Monday, October 15, 2007

Google vs Facebook


Some Google employees are leaving Google for social site Facebook. Well, “some” isn’t a trend, but a couple of the remarks of those that left offer insightful perspectives. Pedram Keyani, who the Google System blog reported to have left Orkut in favor of Facebok (along with, as of recent times, Justin Rosenstein and Benjamin Ling) says, “I have the same kind of excitement about work that I had early on at Google. I can get lots and lots done and the only thing slowing me down is how quickly I can go.”

I was wondering, what exactly is slowing down some people at Google, and are those factors more than just the price to pay for managing that many employees? Some stuff like Google Presentations was in a bit of an announce-early-release-late kind of mode we are more used to from Microsoft. And at times, internal product evolutions are changed or halted, and another outside service is bought instead (think Google Video, which was replaced by YouTube as Google’s community video hosting site of choice, perhaps being part of the reason why Google Video director Jennifer Feikin left the company in May). Then again, judging from what Google China released just this year, movement is still very fast in at least some departments around the globe. There’s even some downright pirate hacker spirit going over in Beijing HQ, it seems.

Now Valleywag’s Paul Boutin follows up with a quote from Jason McCabe Calacanis at a discussion in front of a crowd interested in Facebook issues. Paul says Jason, the guy who sold blog network Weblogs Inc. to AOL, went into a “Pacino-esque monologue.” Here’s what he said (with some emphasis):

Social networking is second only to chat rooms as being the lowest CPM, the worst place to advertise... that’s not gonna change. And the reason for that – and this has nothing to do with Facebook, MySpace has the same problems – the reason is the content of your friends and family is more compelling than any advertisement will be.
This is why the comments in the last panel were so foolish about it being so competitive to Google, because Google has the greatest advertising in the history of media ever created... which is search advertising. When you type a word into the box, we know what you’re looking for.
When you’re on Facebook, we know you’re looking to meet a girl or a guy, or talk to your friends or your family. It’s a terrible platform to advertise, it always will be. It will always be low CPM, but high page views that make it up in volume. It’s a terrible, terrible way to make money.

Faced with arguments from another panel member that on social networks, you would buy something because someone else said they bought it and that it’s cool, Jason replies, “The holy grail of ecommerce, people have been talking about this forever... and it has not arrived.” Jason adds that the kind of advertising going on at Facebook is also a very low-margin business “nowhere near search inventory."

Then again, back in 1999, even Google didn’t have the best business plan in the world – in fact, they didn’t have any at all, according to statements made by the Google founders back in the days. Here’s ZDNet news in June 1999 (my emphasis):

When asked how the company plans to make money, Google CEO and co-founder Larry Page would only say what they won’t do. They don’t want to become a portal. No content. And they want to avoid competing with other search engines to be the browser of choice for existing portals. In fact, Page said Google doesn’t have any real competitors at all, which may be why they don’t intend to do much marketing.
But even Internet companies, which are almost expected to lose gobs of money, need at least a revenue stream, don’t they?
“We have other ways of making money,” said Page. “You’ll see.”

Google Apps - Premier Edition


From the You-Know-When-Ajax-Has-Gone-Mainstream-Dept, Google announced today it will be offering businesses a premium service for its key productivity applications, at $50/user/year. The package includes:


  • Access to office-style applications - Google Docs & Spreadsheets, Google Page Creator. No presentation package yet - perhaps Google should acquire S5 :-).
  • Access to communication applications - GMail (@your-own-domain), Google Calendar, Google Talk (voice/IM).
  • Access to Google Homepage (maybe corporations could deck this out to become their intranet homepage?)
  • Control panel to manage the domain
  • Ads can be turned off
  • Storage at 10GB/user
  • Integration with organisation’s sign-on and email infrastructure
  • Phone support

The apps themselves are available to anyone, but the integration and extra services come with the premium service. Google provides this comparison table.

The giant elephant in this room is your company’s data sitting on Google’s servers. In the absence of an “Apps Appliance” sitting inside the firewall, there will always be a major proportion of the market unwilling to commit to a solution like this - increased risk of data loss, theft, and manipulation. Google’s pure-external model keeps things nice and simple, but it’s not for everyone.

Zoho, for example, offers “in-premise edition” to run inside an organization’s network. Similarly, Zimbra’s collaboration app. It’s also becoming possible to make your own stack, with apps like Wikicalc and the various wikis, though nothing as comprehensive as Google’s offering. It’s feasible MS will move their apps in that direction too.

