Google's Social Search and Discovery

Over the past year, 'discovery' (or the 'art of finding people and articles of interest on the web) has gotten both easier and more difficult.

Easier in the sense than there are now many more tools to sort through the so-called 'noise'.

Harder in the sense that the entire free world has descended on social media sites and services, and the lines are quickly blurring as to how much we can take in each day and from where (or whom).

Once relegated to social 'voting' sites such as Digg, discovery has matured, with people sharing information on services such as Twitter, Friendfeed, Facebook and others.

A couple of weeks ago, Google announced 'Google Social Search', a new feature built in to Google that allows you to see who you're connected to across the web and numerous platforms.

While the somewhat subtle feature received some launch press, I didn't read anything about anyone taking it for a serious spin OR what the future implications and/or uses may be.

Google has been moving social in a measured way, connecting services such as GMail, Google Reader, Blogger and many other internal services. However, the Google social infrastructure has been some fragmented and Google's actual social initiative, Google Friend Connect, has been slow to take off. (This, aside from Orkut, Google's original social experiment, which still retains strength in South America and other areas).

While logged in this morning I decided to wander over to Google Social Search.  As an 'early adopter', I already had a pretty extensive network there prior to even looking at it.

What I found the most interesting was the stream of 'how' I was connected to people across the web.  Even more interesting was how the people I enjoy reading the most are connected to others .... and looking at why.

In minutes, I had come across LOTS of interesting and informative blogs and people I hadn't been tuned in to before.  It was eye-opening (and that's an understatement).

While Facebook, Twitter, and other services easily allow you to see who others are following, this latest product from Google had already scanned all types of social networks and services and even provided a window into who was reproducing some of my own content that was much more in-depth than Google Alerts.

While some rail Google for the amount of information they are harvesting every second, what most people don't realize is there are factually opt-out privacy measures for almost all of them.

If you don't, and choose to be 'visible', this new vehicle could prove to be a valuable addition to your networking toolkit and easily help you tune in to what you have time to read on the Internet each day.

The original launch video is below.  It provides a good overview of what you can do with Google Social Search.  I'm sure there are more than a few of you that either missed this one or would want to check it out.

Great weekend all
Charlie





Update 1 -   Feb 7, 2010 7:30 PM ET: Google Social Search was actually introduced as an experiment in October of 2009 and subsequently was re-introduced on January 27th 2010 .... and made available to everyone at that time (in beta) via Google.com

Twitter Wants You to Change Your Password!

In a post a short time ago, Twitter urged users to change their passwords.

Like many other high-profile websites in recent weeks, it seems the popular social networking site is seeing their share of server attacks, the most recent of which is coming from the Torrent world.

One of the results has been an usual climb in the number of followers for "a couple of accounts over the last five days".

"It appears that for a number of years, a person has been creating torrent sites that require a login and password as well as creating forums set up for torrent site usage and then selling these purportedly well-crafted sites and forums to other people innocently looking to start a download site of their very own.  However, these sites came with a little extra — security exploits and backdoors throughout the system."

The complete post from Del Harvey, Twitter's Director of Trust and Safety can be found here.

Bottom line.  Twitter users ... change your password.

Google News - What are those Stars?

Google News users awoke this morning to a slight change in the page layout.

Small stars have been placed to the left of story headlines.

You will need to be logged in to your Google account for this new functionality to work or clicking on a star will take you directly to the log-in page.

Essentially, 'starring' a story block in Google News lets Google know that you're interested in this story, and when there are significant updates, the story headlines will be in bold .... and they will also be placed in a new 'starred' folder for later viewing.

The result is automatic and immediate :

Google (as always) wants your feedback. There's a link for your thoughts in the new blog post on this feature from Google News here.

Microsoft deadlines approaching - Are you ready? (Updated)

By most accounts, millions of tech-saavy people as well as curiosity seekers downloaded the Windows 7 Release Candidate, and, there's a good chance that millions are still using it.

I suppose it was generous of Microsoft in a way to give this pre-release version away but at the same time, the Beta then RC testers were the people (unpaid) that helped the company debug Windows 7 or bring up other issues in forums and on their own blogs.

Technically (or officially?), at this time, there is no upgrade pricing for RC users. Whether it should have been a 'gift' or have a price, that, to me, seems like a mistake.

Here's the current timeline for Windows 7 RC users:

While Microsoft's earnings this past week showed that lots of copies are being sold, the question becomes how many and to whom .... and .... Is the rest of the world ready for the end-of-support for both Windows XP AND Vista?

Windows XP support and Vista support are both set to expire on July 13, 2010.

Despite the fact that Microsoft has extended XP support several times, there are still millions of enterprise XP boxes out there.  Probably more. 

Is it enough time?

Is it fair to end Vista support at the same time?  Something seems terribly wrong with this approach as Vista was supposed to be what Windows 7 IS and appeared on the scene much later than Windows XP.

Reality.  Windows 7 is simply the best operating system that Microsoft has ever put out there.  I've been using it since day 1 of the Beta release and, well, it just works .... and offers numerous improvements in many environments.

My advice to Microsoft.

Make it friendly and easy.

