Saturday, December 17, 2011

Googland

Googland

[G] Ho-ho-hold the phone: Santa’s on the line

Posted: 16 Dec 2011 08:03 PM PST

Official Google Blog: Ho-ho-hold the phone: Santa's on the line

Last year, Santa got his very own Google Voice number, and people around the U.S. received a special personalized holiday phone call from Santa Claus.

This year, Santa wants you to reach out to him (after all, reindeer are only so-so conversationalists). If you or your family members have a special request for Santa, you can call him right from Gmail* and leave him a message at his Google Voice number: 855-34-SANTA. Santa won't be able to return messages himself—it's a busy time of year for him—but he's promised to keep us up to date on happenings in the North Pole day by day.

You also can create and send a unique, customized phone call from Santa to anyone you know, from your nieces and nephews to old college friends, over the phone (to U.S. numbers only). Listen to a sample phone call, and send a message of your own from SendaCallFromSanta.com.

Of course, Santa is never one to fall behind the technological times (word on the street is that Rudolph's nose was recently upgraded to an energy-efficient LED). So while the red suit may never go out of style, this year Santa has come up with an extra special way to spread the holiday cheer. But you'll have to wait until it's closer to Christmas to find out what it is. So no peeking—but keep checking the site!

Happy Holidays from your friends at Gmail.

*Calls from Gmail are free for U.S. and Canadian users, but will cost people outside those areas $.01/minute (plus any applicable VATs).

Posted by Trevor Claiborne, Product Marketing Manager
URL: http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2011/12/ho-ho-hold-phone-santas-on-line.html

[G] Google Apps highlights – 12/16/2011

Posted: 16 Dec 2011 08:03 PM PST

Official Google Blog: Google Apps highlights – 12/16/2011

This is part of a regular series of Google Apps updates that we post every couple of weeks. Look for the label "Google Apps highlights" and subscribe to the series. - Ed.

The elves got an early jump on the holidays this year by leaving us some surprises in Google Apps over the last few weeks. Sharing from Gmail got a whole lot easier, and Google Calendar can make better use of precious screen space. We also have 10 new Google Apps customer stories to share from the tens of thousands that have gone Google in recent weeks.

Gmail gets more social
Last week we sprinkled a touch of Google+ into Gmail, making it easier to connect and share with people from your inbox. You can add people to circles right from an email thread through Gmail's people widget, share photo attachments with friends and family on Google+ without leaving Gmail, and view a filtered version of your inbox only showing messages from people in your circles. We also improved Gmail's address book by incorporating contact information shared by your friends, family and colleagues in their Google+ profiles.


New features in the Gmail iOS app
Just yesterday we added several new improvements to the Gmail app for iOS 4+. Now you can set up a custom email signature for mobile messages, manage your vacation responder, and view nested labels from your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch. We also added scribbles, a fun way to spice up messages by adding a quick hand-drawn sketch. You can create scribbles using a range of colors, brush sizes, lines, erasers and spray paints from your touchscreen device.


More free calls right from Gmail
Last year we introduced free domestic calling in Gmail within the U.S. and Canada, and we're extending this free service for the whole year of 2012. We're happy to help you keep in touch with those special people in your life, for free.

Hide morning and night hours in Calendar
If you don't often have appointments early in the morning or late at night, a new trick in Google Calendar might be useful. Now you can hide morning and night hours, leaving more screen real estate for the times of day when most of your events take place. Give it a try in Calendar Labs.


Who's gone Google?
Businesses and schools are switching to Google Apps in droves these days. From tiny startups to large enterprises and nonprofits to college campuses, we love hearing the inspiring stories that our customers share. Here's a new batch of stories for your reading pleasure: TripIt, IPSEN, Ebby Halliday, Ticket River, VigLink, HeyZap, The Great Books Foundation, Utah K-12 schools, the U.S. Coast Guard Academy and UC Santa Cruz. Welcome one and all!

For more details and the latest news, check out the Google Apps Blog, and keep an eye out for this series here after the holidays. We launched more than 150 improvements to Google Apps in 2011, and we have a ton more in store for 2012!

