Thursday, April 7, 2011

Googland

Googland

[G] See your location history dashboard and more with Google Maps 5.3 for Android

Posted: 06 Apr 2011 10:35 PM PDT

Official Google Mobile Blog: See your location history dashboard and more with Google Maps 5.3 for Android

Today, we're happy to announce Google Maps 5.3 for Android, which lets you see your Google Location History dashboard, check in at "home," and add your own aspects for places when rating them.

Location History dashboard
If you've enabled Location History for Google Latitude, you've been able to visualize interesting trends in your location history with a personal dashboard at google.com/latitude on your computer. Now, you can also see your dashboard on your phone by tapping View location history from your Latitude profile. You'll be able to see right on your phone how far you've travelled as well as an estimate of how much time you've spent at home, at work, or out.

If you haven't yet, you can enable Location History from your computer or from Latitude's Settings menu on your phone. Location History is 100% opt-in and is private to you and nobody else. You can always delete any of your location history from the Manage History tab or correct the estimated work and home locations from the dashboard on your computer.

View your location history dashboard from your Latitude profile on your phone and see estimates of where you've spent your time.

Check in at home
Now that you can see how much time you spend at "home", you might want to let friends know when you're there. Checking in at places using Latitude is another way to keep a history of places you've been and also lets you share when you're there. I love letting friends and family know when I'm at a cafe or park, but sometimes I want them to know that I'm relaxing at home or made it back safely from a road trip. So now, I can start checking in at "home" in Latitude:
  1. Check in from Latitude and tap "Home - Tap to set your location" at the bottom of the nearby places list if you don't have one yet.
  2. Use the estimated current address or enter in your home address yourself.
  3. Once you've checked in at home once, "Home" will appear at the top of the list when you're checking in near there.

Like Latitude and other check-ins, checking in at home is entirely opt-in. Your set "home" location is not searchable and only you can check in there. Just like any other check-in, you can choose with whom to share your home check-ins (along with your name and address info).

Add your own aspects for places
When you're rating places on the go in Maps using Google Places with Hotpot, you could always quickly leave feedback on a specific aspect or characteristic of a place, such as the food or ambiance. Before, we'd automatically include aspects about places that were commonly mentioned in reviews. Now, you can add your own aspects for each place. So if you think a place has a beautiful view or great music, you can add it yourself and quickly share it with the world.

When rating places, you can add your own aspects like "music" for places and leave quick feedback.

To get started, update Google Maps from Android Market on devices with Android OS 1.6+ anywhere Google Maps and Latitude are already available.

Posted by Kenneth Leftin, Software Engineer, Google Maps for mobile team
URL: http://googlemobile.blogspot.com/2011/04/see-your-location-history-dashboard-and.html

[G] The New Google Analytics: Events Goals

Posted: 06 Apr 2011 06:49 PM PDT

Google Analytics Blog: The New Google Analytics: Events Goals

This is part of our series of posts highlighting the new Google Analytics. The new version of Google Analytics is currently available in beta to a number of Analytics users. We'll be giving access to even more users soon. Sign up for early access. And follow Google Analytics on Twitter for the latest updates.

Real Analytics ninjas use goals. Google Analytics has always had URL Goals (when a visitor reaches a specific page). In 2009, we added Engagement Goals to track success metrics around visit depth and time on site. With the new version of Google Analytics, we've added one more: Event Goals. This was one of our most requested features, and it gives you even more reason to use event tracking.

A brief intro to Event Tracking
You can use Event Tracking in Google Analytics to track visitor actions that don't correspond directly to pageviews. It's a great fit for tracking things like:
  • Downloads of a PDF or other file
  • Interaction with dynamic or AJAX sites
  • Interaction with Adobe Flash objects, embedded videos, and other media
  • Number of errors users get when attempting to checkout
  • How long a video was watched on your site
Events are defined using a set of Categories, Actions, Labels, and Values. Here's how you might set up event tracking for tracking downloads of whitepapers and presentations.