There are probably millions of individuals (and more significantly enterprise users) that would LOVE to upgrade. Whether it's 'people resources', time, or waiting out an economic recovery, there are A LOT of companies that aren't going to make the latest deadlines set by Microsoft.

It could be a fantastic boom for hardware manufacturers as well but it's simply too soon.

In any event, now you know the FACTS as we know them today.  There is some fine print that will allow some to escape these cutoffs, but for the most part, unless Microsoft makes a change (which I'm betting they will), your support ends in July and/or your RC goes dark on June 1.

Are YOU ready?

Update: Feb 1, 2010:
Clarification from Microsoft.

After numerous e-mails (and the comment below) we were able to verify the following:

Current Microsoft OS end-of-support dates -
Windows XP2 - July 13, 2010 - Customers need to upgrade to Windows XP3 or switch to Windows 7.
Vista RTM - April 13, 2010 - Customers need to upgrade to Vista Service Pack 2 or switch to Windows 7.
The MSL (Microsoft Support Lifecycle) ends July 13, 2010 for Windows 2000 Professional SP4 and Windows 2000 Server.

Google's Chrome Browser updates to New Level 5

It wasn't that long ago that Google threw a shock wave through the  tech world by announcing their own web browser, competing directly with Microsoft's Internet Explorer, Mozilla's Firefox, Apple's Safari and others, including the recently upgraded Opera.

Google Chrome debuted as a lightweight (meaning small program size with a very low drain on system resources.... rendering it quick) piece of software that many embraced right out of the box.

The biggest complaint at the time came from Apple users who didn't get their own version (since rectified).

Chrome essentially comes in three flavors.  For the general audience, a 'stable' channel.  For the braver bunch,  a 'beta' channel, and for developers, yes, a 'developer' channel.

Late today, after numerous upgrades and numerous feature additions over a VERY short timeline, several of us noticed something significant in the numbering sequence.

The developer channel, late today, moved above 5.0.

Typically major upgrades are marked by a new number 'at the front'.  The Chrome Releases blog notes the following changes among those in this update:

Although these changes don't appear mind-boggling, there was plenty of room left in the '4' series?  

Is something up?  We'll see.  It was only 5 days ago that Google announced bookmarks, sync, more extensions and customizations now available to users of the stable version.

In keeping with our new 'message' of making these posts not just for techies anymore ... If you've completely missed the Chrome mini-explosion, you can check it out here, or check out the Chrome YouTube channel here.

An Experiment in (Free) Blog Syndication

Unless you enjoy talking to yourself, I think it's a pretty safe bet that bloggers want someone to read what they write ?? ....

Over the past year, my advice has generally been a mix of SEO, PPC and active participation in social media (in particular - Twitter, Facebook and YouTube).

The larger technology blogs ... TechCrunch, ReadWriteWeb, GigaOM, CNET and Mashable have all made huge strides in 'crossing-over' and syndicating their content to newspapers and other online (and offline) media.

What about the medium and smaller blogs?

For the most part, the days of Newsburst and seeing your stuff on Reuters and Fox are over .... and the position / return wasn't that great anyway. It was more about knowledge and credibility.

Enter 2009.

A few months ago, a young guy approached me about using content from this blog for his start-up experiment.

Sam Apple runs an active and growing online publication called The Faster Times.

At first read, my reaction was ... "I really don't belong with this group?". Beyond that, Sam wasn't offering ANYTHING in return.

Sam was not only persistent .... he's just a great salesman.  Honest and to the point.

Worked for me.

Isn't it easier to ask than scrape ????

Apparently he now only won me over but Jeff Jarvis (CNET), Fred Wilson (A VC), Craig Newmark (Craigslist) and a host of well known personalities both from the web and entertainment world.  Simply a fascinating mix and done over a very short timeline.

In all honestly, for me, it was yet another experiment in online marketing.
Would I see more uniques visitors (here?).  More comments, e-mails, etc??

The answer (after green lighting 5 or 6 pieces to the 'other publication' over the past few months) is a resounding YES.

While we all know that every social network, bookmarking site, etc is another marketing channel, direct syndication to smaller, growing publications as an adjunct to aggregators and other distribution platforms .... very simply may be the next step. While there has been blogging co-ops for many years, this is a different approach.

So, for now, Kudos to Sam and the MANY writers at the Faster Times, young and old, well-known and not-so-well-known.

You may be on to something.

updated Jan 27 2010  10 PM ET

Important update re Firefox 3.6 Release (and yesterday's post)

Firefox users are NOT currently being automatically updated (or prompted to update) from Version 3.5.7 or 3.6 Release Candidate 2 .... despite the fact that RC2 users will see 'Firefox 3.6' in the 'about' tab:

To get the final version (at least as of today, Fri Jan 22), you need to go to the Firefox home page and download the update.

At that point, at least in Windows 7, it's a simple matter of running the .exe file and overwriting your existing version.

I currently have Firefox, IE8 (patched), Google's Chrome and Apple's Safari running on various boxes and hope to have a brand-new comparison next week (with some surprises).

As far as our mention of Seesmic's new Twitter interface yesterday, it's not at all what we expected.  Watch for a walk-through and review this weekend.

