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2013-08-22T07:43:00.001+12:00

Tweets by @johnpooleplus

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Easy way to save files to Google Drive

2013-07-11T00:00:00.000+12:00

An easier way to save files to Google Drive - Google Developers Blog: "Drive users can use the "Save to Drive" button to do exactly that. The “Save to Drive” button is an easier way to save files directly from a website. If you have your own website, you can improve the experience for your site visitors by adding the “Save to Drive” button to your page using two easy lines of HTML."

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Make a custom My Map in Google Maps

2013-06-28T05:04:00.000+12:00

Make a custom My Map - Google Maps Help: " . . . With My Maps, you can create and share maps of your world, marked with the locations, routes and regions of interest that matter to you. Sign in with your Google Account to get access to this feature. Create a map: Sign in to Google Maps. Click My Places at the top left panel. Click Create Map. . . . " (read more at link above)

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Mobile Competition Shifts to Software Design

2013-06-17T17:00:00.001+12:00

Disruptions: Mobile Competition Shifts to Software Design - NYTimes.com: " . . . iOS 7. With the image of a flattened smartphone interface with thin typography on a screen in the background, Mr. Cook proudly noted, “This is the biggest change to iOS since the introduction of the iPhone.” How does he figure that? Mr. Cook’s bold claim was based on something that is well understood in tech circles but is easily overlooked by consumers. It is the design of the software, far more than the look and feel of the device itself, that allows a company to leap over its competitors. . . ." (read more at link above)

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Google Hangouts upgrade removes ability to place or receive Google Voice calls from within Gmail

2013-05-21T14:41:00.002+12:00

Google Hangouts upgrade removes ability to host Google Voice calls on your computer | The Verge: "if you upgrade the Google Talk service within Gmail to Hangouts (by selecting the "Try the new Hangouts" option in Talk's menu), you lose some significant features — namely the ability to set your availability status and, more importantly, the ability to place or receive Google Voice calls from within Gmail. Essentially, the new Hangouts removes the option to host a Google Voice call on your computer, something that many users find convenient and necessary in their day to day workflow."

Bottom line for Gmail users of Google Talk--you may not want to upgrade!

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Google I/O 2013 - watch at home

2013-05-08T14:11:00.001+12:00

Google I/O 2013: (May 14-17, 2013)

"Google Developers Live @ I/O - For your viewing pleasure, enjoy Google I/O from the comforts of home with Google Developers Live @ I/O. We'll be streaming keynotes, sessions and more straight from Moscone Center to the web."

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Improvements to the Blogger template HTML editor

2013-04-19T05:04:00.004+12:00

Good news for Blogger users--

Improvements to the Blogger template HTML editor | Blogger Developers Network: "Whether you’re a web developer who builds blog templates for a living, or a web-savvy blog owner who prefers to make changes to your template using HTML, CSS or JavaScript, you may be interested in some enhancements that we made to Blogger’s Template HTML Editor. Your blog’s HTML template is the source code that controls the appearance of your blog. This template can be customized to appear however you’d like. The improved HTML template editor now supports line numbering, syntax highlighting, auto-indentation and code folding to make editing your template much easier. . . ." read more at link above

Thank you, and glad to see Google continuing to improve Blogger!

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Planning your digital afterlife with Google Inactive Account Manager

2013-04-12T11:04:00.002+12:00

Nice feature from Google--but it probably needs to be tweaked to fit more life/afterlife options--

Plan your digital afterlife with Inactive Account Manager - Data Liberation: "Not many of us like thinking about death — especially our own. But making plans for what happens after you’re gone is really important for the people you leave behind. So today, we’re launching a new feature that makes it easy to tell Google what you want done with your digital assets when you die or can no longer use your account. The feature is called Inactive Account Manager — not a great name, we know — and you’ll find it on your Google Account settings page. You can tell us what to do with your Gmail messages and data from several other Google services if your account becomes inactive for any reason. You can tell us what to do with your Gmail messages and data from several other Google services if your account becomes inactive for any reason. For example, you can choose to have your data deleted — after three, six, nine or 12 months of inactivity. Or you can select trusted contacts to receive data from some or all of the following services: +1s; Blogger; Contacts and Circles; Drive; Gmail; Google+ Profiles, Pages and Streams; Picasa Web Albums; Google Voice and YouTube. Before our systems take any action, we’ll first warn you by sending a text message to your cellphone and email to the secondary address you’ve provided."