The comparison among these approaches will be worth watching in coming months. For now, though, it’s great to see how much Ajax and the web has evolved in the past two years, with Google providing a lot of the inspiration. From TechCrunch: “Beyond competition and concerns, tonight is a good time to recognize the incredible force of innovation that Google is as well. Its nearly full-service suite of sophisticated, integrated online services is something of historic proportion.”

Blogger & Podcaster



Once you setup an account you can add your blogs & podcasts to their free directory (B & P Guide). Not real sure why only three of the four I added are listed. As there aren't tons in the list, I am guessing I must be one of the early ones to get to their site and grab an online copy of Blogger & Podcaster.


Brangelina Triangle Tragedy: Marriage Vows Don't Count

One of the things we know for sure in life is that nothing just happens. Science bears out this point with a well-established, immutable law of cause and effect. So, to hear Angelina Jolie play the "it-just-happened” card in a recent interview for the January 2007 issue of Vogue magazine to explain how her relationship with Brad Pitt evolved on the movie set of Mr. and Mrs. Smith, while he was still married to "best friend," Jennifer Aniston, was very disappointing. Ms. Jolie's moral and ethical conscience appears, at times, to be otherwise alive and well, as witnessed by her stance on several global sociopolitical issues. Therefore, as difficult as it might have been for Ms. Jolie to speak truth on this matter, we would have had a lot more respect for her honesty—and thought her interview less disingenuous—to hear her readily admit, without excuses, that she coveted Ms. Aniston's husband, and that they both suffered moral failure in doing the honorable thing, which would have been to walk away from each other—for good—with their integrity in tact. But then again, her later comments during a press junket for her most recent movie, The Good Shepherd, make it obvious that Ms. Jolie is still in denial (or believes we are) with respect to her actions. Moreover, with a “best friend” like Mr. Pitt, who needs enemies?

Indeed, it is one thing for Mr. Pitt to walk out on his marriage to “best friend” Aniston, leaving her for another woman. But it has to be quite another for him to do so, while
publicly declaring, “The idea that marriage has to be for all time—that I don’t understand.” One would have reasoned intelligently that this issue was settled at the “till death us do part” portion of their wedding vows. But, why stop there? To add insult to injury, Pitt, whether through his tacit or explicit agreement, effectively enabled his live-in lover, Jolie—who gave birth to their love child before the ink had dried appropriately on his divorce decree from "best friend," Aniston—to grant the interview and photo spread to Vogue to extol the virtues of their domestic bliss, plus throw out a public offer to Aniston for a truce, in such a manner that dared Aniston to look less than magnanimous if she refused. What a guy, sorry, “best friend”!

No one ever rightly promised that our choices in life were going to be easy. But, isn't the real mark of a person's character displayed in the choices made at those times when he or she is most tempted to pursue less-than-honorable acts? Too often, today, in our culture, “it-just-happened” is expected to explain away and justify ill-conceived behaviors, and the oft disastrous consequences of our choices, as if we were impotent bystanders in our own lives, and the consequences of our actions just crept up and overwhelmed us. However, we maintain that part of maturity—and integrity—is learning to accept the fact that we are equally responsible for the good things in life that "happen" to us, as much as we are for the bad, and the truth is we are enticed into action by our own desires.

In this same regard, then, it would be entirely unfair to say that we believe this sorry state of affairs "just happened" to Ms. Aniston. No doubt, there were choices made on both sides that ultimately precipitated the sad sequence of events. But, please, let us not miss the real issue in this unfolding saga…and it’s not about Pitt, Aniston, or Jolie, and whatever demons they did or did not struggle with. Ultimately, this sordid affair—and how the public has responded to the unfolding saga—is symptomatic of how we, as a culture, have come to value or devalue marriage.
Betsy Hart’s recent commentary on the Jolie Vogue interview is right on the money, and we are glad this syndicated columnist had the courage to speak up about what’s really at stake. Indeed, Ms. Hart urges us to consider what these players have revealed about our culture's view of marriage: Marriage has largely become an "as long as I'm happy in the moment" idea.

To be sure, couples ought, rightfully, contemplate the point of making the promise "to love and to cherish as long as we both shall live," especially if it is being made without considered regard to its real cost. Marriage is a lifetime commitment. And, this has always been, and will continue to be, the watershed issue within marriage. But more importantly, what is to become of us as a society when we have become so shallow, and so twisted in our belief system, that adultery, cohabitation, and the like are simply par for the course, and we glorify and deem those who indulge in these illicit pursuits among
the most beautiful people, and as the most beautiful family in the world?

