Friday, April 15, 2011

Googland

Googland

[G] Beefing up goo.gl with new features

Posted: 15 Apr 2011 12:59 AM PDT

Social Web Blog: Beefing up goo.gl with new features

(Cross-posted with the Official Google Blog)

Since we launched our URL shortener goo.gl last September, we've been lucky enough to build a thriving and growing community of passionate users who aren't shy about letting us know when something could be better. We appreciate the feedback, and today we've completed a series of feature rollouts aimed at addressing your most common requests.

Copy to clipboard

Now you can easily copy new short URLs to your clipboard, a frequently requested feature on our forums. When a new short URL is created, the text on the page will automatically be highlighted, and you can simply press Control+C (or Command+C on a Mac) to copy it.



Remove from dashboard

You can also now remove items from your dashboard, so that you can see a quick summary of only your most important links and hide the ones you no longer need. Please note that when you hide a short URL, you're only removing it from your own dashboard. The URL will still exist and work. You can't add short URLs back into your dashboard once you've hidden them, so be sure you won't need to find that short URL from your dashboard later. Remember that you can always view analytics for any of your short URLs by appending a "+" to the end of them (e.g., http://goo.gl/rQ6HT+). This feature will be rolling out over the next several days, and may not work immediately on mobile devices.



Spam reporting

Many of you told us that you'd like a way to tell us about goo.gl URLs that lead to spam sites. We recently set up goo.gl/spam-report for just that purpose. So far it's helped us a lot in identifying and blocking short URLs that lead to spam, so keep those reports coming.

Ongoing speed and stability improvements

Even as we add features, we continue to focus on making goo.gl one of the fastest and most reliable URL shorteners on the web. We'll continue working hard to ensure that we add minimal latency to the user experience and extend our track record of rock-solid reliability—we've had no service outages since we launched last September.

We hope you find these new features useful, and we look forward to your continued feedback.

Posted by Devin Mullins, Software Engineer
URL: http://googlesocialweb.blogspot.com/2011/04/beefing-up-googl-with-new-features.html

[G] Our Gone Google Story: At Edina Public Schools Google Apps helps students learn without boundaries

Posted: 14 Apr 2011 10:28 PM PDT

Official Google Enterprise Blog: Our Gone Google Story: At Edina Public Schools Google Apps helps students learn without boundaries

Editor's Note: Recently we announced the winners of our global Gone Google ad contest. Today's featured winner is Molly Schroeder, Technology Integration Specialist at Edina Public Schools.


Google Apps has been an invaluable learning tool for students and teachers at Edina Public Schools. As a technology integration specialist for Edina Public Schools, I am Google Certified Teacher and a Google Apps for Education Certified Trainer, Over the past year and a half, my team launched Google Apps at Edina Public Schools. Google Apps has transformed our ability to help students and staff engage in learning.

Staff and students have been using Google Docs, Google Sites, Picasa, Blogger, and Google Maps to work efficiently and collaboratively. Teachers rely on Google Apps for their classroom web presence, staff development and collaborative projects. Students create state research projects, websites and online portfolios of their work. Google Apps enables them to collaborate, submit and publish their work online, allowing them to communicate with an audience broader than their classroom. Even parents benefit from Google Apps -- using Google Docs to sign up for conferences and volunteer opportunities.

At Edina Public Schools, we are excited not only about what our students learn but about how they are learning. Google Apps for Education allows our students to stay current in the evolving world of technology while engaging deeply with their academic pursuits. Students are now learning without boundaries, any time, anywhere.

Posted by: Molly Schroeder, Technology Integration Specialist, Edina Public Schools
URL: http://googleenterprise.blogspot.com/2011/04/our-gone-google-story-at-edina-public.html

[G] “Don't forget Bob” and “Got the wrong Bob?” graduate from Labs

Posted: 14 Apr 2011 10:28 PM PDT

Official Google Enterprise Blog: "Don't forget Bob" and "Got the wrong Bob?" graduate from Labs

(Cross-posted from the Gmail blog.)