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Google Reader joins graveyard of dead Google products

2013-04-02T00:00:00.000+12:00

Google Giveth
Google Taketh Away

Google Reader joins graveyard of dead Google products - Slate Magazine: " . . . Google Graveyard, a virtual space for grieving. Buried in these hallowed grounds are some of Google’s ill-fated services. Some, like Google Reader, lived long, prosperous lives, full of admiration and glory. . . ."

RIP

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The FTC Killed Google Reader

2013-03-26T00:30:00.000+12:00

I suspected the kind of meritless FTC investigation of Google we saw the last 2 years, would end up killing services Google provided at no cost to users but which did not povide revenue.

Another Reason Google Reader Died: Increased Concern About Privacy and Compliance - Liz Gannes - News - AllThingsD: " . . . Nick Baum, one of the original Reader product managers who’s no longer at Google, noted that in the early days of the product there were “several millions” of weekly active users. In a conversation this weekend, Baum said, ”My sense is, if it’s a consumer product at Google that’s not making money, unless it’s going to get to 100 million users it’s not worth doing.” But Baum left the team in 2007 — before the rise of Twitter — and he notes Google never put the resources in to do things like help new Google Reader users find feeds to follow and parse the most interesting content from high-volume outlets. The irony, Baum said, is that if Google Reader were out seeking venture funding in Silicon Valley with its high-value audience, it most likely would have gotten it. “As a startup they would have been perfectly viable,” he said. Not to mention, startups don’t have to worry about compliance issues. “Someday someone will do something in this space that will work,” Baum said. “And maybe then Google will buy them.” (read more at link above)

Thanks a lot of FTC for killing (indirectly) Google Reader.

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Google Play offers ebooks, songs, and more

2013-03-23T00:30:00.000+12:00

Google Play Offers Over 5M eBooks And More Than 18M Songs, One Year After Its Rebranding | TechCrunch: "The Google Play store now has over 5 million eBook titles, according to Google, up from the four million the company reported via its support site last year. The music store is at over 18 million tracks, a number which is just about on par with streaming services like Rdio. Apple has around 30 million tracks in iTunes be comparison, and Amazon has roughly 19 million, so just above Google Play."

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Google Reader dying but there are alternatives

2013-03-21T00:30:00.000+12:00

First the bad news--
"We launched Google Reader in 2005 in an effort to make it easy for people to discover and keep tabs on their favorite websites. While the product has a loyal following, over the years usage has declined. So, on July 1, 2013, we will retire Google Reader. Users and developers interested in RSS alternatives can export their data, including their subscriptions, with Google Takeout over the course of the next four months. (source: Google)"

and there are "workarounds"--

Google Reader is dying, but we have five worthy alternatives | iPhone Atlas - CNET Reviews: " . . . Plugged-in types won't want to miss a beat once Google Reader sees its sunset, so getting familiar with these alternatives now could be key. Ideally, an RSS Reader should be available on both mobile devices and desktop machines, so we tried our best to focus on these types of services. That said, we also thought it important to mention a couple of services (at the bottom) that are only available on Android and iOS, simply because we know that they're viable alternatives, and more people than ever are reading on mobile devices these days anyway. Finally, when you're ready to make the jump, be sure to check out The Data Liberation Front's primer on exporting your Reader data using Google Takeout. Feedly (free)iOS | Android | Web . . . Google Currents (free)iOS Android"

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From Google - first steps SEO cheat sheet

2013-03-19T01:00:00.000+12:00

From Google - "a first steps cheat sheet for just these folks. It’s a short how-to list with basic tips on search engine-friendly design, that can help Google and others better understand the content and increase your site’s visibility. We made sure it’s available in thirteen languages. Please feel free to read it, print it, share it, copy and distribute it! We hope this content will help those who are just about to start their webmaster adventure or have so far not paid too much attention to search engine-friendly design. Over time as you gain experience you may want to have a look at our more advanced Google SEO Starter Guide. As always we welcome all webmasters and site owners, new and experienced to join discussions on our Google Webmaster Help Forum." Read more at: http://googlewebmastercentral.blogspot.com/2013/03/cheat-sheet-for-friends-and-family.html

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Why more businesses are going Google Apps

2013-03-16T01:00:00.000+12:00

Why more businesses are going Google Apps | ZDNet: " . . . the longer customers have been with Google Apps, the less likely they are to continue investing in Microsoft Office licenses — 64 percent of customers who have been on Google Apps for two-plus years said that they are minimizing further investment in Microsoft Office," BetterCloud wrote in its blog. This is partly generational: As more educational institutions use Google Apps as a tool, the less likely future workers are to be familiar with Office. . . ."

