Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Googland

Googland

[G] Life in a Day: Request a Screening, Create a Trailer and more

Posted: 20 Jun 2011 12:31 PM PDT

YouTube Blog: Life in a Day: Request a Screening, Create a Trailer and more

Today, we've got some exciting updates from editor Joe Walker and Oscar-winning director Kevin Macdonald about Life in a Day, the documentary shot by YouTube users about a single day on Earth.

First, as we previously announced, to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the film's making, there will be a sneak-peek premiere in cities across the US on July 24, five days before National Geographic begins to release the film in theaters nationwide. If you want Life in a Day to play in your town, visit the Life in a Day channel and request a screening. National Geographic, in partnership with Cinedigm, will collect your requests from now through August, and will try to bring the film to those towns and cities where the demand is highest (either for the July 24 premiere or the following release).

Second, you can also check out the Life in a Day Trailer Remixer. If you haven't already seen the trailer, we highly recommend watching it. After that, go to the Life in a Day channel or directly to the Remixer page, where you can edit and publish your own trailer to share with your friends and the world. All of the trailers will appear on the Life in a Day channel, and National Geographic may feature some of their favorites at the film's premiere.





One more exciting announcement: Life in a Day opened theatrically this weekend in the United Kingdom to critical acclaim! According to a critic from The Telegraph, the 5-star film is "Extraordinary…the summer's most inspiring film." For users in the US, don't fret: National Geographic is bringing the film to theaters across the country in late July.

Be sure to subscribe to the Life in a Day channel for all the latest news, and check out the Life in a Day Facebook page for daily updates.

Nate Weinstein, Entertainment Marketing Manager, recently watched the Life in a Day Trailer


URL: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/youtube/PKJx/~3/oWWN_9Ee20Q/life-in-day-request-screening-create.html

[G] Thousands of “hackers for good” build applications for humanity

Posted: 20 Jun 2011 12:02 PM PDT

Official Google Blog: Thousands of "hackers for good" build applications for humanity

(Cross-posted on the Google.org Blog)

Earlier this month, thousands of "hackers for good" gathered in more than 19 different global locations—from Berlin to Nairobi, and Sydney to Sao Paulo—to participate in Random Hacks of Kindness #3. These teams are now off and running, working with NGO and government advisors to finish their applications for humanity.

In partnership with Microsoft, Yahoo!, NASA and the World Bank, we founded RHoK in 2009 to build and support a community creating open source technology for crisis response. At RHoK #3, we expanded the mandate to include climate change, and we also recently announced that we're broadening the scope in the future to tackle any development challenges.

Of the more than 75 solutions submitted for judging at this year's global events, many are already on their way to making a difference around the world. The UN, in partnership with the Colombia government, is considering adopting the shelter management system developed at RHoK Bogota to aid the 3 million victims of winter flooding in South America. Of the nine hacks submitted for judging at RHoK Sao Paulo, two are already in use and two others may be further developed and incorporated into the restructuring of the National Weather Service. The winning application at RHoK Philadelphia, developed in response to a problem proposed by the World Bank Water group, is set for further development at the WaterHackathon, RHoK's first community-sponsored event, later this year.

At the RHoK Silicon Valley event at Google's Mountain View campus, we selected three winners:
  • SMS Person Finder enables anyone with a phone to interact with Person Finder, a software application that Google built to help people connect with their loved ones following a disaster. The Google Crisis Response team is working with this group to integrate their application into future Google Person Finder deployments
  • Hey Cycle makes it easier for people to reuse and recycle items by setting up email alerts when free items that they're looking for are entered on freecycle.org
  • FoodMovr connects people with excess food to others who need it through a simple live application
We're proud to be one of the founding partners and ongoing sponsors of Random Hacks of Kindness and look forward to seeing these application make a difference. Stay tuned for future RHoK events, and follow the progress of the community at RHoK.org.

Posted by Mimi Kravetz, Google.org Marketing
URL: http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2011/06/thousands-of-hackers-for-good-build.html

[G] Webinar: Implementing the +1 Button

Posted: 20 Jun 2011 10:50 AM PDT

Inside AdWords: Webinar: Implementing the +1 Button

A few weeks ago, we launched the +1 button for your site, which can help your site stand out by making it easy for visitors to recommend your pages on Google search. As a result, the +1 button could bring more, better-qualified traffic from your search results and ads. But how do you make sure this experience is user friendly? Where should you position the +1 button? How do you make sure the correct URL is getting +1'd?