These interactions all have potential business impact, but until now you couldn't track them as goals in Google Analytics. Let's look at three ways you might use Event Goals on your site.

Tracking Downloads
Suppose you run a business to business (B2B) website and offer whitepapers (as a PDF download) in order to attract leads. You drive traffic to this page through advertising. You can track the number of downloads using event tracking. For example, we can use the category to designate the click was of type "download". We can use the action to designate the download was a "whitepaper" and we can use the label to identify the actual whitepaper that was downloaded.

With the new Google Analytics, configuring this as a goal is easy. We simply match any event with the category of "download" and the action of "whitepaper". Finally we set the goal value as 20.


Tracking Time Spent
Event tracking is powerful because you can track values, along with the category, action, and label. Going back to our B2B website, suppose you have a embedded product demo video on your page. With a little JavaScript, you can track the time a user spends watching the video and send that number back to Google Analytics as an event value.

With Event Goals, you can now set up a goal based on this value. In this example, we've configured a goal when a user spends over 180 seconds watching the product demo.


Using The Event Value As The Conversion Value
Traditionally, the only way to set goal values was when creating the goal in Google Analytics, or from the tracking code using ecommerce tracking. With Event Goals, you have another option: using the event value as the goal value.

Again putting yourself in the shoes of a B2B website owner, you realize not all your whitepapers bring in the same quality of lead. The lead value associated with downloading a certain whitepaper is $20, but the lead value from a different whitepaper is $35. Rather than creating a separate goal for each, you can pass the values 20 and 35 as the Event Value, and then set up the goal to use the actual Event Value:


Now when a goal is matched, the value passed in the event will be used as the goal value.

These are just a few examples of how you can take advantage of Event Goals in the new Google Analytics. You can read more on how to implement Event Tracking on Google Code and how to set up goals in the new Analytics. We're constantly giving more of you access to the new version. If you don't have the new version yet, you can sign up for earlier access.

Posted by Nick Mihailovski, Google Analytics Team
URL: http://analytics.blogspot.com/2011/04/new-google-analytics-events-goals.html

[G] Leading The Industry with Tracking Code Improvements

Posted: 06 Apr 2011 06:49 PM PDT

Google Analytics Blog: Leading The Industry with Tracking Code Improvements

Last year, Google Analytics launched asynchronous JavaScript tracking. This was a vast improvement over conventional JavaScript, since it reduced interference with other site scripting and allowed HTML pages to fully load even if the tracking code hasn't yet loaded.

Today we're announcing another ground-breaking web analytics feature: client side POST support. This new feature further improves the accuracy of Google Analytics, especially for sites with very long URLs and long event tracking parameters.

Traditionally, client-side tracking code beacons have been sent via HTTP GET requests, which are limited to 2048 bytes by some browsers and proxies. Requests sent to Analytics that exceeded this limit were dropped, and the data never reached Google Analytics. Starting with this release, requests longer than 2048 bytes will be sent via HTTP POST, which has no such limit. The tracking code will now support beacons up to 8192 bytes!

This feature requires no user configuration and has been pushed in the latest version of the JavaScript tracking code. With this new capability we hope to bring you even more innovative features in the coming months.

Posted by Brian Kuhn, Jim Wogulis, & Jonathan Owen, Tracking Code Team
URL: http://analytics.blogspot.com/2011/04/leading-industry-with-tracking-code.html

[G] Fixing the little things

Posted: 06 Apr 2011 05:46 PM PDT

Official Gmail Blog: Fixing the little things

Posted by Sara Goetz, Consumer Experience Specialist

Ever since I joined the Gmail team, my friends have been eager to tell me, "I love Gmail! Except for this one thing..." And every day, Gmail users share their "one thing" that would make Gmail better for them through our suggestions page. While we enjoy creating new solutions to old problems with features like Priority Inbox, those little annoyances and missing pieces are important, too. Recently, we've rolled out several small tweaks to Gmail to show it a little extra love.


