Bigmouthmedia Search Engine News: /multilingual-seo/

Google pays users to give up their privacy

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 00:36:00 GMT

Google will pay you to give up your online privacy.

In a new project called Screenwise, Google is offering to pay users up to $25 (£15) to share their search history.

People who sign up to be Screenwise panellists will receive a $5 (£3) Amazon voucher for installing the Google Screenwise browser extension. Participants will then earn an additional $5 (£3) for every three months of participation up to one year.

Though, the fine print on the Screenwise landing page states that gift amounts for participating longer than a year will be reviewed.

The search giant hasn't been overly specific about the details that members of the panel will share, but did state: "As a panellist, you'll add a browser extension that will share with Google the sites you visit and how you use them."

The company also said of its goals, "What we learn from you, and others like you, will help us improve Google products and services and make a better online experience for everyone.

In an official statement about the programme, a Google spokesperson stated: "Like many other web and media companies, we do panel research to help better serve our users by learning more about people's media use, on the web and elsewhere.

"This panel is one such small project that started near the beginning of the year. Of course, this is completely optional to join.

"People can choose to participate if it's of interest (or if the gift appeals) and everyone who does participate has complete transparency and control over what Internet use is being included in the panel. People can stay on the panel as long as they'd like, or leave at any time."

For those interested in joining the Screenwise panel, they must be 13 years or older, have a Google Account (or sign up for one) and be willing to use the Google Chrome browser.

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Twitter hushing tweets country-by-country

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 06:25:00 GMT

Twitter tells the little blue bird to hush - but only in certain countries.

In a sharp policy turnaround, Twitter has announced that it will now exercise the ability to withhold tweets depending on the rules and laws of specific countries.

Previously, the social network had held firm to a stance of refusing to censor tweets that may contravene a country's laws. However, until recently, the only way in which Twitter could block a tweet was to delete it across the service globally.

In an official blog post yesterday, Twitter stated: "As we continue to grow internationally, we will enter countries that have different ideas about the contours of freedom of expression. Some differ so much from our ideas that we will not be able to exist there. Others are similar but, for historical or cultural reasons, restrict certain types of content, such as France or Germany, which ban pro-Nazi content.

"Until now, the only way we could take account of those countries' limits was to remove content globally. Starting today, we give ourselves the ability to reactively withhold content from users in a specific country - while keeping it available in the rest of the world. We have also built in a way to communicate transparently to users when content is withheld, and why."

Twitter has become a powerful tool, helping to spur social change across the world. It has been credited for bringing people together during the "Arab Spring" and helping to coordinate the worldwide Occupy movement - although the service has also been blamed for playing a key part in the London riots.

As such, Twitter has begun to receive considerable backlash as a result of its announcement, with critics fearing that tyrannical governments will try to use the new censorship capabilities as a way of cracking down on their citizens.

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The growing Android challenge to iPad supremacy

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 06:13:00 GMT

The latest figures compiled by industry analysts show that the Apple iPad's market dominance continues for the moment - but that's set to be challenged by the growing popularity of Android-based tablets.

Strategy Analytics say that Apple sold twice as many in the last quarter of 2011 as it did in the same period in 2010.

"Global tablet shipments reached an all-time high of 26.8 million units in Q4 2011, surging 150 per cent from 10.7 million in Q4 2010. Demand for tablets among consumer, business and education users remains strong. Apple shipped a robust 15.4 million iPads worldwide and maintained its strong market leadership with 58 per cent share during the fourth quarter of 2011" said Peter King, Director of Strategy Analytics, in a company press release.

However, Androids appear to be on the march, with their share of the global market reaching 39 per cent. A variety of companies are using Google's OS as the basis for their products, such as the Amazon Kindle Fire and Acer's Iconia Tab. Although not a perfect solution, utilising an 'off-the-peg' OS, such as Android, allows companies to reduce development time.

"Dozens of Android models distributed across multiple countries by numerous brands such as Amazon, Samsung, Asus and others have been driving volumes," added Neil Mawston, Executive Director at Strategy Analytics.

"Android is so far proving relatively popular with tablet manufacturers despite nagging concerns about fragmentation of Android's operating system, user-interface and app store ecosystem."

According to the report, the combined sales of the Windows 7 tablet and the BlackBerry PlayBook accounted for fewer than one million units.

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Google launches Public Alerts

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 05:49:00 GMT

Maps just got smarter, as Mountain View announced the launch of Google Public Alerts.

Google Maps users will now be able to see relevant 'Public Alerts' when using the popular tool, getting warning of weather, public safety and earthquake alerts.

"Today marks the launch of a new Google Crisis Response project: Google Public Alerts, a platform designed to bring you relevant emergency alerts when and where you're searching for them," Public alerts engineer Steve Hakusa wrote on the Google blog.