"Don't forget Bob" and "Got the wrong Bob?" are two Gmail Labs features that help prevent you from making two common mistakes: forgetting to include someone on an email, and sending a message to the wrong person with a similar name to the person you meant to email — like emailing Bob (your boss) instead of Bob (your friend).

We've received quite a bit of positive feedback from people who avoided some embarrassing situations thanks to these features. And today, we're excited to graduate them from Gmail Labs and start turning them on for everyone (they should start working in all Gmail accounts over the next day or so). Once that happens, as you type in your recipients, Gmail will automatically make suggestions based on the groups of people you email most often. When you see a suggestion to add a person you've forgotten, all you have to do is click on their name to add them.



Similarly, if you click on a suggestion to replace a mistakenly added recipient, the proverbial "wrong Bob" will be replaced by the right one.



We hope these suggestions help you avoid some sticky situations — before you hit send. As you compose messages and see these features in actions, let us know what you think by tweeting @gmail with your ideas and impressions or leaving a message in the Gmail Help forum.

Posted by Assaf Ben-David, Software Engineering Intern, Israel
URL: http://googleenterprise.blogspot.com/2011/04/dont-forget-bob-and-got-wrong-bob.html

[G] Duran Duran answers your questions in a live Q&A tomorrow

Posted: 14 Apr 2011 07:13 PM PDT

YouTube Blog: Duran Duran answers your questions in a live Q&A tomorrow

Tomorrow, Friday, April 15 at 2:30 p.m. PT/5:30 p.m. ET, YouTube Presents! Duran Duran live from YouTube HQ. Watch as the band discusses their pioneering role during the early days of music videos, talks about some of their personal favorite YouTube videos, and answers questions from fans. The event will be broadcast on Duran Duran's YouTube channel.

If you miss the live stream, don't sweat: the Q&A will be rebroadcast on Duran Duran's channel immediately after it finishes.

Sarah Bardeen, Music Community Manager, recently watched "US Income Gap Widens."


URL: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/youtube/PKJx/~3/SqkJ7fW99UY/duran-duran-answers-your-questions-in.html

[G] Ad Innovations launches in six new countries

Posted: 14 Apr 2011 05:51 PM PDT

Inside AdWords: Ad Innovations launches in six new countries

Ad Innovations is a site where you can explore new AdWords marketing technologies. You can watch demos, try the latest tools, and share your feedback with our teams. We're posting today to announce that Ad Innovations is now live in six new countries: the United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, France, Italy, and Brazil.

And for those of you in the US, you'll notice that Ad Innovations has a new look! We'll be rolling out this updated design to all Ad Innovations sites in the next few months.


Whether you're most interested in search, display, mobile, or performance measurement, we hope you'll be able to find a number of AdWords features to help you stay on top of the newest advertising developments. Head to your local site and see which innovations are available in your market.

Posted by Lisa Shieh, Inside AdWords crew
URL: http://adwords.blogspot.com/2011/04/ad-innovations-launches-in-six-new.html

[G] Free online webinar: Finding Your Audience - Targeting Ads By Topic

Posted: 14 Apr 2011 05:51 PM PDT

Inside AdWords: Free online webinar: Finding Your Audience - Targeting Ads By Topic

On Wednesday, April 13th, we'll be holding a live and interactive webinar to teach you how to target your audience using Topic Targeting in AdWords.

Topic Targeting works by contextually targeting all pages about a specific category on the Google Display Network, so you can reach your target audience while they surf relevant pages.

During this live webinar, we'll give an overview of the new Topic Targeting tab, explain how Topic Targeting works and show you how to set up your campaign.

This webinar will be presented by AdWords Specialists as part of the AdWords Online Classroom (UK) and will take place on Wednesday, April 13th from 3 pm to 4 pm (BST/GMT+1)*, so make sure to sign up now!

* Due to Daylight Savings (clocks changing) in UK, please check your local time zone for correct equivalent time.


