Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Googland

Googland

[G] GNOME roams to Montreal

Posted: 02 Nov 2011 04:33 AM PDT

Google Open Source Blog: GNOME roams to Montreal



The Montreal Summit 2011 turned out to be a very fun and productive gathering earlier this month of GNOME hackers and developers. With the 3.2 release behind us, there was a lot of discussion about the state of GNOME and its path going forward, reflected both in the technical and non-technical sessions that were held.

The group present went through all of the features for GNOME 3.3/3.4 and discussed kicking off the 3.3 cycle which tied in nicely with discussions currently underway on the mailing lists. There were presentations on Baserock by Lars Wirzenius, jhbuild by Colin Walters, and one on the application menu with canonical contributing a good chunk of code toward an improved application menu. A number of sessions talked about GNOME strategy, posing questions such as what are we building, who is it for and how do we get there. There were talks about building an OS, and the various complications that inevitably come up when you put together a system out of many evolving pieces. And Marina Zhurakhinskaya led a talk on how to improve and maximize GNOME's participation in the Google Summer of Code program.

So much was going on that even though the event wasn't huge there were many people there that I never even got the chance to talk to and I'm sure there was a lot accomplished that I don't even know about (for example, Olivier Crete tells me that he made a fix to again allow the use of the free Theora codec for VoIP calls in Empathy). There were also some discussions around how quite a few of this year's participants were involved in the GNOME Women's Outreach Program.

Many thanks to the sponsors who made this event possible!

By Karen Sandler, GNOME Foundation's Executive Director


URL: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/GoogleOpenSourceBlog/~3/J7Rlc4B33DE/gnome-roams-to-montreal.html

[G] More points of view on Google News

Posted: 02 Nov 2011 04:33 AM PDT

Google News Blog: More points of view on Google News

By Jayakumar Hoskere, Software Engineer

When a big story breaks, there are often over a thousand articles written about the news event. At Google News, we work hard to surface the most relevant and interesting content to you -- so you can spend less time sorting through thousands of articles, and more time consuming news from a range of diverse perspectives.

For instance, since introducing expandable stories, we have added additional labels to call out special types of articles in many editions. These labels are designed to highlight different content types on Google News, and show you stories that complement and expand upon standard news reporting. The four labels we recently launched include:
  • Live Updating: A live-updating article, such as a liveblog.
  • Featured: An article a publisher has told us is standout.
  • Fact-check: An article providing fact-check content about the story.
  • Your Preferred source: An article from a source that you preferred.

Evaluating a story from different angles often provides a sharper perspective. That is why we also now highlight special types of articles in many Google News search results. Your search results will not only show recent articles, but also those from diverse perspectives that relate to a given query.


We also recently added the Translate button to non-English international stories in expandable story boxes in the U.S edition, giving you the ability to read pieces from all over the world -- even if you don't speak the language.


 

We hope you find these changes useful as we continue to develop opportunities for you to find more interesting and valuable content.
URL: http://googlenewsblog.blogspot.com/2011/10/more-points-of-view-on-google-news.html

[G] News joins Google Dashboard

Posted: 02 Nov 2011 04:33 AM PDT

Google News Blog: News joins Google Dashboard

Posted by Panchapagesan Krishnamurthy, Software Engineer

Halloween is almost here and we're celebrating early. No trick -- just a treat. As of now, you can access Google News in the Google Dashboard. This gives you the ability to see basic information about your Google News personalizations, check out our privacy policy and click through to edit your preferences.


We're excited to bring you this additional level of control and encourage you to give it a whirl.
URL: http://googlenewsblog.blogspot.com/2011/10/news-joins-google-dashboard.html

[G] Bringing relevant news to you, regardless of language

Posted: 02 Nov 2011 04:33 AM PDT

Google News Blog: Bringing relevant news to you, regardless of language

Posted by Yaroslav Kurovtsev, Software Engineer, Google Translate

To help bridge language barriers between you and the news of interest to you from around the world -- and to bring you more diverse perspectives on foreign events -- we've added a new "translate" button to the expandable story boxes in the U.S. English edition of Google News.