Windows XP and Windows 7 users can try to new program out here.

Have a great weekend all ... and always, thanks for dropping by ...
Charlie

Firefox, Seesmic to drop new products today

Both Mozilla and Seesmic are dropping new products later today.

Seesmic Look will be introduced in New York City at 9 AM at a mini-conference to be located at the Times Center.  The launch will be "live everywhere in video" as well.

The new product designed 'to help Twitter go mainstream' and touted as 'very close to watching TV' not only sounds interesting, but may be monetized already as apparently a variety of partners, media and brands are already onboard according to an e-mail sent a few days ago.

Numerous speakers are on hand for the launch of Seesmic Look and you can watch the conference at the Seesmic website here.

Also confirmed for release later today is the long-anticipated final version of Firefox 3.6 Final.  Currently in Release Candidate 2, this latest version of Firefox will mostly likely become an automatic upgrade for users using the current stable version 3.5.7.

Mozilla's Firefox website will no doubt have the details in a few hours here.

Update: Jan 21, 2010 - 9 PM ET:  Details on the new Firefox Version 3.6 can now be found here.

Java SE quietly moves to Version 6 Update 18

Users visiting Java.com are still being greeted with a download link that reads "Version 6 Update 17".

In reality, those that have automatic updates turned on have been receiving a new version over the past two days that not only contains significant performance improvements but also fixes for  LOTS of other issues .... as well as providing support for Ubuntu 8.04 LTS Desktop Edition,  SLES 11,Windows 7 support and Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.3.

The update is not a security update.  Those running version 17 are up-to-date on security issues.

Generally, SE Version 6 supports Solaris SPARC, Solaris x86, Sun Java Desktop System, Red Hat Linux, SUSE Linux, Windows 7, Vista, Windows XP, Windows 2003, Windows 2000.


Users of Firefox 3.6 must be running at least Java SE Version 6 Update 10.

If all of this sounds a bit confusing, you can find this latest version on Java here.


Most Windows users will probably want to uninstall their current version (from the Control Panel) before installing this version.  (This avoids the ongoing problem of having two versions of Java on the same computer).


Release notes for Java SE Version 6 Update 18 can be found here.


updated Jan 17,2010 10 AM ET

UPDATED: That Map? - There May Be A New Price For That

Verizon is holding a webcast tomorrow morning which, according to reports, may be to announce new pricing that 'could' result in many paying more for their wireless service.

The question becomes:

Is Verizon concerned about maxing out their network as they continue to roll-out smartphones? 


The new pricing plan that was posted earlier to BGR seems to unfairly target voice and text users using  advanced devices that don't quite make it to the so-called smartphone category.  If the story turns out to be the actual plan tomorrow, existing users will be grandfathered, but those who make changes and/or start new contracts could see new data fees that didn't previously apply to them.

It seems to us that those who have remained loyal to the carrier but don't choose to upgrade are being forced to unfairly subsidize those who begin to use the network to access the Internet on a frequent basis (and help pay for any needed expansion).

UPDATE: (Jan 15 9:30 AM ET)  Despite headlines this morning of Verizon lowering prices, it appears that the original post to BGR is accurate. While some rates will go down (unlimited voice/text plans), smartphones and web-enabled phones will see the new data charge, all pricing is being streamlined while existing plans are being 'grandfathered'.

UPDATE 2 (Jan 15 10 AM)  Verizon will be not only simplifying it pricing plans on Monday but also (confirmed) will be dropping the amount of phones offered from 80 to approx 50 according to a company spokesman.  "All of these changes are intended to reduce the load on our customer service staff while continuing to provide the kind of service that people have become accustomed to from Verizon Wireless".

The Verizon Press Release has now been posted online here.

It's not a new TV series - Google vs. China - It's very real

In what only can be characterized as another HUGE chapter in online and corporate transparency, a post earlier today on the Official Google Blog pitted the search giant against the Government of China (while potentially forfeiting, for now, one of the fastest growing markets in the world).

The announcement which has been covered by numerous publications at this point was simply unprecedented to the general public.

Google (as well as numerous other corporations) were attacked by Chinese hackers apparently seeking information on Chinese dissidents over the past months. Google outlined much of this activity in their post.

The company's response? No more censorship of search results in China (as often requested by the Chinese Government), willingness to talk, as well as willingness to shutdown Google.cn altogether should it become necessary.

Google just last week reaffirmed it's commitment to 'open' with the hiring of Chris Messina.

With the company's continued growth (as well as challenging both Apple and Microsoft in a much bigger way), there's also no doubt that Google is keenly aware it doesn't want to cross the line of the company's mantra ... "Do no evil".

Millions already trust Google's various online services, and it is that trust that must be preserved as one of the ingredients looking forward to cloud computing and the upcoming release of the Google OS ..... not to mention the mobile operating system that is gaining steam by the day, Android.

While some may perceive 'trust' and 'open' differently, one thing is certain.

While global cyber-warfare is nothing new, Google just took awareness to a whole new level.

Reactions from governments, companies, and most-importantly, the citizens of the world over the next few days should be fascinating to watch.

Links updated 1/12/10 11:40 PM