Friday, October 28, 2011

Googland

Googland

[G] BlogWorld 2011: We’ll see you in LA!

Posted: 27 Oct 2011 08:11 PM PDT

Blogger Buzz: BlogWorld 2011: We'll see you in LA!

It's not often that we get to meet up with Bloggers in person, so we're very excited to invite you to join us next Thursday, November 3rd, when a bunch of Blogger team members head to Los Angeles to attend the 2011 BlogWorld Expo.


To kick things off on Thursday, Jennifer Bahk from the Google Adsense team will be hosting a session called "Get More Bang and Make More Bucks with Blogger" at 3:45PM, where she'll share expert advice on how to optimize your blog to make money with AdSense.

On Friday and Saturday, the team will be hanging out at booth 314 on the exhibition floor, where we'll be giving live demos, answering questions, and giving away Blogger swag, including photo printouts from our very own Google Photobooth. And for those of you who are traveling from abroad, Sabine Borsay, our Consumer Experience Specialist from Europe, will also be in attendance to chat with international bloggers about your blogging experience and needs.

From 1-3PM on Saturday we're hosting a meet-and-greet at our booth with Ari Seth Cohen, a fashion blogger from New York City whose blog, Advanced Style, has inspired a book that will be debuting in 2012. Come by to say hello to Ari and hear the story of how he took blogging from a hobby to a successful, sustainable business.

It'll be an action-packed few days, so if you're interested in attending, as a member of the Blogger community you can use this special code for 20% off of any registration package at BlogWorld 2011: BLOGGER20.

If you can't attend the event, our Community Manager, Lisa Ding, will be hosting a series of video chats with Google+ Hangouts, covering a wide range of topics (Monetization, Google+, Dynamic Views, and more) on Friday and Saturday. Check back right here on Blogger Buzz next Thursday for a complete schedule of Hangout times and topics.  If you'd like to participate but don't yet have a Google+ account, visit plus.google.com to create one.

We hope to see you there--or at least in a Hangout!

Posted by: Michael Bolognino, Product Marketing Manager
URL: http://buzz.blogger.com/2011/10/blogworld-2011-well-see-you-in-la.html

[G] Retiring support for Internet Explorer 6

Posted: 27 Oct 2011 08:11 PM PDT

Inside AdWords: Retiring support for Internet Explorer 6

By the end of this year, advertisers accessing the AdWords web interface will be required to use Internet Explorer 7 or 8, or any other compatible browser to log in into their account.

If you are still accessing AdWords with Internet Explorer 6, you'll see a notice in your account encouraging you to upgrade as soon as possible. For optimal performance and a faster experience, we recommend you use the latest version of your preferred browser to access AdWords.

You can also use the following links to download other browsers that are compatible with AdWords: Please visit our Help Center if you have additional questions.

Posted by Lauren Barbato, Inside AdWords crew
URL: http://adwords.blogspot.com/2011/10/retiring-support-for-internet-explorer_27.html

[G] Lorraine Twohill - Brand Genius

Posted: 27 Oct 2011 08:11 PM PDT

Official Google CPG Blog: Lorraine Twohill - Brand Genius


Congrats to AdWeek's newest brand genius Lorraine Twohill.


From the article:

Let other marketing executives worry about how consumers perceive their brands. For Google's Lorraine Twohill, it's about inviting users to help create hers.

"We're the only company on the planet that lets others play with our brand," says Twohill, who was named Google's vp of global marketing in 2009. "We stand for something that's very unique and personal with users. There's a trust there. The users feel like they own our brand."



URL: http://google-cpg.blogspot.com/2011/10/lorraine-twohill-brand-genius.html

[G] Google+: Popular posts, eye-catching analytics, photo fun and...

Posted: 27 Oct 2011 08:11 PM PDT

Official Google Blog: Google+: Popular posts, eye-catching analytics, photo fun and...

We think Google+ should get better every time you use it. It's not enough to obsess over community feedback (which we do); we also need to surprise and delight you with constant improvements (which we also try and do). Today's no different, so we're rolling out four new features in four different areas.