On Tuesday, June 21 at 3pm ET, please join Timothy Jordan, Google Developer Advocate, to learn how to best implement the +1 button on your site. He'll talk about the technical implementation details as well as best practices to ensure the button has maximum impact. During the webinar, we'll review the topics below and save time for Q&A:
  • Getting started
  • Best practices
  • Advanced options
  • Measurement
If you'd like to attend, please register here. For more information on how the +1 button affects your ads, visit Ad Innovations.

Posted by Dan Friedman, Inside AdWords Crew
URL: http://adwords.blogspot.com/2011/06/webinar-implementing-1-button.html

[G] Rimm-Kaufman Group discusses their experience with Product Listing Ads

Posted: 20 Jun 2011 10:50 AM PDT

Inside AdWords: Rimm-Kaufman Group discusses their experience with Product Listing Ads

Recently we had a chance to catch up with Matthew Mierzejewski of Rimm-Kaufman Group (RKG) to discuss his experience managing Product Listing Ads for his clients.

Founded in 2003, RKG is a data-driven online marketing firm that specializes in paid search marketing, multichannel attribution management, and display advertising. RKG has 170 clients that range from start-ups to the Fortune 500 and that include both B2C and B2B direct marketers. In August of 2008, RKG was named to Inc. Magazine's list of the Top 500 Fastest-Growing Private Companies in America.

Matthew Mierzejewski, RKG's VP of Client Services, has been working with Product Listing Ads for clients since they launched last year, and he's offered to share some of his results and recommendations for other saavy marketers here:
Inside AdWords (IA): What initially drew your interest to Product Listing Ads?
Matthew Mierzejewski (MM): We have many retail clients who are looking for scalable ways to increase their presence in search. Because Google managed the targeting for Product Listing Ads, we wanted to see how much incremental traffic we could gather outside of our existing keyword-targeted campaigns. Also, the prominent ad listings with highly relevant product images are an extremely attractive ad space to play in.

IA: Was the implementation challenging?
MM: Most of our retail clients are already using Merchant Center to get free traffic in Google Product Search. For those clients, the basic CPC implementation was pretty simple. Furthermore, working with Google to implement some additional attributes was helpful and has allowed us to accurately track and improve our ROI.

IA: How much incremental traffic should an advertiser expect from Product Listing Ads?
MM: It varies a fair amount based on product category and bid level, but we see some clients getting up to 10% additional traffic from Product Listing Ads. These are clients who have already done a lot of work with their core keyword-targeted accounts, so it was great for them to have another tool available.

IA: How do the conversion rates for Product Listing Ads compare to keyword-target text ads in search?
MM: We've seen conversion rates up to 10% higher on Product Listing Ads compared to average text ad conversion rates. Taking it one step further and looking at queries that serve both a Product Listing Ad and a text ad to the same product-level landing page, we're seeing Product Listing Ads in some cases with a 30% higher conversion rate. With all other elements being held equal, we conclude that since the user is able to see the exact item of interest, price, and often a promotional message, they are more likely to convert per click in Product Listing Ads versus text ads.

IA: How do the costs for Product Listing Ads compare to keyword-targeted text ads in search?
MM: In general, where the data is significant and we're bidding effectively to ROI targets, we're bidding and paying up to 15% more on Product Listing Ads compared to text ads. Though, as I called out earlier, in many cases we're seeing a greater return on Product Listing Ads traffic, so we can afford to be slightly more aggressive [with our bids].

IA: How do results vary between clients who use cost-per-click (CPC) pricing versus those who use the cost-per-action (CPA) pricing?
MM: We don't see much difference in terms of conversion rates between CPC and CPA pricing. Though, in general, clients who use CPC pricing have been able to get more volume than those who are using CPA pricing. We like the idea of CPA pricing, but if we optimize our CPC bids we're able to meet our ROI goals just as easily. It's all a matter of testing and optimizing.

IA: Who do Product Listing Ads work best for?
MM: Advertisers with products that already do well in natural product search are ideal, since they know that users are already searching for their products. In general, when a user's query can closely match a specific product in your Merchant Center feed, you'll do better. For example, canon eos 60d will do better than men's suit coat. Think of it as objective versus subjective user intent that a robot would have a hard time parsing out.