The tool is designed to alert users to things that might be happening in their area - tornado warnings, for example - and provide information about where and when the disaster might occur, as well as how severe the storm is expected to be and where resources can be found to help.

"The Google Crisis Response team works on providing critical emergency information during crises. Our goal is to surface emergency information through the online tools you use everyday, when that information is relevant and useful," Hakusa said.

Users can search directly on Google maps for specific warnings in their area, or alternatively, can go directly to the Public Alerts Page, where users can find a list of current emergency warnings from around the world. Warnings are displayed as hotspots which users can hover over or click to view more information.

"We're learning as we go and we're working hard to continuously improve the range and relevance of the content you see," Hakusa said of the newly-launched service.

"We hope Google Public Alerts provides you with information to make better decisions in times of crisis."

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Google merges privacy settings

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 05:25:00 GMT

Google has announced changes to its privacy policies that from 1 March will move users to one single, consolidated policy.

"Despite trimming our policies in 2010, we still have more than 70 privacy documents covering all of our different products," Director of Privacy, Product and Engineering Alma Whitten wrote on the Google blog.

"This approach is somewhat complicated. It's also at odds with our efforts to integrate our different products more closely so that we can create a beautifully simple, intuitive user experience across Google."

Most of Google's products and services will be included in the new privacy policy - Google Books, Google Wallet and Google Chrome will all retain their own policies.

As a result, the new policy grants Google explicit rights to combine users' personal information across the majority of Google's products and services.

"Our new privacy policy makes it clear that, if you're signed in, we may combine information you've provided from one service with information from other services. In short, we'll treat you as a single user across all products," Whitten wrote.

For users, the new privacy policy means that when signed in, user data will be shared between services - for example, between Gmail, YouTube, Google+ and Google Maps - resulting in more refined search results and relevant ads.

"We can provide reminders that you're going to be late for a meeting based on your location, your calendar and an understanding of what the traffic is like that day," Whitten said.

Google took a big step towards more integrated user data with the Search plus Your World update, with the new privacy policy changes moving even further toward a more personal, integrated user experience.

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Social networks Focus on the User

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 04:48:00 GMT

Fed up with being ignored by Google, engineers from Facebook, Twitter and MySpace have joined forces to create a new tool that gleans search results from social networks other than Google+.

'Focus on the User' uses Google's algorithms to "determine what social content should appear in the areas where Google+ results are currently hardcoded."

By using the tool, users can see search results from Facebook, Twitter and MySpace, along with LinkedIn, Tumblr, Flickr, Foursquare, Crunchbase, FriendFeed and several other social networking sites across the web. Instead of automatically being met with Google+ results, users can see the most relevant social media results on any given search.

"When you search for 'cooking' today, Google decides that renowned chef Jamie Oliver is a relevant social result," the website said.

"That makes sense. But rather than linking to Jamie's Twitter profile, which is updated daily, Google links to his Google+ profile, which was updated nearly two months ago."

The bookmarklet - dubbed 'Don't be Evil', after Google's own motto - runs in Chrome, Firefox or Safari and automatically checks for any social profiles associated with a given search term, replacing Google+ profiles.

According to its creators, Focus on the User "looks at the three places where Google only shows Google+ results and then automatically googles Google to see if Google finds a result more relevant than Google+."

Google's Search plus Your World update has come under fire since its launch, with critics arguing the search giant is acting in its own interests on its quest to become more social.

Dissidents of Search plus Your World have also called foul on Google, arguing Mountain View is not doing what's best for the user and is abusing its power by edging out other social networks from search results.

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Google+ averts identity crisis

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 05:01:00 GMT

What's in a name? Apparently a lot, when creating a Google+ profile.

Google+ took a controversial stand at its inception and required all users to use their real-world name to avoid pseudonyms and impersonations. When users originally signed up with an identity other than their real name, Google suspended many of those accounts.

While most people go by the name that appears on their driver's license or passport and wouldn't think twice about using their real name on a social network - some people have created images and lucrative brands around an established pseudonym. Take Madonna or Lady Gaga, for instance.

Google+ has heard the cries of identity anguish and announced it will change its policy.

"Over the next week, we'll be adding support for alternate names - be they nicknames, maiden names, or names in another script - alongside your common name," Bradley Horowitz, a co-leader at Google+, wrote in a Google+ post.

"This name will show up on your Google+ profile and in the hovercards which appear over your name. In the next few weeks, we'll be displaying it more broadly as part of your name on other areas of Google+ as well. So if you're Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Jane Doe (Smith) you can now communicate your identity the way you want to."

Google+ will, however, have the last say and reserves the right to deny the use of a pseudonym that they feel doesn't represent an individual, like businesses and abstract ideas.