Clicking the translate button reveals the English translation of the original headline using Google Translate. Clicking on the headline takes you to the publisher's website where you can choose to use Google Translate to see an English version of the entire article. Headlines are labeled with their country of origin.

To do this, we look for foreign articles from local sources on a relevant news topic. For example, in the case of the flood in Thailand, in addition to surfacing English articles from international press like New York Times, we might show a related article from a local source like อาร์วายที9.




At the same time, we hope readers will benefit from finding relevant news in other languages and being able to read it without knowing the language.
URL: http://googlenewsblog.blogspot.com/2011/10/bringing-relevant-news-to-you.html

[G] Email scheduler, PDF export, and a transition to the new Google Analytics interface.

Posted: 02 Nov 2011 04:33 AM PDT

Google Analytics Blog: Email scheduler, PDF export, and a transition to the new Google Analytics interface.

Two of the most requested features from the old version of Google Analytics that have been absent in the new interface are report email scheduling and PDF export.  We are happy to announce that both email scheduling and PDF export functionality will be the new interface in a few weeks.



Because there are significant differences between reports in the new and old versions of Google Analytics, we would like to use this opportunity to solicit your feedback regarding which scheduled email reports should be preserved in the new version. We suspect that many of you would like to use this opportunity to "reset" the number and types of scheduled Google Analytics emails. As we roll out the new email system in the coming few weeks, we encourage you to examine your existing scheduled emails and make a personal decision on whether to recreate a similar scheduled email report.



Every standard and custom report will have an email scheduling option, shown below in the report options bar:







Clicking on the "EMAIL" button pulls up the following email scheduling dialog:







(A more detailed blog post about the emailer and its new functionality will be available when the it is released in a few weeks.) The above email preview shows the work we have put into improving the email report setup over the older Analytics interface.



PDF export for every report will also be available within a few weeks.



With the upcoming release of both the new emailer & PDF download, we want to give you three months notice (as of today) that the old Google Analytics interface as well as all existing scheduled emails will be sunset starting in January 2012. We believe that the new Google Analytics interface provides significant advantages over the old version, including access to Real Time Analytics, Multi-Channel Funnels, Social Plugin Analytics, & Flow Visualization. And hope you'll find enough value in these new features that you'll switch to the new version well before then.



We welcome your feedback and comments.



- Phil Mui, Google Analytics team


URL: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/tRaA/~3/BiAoei5IMng/email-scheduler-pdf-export-and.html

[G] New in Reader: a fresh design, and Google+ sharing

Posted: 02 Nov 2011 04:33 AM PDT

Official Google Reader Blog: New in Reader: a fresh design, and Google+ sharing

Posted by Alan Green, Software Engineer



Today we're rolling out the new Reader design, and the Google+ features that we mentioned just over a week ago. Before the day's over, all Reader users will be able to enjoy the following improvements:


  • A new look and feel that's cleaner, faster, and nicer to look at.










  • The ability to +1 a feed item (replacing "Like"), with an option to then share it with your circles on Google+ (replacing "Share" and "Share with Note").










Integrating with Google+ also helps us streamline Reader overall. So starting today we'll be turning off friending, following, shared items and comments in favor of similar Google+ functionality.



We hope you'll like the new Reader (and Google+) as much as we do, but we understand that some of you may not. Retiring Reader's sharing features wasn't a decision that we made lightly, but in the end, it helps us focus on fewer areas, and build an even better experience across all of Google.



If you decide to stay, then please do send us your feedback on today's set of improvements. Google+ is still in its early days, after all, and we're constantly working on improvements. If, however, you decide that the product is no longer for you, then please do take advantage of Reader's subscription export feature. Regardless where you go, we want to make sure you can take your data with you.



Updates to Google Reader on the web are rolling out gradually and should reach all users by end of day. A new Android application will follow soon. If you have questions about today's announcements, please check out our Help Center.
URL: http://googlereader.blogspot.com/2011/10/new-in-reader-fresh-design-and-google.html

[G] Introducing Minimum CPM Recommendations on DoubleClick Ad Exchange

Posted: 02 Nov 2011 04:33 AM PDT

DoubleClick Publisher Blog: Introducing Minimum CPM Recommendations on DoubleClick Ad Exchange

With the growth of exchange-based buying and real-time bidding, media buyers are becoming increasingly sophisticated at optimizing their bids. In tandem, we've heard from our publisher partners that they would like to better manage their minimum CPM, sometimes called the reserve or floor price, which dictates the minimum price at which buyers can purchase their inventory.