Posted by Jeremy Milo, Google Apps Marketing Manager
URL: http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2011/12/google-apps-highlights-12162011.html

[G] Ho-ho-hold the phone: Santa’s on the line

Posted: 16 Dec 2011 08:03 PM PST

The Google Apps Blog: Ho-ho-hold the phone: Santa's on the line

Posted by Trevor Claiborne, Product Marketing Manager

Last year, Santa got his very own Google Voice number, and people around the U.S. received a special personalized holiday phone call from Santa Claus.

This year, Santa wants you to reach out to him (after all, reindeer are only so-so conversationalists). If you or your family members have a special request for Santa, you can call him right from Gmail* and leave him a message at his Google Voice number: 855-34-SANTA. Santa won't be able to return messages himself—it's a busy time of year for him—but he's promised to keep us up to date on happenings in the North Pole day by day.

You also can create and send a unique, customized phone call from Santa to anyone you know, from your nieces and nephews to old college friends, over the phone (to U.S. numbers only). Listen to a sample phone call, and send a message of your own from SendaCallFromSanta.com.

Of course, Santa is never one to fall behind the technological times (word on the street is that Rudolph's nose was recently upgraded to an energy-efficient LED). So while the red suit may never go out of style, this year Santa has come up with an extra special way to spread the holiday cheer. But you'll have to wait until it's closer to Christmas to find out what it is. So no peeking—but keep checking the site!

Happy Holidays from your friends at Gmail.

*Calls from Gmail are free for U.S. and Canadian users, but will cost people outside those areas $.01/minute (plus any applicable VATs).

Cross-posted on the Official Google Blog
URL: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/GoogleAppsBlog/~3/KyrIWXKeIdo/ho-ho-hold-phone-santas-on-line.html

[G] Ho-ho-hold the phone: Santa’s on the line

Posted: 16 Dec 2011 08:03 PM PST

Official Gmail Blog: Ho-ho-hold the phone: Santa's on the line

Posted by Trevor Claiborne, Product Marketing Manager

Last year, Santa got his very own Google Voice number, and people around the U.S. received a special personalized holiday phone call from Santa Claus.

This year, Santa wants you to reach out to him (after all, reindeer are only so-so conversationalists). If you or your family members have a special request for Santa, you can call him right from Gmail* and leave him a message at his Google Voice number: 855-34-SANTA. Santa won't be able to return messages himself—it's a busy time of year for him—but he's promised to keep us up to date on happenings in the North Pole day by day.

You also can create and send a unique, customized phone call from Santa to anyone you know, from your nieces and nephews to old college friends, over the phone (to U.S. numbers only). Listen to a sample phone call, and send a message of your own from SendaCallFromSanta.com.

Of course, Santa is never one to fall behind the technological times (word on the street is that Rudolph's nose was recently upgraded to an energy-efficient LED). So while the red suit may never go out of style, this year Santa has come up with an extra special way to spread the holiday cheer. But you'll have to wait until it's closer to Christmas to find out what it is. So no peeking—but keep checking the site!

Happy Holidays from your friends at Gmail.

*Calls from Gmail are free for U.S. and Canadian users, but will cost people outside those areas $.01/minute (plus any applicable VATs).

Cross-posted on the Official Google Blog
URL: http://gmailblog.blogspot.com/2011/12/ho-ho-hold-phone-santas-on-line.html

[G] Searching closer to home

Posted: 16 Dec 2011 08:03 PM PST

Official Google Blog: Searching closer to home

Yesterday, my colleague, Amit Singhal, posted about the global trends revealed in our 2011 year-end Zeitgeist. In addition to looking broadly at topics from more than 40 countries around the world, the site included the most popular local terms from more than 30 major cities in the United States. Looking at these lists, I was surprised to see that, from city to city, almost all the terms across all the lists were related to local news, education, civic services or entertainment and activities. I wanted to take a minute to take a deeper dive into these specific local trends that you won't see published in Zeitgeist.