Ms. Hart is right. What a tragedy.

Can it be any wonder then, why, through sheer organics, there appears to be a changing of the guard within the bastions of the media? Recently, the UK’s Guardian's Observer Magazine published an expose on Arianna Huffington of
The Huffington Post, entitled Hurricane Arianna, and we urge you to read it. Author Paul Harris describes Ms. Huffington as “the Blackberry-toting, Bush-baiting Queen of the Blogosphere who has made her two-year-old website the most potent force in American politics." But more noteworthy than the awe-struck sycophancy afforded Ms. Huffington in the piece, is the growing recognition being given to the shifting balance of power within the media landscape. To be sure, the cost of setting up digital space now makes it more attainable for just about anyone to have a voice. Setting up The Huffington Post was cited to cost just $2 million, compared to a magazine, which might cost a publishing company like Time Inc. 20 times that to start up, yet reach a mere fraction of the audience currently logging on to the Post. But, there is no doubting its influence. What’s more, until the advent of the Internet, the mainstream media largely represented the "good 'ole boys club," and political cronyism at its worst, and the fact is a mere few—typically, those with money—controlled public opinion. Much worse, however, was the fact that the general public failed to grasp just how much these privileged few influenced their perception of truth. And, without a doubt, Time magazine's choice for Person of the Year: You (Yes, you. You, who control the Information Age) is a sign of the times.

Blogs are really what made this award possible. They may not be as well edited, researched, or even as well written as print journalism, but, ultimately, they could serve democracy—and the pursuit of truth—better...and, to be sure, you don't have to haul them down to the recycling bin when you're done! Sites like The Huffington Post, featuring up-to-the-minute news and blogs from a vast array of world-class writers, are making newspapers and weekly news magazines like Time and Newsweek obsolete. In like manner, celebrity Internet sites like PerezHilton, pushing the limits of decency and what is considered ethical in our society today, are challenging the very existence of their equivalent print rivals. But, we have little sympathy for the old media. Why? Because they created the monster that made ordinary people rise up and demand to speak for themselves. For too long, they have monopolized the airwaves and newsstands, with viewpoints that demonstrate we can be educated beyond our intelligence, yet still fundamentally lacking in wisdom. For too long, they have stalked celebrity "victims" as if they were prey, unwilling to pull in the reins of decency regarding what enquiring minds needed to know. For too long, they have damaged the public perception of truth. And, indeed, much of the old media needs to be challenged with respect to what it now purveys as journalism…or be knocked from its pedestal.

So, congratulations to you too, then, on being Time’s Person of the Year. This is great. Now, even sexual predators can tell the Monsignor in their next job interview that they were Time magazine's Person of the Year.


Avril Lavigne @ TBDT Photoshoot







Catherine Zeta Jones @ Tatler Magazine Shoot




Mena Suvari @ Aventura Magazine Shoot




Jennifer Morrison @ House Promoshoot



Nicole Kidman @ "Margot at the Wedding" Premiere



Gün Batımı - (evening) sinema


Gösterim Tarihi: 12 Ekim 2007
Yönetmen: Lajos Koltai
Oyuncular: Meryl Streep , Patrick Wilson, Glenn Close, Toni Collette
Senaryo: Susan Minot, Michael Cunningham
Müzik: Jan A. P. Kaczmarek
Görüntü Yön: Gyula Pados
Tür: Dram
Süre: 117 Dk.
Yapım Yılı: 2007
Ülke: ABD
Dağıtımcı: Bir Film

Hatıraların gücüne yenik düşen Ann Lord (Ms Rdgrave) kızları evli ve çocuk sahibi Constance (Ms Richardson) ile bekar biri olan Nina (Toni Collette)’e uzun zamandır sakladığı bir sırrını anlatır. Ann kimseyi sevmediği kadar bir adamı sevdiğinden bahsettiğinde ikisi de yatağın baş ucundadır.

Ama kimdir bu “Haris”, kızlar annelerinin bu adamla ne yaşadığını merak etmişlerdir. Constance ve Nina Ann’in ve kendi yaşamlarının sırlarını anlamaya çalışırken anneleri de zihninde elli sene önceki bir yaz hafta sonuna Ann Grant (Claire Danes) olduğu zamanlara döner.