But setting the best minimum price can be tricky. Setting it too high can price publishers out of transactions, while setting it too low can sometimes leave money on the table. Many publishers optimize their minimum CPM using a trial and error approach, which can be time consuming and potentially costly.

Today, we're happy to announce the launch of Minimum CPM Recommendations for DoubleClick Ad Exchange publishers. This feature automatically recommends an optimal minimum cpm for each eligible ad slot in the Ad Exchange auction. It also automatically generates a graph that provides better visibility into how different floor prices might affect a publisher's bottom line.


To deliver these recommendations, we created an algorithm that analyzes all historical transactions for each publisher's ad slots, also taking into account factors like traffic patterns, to better understand and predict supply and demand trends. As always, we are also careful to ensure that individual advertiser bids are not exposed and that the integrity of the Ad Exchange auction is protected. Initial results with early beta testers indicate an average 20% revenue lift for adopted recommendations.

Ad Exchange publishers can take advantage of these insights today directly from the My Ads tab. If you're not already using Ad Exchange, contact your publisher sales representative to learn more about all of the ways that DoubleClick Ad Exchange can help you profit on your terms.

Posted by Nemo Semret, Software Engineer
URL: http://doubleclickpublishers.blogspot.com/2011/11/introducing-minimum-cpm-recommendations.html

[G] Google eBooks opens a new chapter for Canadian readers

Posted: 02 Nov 2011 04:33 AM PDT

Inside Google Books: Google eBooks opens a new chapter for Canadian readers

Posted by Kihyun Jung, Google eBooks Product Manager

In the latest chapter of the roll-out of our eBookstore, we're pleased to announce that Google eBooks has just launched in Canada. Readers there can now access our vast online catalogue, including hundreds of thousands of titles for sale and more than two million free books in the public domain.

We're excited to announce partnerships with both major international and Canadian publishers, including Random House, McClelland & Stewart, Douglas & McIntyre, House of Anansi and Dundurn. As a result, it's easy to find popular best-selling and Canadian authors like Margaret Atwood and Ami McKay. What's more, we've also partnered with your favorite retailers, like Campus eBookstore and McNally Robinson, allowing you to purchase our Google eBooks from them as well.

The Google eBooks platform is designed to be open and in the cloud, meaning you can pick up your eBook wherever you last left off on virtually any device: PCs and netbooks; Android and Apple tablets and smartphones; and compatible eReaders, like the Kobo, Reader™ from Sony, and Barnes & Noble Nook™.

Since Google eBooks launched in 2010, it has enabled a rich ebooks ecosystem that includes application developers, publishers, device manufacturers, affiliates, and retailers. This gives consumers choice in what they buy, where they buy, and how they read.

So go forth and read: we've got a few pieces in our eBookstore from Thomas Chandler Haliburton, Canada's first best-selling author, for you to enjoy.

Google eBooks, Un nouveau chapitre pour les lecteurs canadiens

Publié par Kihyun Jung, Responsable Produit Google eBooks

Un nouveau chapitre s'ouvre concernant le lancement à l'international de notre eBookstore et nous sommes heureux d'annoncer que Google eBooks est maintenant disponible au Canada. Les lecteurs peuvent désormais accéder à notre vaste catalogue en ligne, comprenant des centaines de milliers de titres disponibles à la vente et plus de deux millions de livres libres de droit.

Nous sommes ravis d'annoncer que ce lancement se fait en collaboration avec les plus grands éditeurs internationaux et canadiens, dont Random House, McClelland & Stewart, Douglas & McIntyre, House of Anansi et Dundurn. Vous pourrez par conséquent trouver les livres des auteurs les plus connus et d'autres auteurs canadiens comme Margaret Atwood et Ami McKay. Nous avons également établi un partenariat avec vos librairies en ligne préférées, telles que Campus eBookstore et McNally Robinson, vous permettant d'acheter les livres électroniques de Google directement sur leur site Web.