What's Hot on Google+: see what everyone's talking about
Google+ users share and receive billions of items every day—on a wide range of topics, in nearly every country. Circles give you a personal lens on all this activity, helping you focus on updates from your family or your favorite celebrities. But sometimes you want to know what the world is so excited about. Whether it's breaking news or beautiful photos, you just don't want to miss anything. With this in mind, we're launching "What's Hot" on Google+, a new place to visit for interesting and unexpected content:



Google+ Ripples: watch how posts get shared
There's something deeply satisfying about sharing on Google+, then watching the activity unfold. Comments pour in, notifications light up, friends share with friends (who share with their friends), and in no time at all there's an entire community around your post. We want to help people re-live those conversations—both to rekindle that initial excitement, and to learn how posts flow across the network. That's why we're launching Google+ Ripples: a visualization tool for public shares and comments.

To get started, just find a public post that interests you, and select "View Ripples." From there you can replay its activity, zoom in on certain events, identify top contributors and much more. Google+ Ripples is still experimental, so let us know how we can make it more informative and more awesome:



Google+ Creative Kit: have more fun with your photos
Nothing tells a story like the perfect picture, so it's only natural to want to make yours really, really, really, ridiculously good-looking. Unfortunately, photo editing is too often a chore, requiring specialized software and lots of patience. We want to help everyone put their best photo forward, so today we're introducing the Google+ Creative Kit, a fast and friendly way to make powerful edits to your photos.

Now you can add that vintage feel to your vacation photos. Or sharpen those snapshots from the family barbeque. Or add some text for added personality. With the Creative Kit, all you need is an idea:



Of course: we also think photo editing should be lots of fun. So we've added some limited-edition Halloween effects to the Creative Kit, and we're inviting everyone on Google+ to join a ghoulish (and good-spirited) photo competition.

Through the end of October, simply add some spook to your photos, and share them publicly on Google+ with the hashtag #gplushalloween. We'll assemble a surprise panel of celebrities, and next Thursday, Nov 3, they'll announce their favorites. In the meantime, you can see early submissions from community members below. After all: we take our fun very seriously. :-)

From left to right: Larry Page, Sergey Brin (top), Adrian Grenier (bottom), Britney Spears,

… Google Apps customers can now use Google+
You've been asking for it. I've been talking about it. And today we're excited to make Google+ available to all Google Apps customers worldwide. Visit the Google Enterprise Blog for more details.

We think Google+ should get better every time you use it, and we hope it feels that way today. If ever it doesn't, we hope you'll let us know.

Posted by Vic Gundotra, Senior Vice President of Engineering
URL: http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2011/10/google-popular-posts-eye-catching.html

[G] More local deals, personalized to your interests

Posted: 27 Oct 2011 08:11 PM PDT

Official Google Blog: More local deals, personalized to your interests

There's a universe of amazing daily deals out there, but it's hard to find them all in one place—and even harder to discover the ones that really matter to you.

We're making improvements to Google Offers that help address this challenge. First, we're delivering more amazing deals from a bunch of new categories including outdoor adventure sports, luxury experiences, family-friendly events, classes and more. We're also introducing a personalization quiz to help you find just the deal you want, all in one place.

Google Offers subscribers in the San Francisco Bay Area will have access to these new deals, and the quiz is now available in all cities. We'll gradually roll out an expanded offers inventory to new cities in the months to come.



To make all this happen, we've partnered with the best deal providers in the industry including Dealfind, DoodleDeals, Gilt City, GolfNow, HomeRun, Juice in the City, kgbdeals, Mamapedia, Plum District, PopSugar Shop, ReachDeals, Active.com Schwaggle, TIPPR and zozi. Now, with one account you can easily purchase, manage and redeem all your offers in one place.

Visit Google Offers today to purchase this great deal from the leading luxury experience site Gilt City

Our new personalization quiz is a first step towards bringing you more relevant deals. You can tell us what categories you're interested in and where you hang out so we can send you just the tailored offers that match your interests—all in one email. If you're not the outdoorsy type or interested in cosmetic treatments, then we won't send you deals for zipline adventures and laser hair removal. Don't worry, if your interests change you can always update your preferences.

