Google has taken a step toward opening a Google Glass app store/directory with today’s launch of a Glassware Review Process for developers. At the same time, the company has also announced the approval of five new apps for Glass Explorers. The Glassware Review Process will help developers get their apps added to “MyGlass,” the individualized, web-based control panel that every Glass Explorer uses to turn apps on and off, add contacts and do other management tasks. Until today, Google only gave its official blessing to less than a dozen big-name apps — like Facebook, Twitter, CNN and the New York Times, among others. Other apps are listed if the Glass wearer adds them, but they show up with a warning that Google hasn’t reviewed the software. Now, any Glass developer can submit apps for review and formal inclusion via the just-published Distributing Glassware guide. Google: This Is A Temporary Step Google confirmed for us today that this is a temporary … [Read more...] about Google Opens Glassware Review Process For Glass Developers (Adds 5 New Apps, Too)
Google opens
Ugly URLs Be Gone! Google+ Opens Vanity URLs For Certain Accounts
Limited Availablity, At First Google employee Saurabh Sharma announced the news on Google+, saying that vanity URLs will initially only be available on a limited basis: At first, we’re introducing custom URLs to a limited number of verified profiles and pages. But over time we plan to offer custom URLs to many more brands and individuals, so please stay tuned! Brands, Celebrities & The Oatmeal Some of those verified accounts that now have vanity URLs include Delta Airlines, Britney Spears, Hugh Jackman, Toyota and others. Matthew Inman, the artist behind The Oatmeal comic still doesn’t have a vanity URL of his own, despite his wish earlier this year. Inman, who’s well-followed on Google+, had joked: I still wish I could set up a fancy profile URL so I don’t have to link people tohttp://plus.google.com/blergasdf1234thimbleturdorgasm99meatpoopypoopxv9donkeypie when I want them to follow me. Last night, TechCrunch reported that the joke URL that Inman made up … [Read more...] about Ugly URLs Be Gone! Google+ Opens Vanity URLs For Certain Accounts
Google Opens Up Call Metrics, Plans Bid-For-Calls Marketplace
This morning Google is announcing that its Call Metrics call-tracking capability is going to be generally available to all US and Canadian AdWords advertisers. Call Metrics is not to be confused with mobile Click to Call ads, though Call Metrics is available to Click to Call mobile advertisers as well. Below is an example ad (ADT) using Call Metrics call tracking on the PC. Powered by Google Voice, AdWords advertisers simply check a box to assign either a toll-free or local tracking number to their campaigns. The inclusion of the phone number doesn’t impinge on the AdWords character count. This has been cited to me by a couple of SEMs as one of the benefits of using Call Metrics vs. third party call tracking. However other call tracking firms offer features not yet available in Google Call Metrics (e.g., Marchex, Telmetrics with call recording and transcription). In addition SEM platform Kenshoo already offers what it calls “call conversion optimization,” which tracks … [Read more...] about Google Opens Up Call Metrics, Plans Bid-For-Calls Marketplace
Google+ Opens To Everyone, Adds Search, Expands Hangouts
Beta Opens To Everyone Buried at the end of Google’s blog post is the news that the service, which until this point has been a invite-only “field trial” is now an open beta available to anyone: For the past 12 weeks we’ve been in field trial, and during that time we’ve listened and learned a great deal. We’re nowhere near done, but with the improvements we’ve made so far we’re ready to move from field trial to beta, and introduce our 100th feature: open signups. This way anyone can visit google.com/+, join the project and connect with the people they care about. Google+ Search Also out today (though I don’t yet see it) is a much requested ability to search through Google+ content: Just type what you’re looking for into the Google+ search box, and we’ll return relevant people and posts, as well as popular content from around the web. If you have it, you’ll see “Search Google+” in the search box like … [Read more...] about Google+ Opens To Everyone, Adds Search, Expands Hangouts
Google Opens Kimono (Slightly) On AdWords Screening Measures
Followers of news about Google AdWords know that problematic errors — instances in which ads that violate the company’s own advertising standards slip by — come up quite regularly. Most recently, Google, along with advertiser ProFlowers, was roundly and publicly criticized for AdWords that seemed to indicate that local florists were sold out in advance of Valentine’s Day — when they actually were not. Back in January, a BBC report indicated that Google had admitted to running, and collecting money from, illegal Olympics ticket sellers in the United Kingdom. The company also recently paid a $500 million fine to the U.S. Justice Department, after admitting to taking illegal pharmaceutical ads over several years. And the list of potentially problematic issues goes on and on: mortgage scams, illegal gambling ads, trademark issues (which differ from geography to geography), and even consumer advisory policies (from the Federal Trade Commission and similar … [Read more...] about Google Opens Kimono (Slightly) On AdWords Screening Measures