La plateforme de Google eBooks est une plateforme ouverte et reposant sur le concept du Cloud, ce qui signifie une expérience de lecture de votre eBook ininterrompue sur pratiquement n'importe quel appareil: PC et netbooks, tablettes Android et Apple, smartphones, et eReaders compatibles, comme le Kobo, Reader™ de Sony, et Barnes & Noble Nook™.

Depuis le 1er lancement de Google eBooks en 2010, notre objectif est de créer un écosystème complet d'ebooks qui inclut les développeurs d'applications, éditeurs, fabricants d'appareils, sociétés affiliées, et les détaillants. Le tout pour donner un choix plus large aux consommateurs dans le type de publications qu'ils peuvent acheter, où ils peuvent acheter les livres et comment ils peuvent lire les livres achetés.

Soyez les premiers et découvrez: nos extraits disponibles dans notre eBookstore de Thomas Chandler Haliburton, le premier auteur à succès canadien.
URL: http://booksearch.blogspot.com/2011/11/google-ebooks-opens-new-chapter-for.html

[G] Music Tuesday: Buraka Som Sistema, Tribe Called Quest and more

Posted: 02 Nov 2011 04:33 AM PDT

YouTube Blog: Music Tuesday: Buraka Som Sistema, Tribe Called Quest and more

Did you get spooked? We had a grisly assemblage of videos for you over the Halloween weekend, including a murder ballads playlist from eMusic, BlankTV's Got Horror?! collection, a round-up of vampire-inspired music videos, and other creepy delights. Now that it's November, we turn our gaze in non-Halloween directions -- starting now!



Rocking With Buraka

Yes, we live in a globalized world. You know it when you hear a band like Buraka Som Sistema, whose roots are so spread out as to make them almost nation-less. They formed in Portugal, a mix of Angolan and Portuguese musicians, and released their major-label debut, Black Diamond, to critical praise (and sweaty dancefloors) back in 2008. Three years after that release dropped, they're back with Komba, a more polished but still profoundly mongrel album that looks to Brazil and many other countries for inspiration -- and they've been releasing characteristically excellent videos to go along with it. Today they take to the YouTube homepage to school us in the ways of dance music, international style.







Remember Tribe?

A Tribe Called Quest remains one of the greatest hip-hop acts of all time. The proof is in the songs -- and in the new documentary about them which you can watch in its entirety on YouTube today. Check out their amazing catalogue in our celebratory playlist, and get the story behind the songs with the Beats, Rhymes and Life documentary.







Sleep Over "Casual Diamond"

Have you heard this Austin trio yet? How they manage to be both insubstantial and scary is beyond us -- but they do it. This casually creepy video echoes the music, which has a kind of narcoleptic grace. You can hardly understand a word from the singer, whose gauzy voice seems to disappear into the ether while hovering noise scrabbles at the edges of the song, threatening to engulf it. And we don't know what's going on with the video. Yep, cool stuff.







Sarah Bardeen, Music Community Manager, recently watched "I saw Sunn O)))."


URL: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/youtube/PKJx/~3/7PY0u6pGbjw/music-tuesday-buraka-som-sistema-tribe.html

[G] Gmail’s new look

Posted: 02 Nov 2011 04:33 AM PDT

The Google Apps Blog: Gmail's new look

Posted by Jason Cornwell, User Experience Designer

Back in July we showed you a preview of Gmail's new look, and we've been working this summer to make even more updates and improvements. Today, we're giving you an in-depth look at the new design. If you like what you see, over the next few days you'll be able to switch to the new look by clicking on Switch to the new look in the bottom-right of Gmail.


Streamlined conversations
Conversation view has been completely redesigned to help you read through your email threads. You'll now see profiles pictures for your contacts, so it's easier to keep track of who said what. We also stripped out as much as possible so you can focus on communicating with your friends and colleagues.


Elastic density
We know that you use Gmail from a variety of screen sizes and devices, so now the spacing between elements on the screen will automatically change based on the kind of display you're using. If you prefer a denser view all the time, you can change your density manually in the Settings menu.


