NetGains Marketing

Google announced a plan on Tuesday January 24, 2012 to link user data across its email, video, social-networking and other services that it says will create a "beautifully simple and intuitive" user experience.

Google Inc. said the new system will give users more relevant search results and information, while helping advertisers find customers — especially on mobile devices.

For example, if you spend an hour on Google searching the Web for insurance, the next time you log into YouTube, you might get recommendations for videos featuring TD Insurance, along with ads for his merchandise and the nearest place to acquire them.

"If you're signed into Google, we can do things like suggest search queries — or tailor your search results — based on the interests you've expressed in Google (Plus), Gmail and YouTube," the company says on a new overview page for its privacy policies. "We'll better understand (what) you're searching for and get you those results faster."

Google has made Plus the focal point of challenge to Facebook's social network. In the first seven months since its debut, Plus has attracted more than 90 million users, according to Google. To promote Plus, Google recently began including recommendations about people and companies with Plus accounts in its search results.
Google, Facebook and other popular Internet services all want to learn as much as possible about their users so they can learn more about their users and to target people interested in specific products, such as golf clubs or skinny jeans.

Google says users who opt to see personalized ads are 37 per cent more likely to respond to an ad than people who opt out of targeting.

From a business prespective this is will be a benefit, which will translate on your marketing budget and conversion rate.  Take advantage of this new system and set in place a estratergy now.

Estrategic Web-Marketing Experct - Daniel Balcorta.

What would you do with an extra 2 hours a day?

Recently I was considering the many benefits of working in a virtual company, and right at the top of my list was avoiding the daily commute. Travelling downtown each day in Calgary used to take up at least an hour each morning, and an hour each evening. That’s two hours a day, five days a week. Even at a four week month that’s a whopping 40 hours a week spent in traffic: an entire work week lost!

With a virtual set up, that time can be spent being active in the business. But what about those who can’t do a virtual set-up. How can that time be recouped? Leave it to Google.

Like something straight out of a movie, Google has developed technology for cars that can drive themselves. Not only have they developed that technology, but they’ve been testing it- their self driving cars have been making their way all over California, with over 140,000 miles logged so far.

According to Google, their “automated cars use video cameras, radar sensors and a laser range finder to ‘see’ other traffic, as well as detailed maps…to navigate the road ahead.” Citing safety as their top priority, the cars are never unmanned. During testing there is both a driver behind the wheel (ready to take over in case of any mistakes) and an engineer in the passenger seat to monitor the software. The only accident to date? One of the vehicles was rear-ended at a traffic stop – human error!

Google is optimistic that the technology will not only improve our efficiency, cut energy consumption, and increase the volume of traffic that can navigate the roads, but will also help to reduce the number of traffic accident related deaths, which according to the World Health Organization equals more that 1.2 million lives lost each year.

You won’t see it on the market any time soon. Even if the technology is perfected, there are many legal hassles that will slow down it’s launch, not the least of which will be completely revising traffic laws, which are based on the premise that a human is at the wheel. But the potential is there.

So what would you do with an extra few hours of productive time? Research? Watch videos? Maybe take some time to just relax and listen to some tunes? I’d suggest Brad Paisley’s “Welcome to the Future”. Ok, now I feel old.