Google “Opens The Kimono” On How It Builds Maps
The Atlantic published an article about what Google calls “Ground Truth,” its allegedly top-secret map-development process. As the name implies, the idea is to create digital maps that more accurately reflect the ground truth of the real world vs competitors’ offerings. The trigger for the article is undoubtedly Google’s desire to expose the complexity, layers and (by implication) cost of the process of generating maps in the wake of its ouster from iOS 6 and increasing competition from Nokia/Navteq and OpenStreetMap. There are several things about the article and the revealed Google map-development process that are interesting. The first is that Google’s Street View process is likened to a webcrawler for the real world, along with the notion that it’s “indexing” the physical world just as Google indexes documents and pages online. The article quotes Google Maps’ Brian McClendon on the use of Street View and the … [Read more...] about Google “Opens The Kimono” On How It Builds Maps
Google opens the AMP fire hose
Google’s expansion of Accelerated Mobile Pages across mobile search results is underway, gradually turning the trickle of AMP traffic to a steady flow. The September start of the “blue links” rollout, along with announcements from some high-profile participants in the AMP Project, are advancing the open-source initiative on multiple fronts. Google’s AMP expansion Since Accelerated Mobile Pages first appeared in Google search results in February 2016, AMPs have been mostly concentrated in the Top Stories area of mobile search results: The current expansion, which was announced in August and started in mid-September, will surface AMPs throughout standard mobile search results, aka “blue links.” When the phased blue links rollout is complete, Google will always present the validated AMP version of a page to mobile users instead of the standard web link. At this stage, Google is only surfacing a portion of available AMPs; a September 25 query returned a … [Read more...] about Google opens the AMP fire hose
What Google’s experimental content podium means for SEO
Google has been testing a new content platform called “Posts with Google,” and it could have a huge impact on brand searches, for both paid and organic. We all know that Google has had its struggles with trying to develop its own social network; Google Buzz is dead, and Google Plus seems to be on its way out. This new platform seems to have some social elements to it, though it is very different from a social network. On the official site for this platform, Google states the following: Every day millions of people search on Google, many of whom are looking for information about prominent individuals and organizations. Now we’re experimenting with a new way for users to hear directly from select entities they’re searching for on Google. Verified individuals and organizations can now communicate with text, images and videos directly on Google. Creating content is fast and simple, and once published, posts will appear instantly in search results related to the … [Read more...] about What Google’s experimental content podium means for SEO
Google Patents Context Vectors to Improve Search
One of the limitations of information on the Web is that it is organized differently at each site on the Web. As a newly granted Google patent notes, there is no official catalog of information available on the internet, and each site has its own organizational system. Search engines exist to index information, but they have issues, as described in this new patent that make finding information challenging. Limitations on Conventional Keyword-Based Search Engines The patent granted to Google, in September of 2016, discusses a way to organize information on the Web in a manner which can help to better organize and index that information, using context vectors to better understand how words are being used. The patent describes limitations of search engines that are based upon indexing content using keywords, such as: A search engine working with Conventional keyword searching will return all instances of the keyword being searched for, regardless of how that word is used on a site. This … [Read more...] about Google Patents Context Vectors to Improve Search
Google Bad On Privacy? Maybe It’s Privacy International’s Report That Sucks
It’s a bad privacy day for Google, with Privacy International first accusing the company of having the worst privacy performance of any internet service company in a study it has just released and then accusing Google of conducting a smear campaign against it. But if you actually read the report, Privacy International itself comes off bad for putting out a haphazard condemnation of Google. Let’s do the smear campaign accusation first. An Open Letter to Google from the group says that Google is talking to journalists and implying that Privacy International favors Microsoft: Two European journalists have independently told us that Google representatives have contacted them with the claim that “Privacy International has a conflict of interest regarding Microsoft”. I presume this was motivated because Microsoft scored an overall better result than Google in the rankings…. According to our sources, your representative or representatives made particular … [Read more...] about Google Bad On Privacy? Maybe It’s Privacy International’s Report That Sucks