New HD themes
Themes have been completely rebuilt to enable us to bring you a new set of beautiful high resolution themes with imagery provided by iStockphoto. We've updated most of the old favorites as well and your theme will be automatically carried over to the new look. Go to the Settings menu to take another look at themes and choose the one that fits you best.


Smarter navigation
The navigation panel on the left keeps your labels and chat contacts in view at all times. It's also more customizable: you can resize the labels and chat areas if you want to see more, or hide the chat area entirely via the chat icon in the lower left. You can also use the arrow keys to navigate around the interface.


Better search
Click the dropdown in the search box to see a new advanced search panel, which makes it easier and faster to find exactly what you're looking for. You can use the same panel to create a filter from any search in just a few clicks.


We're excited to finally share Gmail's new look with you. We'll be bringing these changes to everyone soon, but if you'd like to make the switch right away, we're rolling out a Switch to the new look link in the bottom-right of Gmail over the next few days.

Update: The new look is now available to everyone. Refresh Gmail if you don't see the link to switch.
URL: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/GoogleAppsBlog/~3/rtRJkRFBzMU/gmails-new-look.html

[G] Take a walk in the park with Street View

Posted: 02 Nov 2011 04:33 AM PDT

Official Google Blog: Take a walk in the park with Street View

Whether you're planning a trip to a park around the block or around the world, you'll now find more parks showing up in Street View. Over the past year, the Street View team, equipped with the Street View trike, traveled to 22 different countries to photograph some of the world's most beautiful and unique parks. Starting today, you can explore the couple hundred new special collections we've added by visiting our gallery.

You can now tour High Line, which sits 30 feet in the air, over the bustling streets of New York City. The park sits on an elevated freight train spur that spans 1.5 miles and cuts through the western side of Manhattan. Because of Robert Hammond and Joshua David's efforts, visitors can experience an innovative park that would have otherwise been a demolished urban structure.



You can tour the park in Street View here:


Across the pond, you can visit Kensington Gardens in London. Once privately owned by Kensington Palace, the majestic arbor skyline and delicate flower beds draw locals and tourists alike. Kensington Gardens is also dotted with famous statues, such as Peter Pan, and home to the idyllic Serpentine Bridge.


Community parks are where we take our evening stroll, play sports on weekends and picnic with friends. Koganei Park in Tokyo, Japan is one such place, especially during the cherry blossom season—a charming park beloved by photographers, joggers and romantics.


You can see more Street View special collections in this gallery or get inspired to travel with this video.

Posted by Ryan Falor, Product Manager for Street View
URL: http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2011/11/take-walk-in-park-with-street-view.html

[G] Gmail’s new look

Posted: 02 Nov 2011 04:33 AM PDT

Official Google Blog: Gmail's new look

Back in July we showed you a preview of Gmail's new look, and we've been working this summer to make even more updates and improvements. Today, we're giving you an in-depth look at the new design. If you like what you see, over the next few days you'll be able to switch to the new look by clicking on Switch to the new look in the bottom-right of Gmail.


Streamlined conversations
Conversation view has been completely redesigned to help you read through your email threads. You'll now see profiles pictures for your contacts, so it's easier to keep track of who said what. We also stripped out as much as possible so you can focus on communicating with your friends and colleagues.


Elastic density
We know that you use Gmail from a variety of screen sizes and devices, so now the spacing between elements on the screen will automatically change based on the kind of display you're using. If you prefer a denser view all the time, you can change your density manually in the Settings menu.


New HD themes
Themes have been completely rebuilt to enable us to bring you a new set of beautiful high resolution themes with imagery provided by iStockphoto. We've updated most of the old favorites as well and your theme will be automatically carried over to the new look. Go to the Settings menu to take another look at themes and choose the one that fits you best.


Smarter navigation
The navigation panel on the left keeps your labels and chat contacts in view at all times. It's also more customizable: you can resize the labels and chat areas if you want to see more, or hide the chat area entirely via the chat icon in the lower left. You can also use the arrow keys to navigate around the interface.


Better search
Click the dropdown in the search box to see a new advanced search panel, which makes it easier and faster to find exactly what you're looking for. You can use the same panel to create a filter from any search in just a few clicks.


We're excited to finally share Gmail's new look with you. We'll be bringing these changes to everyone soon, but if you'd like to make the switch right away, we're rolling out a Switch to the new look link in the bottom-right of Gmail over the next few days.