Users can appeal to Google+ if the name they intend to use is flagged by providing information to confirm an established identity. Back-up documentation could include references to an established identity offline in print media, scanned official documentation or proof of a meaningful online following.

Borowitz added: "Today is a small step towards improving the ways in which you can communicate your identity of Google+. We will be listening to feed from the community and will continue to refine all aspects of how we handle names and identity over the coming weeks, months and beyond."

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Yahoo co-founder steps down

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 03:00:00 GMT

In the latest management shuffle, Yahoo co-founder Jerry Yang has stepped down from the board of executives and resigned his post as 'Chief Yahoo.'

"The time has come for me to pursue other interests outside of Yahoo," Yang said in a statement.

"As I leave the company I co-founded nearly 17 years ago, I am enthusiastic about the appointment of Scott Thompson as chief executive officer and his ability, along with the entire Yahoo leadership team, to guide Yahoo into an exciting and successful feature."

Yang served as chief executive at the flagging internet giant from June 2007 to January 2009 before being replaced by Carol Bartz.

He is widely criticised for turning down a lucrative deal from Microsoft to purchase the company for $44.6 billion (£29 billion) in 2008, and during his tenure the company reported a 64 per cent drop in net income and cut more than 1,000 jobs.

Investors have been calling for significant change Yahoo's management for some time, with shareholder Daniel Loeb signalling Yang to resign last November, citing his "ineptitude in dealing with the Microsoft negotiations to purchase the company in 2008."

Following the announcement, Yahoo shares climbed 3 per cent in afterhours trading, and rumours have begun circulating about four other Yahoo directors who may potentially follow suit.

Despite criticisms, Yang was a significant player in Yahoo's development and early success. Chairman Roy Bostock said: "Jerry Yang is a visionary and a pioneer, who has contributed enormously to Yahoo during his many years of service.

"While I and the entire board respect his decision, we will miss his remarkable perspective, vision, and wise counsel."

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Twitter throws the first stone at Search plus Your World

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 00:36:00 GMT

As news about Search plus Your World spread like wildfire through the internet, the web's biggest microblogger was quick to throw the first stone at Google.

It seems Twitter is less than enthused about the proliferation of social search results in the latest Google update - users can now see a mixture of social and global results for search queries, including stories gleaned from Mountain View's own social network, Google+.

Former Google employee and Twitter general counsel Alex Macgillivray tweeted that it was a "bad day for the internet", and Twitter followed suit, releasing a formal statement:

"Often, [users] want to know more about world events and breaking news. Twitter has emerged as a vital source of this real-time information, with more than 100 million users sending 250 million Tweets every day on virtually every topic. As we've seen time and time again, news breaks first on Twitter; as a result, Twitter accounts and Tweets are often the most relevant results.

"We're concerned that as a result of Google's changes, finding this information will be much harder for everyone. We think that's bad for people, publishers, news organisation and Twitter users."

As part of Google Realtime Search, Twitter signed an agreement in 2009 with the search titan to carry results gleaned from its microblogging site. When the deal expired this past July, Twitter opted not to renew it, and shortly after, Google announced it had disabled Realtime to explore other options.

Google responded to Twitter's statement, saying: "We're a bit surprised by Twitter's comments about Search plus Your World, because they chose not to renew their agreement with us last summer, and since then we have observed their rel=nofollow instructions."

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Google brings Your World to your search results

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 00:24:00 GMT

Seeking to deliver on CEO Larry Page's promise of a more social Google, the search seraph announced earlier today another new initiative to infuse social signals in search.

Your World marks the third major revamp tooled toward social search in the approximately nine months since Page ascended the search throne atop Mountain View.

"We're transforming Google into a search engine that understands not only content, but also people and relationships," Google Fellow Amit Singhal explained on the Official Google Blog. "We began this transformation with Social Search, and today we're taking another big step in this direction."

Google's three major plays with the revamp include finding results catered to individuals, and integrating the profiles of those with similar interest or who may be close to your social circle in results and autocomplete features. Your World also places Google+ pages related to search terms within easy reach for users to visit.

Mountain View has continually assessed social metrics and feature enhance search, and this latest update is set to make most searches even more unique to each user.

However, some may be less than thrilled to see personal information listed alongside popular results for something like "beach holidays".

"Until now we have not had the mixture of our personal information with our Web search results, and that makes even me a bit nervous," said Danny Sullivan, editor of Search Engine Land, who affirmed Your World is one of Google's most significant overhauls.

The move also marks a hard strike against social media's biggest player, Facebook, as Palo Alto's metrics don't feed into the results. Instead, Google could be seen as favouring its own offerings (Google+, +1) in the place of market competitors.

While just how Your World plays out remains to be seen, the service will be automatically rolled out for most English-language users in coming days. Users must choose to opt out should they not want personal results displayed.

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