Archive for Google
Is fragmenting data the way to beat Google?
The outlines of a serious challenge to Google’s domination have started to take shape in the last few weeks and, rather than being based on someone doing a better search engine (as per many of the previous ones), it is based on fragmenting data on the internet. We’ve already seen Rupert Murdoch’s desire to take [...]
What’s an API?
Cross-posted from Reputation Online: The humble two and three pin electrical plugs and sockets are in many ways a mini-marvel of standardisation. Electricity generation and power distribution companies can change what they do and how they do it in all sorts of different ways, as can the manufacturers of devices which requiring plugging in. But [...]
Google's blog search gets a menu boost
Over the summer I posed the question If Google is so great at usability, why…, raising the odd location of the “Blogs” option on Google searches. It looks like Google now acknowledges the point I made (though I suspect it wasn’t my blog post that triggered the thought!) as the new look Google interface, which [...]
Automatic subtitling comes to YouTube – the implications for search
First and foremost, the news that YouTube is rolling out automatic subtitling is good news for the hard of hearing: The machine-generated captions will initially be generated in English. At first they will only be found on 13 channels. These include National Geographic, Columbia, as well as most Google and YouTube channels… Currently YouTube offers [...]
Is Google coming to Government?
Public Servant magazine has run a piece from me titled, “Is Google coming to government?” Here’s what I wrote: A smart public sector decision maker needs to understand not only that that people now expect information to be available online but also that by putting it there it can spark a whole new set of [...]
Devil stagnates as God grows in news stories
A curious long term trend from Google: looking at the number of mentions of God and the Devil in online news stories worldwide over the last five years, you can see that the number of mentions of the Devil (red) has stayed static whilst the number of mentions of God (blue) has steadily risen:
What are the lessons from Channel 4's YouTube deal?
The news that Channel 4 is going to use YouTube as the mechanism for providing catch-up and archive content, starting in November, is of obvious direct interest to the TV industry. But Channel 4′s decision to go with YouTube also has wider lessons which apply across other sectors. First, even Channel 4 – an organisation [...]
YouTube rolls out real time comment search
Without any fanfare, YouTube has quietly added real time search of its comments via www.youtube.com/comment_search. So far the page is pretty limited: no advance search options other than language, fairly minimal information available in the search results listing, no feed available of your search results and so on. On the up side, it allows you [...]
Battle for future of books hots up as Kindle goes international
Both Amazon and Google have unveiled major developments in their plans to dominate the future of e-books. These moves will not only see the two internet giants compete head-to-head but will also see the traditional book publishing industry and authors face the dilemma of whether to see these developments as a welcome new outlet for [...]
A reminder of how little most people know about online campaigning
My first thoughts about today’s BBC report of the Google-sponsored fringe meeting at Conservative conference weren’t wholly complimentary. “Google sponsored meeting says route to electoral success is to give money to Google; gosh, shock!” But on reflection the real lesson of the story is the reminder of how little most people know. I suspect most [...]