Posted by Jason Cornwell, User Experience Designer

(Cross-posted from the Gmail Blog)
URL: http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2011/11/gmails-new-look.html

[G] Reminder: Google’s Think Mobile Webinar featuring Avinash Kaushik - November 2nd

Posted: 02 Nov 2011 04:33 AM PDT

Official Google CPG Blog: Reminder: Google's Think Mobile Webinar featuring Avinash Kaushik - November 2nd

Not sure how to most effectively leverage and measure your mobile marketing campaigns? Well, you're not alone. While mobile is an incredible new way to distribute content and reach customers on the go, it also presents a unique challenge when it comes to measuring the impact of our mobile efforts (like applications, advertisements or mobile-optimized websites).

We just wanted to remind you to tune in this week to Google's Think Mobile webinar, Mobile Advertising: Right Person, Right Time, Right Message - Finally!, led by Avinash Kaushik, Digital Marketing Evangelist. Avinash will share tips and best practices for mobile marketing campaigns, new metrics unique to mobile, and how best to measure mobile ads and websites.
  • When: Wednesday, November 2, 2011 9-10:30am PST/ 12-1:30pm EST
  • How: Register here
URL: http://google-cpg.blogspot.com/2011/11/reminder-googles-think-mobile-webinar.html

[G] Gmail’s new look

Posted: 02 Nov 2011 04:33 AM PDT

Official Gmail Blog: Gmail's new look

Posted by Jason Cornwell, User Experience Designer

Back in July we showed you a preview of Gmail's new look, and we've been working this summer to make even more updates and improvements. Today, we're giving you an in-depth look at the new design. If you like what you see, over the next few days you'll be able to switch to the new look by clicking on Switch to the new look in the bottom-right of Gmail.


Streamlined conversations
Conversation view has been completely redesigned to help you read through your email threads. You'll now see profiles pictures for your contacts, so it's easier to keep track of who said what. We also stripped out as much as possible so you can focus on communicating with your friends and colleagues.


Elastic density
We know that you use Gmail from a variety of screen sizes and devices, so now the spacing between elements on the screen will automatically change based on the kind of display you're using. If you prefer a denser view all the time, you can change your density manually in the Settings menu.


New HD themes
Themes have been completely rebuilt to enable us to bring you a new set of beautiful high resolution themes with imagery provided by iStockphoto. We've updated most of the old favorites as well and your theme will be automatically carried over to the new look. Go to the Settings menu to take another look at themes and choose the one that fits you best.


Smarter navigation
The navigation panel on the left keeps your labels and chat contacts in view at all times. It's also more customizable: you can resize the labels and chat areas if you want to see more, or hide the chat area entirely via the chat icon in the lower left. You can also use the arrow keys to navigate around the interface.


Better search
Click the dropdown in the search box to see a new advanced search panel, which makes it easier and faster to find exactly what you're looking for. You can use the same panel to create a filter from any search in just a few clicks.


We're excited to finally share Gmail's new look with you. We'll be bringing these changes to everyone soon, but if you'd like to make the switch right away, we're rolling out a Switch to the new look link in the bottom-right of Gmail over the next few days.

Update: The new look is now available to everyone. Refresh Gmail if you don't see the link to switch.
URL: http://gmailblog.blogspot.com/2011/11/gmails-new-look.html

[G] From the desert to the sea: Google Voice Search experiments

Posted: 02 Nov 2011 04:33 AM PDT

Official Google Mobile Blog: From the desert to the sea: Google Voice Search experiments

(Cross posted from the Google Australia Blog)

As an engineer I like to solve problems and I like to test stuff, the bigger the better. A couple of months ago I was intrigued by a challenge: Australians have the second highest smartphone penetration in the world (second only to Singapore) but we have one of the lowest usage rates of Google Voice Search. This had some of us scratching our heads, because Google Voice Search understands our Australian accents.

So we thought it would be fun to show Australians how well Google Voice Search works by conducting a series of experiments in remote Australian locations. I went to the middle of the South Australian desert with James, a fellow engineer. We found some of the hottest, reddest earth in the country to test a long distance voice search - 50 metres away from the phone! Here's our adventure:



Meanwhile, our fellow Google engineers Noel and Alice went up north to the beautiful Great Barrier Reef, to test Google Voice Search underwater.