You can select what categories of deals you'd like to receive with the personalization quiz

You can subscribe to receive deals that match your interests and learn more about Google Offers at google.com/offers. If you're a deal provider interested in partnering with Google Offers, please submit your application using this form.

Finally, thanks to The Dealmap team that recently joined Google. They definitely helped on this one and we're looking forward to working with them to develop many new ideas in the months and years to come.

Posted by Nitin Mangtani, Group Product Manager, Google Offers

(Cross-posted on the Commerce Blog)
URL: http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2011/10/more-local-deals-personalized-to-your.html

[G] View your earnings from Google-certified ad networks

Posted: 27 Oct 2011 08:11 PM PDT

Inside AdSense: View your earnings from Google-certified ad networks


Back in August 2009, we started to allow multiple Google-certified ad networks to compete against AdWords ads for the display ad space on your sites. We're pleased to announce that you now have access to a new report that allows you to to view earnings by ad network.



As a refresher, the Google-certified ad networks feature is powered by DoubleClick Ad Exchange, and allows additional networks to compete in the auction to help you earn the most revenue possible. We're confident that our vast AdWords inventory can provide the highest paying ad, but on the few occasions when it can't, this feature simply allows more ads to be eligible to appear on your pages. This increased competition can potentially lead to higher earnings for you in the long run. Note that the auction process doesn't change with these ad networks – our system will still always show the highest-paying ads, whether they're from these Google-certified ad networks or the AdWords program.



With today's new report, you'll be able to see a breakdown of impressions, clicks, and earnings by Google-certified ad network. To view this report, log in to your account and visit the Performance reports tab. Click 'Ad networks' in the side navigation to see which networks served ads on your pages and how they performed. When comparing the performance of different ad networks, bear in mind that some metrics like RPM can be affected by networks targeting certain value impressions. Please note that there is no historical data prior to September 27, 2011.

 



Google-certified ad networks bring you all the benefits of working with multiple networks but also with the safety, convenience and controls offered by AdSense. All third party networks are required to adhere to our standards for ad quality, speed and user privacy. In addition, you have the ability to block entire networks and control ad blocking via the Ad review center. Please do keep in mind that blocking specific networks can reduce the number of eligible ads to appear on your pages and may affect your overall earnings. Just like with AdWords ads, the more ads competing to appear on your pages, the more you can potentially earn. 




For more information about Google-certified ad networks, please visit our Help Center. 



Posted by Vincent Zanotti - AdSense Engineering




URL: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/tuAm/~3/0ij5qxMIHB4/view-your-earnings-from-google.html

[G] Google Apps and government requests: enhanced transparency

Posted: 27 Oct 2011 08:11 PM PDT

Official Google Enterprise Blog: Google Apps and government requests: enhanced transparency

Posted by Marc Crandall, Senior Manager of Global Compliance, Google Enterprise

More than 4 million businesses and 40 million users trust us with the data they store in Google Apps. We work to be responsible stewards of that data, and transparency is one important aspect of that. Last year, we posted a Transparency Report to provide the Internet community with more insight about how often governments ask for user data. Earlier this week, we published an update to the report. For the first time, we're not only disclosing the number of requests for user data, but we're showing the number of users or accounts that are specified in those requests, too.

We would like other cloud providers to join us in the effort to provide more transparency. We hope the Transparency Report will not only be insightful for Google Apps users concerning the number of requests we receive, but also provide customers with information they need to help trust their data with Google Apps.
URL: http://googleenterprise.blogspot.com/2011/10/google-apps-and-government-requests.html

[G] Google’s information security team - working to protect your data

Posted: 27 Oct 2011 08:11 PM PDT

Official Google Enterprise Blog: Google's information security team - working to protect your data

Posted by Sam Srinivas, Product Management Director, Google Information Security Team

Editors note: This post is part of a series that explores the top ten reasons why customers trust Google with their business data. A complete top ten list can be found here.