Posted by Nathania Lozada, Inside AdWords crew
URL: http://adwords.blogspot.com/2011/04/free-online-webinar-finding-your.html

[G] YouTube highlights 4/14/2011

Posted: 14 Apr 2011 01:46 PM PDT

Official Google Blog: YouTube highlights 4/14/2011

This is the latest in our series of YouTube highlights. Every couple of weeks, we bring you regular updates on new product features, interesting programs to watch and tips you can use to grow your audience on YouTube. Just look for the label "YouTube Highlights" and subscribe to the series. – Ed.

This week on YouTube saw several new initiatives, especially in the realm of real-time content. Celebrities also embraced video this week to stand up for a good cause.

Pencil us in
What if you could easily find when your favorite band was performing live on YouTube, or add upcoming live sports to your calendar? Events taking place right now have become an increasingly valuable part of YouTube, including concerts, sporting events and interviews, but sometimes you may not get the heads up until the excitement has already passed.

To make live events easier to discover, and encourage more of them in the process, we've created YouTube Live, which brings live-streaming capabilities and discovery tools to YouTube. At www.youtube.com/live, you'll be able to view the latest live events happening as well as subscribe to your favorite live-stream partners to stay informed on the latest. We've also built in a live comments feature enabling you to engage with live-streamers and the YouTube community.


Celebrities join forces to fight sex trafficking
When celebrities stand up for a cause, people listen. By adding YouTube to the mix, we hope even more people will listen to the powerful "Real Men Don't Buy Girls" campaign. The campaign is supported by the DNA Foundation, founded by Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore, and aims to take a stand against sex trafficking. Watch the first episodes from the campaign here and join the cause to put an end to the $32 billion global sex slavery market.



Back in action: The Indian Premier League
Millions of cricket fans around the world are anticipating match-ups like Chennai Super Kings vs. Kolkata Knight Riders, two of the 10 teams that make up the Indian Premier League. In partnership with the India Times, we're live streaming the entire 51-day tournament, enabling fans to watch games as they happen, view past matches and enjoy highlight clips on www.youtube.com/indiatimes.

This week in trends
Some quick highlights from YouTube Trends:

  • The tragic tornado that ripped through Merrill, Wisc. this week was captured in bits and pieces through video. Residents posted clips, which we've collected into a playlist.
  • We tracked how President Obama's 2012 campaign announcement video was shared across the web.
  • We saw a sharp rise this month in search volume for videos utilizing a technique called tilt-shift. Tilt-shift videography manipulates the camera lens to make real footage look like a mini-model of itself. Take a look for yourself.
  • Trending on YouTube today with 3.8 million views within a week: Is this even human?

Until we meet again, stay on top of what's going in the world of video via the YouTube Blog.

Posted by Neha Mandal, Product Marketing Manager, The YouTube Team
URL: http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2011/04/youtube-highlights-4142011.html

[G] New Interface Wednesdays: Combine and Chart Feature

Posted: 14 Apr 2011 01:21 PM PDT

Inside AdSense: New Interface Wednesdays: Combine and Chart Feature

These features are found in the Performance Reports tab, under Custom channels. Depending on the number of channels you're using, you might be asked to filter the list and then click Update report button. Once your selected channels are listed below the graph, you can view the combine and chart buttons.

Let's review the combine feature first, which can be used to easily total items in your list and allow for deeper analysis. Click a few of your channels that you want to view earnings for together, then click the Combine button. The total of these channels is now shown on the graph and you can do further analysis using the view drop-down.



In contrast, the chart feature lets you visually compare the performance of up to five items. First reset your channels report by clicking the word Custom channels above the graph. From here, select a few channels in the table and then hit the Chart button. The lines in the graph represent the statistics you have chosen. Just like with the combine feature, you can now refine your report further using the view drop-down above the table.



Try it now! Navigate to the new interface and click on the Performance Reports tab, and then click Custom Channels and Update report.