In nearly every single U.S. city we looked at, the top ten local terms showed that people were using Google to find local news stations and learn more about educational organizations. Searches for school districts, universities and local libraries made the list in ten states, from the Hennepin County Library in Minneapolis, MN to the Chicago Public Library in Illinois. Pittsburgh, PA was the most media-hungry city in Zeitgeist this year, with all of their top 5 terms related to local news stations, while in New York City and Houston, TX, no news sources made the top ten lists.

The data also showed some interesting regional differences within single states as well. Orlando, FL was a leading city in terms of education, with related terms making up 40% of the list. But in Miami, less than 250 miles away, no education-related terms made the list. While local TV station WRAL came in at the top of the list in Raleigh, NC, people three hours away in Charlotte bumped the station to their #3 spot, behind the local Charlotte Observer, which came in at #1.

People in many U.S. cities were also using Google to connect with civic services, from the Maricopa County Assessor in Phoenix, AZ to the Cuyahoga County Auditor in Columbus, OH. We also saw many terms related to public transit and traffic, which was of particular interest to residents of Los Angeles, who put SigAlert, the California Highway Patrol's traffic report site, as the #1 most popular local term. The city most concerned with getting out and about, though, was New York, where the top four search terms were all related to transportation, be it by subway, train or car.

With national unemployment in the United States above 9% for most of the year, there was a strong interest in unemployment and finding jobs locally. The term unemployment came up on lists in Kansas City, Philadelphia and Portland, OR, and in total more than ten of the 31 cities we looked at had a term related to unemployment or job-seeking on their list. In Detroit, MI and Houston, TX, the only two cities where two unemployment-related terms made the top ten, Google searchers were also taking initiative, looking at job posting sites like the Michigan Talent Bank or classifieds like Greensheets to try and find their next job online.

The local lists didn't just reflect hard times. Nearly every city had a mall, fair, amusement park, sports team or other fun activity or destination in the top ten (the only holdout was Washington D.C.). Indianapolis, IN and Phoenix both had their respective lotteries in the number three spot—looks like lots of people there were feeling lucky! Across the country, Americans also looked for ways to relax, from restaurant week in Boston to the Lenox mall in Atlanta and Summerfest in Madison, WI.

The searches people make are a fantastic pulse on what is happening around the world and close to home. We pay attention to what you're looking for so we can come up with new and better ways to help you find it, no matter where you're searching from.

Posted by Johanna Wright, Director of Product Management
URL: http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2011/12/searching-closer-to-home.html

[G] Dabble in Doodle history on our new site

Posted: 16 Dec 2011 08:03 PM PST

Official Google Blog: Dabble in Doodle history on our new site

Have you ever seen a doodle you loved, but when you went to see it again it was gone? Ever curious about what doodles in Italy look like, or how your favorite holiday has been celebrated each year? Or wanted to get a behind-the-scenes scoop on the recent Les Paul doodle, and maybe share it with your friends on Google+? If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, then take a look at our revamped Doodle site.


Since our very first one in 1998, doodles have been our way to share with you the things we love or are excited about. In the past few years we've started to create doodles that people can not only look at but also play with. Our first interactive one featured a clickable slideshow of Halloween candy in 2009 and since then we've invited people to insert a coin to play an arcade classic, watch a film, and even compose an epic guitar solo, all on the Google homepage.

We've always thought it was a little sad that doodles are only available on the homepage for a day. Since we're firm believers in having too much of a good thing, we set up a gallery of all our previous doodles a while ago. Now on the new site, you can browse, watch or play with over 1000 doodles. Enjoy front-row tickets to a Martha Graham dance, send the first man to space or learn more about why one doodler decided to "cartoonize" Mary Blair.

You can even start wearing doodles, or hanging them on your wall, since the new site includes a link to our new Doodle store featuring all kinds of doodle swag. Happy doodlin'!