IA: What advanced tips do you have for an advertiser using Product Listing Ads?
MM: Advertisers should be using some combination of, if not all available, Merchant Center parameters available to them: adwords_grouping, adwords_labels, adwords_publish, and adwords_redirect. Those attributes should be used to set up granular product targets inside of AdWords. Segmenting those bids will ensure proper ROI goals can be met. Sometimes this means using multiple attributes together to get the best result.
Finally, you should consider utilizing promotional messages for various product targets. These can easily differentiate your ad from the competition and can lead to higher CTRs and CRs if you can afford the offers.
We'd like to thank Matthew and RKG for taking the time to talk to us about their experience with Product Listing Ads so far. To learn more, including how to get started and best practices, please visit our Help Center.

Posted by Dan Friedman, Inside AdWords crew
URL: http://adwords.blogspot.com/2011/06/imm-kaufman-group-discusses-their.html

[G] Me, Myself and I: Helping to manage your identity on the web

Posted: 20 Jun 2011 05:42 AM PDT

Google Public Policy Blog: Me, Myself and I: Helping to manage your identity on the web

Posted by Andreas Tuerk, Product Manager

In recent years, it's become easier and easier to publish information about yourself online, through powerful new platforms like social networking sites and photo sharing services. One way to manage your privacy on these sites is to decide who specifically can see this information, determining whether it is visible to just a few friends, family members or everyone on the web. But, another important decision is choosing how you are identified when you post that information. We have worked hard to build various identity options into Google products. For example, while you may want to identify yourself by name when you post an answer to a question in a forum so that readers know the response is reputable, if you upload videos about a controversial cause you may prefer to post under a pseudonym.

However, your online identity is determined not only by what you post, but also by what others post about you -- whether a mention in a blog post, a photo tag or a reply to a public status update. When someone searches for your name on a search engine like Google, the results that appear are a combination of information you've posted and information published by others.

Today we've released a new tool to help make it easier to monitor your identity on the web and to provide easy access to resources describing ways to control what information is on the web. This tool, Me on the Web, appears as a section of the Google Dashboard right beneath the Account details.


Savvy web users may already have used Google Alerts to set up notifications for mentions of their name or email address in websites and news stories. If you haven't set up alerts yet, Me on the Web makes it even easier to do so and even automatically suggests some search terms you may want to monitor.

Me on the Web also provides links to resources offering information on how to control what third-party information is posted about you on the web. These include common tips like reaching out to the webmaster of a site to ask for the content to be taken down, or publishing additional information on your own to help make less relevant websites appear farther down in search results.

This is just one of our first steps in continuing to explore ways to help make managing your identity online simpler.
URL: http://googlepublicpolicy.blogspot.com/2011/06/me-myself-and-i-helping-to-manage-your.html

[G] Energy data access for consumers gaining momentum

Posted: 20 Jun 2011 05:42 AM PDT

Google Public Policy Blog: Energy data access for consumers gaining momentum

Posted by Michael Terrell, Energy Policy Counsel

Studies show when people have more direct feedback on their electricity consumption, they make simple changes that save them energy and money. Take Tom Tassi from Kenosha, Wisconsin, for example. He cut his monthly electric bill from $300 to $85 – more than $2,500 per year – by using a home energy monitor to immediately see what was using the most power in his home and changing fixtures and bulbs. Making better energy information widely available could result in billions of dollars in savings by consumers and businesses. It can also provide a foundation for innovation as new technologies and apps are developed to help people manage energy.

With that in mind, last year Google joined more than 45 companies and other organizations in calling for consumers to have more ready access to their energy data.

We're excited to see that momentum continue. This morning the White House announced a series of measures aimed at making energy data accessible to consumers. Part of a national effort to modernize the nation's electricity grid, the plan calls for ensuring people can access their energy data in "consumer-friendly and computer-friendly formats" and includes measures to track progress, assistance to states to implement data access policies, and funds for supporting smart grid innovation.

Today's announcement comes on the heels of bipartisan legislation introduced by Senators Mark Udall and Scott Brown that would ensure consumers can access digital information generated from "smart" electricity meters.