Now that you've seen what Google Voice Search can do, we hope these experiments will inspire you to try it yourself in a more everyday setting, and with your broadest Aussie accent!

You can use Google Voice Search on Android phones by pressing the microphone button on the homescreen or downloading the app. You can also download the app for the iPhone here.

Posted by Mike Lawther, Software Engineer.
URL: http://googlemobile.blogspot.com/2011/10/from-desert-to-sea-google-voice-search.html

[G] Product Listing Ads rolling out to UK, German and French advertisers

Posted: 02 Nov 2011 04:33 AM PDT

Inside AdWords: Product Listing Ads rolling out to UK, German and French advertisers


Starting today, UK advertisers can start using Product Listing Ads. In the next few weeks, we'll be making them available to German and French advertisers as well. Product Listing Ads are an ad format that makes it easy for you to promote your entire product inventory while still providing potential customers with high-quality, relevant results. Since our previous US beta and launch, advertisers have listed hundreds of millions of products and we found that people are twice as likely to click on a Product Listing Ad as they are to click on a standard text ad in the same location.

Product Listing Ads, along with Product Extensions, are part of AdWords Product Ads. With Product Ads, users can see the exact products you offer before they even reach your site, which leads to more clicks, higher quality leads, and higher ROI for your search ads.




Like Product Extensions, which lets you add the pictures and prices of relevant products to your keyword-targeted text ads, Product Listing Ads make it easy to show the most relevant products from your Google Merchant Center account to potential customers searching on Google.com.

However, unlike Product Extensions, Product Listing Ads don't require any keywords or ad text. Product Listing Ads are automatically triggered whenever someone's search matches an item in your Merchant Center account, making it easy to show relevant ads for your entire product inventory.

To learn more about Product Ads and see how to get started with Product Extensions and Listings, you can visit our help center.

Posted by Andrew Truong, Product Marketing Manager, Product Ads
URL: http://adwords.blogspot.com/2011/11/product-listing-ads-rolling-out-to-uk.html

[G] Improved transparency and choice with ads on search and Gmail

Posted: 02 Nov 2011 04:33 AM PDT

Inside AdWords: Improved transparency and choice with ads on search and Gmail

Our AdWords engineers are constantly working to make ads more relevant and useful. We're also working to give users more transparency and choice with the ads that they see. These efforts help maintain user trust, which is fundamental to the effectiveness of AdWords.

New features for users
Starting today we're placing a "Why these ads?" link on Google search results and Gmail (known as Google Mail in some countries).


When a user clicks the link, it expands to explain details about why each ad was shown.


A user can also access the Ads Preferences Manager for search and Gmail.


Here, the user can choose to block ads from specific advertisers or opt out of personalized ads. Because we can show fewer, more relevant ads when users have opted-in to see personalized ads, we describe these benefits with text and video to help them make an informed choice.

Potential impact on advertisers
As an advertiser, you might wonder how these changes could impact your AdWords performance. When a user opts out of personalized ads on search and Gmail, your ads can still reach them but the targeting might be a bit less precise. If users block your ads, they won't see your ads in the future. The number of blocks you've accumulated does not directly affect calculations of your Quality Score and Ad Rank.

Users must be signed in to Google for their ads preferences to apply.

More details
You can learn more about the new Ads Preferences Manager for search and Gmail at the Web Search Help Center. You can also visit Good to Know, a new site for users on how to manage their data on Google and across the web.

Posted by Ginsu Yoon, Group Product Manager
URL: http://adwords.blogspot.com/2011/10/improved-transparency-and-choice-with.html

[G] Meet the family: TrueView video ads deliver on cost-per-view pricing model

Posted: 02 Nov 2011 04:33 AM PDT

Inside AdWords: Meet the family: TrueView video ads deliver on cost-per-view pricing model

If you use TrueView video ads or interested in video advertising, we invite you to check out the Agency blog where we just posted some news and recent stats on this new suite of cost-per-view video ads. To learn more about the TrueView family of ad formats, visit the website here.

