) - Edina, Minnesota, USA
  • ESSEC Business School (Education) - Cergy-Pontoise, France
  • Just Salad (Restaurants) - New York, New York, USA
  • Monash University (Education) - Clayton, Victoria, Australia
  • Oakwood Junior School (Education) - Southampton, Hampshire, UK
  • The Phoenix of New Orleans (Non-Profit) - New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
  • South Carolina REALTORS® (Real Estate / Non-Profit) - Columbia, South Carolina, USA
Over the next few weeks, we'll share each of these winners' Gone Google story about how Google Apps has changed the way they work or learn. If you're in any of these cities over the next month, be sure to check out their outdoor ad and maybe even snap a photo for us. (Follow us @GoogleatWork, and tag your pictures with #gonegoogle to share them with us.)

If your organization has also gone Google, be sure to join our community map where you can explore other Gone Google stories and see who else has switched to Apps near you (and around the world).

Congratulations again to all of our winners and thanks for going Google!

Posted by Vivian Leung, Google Apps team
URL: http://googleenterprise.blogspot.com/2011/03/our-gone-google-story-introducing-our.html

[G] Live Webinar Wednesday: Moving Your Business to the Cloud with NetSuite & Google Apps

Posted: 28 Mar 2011 09:40 AM PDT

Official Google Enterprise Blog: Live Webinar Wednesday: Moving Your Business to the Cloud with NetSuite & Google Apps

The benefits of Google Apps and cloud computing extend beyond just business communication and productivity. Today there are a growing number of cloud applications for virtually every aspect of your business through the Google Apps Marketplace. Hundreds of vendors now offer products and services through the Marketplace that integrate directly with Google Apps for business. So what do you need to start going 100% web, and what does it really take to simplify everything from messaging and collaboration to real-time financial dashboards and analytics with cloud computing?

Register for this live and interactive webcast on Wednesday, March 30 11am Pacific / 2pm Eastern with Google Apps Partner Lead Scott McMullan and NetSuite Director of Business Development Dan Chang. You'll hear about business use cases, return on investment (ROI), and other considerations for moving to the cloud with NetSuite and Google Apps.

Posted by Maureen Bradford, Enterprise Marketing Team
URL: http://googleenterprise.blogspot.com/2011/03/live-webinar-wednesday-moving-your.html
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