As you compose a message in Gmail or collaborate on a document in Google Docs, you probably don't often think about what we do to protect the data in that email or document. But behind the scenes we have an information security team that makes protecting your information its highest priority.

Information security is something that is important to every business. As Internet use has become widespread in the business world, attacks on applications and systems are becoming pervasive and sophisticated. Increasingly, monitoring and protecting applications and users against these attacks requires a great deal of infrastructure and technical expertise — usually more than one person or a small team can manage. Our information security team includes hundreds of full-time members working in close cooperation with the engineers developing Google applications. Some of the world's leading security researchers are members of our team, allowing Google to stay at the forefront of detection, response, and security software best practices.

We monitor our applications and systems continuously, using sophisticated automated systems that are designed to detect unusual activity and block it or flag it for immediate analysis by our monitoring team. We provide end-user features including 2-step verification, which defeats many common attacks such as trying to break into an account using a stolen password. Our Safe Browsing service helps protect users against malware and phishing. All of this technology and expertise comes together to enhance the security of your Google Apps data, allowing your IT staff to focus more of their attention on your business's strategic needs.
"As the threats in the external environment change, [Google is] at the forefront of preventing, responding and anticipating. That's one of the great things about partnering with Google - you have some of the best minds in the world working on those problems, which really frees me up to work on the problems that are unique to me and that I can really specialize in."

- Todd Pierce, CIO of Genetech
Finally, we work to educate users about online safety. To that end, one of the most important things you can do to improve the security of your Google Apps accounts is to start using 2-step verification. We encourage you to set it up and start exploring other ways to better protect your information.
URL: http://googleenterprise.blogspot.com/2011/10/googles-information-security-team.html

[G] Let freedom (from servers) ring: EDUCAUSE 2011

Posted: 27 Oct 2011 08:11 PM PDT

Official Google Enterprise Blog: Let freedom (from servers) ring: EDUCAUSE 2011

Posted by Tom Mills, Director of Education

(Cross-posted on the Official Google Blog)

This time last year, we were tailgating with the USC marching band at the EDUCAUSE conference—an annual gathering of the higher-education IT community. Last week, with more than 15 million people now actively using Google Apps for Education, we ventured to Philadelphia for a few jam-packed days at EDUCAUSE 2011. Our time in the city of brotherly love included a booth with 30+ Googlers and a woodsy backdrop for our fireside chat series; meeting with hundreds of CIOs from universities using and considering Google Apps for Education; a party at the Academy of Natural Sciences; and of course liberty and the lifelong pursuit of the Philly cheesesteak. Here's a glimpse:



The Campus Computing Project released its annual report at EDUCAUSE, too. This year's survey named Google as the leading provider of outsourced cloud-based campus email services. According to the survey, 89 percent of higher education institutions are either already using or considering switching to cloud-based solutions. Of four-year colleges and universities (including community colleges) that have already moved to the cloud, more than 56 percent have gone Google—including 64 percent of public universities and 66 percent of private universities.

Last month we shared that 61 of US News and World Report's top 100 Universities are using Google Apps for Education. That number's now up to 62, and is still just a snapshot of the thousands of institutions using Apps on campus. Schools that have recently selected Apps for Education as their collaboration platform include Harvard University, University of Texas at Austin, Wellesley College, University of Amsterdam, Stanford Graduate School of Business, University of York and University of Bristol.

In addition to these new schools, we're also bringing some new integrations to Apps:
  • OpenClass: Pearson has developed a free cloud-based Learning Management System that is tightly integrated with Google Apps and provides a new kind of learning environment that stimulates social learning. This is available in the Apps Marketplace.
  • SlideRocket EDU: This presentation software integrated for cloud-based collaborative education enables you to unleash the creation, sharing and communication of ideas with an online application that connects with content in Google Apps for Education and is available on any device or browser. This is available in the Apps Marketplace.
  • Blackboard Bboogle: Last year, Northwestern University presented their popular Bboogle (Blackboard + Google) application at our EDUCAUSE booth. Bboogle has now been certified by Blackboard and is available to other universities as a Building Block through Blackboard's Extensions website. Bboogle enables instructors to link Blackboard course sites directly to Google Docs, Calendars and Sites without requiring a second login. And by automatically setting permissions for editing, it helps encourage and facilitate collaborative instruction.
  • Desire2Learn: Users will soon be able to add widgets to Course Homepages that make it easy to view unread email messages in Gmail, keep track of upcoming events in Calendar, and submit assignments created in Docs.
If you weren't able to join us in person at this year's EDUCAUSE conference, you can check out some of our photos, and we'll hope to see you next year.