Here's a rundown:
  • Auto-save contacts setting: Most people like that Gmail automatically saves every email address you send messages to; it can help recover forgotten addresses of former teachers, bosses, and people you contacted once but never thought you'd need to contact again. For some people, though, this feature can cause too much contacts clutter. Today, we're rolling out a new setting to let you turn off the auto-save option. You'll see it on the General tab of Gmail Settings.

  • Better warnings for typos in email addresses: We all make typos, even when addressing email. In the old days, when you accidentally left out the "." in your ".com", Gmail would tell you there was an error but not point it out. Now, it'll let you know which address has the problem -- much easier when sorting through a long "To:" list.

  • Fewer annoying error pop-ups: Gmail's filters are really useful for organizing your messages automatically, but sometimes those filters can have unintended consequences, like sending mail you'd like to keep to the trash. When you replied to a message in the Trash, Gmail would show an error message you'd have to click through to continue working. Now, you'll still see the error, but it's no longer a pop up and it gives you an easy way to move the conversation out of Trash right from there.

  • Easier transitions between certain actions: You can create filters quickly from the "Filter messages like this" option that shows up on some messages. Now, after you've saved your filter, Gmail will send you right back to the message you were reading so you can go right back to what you were doing before.

  • Keyboard shortcut guide for everyone: Keyboard shortcuts can be a huge productivity boosters. If you've never tried them, try hitting Shift+? -- that's one keyboard shortcut that's now automatically turned on and gives you a peek into the rest of them and a quick link to enable from there.

  • Refresh button: For a long time, people have pointed out the inconsistency of having "Refresh" as a link in the menu bar, next to all of the buttons. We changed it to a button to match.

If any of these small fixes were your "one thing," we hope you've noticed the changes as they rolled out. When you find the next little tweak that would make you love Gmail even more, let us know.
URL: http://gmailblog.blogspot.com/2011/04/fixing-little-things.html

[G] Think with Google: Search Ads Affect Offline Sales Too

Posted: 06 Apr 2011 04:45 PM PDT

Inside AdWords: Think with Google: Search Ads Affect Offline Sales Too

Do online search campaigns lead to in-store sales? Controlled studies we call 'Online-to-Store' experiments prove time and again that they do! Check out this video for results from large advertisers that tested the effects of using keywords targeted to products and categories, generic keywords and online coupons. Highlights include in-store sales lift, return on ad spend (15:1 in some cases) and halo effects on overall sales. Understanding the effect of search ads on offline sales is a large part of accurately defining the full value of search campaigns, beyond direct conversion.



Posted by Dan Friedman, Inside AdWords crew
URL: http://adwords.blogspot.com/2011/04/think-with-google-search-ads-affect.html

[G] Ladies and gentlemen, start your editors! Registration now open for Google Code Jam 2011

Posted: 06 Apr 2011 04:10 PM PDT

Official Google Blog: Ladies and gentlemen, start your editors! Registration now open for Google Code Jam 2011

Imagine you're a ninja, trying to master your deadly grappling hook. Or perhaps you're a chess grand master, outsmarting your opponent's every move. Or even a Taoist philosopher, explaining the deep truths of the world to your followers.

It's situations like these that you'll face in Google Code Jam, our annual coding contest in which some of the best coders from around the world write programs to solve tough algorithmic problems. We believe that one of the best ways to sharpen your coding skills and stretch them creatively is through healthy competition. The intense experience of confronting a problem, conveying your solution to your computer and seeing the results emerge is a thrill unlike any other.

Today we're opening registration for Google Code Jam 2011. Coding will begin on May 6 with our qualification round, where competitors will have as much as a day to plan their approach to our first few problems. From there, the contest heats up quickly: the remaining contestants will engage in several two-and-a-half hour rounds, wrangling each time with three to four algorithmic problems that range in difficulty from simple to fiendish. For each problem, you'll wield the programming language of your choice, crafting the perfect algorithm to pit against the gauntlet of our test data. Construct your code flawlessly and you'll be on to the next problem; solve enough problems, and you'll make your way to the next round. If you continue to succeed, you might find yourself sitting on a flight to the finals.