Posted by Ying Wang, Director of Product Management
URL: http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2011/12/dabble-in-doodle-history-on-our-new.html

[G] Updating the Analytics IQ Course and Exam

Posted: 16 Dec 2011 08:03 PM PST

Google Analytics Blog: Updating the Analytics IQ Course and Exam




Today, we updated the Google Analytics IQ course, available at google.com/analytics/iq, to reflect the new version of Google Analytics. An updated exam will appear during the first week of January. If you're already in the middle of studying and plan to take the exam in December, you may wish to continue using the old version of the course, which will remain available at ConversionUniversity.com for one more week. After that, ConversionUniversity.com will host the new course.

So, what's been updated? If you've been practicing with the old version of Google Analytics, you'll find that most of the knowledge you've acquired will be valid and useful for the new exam. But, it's a good idea to familiarize yourself with the new version and start using it.

Specifically, you should

  • understand accounts, web properties, and profiles in the new Google Analytics,
  • know the goal types and when to use each type,
  • understand the concepts of "metric" and "dimension",
  • be aware of new Google Analytics capabilities and reports. (Try reviewing recent posts on this blog to make sure you're up to speed.)

We hope you enjoy the updated online course and best of luck on the exam!

Posted by Alden DeSoto, Google Analytics Team



URL: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/tRaA/~3/UBGp0cwelzE/updating-analytics-iq-course-and-exam.html

[G] Updates to the Gmail app for iOS

Posted: 16 Dec 2011 06:54 AM PST

The Google Apps Blog: Updates to the Gmail app for iOS

Posted by Ingrid Fielker, Software Engineer

When we launched the Gmail app for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, we said we were just getting started and would continue to release updates regularly. Today we updated the app with some new features and interface improvements.

We've added the ability to set a custom signature for your mobile messages and a vacation responder, both available through the gear icon at the top of the menu view. We've also improved labels with support for nested labels:


Additionally, if you are using iOS 5, we've changed the notification sound so that it's easier to distinguish when you've received an email.

We've also got another fun feature to make your language even more colorful (in a good way!). In the Gmail app and Gmail for mobile you can now open up a canvas and scribble a message that will be attached to your email. It's perfect for sending a quick sketch that is hard to express in words or adding a fun graphic to make your email more personal.

Scribbles support different colors, brush sizes, lines, erasers and spray paint. This example was created in the Gmail app on an iPad:


Behind the scenes, we're continuing to work on highly requested features like banner notifications, multiple login support and the ability to send-as from any account already configured in Gmail. We want to make sure these are done right as we continue to improve the Gmail app.

The update is available in the App Store and works on all devices running iOS 4+.
URL: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/GoogleAppsBlog/~3/xQtKslI511w/updates-to-gmail-app-for-ios.html

[G] Imagery Update: Week of December 12th

Posted: 16 Dec 2011 06:54 AM PST

Google LatLong: Imagery Update: Week of December 12th


The Google Earth and Maps Imagery Team has done it again, delivering another collection of updated aerial and satellite imagery from around the globe, just in time for the holidays. Below we'll show several new high-resolution aerial imagery examples of important locations and landmarks of where large groups of people congregate.



Our first example is known the world over and houses one of the most impressive art collections ever assembled: the Louvre in Paris, France. The right half of the aerial image below shows the entire museum grounds, and the left center section is the garden and palace of past cardinals and kings, the Jardin du Palais Royal.



The Louve and Jardin du Palais Royal, Paris, France 


The next example is an aerial shot of the grounds of the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York. The lower right section shows part of the campus grounds and athletic fields, and the upper left shows Mitchie Stadium, home of the Black Knights football team. Army played the Navy Midshipmen for the 112th time this past week, narrowly losing to Navy in one of the more exciting meetings in their storied rivalry.



United States Military Academy, West Point, New York


The image below is an aerial shot of the Empire Polo Club in Indio California, site of the annual Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. It looks empty now, but this past year's festival drew over 75,000 attendees on each day, and a total of 190 musical acts. Rock on!



The Polo Grounds, Indio, California


Speaking of rock concerts, the unassuming black-roofed building at the center of the aerial image below is home to the 40 Watt Club venue that helped launch the American punk and New-Wave music genres. It's the place where the band R.E.M launched their career.