URL: http://googleenterprise.blogspot.com/2011/10/posted-by-tom-mills-director-of.html

[G] Meet AlexanderCarpenter, your October “On The Rise” YouTube Partner

Posted: 27 Oct 2011 08:21 AM PDT

YouTube Blog: Meet AlexanderCarpenter, your October "On The Rise" YouTube Partner

Congratulations to Alex Carpenter, whose channel AlexanderCarpenter received the most votes for the October On The Rise poll, and his channel will be featured on the YouTube homepage today.



Looking for videos that draw on late '90s TV shows to offer suggestions for surviving the Apocalypse? Perhaps songs inspired by literature are more your style. Or maybe you'd prefer to catch Alex on tour with his band, The Remus Lupins. For these pop-culture preferences and more, Alex is here to bring you a mix of vlogs, music and entertainment.







And finally, Alex wanted to share a few of his own words on his success and gratitude for your support:


I think I have the coolest job in the world. For the past 6 years, I have gotten to play all sorts of nerdy music, travel around the world performing my songs and basically live out every geek's fantasy. Now I can add to that getting to be featured on the front page of one of the interwebs' most visited websites. My mom hasn't been this proud of me since I learned to do the Live Long and Prosper symbol with my hand. None of it would have been possible without the support of my amazing friends though, and I must take a moment to say thank you for the incredible outpouring of encouragement from those who enjoy the silly things I put out onto the internet. I owe you all a milkshake next time I see you. Thank you so much, and remember: Be Brilliant.

If you've enjoyed this monthly On The Rise blog series and want to see more rising YouTube partners, check out our On The Rise channel or look for our playlists on the browse page. Keep an eye out for next month's blog post, as your channel may be the next one On The Rise!



Devon Storbeck, YouTube Partner Support, recently watched "AmgezaGautengSavingCalf_Short."


URL: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/youtube/PKJx/~3/Q_El6Kup0dw/meet-alexandercarpenter-your-october-on.html

[G] Interpreting Your Data: How To Understand Calculated Metrics

Posted: 27 Oct 2011 08:21 AM PDT

Google Affiliate Network: Interpreting Your Data: How To Understand Calculated Metrics

Welcome to the second post in our "Interpreting Your Data" series for affiliate advertisers, brought to you by Google Affiliate Network analysts. View all posts in the series here. 

Calculated metrics provide great insight into how specific variables are performing. A few of these commonly used metrics are conversion rate, click through rate, and average order value.
In this post, we will use examples to discuss how you can use calculated metrics to interpret your affiliate program data. 

Reviewing performance data using calculated metrics:
You're in the Google Affiliate Network interface, reviewing performance reports and notice your conversion rate has increased. You may think -- "That's great news!" Or, is it?

Before celebrating, you'll need to ask a few more questions and take a deeper look to determine whether an increase in conversion rate is really a positive indicator for your overall program.

This is because conversion rate is a calculated metric that is generated by combining two other metrics -- in this case, conversions divided by clicks. Whenever you use a calculated metric, you should understand what's happening to both of the underlying metrics to to determine an overall trend.

Example 1:
  • In period 1, you have 33 conversions and 100 clicks, so your conversion rate is 33%.
  • In period 2, you have 25 conversions and 50 clicks, so your conversion rate is 50%.
As you can see, the conversion rate goes up in period 2. Is that good? There are fewer conversions in period 2 and fewer clicks. You should investigate why clicks went down before you can determine if this is a positive or negative indicator.