The challenge begins in just over a month. If you're a killer coder and you're ready to compete, sign up on our website; while you're there, make sure to check out the puzzles of the past few years to get a sense of what's to come, and to hone your skills. If you're one of the top 25 competitors, we'll bring you to our Tokyo office to spar against your fellow coders. In the end, only one person will bring home the $10,000 top prize—and the title of Code Jam Champion.

Posted by Bartholomew Furrow, Software Engineer, Google Code Jam
URL: http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2011/04/ladies-and-gentlemen-start-your-editors.html

[G] Protecting users from malicious downloads

Posted: 06 Apr 2011 02:28 PM PDT

Google Online Security Blog: Protecting users from malicious downloads

Posted by Moheeb Abu Rajab, Google Security Team

For the past five years Google has been offering protection to users against websites that attempt to distribute malware via drive-by downloads — that is, infections that harm users' computers when they simply visit a vulnerable site. The data produced by our systems and published via the Safe Browsing API is used by Google search and browsers such as Google Chrome, Firefox, and Safari to warn users who may attempt to visit these dangerous webpages.

Safe Browsing has done a lot of good for the web, yet the Internet remains rife with deceptive and harmful content. It's easy to find sites hosting free downloads that promise one thing but actually behave quite differently. These downloads may even perform actions without the user's consent, such as displaying spam ads, performing click fraud, or stealing other users' passwords. Such sites usually don't attempt to exploit vulnerabilities on the user's computer system. Instead, they use social engineering to entice users to download and run the malicious content.

Today we're pleased to announce a new feature that aims to protect users against these kinds of downloads, starting with malicious Windows executables. The new feature will be integrated with Google Chrome and will display a warning if a user attempts to download a suspected malicious executable file:

Download warning


This warning will be displayed for any download URL that matches the latest list of malicious websites published by the Safe Browsing API. The new feature follows the same privacy policy currently in use by the Safe Browsing feature. For example, this feature does not enable Google to determine the URLs you are visiting.

We're starting with a small-scale experimental phase for a subset of our users who subscribe to the Chrome development release channel, and we hope to make this feature available to all users in the next stable release of Google Chrome. We hope that the feature will improve our users' online experience and help make the Internet a safer place.

For webmasters, you can continue to use the same interface provided by Google Webmaster Tools to learn about malware issues with your sites. These tools include binaries that have been identified by this new feature, and the same review process will apply.
URL: http://googleonlinesecurity.blogspot.com/2011/04/protecting-users-from-malicious.html

[G] Our House testimony on combating copyright infringement

Posted: 06 Apr 2011 01:47 PM PDT

Google Public Policy Blog: Our House testimony on combating copyright infringement

Posted by Pablo Chavez, Director of Public Policy

This morning the House Subcommittee on Intellectual Property, Competition, and the Internet will take up an issue of critical importance to Google and the entire information economy: how to combat copyright infringement online and the sale of counterfeit goods.

Kent Walker, our senior vice president and general counsel, will testify before the subcommittee and will offer recommendations for how to punish rogue foreign websites that violate copyright while protecting legitimate technologies and businesses. He'll also share several ways Google combats infringement including our Content ID system on YouTube, our efforts to make copyright work better online, and our work to keep counterfeiters our of our ads system.

The hearing will be live-streamed on the committee's website at 10:45 am EDT. You can read Kent's full testimony here.
URL: http://googlepublicpolicy.blogspot.com/2011/04/our-house-testimony-on-combating.html

[G] Real-time traffic graphs for the Transparency Report

Posted: 06 Apr 2011 01:47 PM PDT

Google Public Policy Blog: Real-time traffic graphs for the Transparency Report

Posted by Matt Braithwaite, Transparency Engineering Team Lead

(Cross-posted from the Official Google Blog.)

When we introduced the Transparency Report last year, we promised to keep looking for new and useful ways to display data about traffic to our services. In response to your requests, today we're adding graphs for each region that show traffic patterns for all products in aggregate. These graphs will show data with a five-minute delay.

