Welcome to the Google Government. As the new administration continues to get settled in, more and more software from Mountain View is coming into play, with Google Moderator, App Engine, and YouTube all getting a turn in the spotlight this week.
Google AdWords Gets a New Payment Option
Google has introduced a new feature for AdWords called "Make a Payment," which allows users to initiate a credit card payment for any amount they want, when it’s convenient for them. The feature allows for overpaying to cover future costs as well.
Students Invited To Google Summer Of Code
It’s no secret that the job market is less than robust right now, and things look especially grim for people who don’t have their feet wedged in some doors. Fortunately, Google Summer of Code 2009 is swooping in to give students all sorts of great opportunities.
Twitter Measured Against Google, Facebook Yardsticks
Twitter turned three years old this weekend, and to hear some people tell it, the service is on a path that’ll have it taking over the world in no time. But comparisons to a sort of kinder, less articulate Stewie Griffin may be a little premature, since it turns out Twitter hasn’t measured up to two other companies.
Facebook Can Drive More Traffic Than Google
I recently discussed Twitter as a great source of traffic to sites, but the even more popular Facebook can do and is doing the same thing. In fact, reports have Facebook driving even more traffic than Google to some big-name sites.
Does Google Need Twitter to Avoid Being the Next eBay?
Many eBay users will be very quick to point out that they feel eBay has lost its luster (to put it mildly). Some think Google could find itself on a similar path.
BusinessWeek is running an article basically warning Google to avoid such a fate. I think Google has a long way to go before it has to worry about getting to an eBay-type status, but the author makes some valid points.
Google Checkout Now Works for Subscriptions
Google Checkout is now offering a way for users to sell subscriptions. This is a feature that has apparently been requested quite heavily.
"Merchants will now have the ability to sell products and services that require recurring billing using our API," explains Software Engineer Andrew Cunningham. "So if you’re already comfortable building your own carts using Checkout, you’re ready to implement Subscriptions by consulting the documentation."
Google Offers New Coupon Templates for AdWords
Online coupons are incredibly popular these days. In fact, just recently, Nielsen released some data showing that not only are more people going to coupon sites, but the average amount of time spent there has increased.
IE and Google Chrome Browsers Get Upgraded
In the past two days both Google and Microsoft have announced either changes or a new releases for their browser. Both are obviously touting improvements with speed being the main focus of Google and features being that of Microsoft.
Is Brand the Key to Ranking on Google?
A recent SEOBook article highlights a good deal of evidence that Google is placing more emphasis on brands than ever before. Author Aaron Wall takes an in depth look at how Google’s algorithm has evolved over his own SEO career, and points out some hints Google has provided in the media as to where its headed before answering a few questions from me for this article.