Understanding metric composition:
With an affiliate program, you should also consider the composition of each metric. That is, the composition of all of the publishers that are driving clicks and conversions. Each individual publisher composes one part of each metric.If you see conversion rates go down, you may think that this is negative indicator. To determine the significance, you should check if the conversion rate is down for every publisher and if you added any new publishers. 

Example 2:
  • Publisher X had 33 conversions from 100 clicks totaling a 33% conversion rate. 
  • Then you add publisher Y, who generates 200 clicks, 20 conversions totaling 10% conversion rate.
  • These two publisher combined generate 53 conversions on 300 clicks, for a conversion rate of 26.5%. 
  • The combined conversion rate is down, but that's only because you added a publisher that drives more clicks at a lower than average conversion rate. 
  • You still have 33% conversion from publisher Y that drove 100 clicks.
In this example, it's important to look more closely at the new publisher. It's possible they have a lower conversion rate due to their business model. Adding this publisher to the program changes your overall number.

In summary, when you're looking at the movement of a calculated metric (such as conversion rate and average order value) you shouldn't stop there. To understand the shift, you should do a bit more investigating to find out why that metric moved.

For additional resources on analyzing your program, please see this analysis checklist help center article. 

Posted by Dan Filowitz, Manager of Affiliate Operations
URL: http://googleaffiliatenetwork-blog.blogspot.com/2011/10/interpreting-your-data-how-to.html

[G] Imagery Update: Week of October 24th

Posted: 27 Oct 2011 08:21 AM PDT

Google LatLong: Imagery Update: Week of October 24th


What do Elvis' Graceland and Iran's Marmar Palace have in common? Both estates have been updated with new imagery in Google Earth and Google Maps!

Over the last few weeks, the imagery team has updated hundreds of images. To give you a taste of this new data, today we'll look at several interesting features that have been updated with new imagery from across the globe.

First, I'd like to look at a fantastic and majestic terrestrial landform known as the star dune. Star dunes form pyramidal shapes that grow upward and are characterized by multiple radiating dune crests. Shown below is a perspective satellite image of a star dune field within the Badain Jaran Desert of China. The desert contains Earth's tallest stationary dunes, reaching heights of 500 meters!

Perspective view of star dunes of Badain Jaran Desert, China

One of my favorite hobbies is scrambling around volcanic sites throughout the western United States, and many of my favorite areas are located in Idaho's Snake River Plain. Within this river plain, one of the youngest volcanic flow features of the region comprises the Hell's Half Acre lava flow field. In the aerial image below, taken this past September, you can see "windows" of older river bed material (now farmland) that were not buried during lava flow emplacement.

Farmland enclosed by lava flow, Snake River Plain, Idaho

Can you identify the unusual feature relationship seen in the satellite image below? Yes, train tracks cut to the northeast across the airport runway! Those tracks belong to the Kyber Railway, and their two vintage steam locomotives take passengers 42 kilometers to the town of Landi Kotal in Pakistan's mountainous Kyber Pass.

Peshawar International Airport, Pakistan

Below is a fun water sport activity captured in high resolution aerial imagery of the southeastern coast of Auckland, New Zealand. You can see the kayakers paddles as well as the submerged sandbars and boulders of Thorne Bay.

Kayakers in Thorne Bay, New Zealand

We can see the Marmar Palace of Tehran, Iran, a.k.a the Marble Palace in the updated satellite image below. It is associated with the Pahlavi dynasty, and is still used today by the Iranian government.

The Marble Palace, Tehran, Iran.

In my opinion, most good things start and end with Elvis references, so our last example showcases updated imagery of Graceland, including the private customized Convair 880 jet Elvis used while hopping across the globe.

Graceland, Memphis Tennessee

If you'd like to receive an email notification when the Earth and Maps Imagery team updates your favorite site(s), we've got just the tool: The Follow Your World application!