In this graph, for example, you'll see that all of our services in Egypt were down from January 27 to February 1:


Starting today, you won't have to sift through every single product graph to figure out if one or more services are inaccessible. You'll get a snapshot up front. We've also added annotations for historical anomalies that we've seen in the traffic to our services. To see the graph for each cited incident, just click on the corresponding link.

As the Transparency Engineering team lead, part of my job is to ensure that we find, uncover and visualize datasets within Google that can help inform research and analysis on important topics. We believe that providing the facts can spark useful debate about the scope and authority of policy decisions around the globe.

We'll continue to iterate, and we hope that the Report will help shed light on the accessibility and patterns of traffic to our services around the world.
URL: http://googlepublicpolicy.blogspot.com/2011/04/real-time-traffic-graphs-for.html

[G] Think with Google: Search Ads Affect Offline Sales, too

Posted: 06 Apr 2011 09:58 AM PDT

Official Google CPG Blog: Think with Google: Search Ads Affect Offline Sales, too

As featured on the Google Business YouTube Channel

Do online search campaigns lead to in-store sales? Controlled studies we call 'Online to Store' experiments prove time and again that they do! Check out this video for results from large advertisers that tested the effects of keyword targeted products and categories, generic keywords and online coupons. Highlights include in-store sales lift, return on ad spend (15:1 in some cases) and halo effects on overall sales. Understanding the effect of search ads on offline sales is a large part of accurately defining the full value of search campaigns, beyond direct conversion. Consider these results and your own online to store testing.

Embed:
URL: http://google-cpg.blogspot.com/2011/04/think-with-google-search-ads-affect.html

[G] Supporting our beloved science museums

Posted: 06 Apr 2011 09:05 AM PDT

Official Google Blog: Supporting our beloved science museums

I touched the moon. President Kennedy, NASA, and a museum put the rock that inspired my boyhood imagination into my hands and made me a "museumophile." Since then, I've savored Wenninger's polyhedra and the evolution of the astrolabe in London, analyzed Konrad Zuse's pioneering computers in Munich, seen the original Earth globe in Vienna, toured a coal mine in Chicago, learned the secret of Samurai swords and measured a 50-foot tapeworm in Tokyo, learned the origins of oceanography in Monte-Carlo, studied Tycho Brahe's astronomical apparatus in Beijing, loved a Foucault pendulum and Ames window in San Diego, viewed a remote-control fly in Langley, winced at the Siamese twins' conjoined liver in Philadelphia and admired Cleopatra's eyeliner bottle in San Jose. What an amazing journey through human creativity—all thanks to museums!

Museums do more than entertain and teach. I've spoken with many Googlers who cite their own experiences in science museums as a positive influence on their decision to become engineers. By transforming the curious learners of today into the innovators of tomorrow, museums perpetuate both creativity and accomplishment. That's why I'm thrilled that Google is supporting science museums with a total of $12 million in grants to the Museum of Mathematics in New York, the New York Hall of Science, the Science Museum London (via the Friends of Science Museums), the Exploratorium and the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco, the Museum of Science & Industry in Chicago and the Museum of Science in Boston.

When looking to support these beloved institutions, we naturally gravitated towards museums in communities where Googlers volunteer and have ties. Our funds are going to meet diverse needs of the museums, from the construction of new facilities to the development of new exhibitions to new curricula that will extend their work outside of the museum walls.

Many of these museums have operated in our communities for quite some time, but another wave of science museums was built mid-century during the space race when the National Science Foundation realized the importance of getting the general public excited about scientific pursuits. The need for science and math museums is no less important today, as the U.S. has made research and development in biomedical research, information technology and clean energy technology a national priority. As leading destinations for school field trips, museums are touchpoints where students come into contact with science and math.

Our collaboration with the museums won't end by signing a check. With so many Googlers already working with these museums, we're excited to find additional ways Google can help these museums educate adults and spark a love of science in children.

Besides, how else can we all touch the moon?

Posted by Michael T. Jones, Chief Technology Advocate
URL: http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2011/04/supporting-our-beloved-science-museums.html
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