Posted by Vincent Zanotti - AdSense Engineer
URL: http://adsense.blogspot.com/2011/04/new-interface-wednesdays-combine-and.html

[G] Imagery update: Japan and beyond

Posted: 14 Apr 2011 09:56 AM PDT

Google LatLong: Imagery update: Japan and beyond

It was just two weeks ago that we announced new high resolution imagery of Sendai in support of on-going relief work. Today we're announcing additional high resolution imagery of Japan, as well as other parts of the world. 

Updated areas of Japan include Ishinomaki, Minamisanriku, Hitachi, Kamisu, and Chiba.


Updates in red outline


Ishinomaki, Japan

Also included in this update are images from around the globe. Below are a few of my favorite sights.

Fort Sutter, Sacramento CA


Ice Patterns in Antarctica


Temple of Ramses II, Egypt



Ferrari World, Abu Dhabi


Do you have a place you love that you'd want to receive notification from us when the Earth and Maps Imagery team updates your beloved site? We've got just the tool: the Follow Your World application!

As always, these are but a few examples of the types of features that can be seen and discovered in our latest batch of published imagery. Happy exploring!

High resolution aerial updates:
USA: Sacramento, CA; Columbus, GA
Japan: Ishinomaki, Onagawa, Minamisanriku, Hitachi, Kamisu, Chiba

Countries/Regions receiving high resolution satellite updates:
Canada, USA, Greenland, Mexico, Honduras, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Brazil, Ireland, United Kingdom, Sweden, Finland, Russia, Germany, France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Hungary, Romania, Ukraine, Albania, Greece, Turkey, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt, Mali, Burkina Faso, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Somalia, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Namibia, Madagascar, Yemen, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Jordan, Israel, Syria, Iran, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Nepal, China, North Korea, South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Mongolia, Philippines, Australia, New Zealand

These updates are now available in both Google Maps and Google Earth. To get a complete picture of where we updated imagery, download this KML for viewing in Google Earth.

Posted by Matt Manolides, GIS Specialist
URL: http://google-latlong.blogspot.com/2011/04/imagery-update-japan-and-beyond.html

[G] New 45° imagery for fun in the sun

Posted: 14 Apr 2011 09:56 AM PDT

Google LatLong: New 45° imagery for fun in the sun


Spring is in the air and it's time to put away those jackets, dust off your shorts and get ready to see some sunshine! The Geo Imagery team has been hard at work in our snow covered buildings in Mountain View to get the latest set of imagery ready for everyone to enjoy.

When you think of sunshine, the first place that comes to mind for a lot people is Honolulu HI of course! With 45° in hand, scope out the ocean views from beachside hotels. You can check out Diamondhead, the coastline or the golf courses to reminisce on the vacation you've always wanted.





Waikiki, Honolulu, Hawaii


If you're not the type that likes to watch the sunset while sipping on mai tais, then maybe a nice glass of wine on a piazza in Rome is more up your alley. Visit the Colosseum, Vatican City or Trevi Fountain all from the comfort of your own home. You can plan out your vacation first, then see it in person!



Colosseum, Rome, Italy


But if your true definition of love is being in the outdoors, by yourself and a set of golf clubs, nothing beats Palm Springs, CA, where there are over 120 golf courses. Believe it or not, Sonny Bono was mayor here from 1988–1992!



Palm Springs, CA


Keep an eye out for future updates, we're always working hard to make sure our users get the latest and greatest imagery. For our full list of 45° imagery, see where we are in My Maps.

High Resolution Aerial Updates:
St Louis, MO
Honolulu, HI
New Orleans, LA
Rome, Italy
North Austin, TX
West Norfolk, VA
Scottsdale, AZ
San Rafael, CA
Palm Springs, CA
Lake Forest, CA
Boulder City, NV

Posted by Wayne Thai, Geo Data Specialist
URL: http://google-latlong.blogspot.com/2011/04/new-45-imagery-for-fun-in-sun.html

[G] Helping you find the right route

Posted: 14 Apr 2011 09:56 AM PDT

Google LatLong: Helping you find the right route


With directions in Google Maps, we're working on helping you find the quickest way to get around, and now finding the right route is a bit easier. For areas with transit information in Google Maps, previously you could compare driving and transit directions by selecting the appropriate icon. Now, when you search for driving directions, transit options may appear directly in the results.