These are only 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: Bellingham, WA; Bemidji, MN; Brookings, SD; Davenport, IA; Emporia, KS; Grinnel, IA; Idaho Falls, ID; Klamamth Falls, OR; Lawrence, KS; Lovell, WY; Nephi, UT; Pittsfield, MA; Portland, OR; San Francisco Peninsula, CA; Scottsbluff, NE; Seattle, WA; St Louis, MO; Terre Haute, IN; Wasco, OR; Williston, ND; Wolf Point, MT

Spain: Huesca, Logrono

Countries/Regions receiving High Resolution Satellite Updates:
Angola, Antarctica, Argentina, Australia, Bahrain, Brazil, Cameroon, Canada, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Cuba, Côte d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Gaza Strip, Greenland, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iran, Israel, Jan Mayen, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Libya, Lithuania, Malawi, Mexico, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, New Zealand, North Korea, Pakistan, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Slovakia, South Africa, Spain, Svalbard, Taiwan, Tanzania, The Gambia, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, United States, West Bank, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe

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

Posted by Eric Kolb, Geo Data Strategist
URL: http://google-latlong.blogspot.com/2011/10/imagery-update-week-of-october-24th.html

[G] Let freedom (from servers) ring: EDUCAUSE 2011

Posted: 27 Oct 2011 08:21 AM PDT

Official Google Blog: Let freedom (from servers) ring: EDUCAUSE 2011

This time last year, we were tailgating with the USC marching band at the EDUCAUSE conference—an annual gathering of the higher-education IT community. Last week, with more than 15 million people now actively using Google Apps for Education, we ventured to Philadelphia for a few jam-packed days at EDUCAUSE 2011. Our time in the city of brotherly love included a booth with 30+ Googlers and a woodsy backdrop for our fireside chat series; meeting with hundreds of CIOs from universities using and considering Google Apps for Education; a party at the Academy of Natural Sciences; and of course liberty and the lifelong pursuit of the Philly cheesesteak. Here's a glimpse:



The Campus Computing Project released its annual report at EDUCAUSE, too. This year's survey named Google as the leading provider of outsourced cloud-based campus email services. According to the survey, 89 percent of higher education institutions are either already using or considering switching to cloud-based solutions. Of four-year colleges and universities (including community colleges) that have already moved to the cloud, more than 56 percent have gone Google—including 64 percent of public universities and 66 percent of private universities.

Last month we shared that 61 of US News and World Report's top 100 Universities are using Google Apps for Education. That number's now up to 62, and is still just a snapshot of the thousands of institutions using Apps on campus. Schools that have recently selected Apps for Education as their collaboration platform include Harvard University, University of Texas at Austin, Wellesley College, University of Amsterdam, Stanford Graduate School of Business, University of York and University of Bristol.

In addition to these new schools, we're also bringing some new integrations to Apps:
  • OpenClass: Pearson has developed a free cloud-based Learning Management System that is tightly integrated with Google Apps and provides a new kind of learning environment that stimulates social learning. This is available in the Apps Marketplace. 
  • SlideRocket EDU: This presentation software integrated for cloud-based collaborative education enables you to unleash the creation, sharing and communication of ideas with an online application that connects with content in Google Apps for Education and is available on any device or browser. This is available in the Apps Marketplace.
  • Blackboard Bboogle: Last year, Northwestern University presented their popular Bboogle (Blackboard + Google) application at our EDUCAUSE booth. Bboogle has now been certified by Blackboard and is available to other universities as a Building Block through Blackboard's Extensions website. Bboogle enables instructors to link Blackboard course sites directly to Google Docs, Calendars and Sites without requiring a second login. And by automatically setting permissions for editing, it helps encourage and facilitate collaborative instruction.
  • Desire2Learn: Users will soon be able to add widgets to Course Homepages that make it easy to view unread email messages in Gmail, keep track of upcoming events in Calendar, and submit assignments created in Docs.
If you weren't able to join us in person at this year's EDUCAUSE conference, you can check out some of our photos, and we'll hope to see you next year.



Posted by Tom Mills, Director of Education
URL: http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2011/10/let-freedom-from-servers-ring-educause.html
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