Saturday, July 9, 2011

Googland

Googland

[G] Share your docs on the go with the improved Google Docs for mobile

Posted: 09 Jul 2011 01:51 AM PDT

Official Google Mobile Blog: Share your docs on the go with the improved Google Docs for mobile

(Cross-posted from the Google Docs blog)

Google Docs is about collaboration, but as many of us know, others often rely on us even when we're nowhere near a computer. That's why we're excited to bring the features you need to your tablet and mobile device's browser. Today, we've updated the look of Google Docs for mobile browsers and added the ability to sort, narrow, and share multiple docs in your mobile docs list.

To get started, go to docs.google.com from your supported device's browser. Press Sort to organize the list of docs visible in the mobile browser, or press Narrow by to specify the subset of docs you'd like to see.


To share from your mobile docs list, select one or more documents, press the Share button, and select Share, Get the link to share for public or unlisted docs, or Email as attachment. Sharing a doc in your mobile browser works the same way as it does on the desktop.


We're committed to improving the experience of accessing your docs from your mobile device. We'd love to hear what you think is working and what isn't in our support forums as well as in the comments of this post.

Posted by Hossein Attar, Software Engineer
URL: http://googlemobile.blogspot.com/2011/07/share-your-docs-on-go-with-improved.html

[G] “Download map area” added to Labs in Google Maps for Android

Posted: 09 Jul 2011 01:51 AM PDT

Official Google Mobile Blog: "Download map area" added to Labs in Google Maps for Android

(Cross-posted on the Official Google Blog)

One way we bring you new product features is through Google Labs—a collection of fun, experimental features you can turn on if you're interested in the functionality. In fact, Google Maps itself started as a lab. In addition to our desktop Maps Labs, Google Maps for Android has a few tricks you can try out right from your phone. We'd like to introduce you to one new experimental feature, "Download map area," but also remind you of two other ones we already have: "Scale bar" and "Measure."

Download map area
When you're visiting an unfamiliar location, Google Maps for mobile is great for getting an idea of how close you are to your destination, where streets and landmarks are in relation to each other, or just for getting "un-lost." But what if you don't have a data signal, or you're abroad and don't have a data plan? We say that if you use Google Maps for mobile, you'll never need to carry a paper map again. The "Download map area" lab in Google Maps 5.7 for Android is a step in making that statement true even when you're offline.

Let's say later you're visiting Bordeaux during a trip to France. If you were to open Google Maps for mobile and zoom into Bordeaux without data coverage or wifi, you'd see the image on the left:

Left: Bordeaux with no data or wifi. Right: Bordeaux with downloaded map area

That's not particularly useful when you're trying to find out how close you are to the Cathedrale St. Andre. But a little advance planning and "Download map area" can help. Before you take your trip, while you still have access to WiFi or data coverage, you can open up any Places page in the world, click "More" to get the Place page menu, and download Google's maps for a 10-mile radius.

Left: Tap a landmark to enter its Place page Right: Place page "more options" menu

The download can take as little as a minute or two. This download stores only the base map tiles and the landmarks on the map, so you still need a data connection to see satellite view and 3D buildings, search for Places and get directions. But we hope the level of detail available will help you find your way!

Left: Status screen for download. Right: Coverage of downloaded map area

All your downloaded map areas can be managed in your Google Maps cache settings so you can delete maps you no longer need or if you want to free up storage. After 30 days, all downloaded map areas will be removed from your cache; they can be re-downloaded any time.

Scale bar
Google Maps has approximately 20 different zoom levels that range from a 2,000 mile scale to a 20 foot scale. With finger gestures making it really quick and easy to zoom in and out, sometimes it's not always clear what zoom level you're at. What might be just a few streets away can be quite a long walk depending on the scale. To help with this, you can turn on a scale bar, which updates based on your zoom level.

Scale bar in the lower left

Measure
If you ever need to know the distance between San Francisco and New York (about 2602 miles) or between any other two points on the map, the "Measure" lab can help you out. Once it's enabled, you'll notice a tape measure icon just above the zoom buttons. After clicking that icon, you'll be prompted to tap two points on the map and Google Maps will calculate the straight distance between those points (this direct distance is "as the crow flies").

Example of the "Measure" Labs feature

To access Labs on your phone, press your phone's menu button once in Google Maps, choose "More" and select Labs. On a tablet, click the menu button in the upper-right corner of Maps. The "Download map area" lab requires Android 2.1+ and the latest version of Google Maps. We look forward to bringing you more experimental features soon and hope you enjoy trying out Labs in Google Maps for Android.

Posted by Chikai Ohazama, Director of Product Management, Google Maps for mobile
URL: http://googlemobile.blogspot.com/2011/07/download-map-area-added-to-labs-in.html

[G] The Zero Moment of Truth: A New Marketing Strategy

Posted: 08 Jul 2011 09:55 PM PDT

Inside AdWords: The Zero Moment of Truth: A New Marketing Strategy

Once upon a time, marketers believed that shoppers made up their mind about a product in about the time it takes to read this sentence.

The three to seven seconds a shopper considered a product on a store shelf was believed to be a critical moment—what P&G termed the "First Moment of Truth" or FMOT ("eff-mot"). This was the moment when all the advertising a consumer had seen for a brand would either pay off with a purchase or not.