We hope these recent developments will help unlock energy information and ensure that everyone can use that data to save energy and cut their power bills.
URL: http://googlepublicpolicy.blogspot.com/2011/06/energy-data-access-for-consumers.html

[G] Helping government officials connect with constituents on YouTube

Posted: 20 Jun 2011 05:42 AM PDT

Google Public Policy Blog: Helping government officials connect with constituents on YouTube

Posted by Will Houghteling, YouTube News & Politics

From Congressman Ryan explaining his budget plan through data visualizations, to Governor Christie posting responses during Town Hall meetings, to national leaders participating in the "It Gets Better" campaign, government officials at all levels are using YouTube in interesting and innovative ways. Check out these recent examples:



To help more government officials create and distribute great videos like these, we recently launched youtube.com/government101. This site provides advice on what types of videos are most engaging to constituents, how Google Moderator can be used to solicit questions and suggestions, and more.

We'll be showcasing some of the most creative government uses of YouTube on our CitizenTube blog and via our twitter account, @YTPolitics. Which officials do you think have been most innovative on YouTube? Let us know in the comments.
URL: http://googlepublicpolicy.blogspot.com/2011/06/helping-government-officials-connect.html

[G] Thoughts on the Commerce Department’s new cybersecurity paper

Posted: 20 Jun 2011 05:42 AM PDT

Google Public Policy Blog: Thoughts on the Commerce Department's new cybersecurity paper

Posted by Harry Wingo, Senior Policy Counsel

The Internet has brought considerable social and economic benefit to world, but today faces a broad range of security challenges. It's important that governments and industry continue to work together to meet those challenges.

That's why we're encouraged by the paper released today by the Department of Commerce, "Cybersecurity, Innovation, and the Internet Economy." The report emphasizes the need for a new designation for businesses that are important to our lives and the economy, yet fall outside the realm of critical infrastructure (for example, providers of online services and content, cloud computing firms, and social networks). It also challenges those businesses to come up with best practices for sharing information about online threats. These proposals could help improve the security of the Internet while preserving the rapid innovation that has characterized its growth and success.

We've long supported the Department of Commerce's efforts in this space, including submitting comments to the notice of inquiry that led to the drafting of this paper, and we hope all stakeholders continue to participate in this process.
URL: http://googlepublicpolicy.blogspot.com/2011/06/thoughts-on-commerce-departments-new.html

[G] Changes to the open Internet in Kazakhstan

Posted: 20 Jun 2011 05:42 AM PDT

Google Public Policy Blog: Changes to the open Internet in Kazakhstan

Posted by Bill Coughran, SVP, Research & Systems Infrastructure

(Cross-posted from the Official Google Blog.)

Update June 14, 7:40pm: After we published this post, the Kazakhstan authorities issued new guidance stating that the order no longer applies to previously registered domains. In practice this means we can re-launch google.kz. While we're pleased that we can once again offer our users in Kazakhstan customized search results, we encourage the Government of Kazakhstan to rescind this requirement for all future .kz domains as well.

The genius of the Internet has always been its open infrastructure, which allows anyone with a connection to communicate with anyone else on the network. It's not limited by national boundaries, and it facilitates free expression, commerce and innovation in ways that we could never have imagined even 20 or 30 years ago.

Some governments, however, are attempting to create borders on the web without full consideration of the consequences their actions may have on their own citizens and the economy. Last month, the Kazakhstan Network Information Centre notified us of an order issued by the Ministry of Communications and Information in Kazakhstan that requires all .kz domain names, such as google.kz, to operate on physical servers within the borders of that country. This requirement means that Google would have to route all searches on google.kz to servers located inside Kazakhstan. (Currently, when users search on any of our domains, our systems automatically handle those requests the fastest way possible, regardless of national boundaries.)

We find ourselves in a difficult situation: creating borders on the web raises important questions for us not only about network efficiency but also about user privacy and free expression. If we were to operate google.kz only via servers located inside Kazakhstan, we would be helping to create a fractured Internet. So we have decided to redirect users that visit google.kz to google.com in Kazakh. Unfortunately, this means that Kazakhstani users will experience a reduction in search quality as results will no longer be customized for Kazakhstan.

Measures that force Internet companies to choose between taking actions that harm the open web, or reducing the quality of their services, hurt users. We encourage governments and other stakeholders to work together to preserve an open Internet, which empowers local users, boosts local economies and encourages innovation around the globe.
URL: http://googlepublicpolicy.blogspot.com/2011/06/changes-to-open-internet-in-kazakhstan.html
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