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Google Glass? You have to applaud the "vision"

2013-03-14T01:00:00.000+12:00

Google Glass? You have to applaud their vision | Technology | The Observer: "This was interesting because it suggested a surprisingly wide awareness of something that – until recently – many people would have dismissed as a typical example of leading-edge uselessness. It's Google Glass, an R&D project aimed at developing an "augmented reality head-mounted display". It comes from the same Google lab that has produced the self-driving car and, in a way, belongs in the same category of insanely ambitious projects. But just as the car looks like becoming a reality, so too do the glasses. In fact, if you're a software developer and live in the US, you might just be able to acquire a prototype from the project's website, in return for $1,500 and some original ideas for applications of the technology."

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Introducing Google+ Sign-In - simple and secure, minus the social spam

2013-03-12T01:00:00.000+12:00

Introducing Google+ Sign-In: simple and secure, minus the social spam - Google+ Developers Blog: "Managing your signed-in apps is easy too: visit plus.google.com/apps at any time, or open the new Google Settings app on Android. . . 2. Desktop and mobile are better together - Many developers offer web and mobile versions of their app, yet setting things up across a browser, phone and tablet is still a major hassle. Starting today, when you sign in to a website with Google, you can install its mobile app on your Android device with a single click."

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Google's war against account hijackers

2013-03-09T01:00:00.000+12:00

An update on our war against account hijackers | Official Google Blog: "How Google Security helps protect your account - Every time you sign in to Google, whether via your web browser once a month or an email program that checks for new mail every five minutes, our system performs a complex risk analysis to determine how likely it is that the sign-in really comes from you. In fact, there are more than 120 variables that can factor into how a decision is made. If a sign-in is deemed suspicious or risky for some reason—maybe it’s coming from a country oceans away from your last sign-in—we ask some simple questions about your account. For example, we may ask for the phone number associated with your account, or for the answer to your security question. These questions are normally hard for a hijacker to solve, but are easy for the real owner. Using security measures like these, we've dramatically reduced the number of compromised accounts by 99.7 percent since the peak of these hijacking attempts in 2011."

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View the inside of a business

2013-03-06T07:15:00.001+12:00

Google users in India can view the inside of a business on their computers or phones, accessible through a regular Google search--

Google gets down to business - The Hindu: "Google Inc. announced the launch of its Google Business Photos programme in India with the release of thousands of new indoor images of businesses. The global programme, which is part of its Maps project, typically offers users a virtual tour inside the businesses through interactive 360-degree imagery created using Street View technology. According to Google’s press release, the company worked closely with thousands of businesses to pilot this programme with restaurants, bars, retail stores, showrooms and boutiques. So, now Google users in India can view the inside of a business on their computers or phones, accessible through a regular Google search, Google Maps, and the Google+ local pages. What interested businesses can do is get their interiors captured and load the interface with images of displays on the storefront, such as business hours, rating details, credit cards accepted, and posted menus. These photos can help customers get a better sense of what a business has to offer and what sets it apart from others, the release explained."

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Chrome App Launcher on PCs

2013-02-26T01:00:00.000+12:00

Chrome App Launcher Makes PCs More Chromebook-Like | TIME.com: " . . . The timing of Google’s Chromebook Pixel, a high-end laptop with a touch screen, doesn’t seem like a coincidence. Google is planning for a future where every computer has a touchscreen, even traditional laptops. The Pixel seems to me like an experiment–a way to get developers to start designing web apps for touchscreens. But as GigaOM points out, developers don’t have much incentive without a big user base, and at $1,399, the Chromebook Pixel will be a niche product at best. That’s why having the same experience on Chrome for Windows starts to make sense. Lots of Windows 8 PCs are starting to include touchscreens, so between the Chromebook Pixel and Windows 8 devices, developers could find the scale they’re looking for. And Google will have ushered Chrome into the touch era, whether it’s on a Chromebook or not." Read more: http://techland.time.com/2013/02/22/googles-crafty-chrome-os-within-an-os-plan-continues/#ixzz2Lf3EwQBk

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Google Retail Stores

2013-02-23T01:00:00.000+12:00

A Google Retail Store? Why It's Not As Crazy As It Sounds - Forbes: ". . . Google already has some retail experience. It has “pop-up” Chrome stores inside several hundred Best Buy stores, for instance, that are staffed by people trained by Google. So it’s not as much of a stretch as it might seem.