Since then, FMOT has become one of those terms, like "tipping point" and "purple cow," that changes the way marketers think. FMOT is one of three widely accepted "moments of truth" for a product—the other two being when the consumer sees an ad for the product (the stimulus) and when she uses it for the first time (the experience).

These concepts still hold true today and may be even more relevant given the continued emergence of strong store brands. But thanks to the web, we're seeing the rise of an additional class of critical brand interactions: the Zero Moment of Truth or ZMOT ("zee-mot"), which occurs after the consumer sees an ad for a product, but before a purchase is made in store. More precisely, it's the moment when a shopper goes online to research a product and decides whether to make a purchase.

We're seeing growth in everything from queries for reviews and coupon redemption to mobile usage, strongly indicating that this phenomenon is real. But what we wondered is, what does this phenomenon mean for marketers? To find out, we spent a lot of time talking to industry experts and leading marketers and conducting primary market research to learn as much as we could about ZMOT.

Now, we're excited to drive industry discussions and pass our findings on to marketers in a new free ebook, Winning the Zero Moment of Truth.


In it, we explore:

- Typical ZMOT moments that happen every day
- Why marketers should consider ZMOT as important as "the ad" and "the shelf"
- Seven steps to winning at ZMOT, including exercises to identify relevant moments for your brand

If you're interested in learning more about the consumer behavior that's changing the way marketers think about branding and online commerce, I invite you to download Google's free marketing strategy ebook Winning the Zero Moment of Truth. And I encourage you to join the conversation (and check out the enhanced video version of the book) at www.zeromomentoftruth.com (#zmot). I hope that you enjoy our work and that it helps you navigate your own moments of truth.

Posted by Jim Lecinski, Author and Chief ZMOT Evangelist, Google
URL: http://adwords.blogspot.com/2011/07/zero-moment-of-truth-new-marketing.html

[G] Explore America’s diplomatic efforts around the world

Posted: 08 Jul 2011 06:11 PM PDT

Google Public Policy Blog: Explore America's diplomatic efforts around the world

Posted by Will Houghteling, YouTube News and Politics

Throughout the past year American embassies, consulates, and ambassadors around the world have uploaded hundreds of videos to YouTube across a wide array of topics. Some are informative, like U.S. Ambassador to Japan John Roos updating American citizens following the devastating tsunami; some are inspirational, like First Lady Michelle Obama's message to a school in Santiago; and others are instructional, like this video on what to expect at a visa interview at the US Consulate in Juarez, Mexico.



In an effort to continue offering easy access to this information, we've launched the YouTube State Hub, a place to find all of the U.S. Department of State's various YouTube channels in one place.


This site follows the model of two similar YouTube channels, the House Hub and Senate Hub, which also help users easily find videos posted by government officials. Just click on the pin in each country, and you can find content from that embassy.

Throughout the coming year we'll showcase some of the most creative videos from embassies, consulates and ambassadors around the globe on our CitizenTube blog and via our twitter account, @CitizenTube.
URL: http://googlepublicpolicy.blogspot.com/2011/07/explore-americas-diplomatic-efforts.html

[G] Meet Bruce, Blogger PM

Posted: 08 Jul 2011 02:25 PM PDT

Blogger Buzz: Meet Bruce, Blogger PM

Posted by Bruce Polderman, Product Manager

Hello Bloggers!

I'm relatively new to the Blogger team, but have been a Product Manager on Google's "Geo" team since 2006, specifically for the Google 3D Warehouse. Product Managers work closely with software engineers, designers, and marketing to establish product requirements and define product features.

What initially attracted me to Blogger was the impact that it has on people's lives. Blogs, by their very nature, enable people to express themselves. Some blogs attract our readership from an intellectual perspective, some for their entertainment value, and still others stir our emotions. That's powerful stuff.

On the Blogger team I hear frequent use of the term "bloggers." While it's natural to generalize sometimes, what's fascinating about Blogger isn't the entity of a blog, but instead the interests and motivations of the real people who are behind each and every one. As human beings, we enjoy listening to and sharing stories. This is what Blogger facilitates at a fundamental level.

What I hope to gain from Lisa's focus on Community Management is greater insight into how you are using Blogger. The deeper the understanding we have for how you use the product, the more informed we are when deciding where to take Blogger in the future.

Happy blogging!

Bruce

http://poldermanblp.blogspot.com/
http://twitter.com/#!/PoldermanBLP
URL: http://buzz.blogger.com/2011/07/meet-bruce-blogger-pm.html

[G] This week's Trends: fireworks, verdicts, and lots of sand

Posted: 08 Jul 2011 02:21 PM PDT

YouTube Blog: This week's Trends: fireworks, verdicts, and lots of sand

Each weekday, we at YouTube Trends take a look at the most interesting videos and cultural phenomena on YouTube as they develop. We want take a moment to highlight some of what we've come across this week:







Check back every day for the latest about what's trending on YouTube at: www.YouTube.com/Trends



Kevin Allocca, YouTube Trends Manager, recently watched "Can't Hug Every Cat."


URL: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/youtube/PKJx/~3/l3Oe0wgfor8/this-weeks-trends-fireworks-verdicts.html
Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)