Son Ültimatom Sinema


Gösterim Tarihi: 12 Ekim 2007
Yönetmen: Paul Greengrass
Oyuncular: Matt Damon , David Strathairn, Paddy Considine, Julia Stiles
Senaryo: Tony Gilroy, Robert Ludlum
Müzik: John Powell
Görüntü Yön: Oliver Wood
Tür: Almanya-İngiltere-ABD
Süre: 111 Dk.
Yapım Yılı: 2007
Ülke: ABD
Dağıtımcı: UIP Filmcilik

Jason Bourne’in tek isteği ortadan kaybolmaktır. Ancak kaybolmayı başaramadığı gibi kendisini yaratanlar tarafından ele geçirilir. Hafızasını ve sevdiği tek insanı kaybetmiş olan Jason Bourne, iyi eğitimli yeni kuşak katillerin yoğun ateşi altındadır. Artık sadece tek bir hedefi vardır: Başlangıca dönmek ve kendisinin kim olduğunu bulmak.

Casusluk-gerilim serisinin yeni bölümünde Jason Bourne (Matt Damon), yeni bir gelecek bulabilmek için kendi geçmişindeki izleri yakalamaya çalışır. Gerçek Jason Bourne’i bulma çabasına devam ederken Moskova’dan Paris, Londra, Tanca (Fas) ve New York’a uzanan geniş bir alanda seyahat etmek; sürekli manevralarla her an ensesinde olan yüzlerce polisi, federal ajanları ve Interpol ajanlarını safdışı etmek zorundadır.





Google Docs Partly Down Today


Google Docs is having some problems today, at least for some of us. Tadeusz earlier today reported he saw a 404 page at Google Docs. When I logged in, I received the message “The server encountered an error. Please try again later.” Then later, it started to work fine, but just now when opening a document I got the following message:


Sorry, but document editing is temporarily unavailable.

While we are working to restore the service, you can still view your documents – just not edit them. If you check back in a few minutes, editing will likely be available again.


[Thanks Tadeusz!]

Google Vanity Ring and More


Created by Markus Kison of Berlin University for Digital Media, the VanityRing displays the Google page count the wearer gets for their own name. It’s the ultimate status symbol but updated for the 2000s, beating even costly jewels. “Being in people’s mind means being important,” Markus says.



To raise your Google status even more, there are two new options from the Google store: Google lip balm and Google Rubik’s cube.


[Top link & pic via Digg and Manoj. Top image by Markus, second image by Google Store.]

Websites May Require Visually Impaired Access In California

visual access image

California may require websites to provide access to visually impaired users under ruling made in the long running case of the National Federation of the Blind vs Target.

The case centers on Target not providing basic accessibility to vision impaired users via the use of alt tags for images, keyboard options for navigation and missing navigation headers.

US District Judge Marilyn Hall Patel in the Court for the Northern District of California had previously found that “the inaccessibility of Target.com impeded full and equal enjoyment of goods and services offered in Target stores” and has now ruled that the case is eligible for class action status, despite attempts by Target to have the case thrown out.

The result of the case will have far broader implications for the many startups and Web 2.0 companies operating in California, with many sites having to factor access into their services and sites or risk the prospect of legal sanctions.

Whilst the basics as easy enough: tagging images and making sure that sites can be accessed through text based browsers, the use of Ajax and other means of scripting sites means that the traditional html tagging may not either be available, or more difficult to implement.

There is some suggestion from the court case that accessibility may also be required under the Americans with Disabilities Act as well, meaning that although the ruling is currently focused on California law, it could extend to the rest of the United States.

More information on making websites accessible to those with visual impairments can be found at the American Foundation for the Blind.

Top Blogs On Google Reader

So Google recently made it fairly easy to determine the number of Google Reader subscribers around a particular blog. Gabe Rivera at Techmeme did a little work on excel and came up with an unofficial list of the top blogs and the number of subscribers each blog has on Google Reader. He sent the list around to people for comments - with his permission we’ve published it below.


This isn’t perfect because you have to think of the blog and then do a search for the stats; so some blogs may be left off. Also, some of these stats are aggregate numbers from different feeds for the same blog.

If you see errors or blogs that should be added, please point them out and we’ll correct them. It would also be good to round this out to a top 100 list and compare it to Technorati and TechMeme Leaderboard . Hopefully, Google will just publish this data themselves at some point.


The blog or other news site is listed on the left. Total Google Reader subscribers is listed in the second column.



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