* The stores would help expand the reach of Google’s brand. At the same time, Google’s brand currently is so well-known and largely well-regarded, its logo so ubiquitous, its very name a common verb, that Google stores wouldn’t represent a big leap in consumers’ minds. It could even sell Google clothes and other brand-oriented gear.

* The stores could serve as a showcase for products made by Google Android partners such as Samsung and Acer. Samsung’s Chromebooks have gotten mostly good reviews, for instance, but even a $250 computer is something most people will want to try out in person first. Same with a $150-plus Galaxy S III, no matter how funny those Samsung ads lampooning Apple fanboys are. . . . "

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Third-Party Web Apps In Google Drive

2013-02-21T01:00:00.000+12:00

Google Integrates Third-Party Web Apps More Deeply Into Google Drive | TechCrunch: "Google just added the equivalent of an app store to Google Drive that lets you find Drive-enabled third-party apps like HelloFax, SlideRocket and the Open Office Document Reader right from within the service. Once installed, these apps now also live right in the Google Drive ‘Create’ menu. Until now, users had to go through the Chrome Web Store to findDrive-enabled third-party apps. As Google’s Nicolas Garnier writes this morning, the Drive SDK allows developers to offer users “an experience similar to how Google Docs and Google Sheets interact with Drive.”. . ."

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Microsoft's Mark Penn Mistake

2013-02-19T01:00:00.000+12:00

Microsoft's Mark Penn Mistake | New Republic: "As much as Microsoft has tried to make this ad blitz about Google, smear campaigns will always reflect on the entities that attach their names to them. In the political world, the bulk of negative advertising actually comes from outside groups with names like "America's Future PAC" or "Concerned Citizens of Wisconsin," shielding the candidate from having to say such nasty things (and even if the campaign did foot the bill, it’s only acknowledged in a perfunctory message at the end). In this case, lacking a viable surrogate, Microsoft takes on the full burden of looking petty and snide. That already comports with public perception—Microsoft doesn't have the nickname the "Evil Empire" for nothing—but there's no need to make the problem worse. "

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Google+ for Small Businesses

2013-02-16T01:00:00.000+12:00

Social Media for Small Businesses: Google+ | SEO Blog by Digital Marketing Agency Mediarun:
Why should small business invest time and effort into Google+?
1. Get an SEO boost . . .
2. Earn top rankings overnight with Google Local . . . .
3. Give customers confidence in your offering with customer reviews . . . .
Zagat’s review engine has been incorporated onto Google+ pages and can really help to convince potential customers of your business’s credibility. Should a customer not be sure whether to use your building services, or need convincing of your credentials as a freelance designer for example, a handful of positive reviews can really help to reassure a nervous customer....
Read more at the link above

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Google Drive - share hosted websites by storing HTML, JavaScript, and CSS files

2013-02-14T01:00:00.000+12:00

Google Drive now lets developers share hosted websites by storing HTML, JavaScript, and CSS files - The Next Web: "Google on Tuesday announced that it will allow Web developers to share hosted websites via Google Drive. All you have to do is store your HTML, JavaScript, and CSS files, and then share a link to your starting HTML file. In fact, Google is eating its own dog food by hosting the instructions on how to do this yourself, on Google Drive.

Here’s what you have to do:
Create a new folder in Drive and share it as “Public on the web.”
Upload your HTML, JS & CSS files to this folder.
Open the HTML file & you will see “Preview” button in the toolbar.
Share the URL that looks like www.googledrive.com/host/… from the preview window and anyone can view your web page.

It’s a small update, but certainly a welcome one for Web developers. If you build or design sites and need to demo your work for clients, this should be a very useful way to show off what you’ve got so far. . . ."

See also – Google releases faster version of Forms with real-time collaboration, automatic saving, and more and Google releases Save to Drive extension for Chrome, adds zooming and region commenting to images

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Google Web Fonts - making pretty, fast! (video)

2013-02-12T01:00:00.000+12:00

Make the Web Fast: Google Web Fonts - making pretty, fast! - YouTube
A technical deep-dive on Web Fonts: how they work, the data formats, performance optimizations, and tips and tricks for making your site both fast and pretty at the same time - turns out, these two goals are not mutually exclusive!

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