Posted by Lauren Barbato, Inside AdWords crew
URL: http://adwords.blogspot.com/2011/10/youtubes-trueview-video-ads-deliver.html

[G] Location Targeting gets a makeover

Posted: 02 Nov 2011 04:33 AM PDT

Inside AdWords: Location Targeting gets a makeover


Today, many businesses are using location targeting in their online ad campaigns to reach the right customers and improve campaign performance. Online agency iProspect, for example, uses location targeting to focus on top performing geographic areas for their client Talbots. As a result, they were able to lower their cost-per-click (CPC) by 36 percent, driving higher quality leads at a lower cost.

To provide an even better experience for our advertisers, we've connected the location targeting feature within AdWords to Google Maps. This will allow us to provide more information about locations, make relevant location suggestions, and improve the level of accuracy of our location targeting. We think these changes will make location targeting an even more useful tool for improving your campaign results.

Today we're announcing the first of these changes: a makeover to the location targeting interface within AdWords. The new Location Targeting Tool will make it easier to discover and obtain more detail on potential target locations.

Easily discover locations

Let's say that you want to target your latest AdWords campaign to New York City. On your Campaign Settings tab, as you type "New York" into the search box in the location targeting section, you'll instantly see helpful search suggestions. The suggestions include (1) matches like the city of New York, (2) locations that enclose New York (such as the state of New York), and (3) related locations that may be near the location that you've entered, have a similar name, or enclose a location that has a similar name. You can then pick the options that make the most sense for your business and quickly make the appropriate selection.





(click for full-size image)


You can also view your locations via a map, which shows more detailed location outlines. The new tool also allows you to view the boundaries of multiple locations that you've selected simultaneously, so you can see how much area the city of New York (smaller area shaded in blue) covers in relation to the entire New York metro area (larger area shaded in gray). Once you choose a location, you can easily add, exclude, or view nearby locations by clicking the appropriate links.




More detail on locations

We now offer reach numbers to help you estimate the audience within your selected target. These reach numbers are based on the number of users seen on Google properties and may differ significantly from census numbers. Reach should be used only as general guidance to help you determine the relative number of users in a location target compared to other locations. For example, you can see from the screenshot below that targeting the Dallas metro area could result in three times the reach of the city of Dallas.

Additionally, we will use the 'Limited reach' label to indicate locations where we may not be able to associate users with a selected location based on their devices' Internet Protocol (IP) address. In these instances, we will primarily be using user intent data rather than device location data to target these locations.



When you target a radius (also known as proximity targeting), we'll show 'Locations within this target' so you know exactly which areas are covered by your radius. You can also choose to 'Add all' of the individual locations within your radius.


Additional Changes

Beyond the new features mentioned above, here are a few more changes to be aware of when planning your campaign.

Increased location targeting limits: We've increased the location target limits from 300 to 10,000 locations (plus 500 additional proximity targets) per campaign.

Polygon targeting migration: For existing polygon targets, you will see a 'feature removal planned' badge which will signify that we will continue to support this feature through the end of the year. We recommend using the Target a radius feature which now allows you to selectively add locations within your radius target.  You can also run a geographic performance report to get an idea of which locations received traffic within your custom shapes and target those individual locations.

We hope you enjoy the new Location Targeting Tool and explore ways to use geographic reports and location targeting to optimize your campaigns. As always, we welcome your feedback through the Contact Us link in AdWords and we encourage you to review our FAQs through the AdWords Help Center for more details.

Posted by Smita Hashim, Group Product Manager, Local Ads Quality
URL: http://adwords.blogspot.com/2011/10/location-targeting-gets-makeover.html

[G] Webinar: Holiday 2011 - Consumer Shopping Intentions

Posted: 02 Nov 2011 04:33 AM PDT

Official Google CPG Blog: Webinar: Holiday 2011 - Consumer Shopping Intentions

Have you marked your calendar with key shopping dates for 2011? Do you know how consumers plan to shop this holidays? Join us for our Think Holiday webinar and you'll find out the answers to these questions and much more. Register here for the Nov 3 session.
URL: http://google-cpg.blogspot.com/2011/10/webinar-holiday-2011-consumer-shopping.html
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