For once, Google looked to be a half-step (or more) behind. Yahoo’s testing a “social” new homepage, Microsoft’s rolling out a “social” Windows Live update, and from the search giant, nada on this front. Except, it seems, for Friend Connect, which just might launch soon.
Google Makes Improvements to Ad Manager
If you are not familiar with Google Ad Manager, it is a tool that lets web publishers organize their ad booking. It lets you use data from past campaigns to estimate how many impressions you need to sell to make your goals.
Google Maps Used To Mark Pirate Attacks
Google’s been known to track all sorts of stuff, including search trends, wildfires, and the flu. Now Google Maps and Google Earth are being used to record the locations of what might qualify as an even more interesting thing: pirate attacks.
Google’s Lively Receives A Death Sentence
So much for the idea of a second Second Life. Lively, launched by Google this July, has already been deemed something of a failure, and the search giant’s issued a notice that it will more or less kill the collection of virtual rooms at the end of December.
Google Wants Your Questions for D.C. Meeting
Google is hosting a three-part series of town hall meetings at the company’s Washington D.C. office, starting with one about economic growth and the technology infrastructure needed to "foster innovation." The meeting is aimed at helping set the technology policy agenda for the incoming Congress and Administration. Google says:
Google – P&G Swap Employees To Learn From Each Other
Sometimes you read something about a company or a business that simply gets it more than others. OK, so we know that in most cases Google does that. Sometimes they do it in ways that still amaze and make one say “Huh, that makes good sense.”
Follow Google’s Advice for Better AdSense Performance
Google has been providing tips for optimizing AdSense ads to enhance their performance. The company has provided a three-part video series on this subject, which it has just released the final installment for.
Google Getting Hung Up In Privacy Issues
Google has a significant presence in Europe with large offices in Dublin, Zurich, and London, and smaller centers in Denmark, Russia, and Poland. The giant search company has been well received up to this point, but is now being forced to fight privacy laws.
Google Takes LIFE Photo Archive Online
Google said today it is partnering with LIFE magazine to make more than 10 million images available online from the magazine’s photo archive.One of the most interesting things about the project is 97 percent of the photographs have never been seen by the public. The collection contains iconic images from the 20th century with works from LIFE photographers Alfred Eisenstaedt, Margaret Bourke-White, Gordon Parks, and W.Eugene Smith.
Google Launches New Version of SketchUp
Google has announced the release of SketchUp 7. SketchUp is software you can use to build 3D models for any number of project types, including Google Earth projects. In version 7, Google has added a whole slew of new features.