This comes in handy as I visit Madrid and want to find my way from the Hotel Miguel Ángel to the Parque de Atracciones de Madrid. When I search for "Hotel Miguel Ángel, Madrid to Parque de Atracciones de Madrid, Madrid" in Google Maps, I now see the following set of suggestions:



You can see a link to public transit options directly in your driving directions, together with the estimated travel time and number of transfers, for areas where we have transit coverage. This link will appear based on whether public transportation seems like a good alternative for your trip. Similarly, if you're viewing public transit directions, we may add driving (or taking a taxi) as an alternative.

This feature is currently available in New York, San Francisco, Madrid and Zürich, and we plan to roll this out for more cities in the coming weeks.

Posted by Lucien Pech, Software Engineer
URL: http://google-latlong.blogspot.com/2011/04/helping-you-find-right-route.html

[G] Custom background image themes

Posted: 14 Apr 2011 09:31 AM PDT

Official Gmail Blog: Custom background image themes

Posted by Jiří Semecký, Software Engineer

Themes in Gmail are great — there are tons to choose from and they give your inbox a personalized look. But we've heard from many of you who thought it would be even better if you could give Gmail an even more personalized look and create themes completely on your own.

For a while, you've been able to set your own colors, and starting today you can customize your inbox with your own background image too.



Just go to the Themes tab in Settings and choose "Create your own theme." There, you can select background images for the main area and the footer.


You can pick from any of your Picasa images or upload a new one. Enjoy!
URL: http://gmailblog.blogspot.com/2011/04/custom-background-image-themes.html

[G] YouTube Copyright Education (remixed)

Posted: 14 Apr 2011 06:00 AM PDT

YouTube Blog: YouTube Copyright Education (remixed)

YouTube remains committed to protecting original creative works, whether produced by an established star or the next breakout artist. To keep this commitment, we've worked hard not only on powerful tools for copyright owners, but also to encourage good behavior from our users.



Because copyright law can be complicated, education is critical to ensure that our users understand the rules and continue to play by them. That's why today we're releasing a new tutorial on copyright and a redesigned copyright help center. We're also making two changes to our copyright process to be sure that our users understand the rules, and that users who abide by those rules can remain active on the site.



If we receive a copyright notification for one of your videos, you'll now be required to attend "YouTube Copyright School," which involves watching a copyright tutorial and passing a quiz to show that you've paid attention and understood the content before uploading more content to YouTube.



YouTube has always had a policy to suspend users who have received three uncontested copyright notifications. This policy serves as a strong deterrent to copyright offenders. However, we've found that in some cases, a one-size-fits-all suspension rule doesn't always lead to the right result. Consider, for example, a long-time YouTube user who received two copyright notifications four years ago but who's uploaded thousands of legitimate videos since then without a further copyright notification. Until now, the four-year-old notifications would have stayed with the user forever despite a solid track record of good behavior, creating the risk that one new notification -- possibly even a fraudulent notification -- would result in the suspension of the account. We don't think that's reasonable. So, today we'll begin removing copyright strikes from user's accounts in certain limited circumstances, contingent upon the successful completion of YouTube Copyright School, as well as a solid demonstrated record of good behavior over time. Expiration of strikes is not guaranteed, and as always, YouTube may terminate an account at any time for violating our Terms of Service.



It's ultimately your responsibility to know whether you possess the rights for a particular piece of content before uploading it to YouTube. If you're at all uncertain of your rights or whether a particular use of content is legal under your local laws, you should contact a qualified copyright attorney. Of course, the easiest way to avoid any potential issues is to create totally original content -- perhaps by making the most of the creative tools available on the site.



Justin Green, a highly trained monkey, recently watched "N.E.R.D. - Hot-n-Fun (BoysNoize Remix) ft. Nelly Furtado"


URL: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/youtube/PKJx/~3/7WLKSMh7VGQ/youtube-copyright-education-remixed.html
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