Home of the 40 Watt Club, Athens, Georgia


If you'd like to receive an email notification when the Google 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: Athens, GA; College Station, TX; Palm Springs, CA; Pine Bluff, AR; Meridian, MS; Poughkeepsie, NY; Rockdale, TX; Rutland, VT; St George, UT; Seguin, TX; Seminole, TX; Sonora, TX; Stockton, CA; Waco, TX



Spain: Catalonia, Zamora



France: Paris



Countries/regions receiving high resolution satellite updates:

Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Belarus, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Côte d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Finland, France, French Polynesia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Greenland, Guatemala, Guinea, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Lesotho, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Marshall Islands, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, New Zealand, Niger, Nigeria, North Korea, Oman, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Slovakia, Somalia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Svalbard, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Vietnam, 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/2011/12/imagery-update-week-of-december-12th.html

[G] Google - Where We've Been and What's Next

Posted: 16 Dec 2011 06:54 AM PST

Official Google CPG Blog: Google - Where We've Been and What's Next

Here's the story of Google from its inception to present day. From our humble beginnings, we've always tried to put the user first and we will continue to do so in 2012.

URL: http://google-cpg.blogspot.com/2011/12/google-where-weve-been-and-whats-next.html

[G] A new agency council for a new kind of shopper: introducing The Google Shopper Marketing Agency Council

Posted: 16 Dec 2011 06:54 AM PST

Official Google CPG Blog: A new agency council for a new kind of shopper: introducing The Google Shopper Marketing Agency Council

Guest post by Stephanie Redish Hofmann, Head of Agency IPG, Google

As festive shoppers deck the halls earlier each year, putting their bargain detective hats on in search of products that provide the best value for each dollar spent, marketers have had to change the way they think about reaching these savvy shoppers. Because while a shopper's first interaction with a product, the First Moment of Truth (FMOT), used to occur when that person saw a product on the store shelf for the first time, the advent of the Zero Moment of Truth (ZMOT) -- the online moment at which a person first develops an opinion about a brand, prior to encountering it in the physical world -- is changing the way marketers think about the digital path-to-purchase.

In turn, the Shopper Marketing Agencies (SMAs) that work closely with marketers to capture mind and market share during each holiday shopping season and beyond have been working hard -- using rich data and deep understanding and insights -- to help companies evolve their digital marketing strategies to 'win' this newly defined and important moment in time. They are a vital part of a vital marketing transformation, which has changed the game for modern marketers.

We've always valued our relationship with these SMAs -- but it occurred to us, as this uber-busy season approached, that it would benefit consumers, advertisers and SMAs alike to work even more closely together, delving deeply into understanding the ZMOT model as applied to shopper marketing and digital brand activation along the path to purchase.

To do this, we formed The Google Shopper Marketing Agency Council. This group is comprised of leading SMAs, including Arc WW, DraftFCB, Integer, Mars, Momentum, RPM Connect, Saatchi & Saatchi X, Shopper Sciences, ShopWork, The Marketing Arm, Triad Media, TracyLocke, and Upshot -- and its goal is to advance understanding of how online and offline behavior drives purchase consideration and decision-making, and to overcome the challenges related to communicating this transformation.

We're looking for this group of marketing innovators to help guide the way Google engages and partners with SMAs and the industry in general, and are sure it will help us better support SMAs in search of the best way to help their clients' brands win the ZMOT. Stay tuned for news and updates!
URL: http://google-cpg.blogspot.com/2011/12/new-agency-council-for-new-kind-of.html

[G] ZMOT - Top 10 Book!

Posted: 16 Dec 2011 06:54 AM PST

Official Google CPG Blog: ZMOT - Top 10 Book!

Congratulations to Jim Lecinski and the ZMOT book team for being honored as one of Ad Age's top 10 marketing books of 2011. You can read the full article here.
URL: http://google-cpg.blogspot.com/2011/12/zmot-top-10-book.html
Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)