Google Observation

For my interview/observation I was planning on interviewing a Google employee over the phone. The main reason for it being over the phone is because their offices are based in California! Now I think it'd be really cool if I got the chance to fly out there and do a shadow type thing, but that's a little extreme. Now getting back to my over the phone interview. I was told that they cannot disclose personal or any other information about business over the phone. Now this kind of put me in a bind because I was out of ideas. Then Mrs. Stafford gave me the idea of taking a look at what Google has done and make a reaction to it. So I've found a timeline of what Google has done in the past year (2008) you can view this timeline by clicking HERE. This timeline shows and proves my point that Google is a quick growing company that doesn't plan to stop anytime soon. The first thing Google did in the year 2008 was announce what they'd like to do and what they'd like to improve. They really stressed that fact that they wanted to increase their services. Now this is most important thing to me. I look at quality rather than quantity when it comes to online services. Now in my opinion Google has both! Now with the launch of several new services like "Google Friend Connect" and "Web Optimizer". Google is now found half way through their year of 2008. Now twords the closing of the year, Google starts selling their first "Google" powered cellphone! This is a large leap for Google because they are now showing their face in the cellphone business. So my reaction to all of this is shock and aww! I can't even imagine the time and effort that is put into Google everyday. The more and more I read into this the more and more I like Google!

Google Glitch Shares Documents (RESPONCE)

I'm actually angry with Google for the first time ever! This is one of many things that has happened in the past week that could've been prevented! Not only has the huge Gmail scandle gone down but now, unauthorized sharing of private documents?!?!? Wow, this is rediculas! Now I know it hasn't been published in large bold letters in the New York Times or anything but this isn't the only two happenings in the past week or so. YouTube (owned by Google) has been freezing video views for all it's users including me! I haven't been getting any credit with what I've done on YouTube for the past week! I hope this is fixed soon and I hope the whole document sharing thing never happens again! WORK HARDER GOOGLE!

Google Glitch Shares Documents (NOTES)

• Some files were shared with unapproved users last week.
• It affected less than .05% of the documents shared on the service.
• The documents were inadvertently shared with users who shouldn't be able to see them.
• The bug was fixed.
• Extensive safeguards are now in place.
• This was an isolated incident.

I Want My GTV! Google Set To Offer Universal Music Videos (RESPONCE)

I think that this is a great idea! A lot of fans try to post music videos and they get taken off because it's not their content. With these music videos being on YouTube Im confident that it will bring more people to YouTube which means there will be more people available to watch my videos. I really support this act for YouTube! I think more company's need to sign contracts with YouTube because it just brings more revalue to the site.

I Want My GTV! Google Set To Offer Universal Music Videos (NOTES)

-Youtube is making a deal with Universal Music Group.
-If the plan does work, all of the company's music videos will be produced to the public via YouTube.
-YouTube wants this to happen so they have more popularity because of all the popular music artist.

Google's Gmail Hit With Outage Phishing Scam (RESPONCE)

Nothing has happened like this for a long time and I think it had to happen sometime! Google isn't perfect and there has to be some type of wacko crazy person who had to hack and crack it at sometime or other. I think they could have done a little more for the public other than posting a lengthened apology on their so called blog. I'm glad I had to do this post because I would have never known what was going on and I could have gotten scammed anytime now. (If you reading this please take note in what is going on, for the safety of your Google account.)

Here are the public notices posted on Google's Blog.
(Click On The Post To Enlarge)

Google Hit By Gmail Outage And Phishing Scam (NOTES)

• Google's email service experienced an outage for several hours.
• Then a phishing scam made it's way through Google Talk (IM Application)
• Google issued an apology through it's blog.
• The phishing attack was blamed on a website called (viddyho.com).
• Google is urging people who were scammed to change their passwords imediatly.
• Google hasn't detected any suspicious activity since then.
• Except for the spread of the scam.
• The outage and phishing outbreak were unrelated.
  

Google Lets Users Track Friend's Locations (RESPONCE)

The fact that users can track people and watch their every move is kind of scary! Yet it could come in hand in some points in life. Lets say your child is going out with some friends. Well you could open Google maps on your computer or you iPhone and see where their really going. In a bad situation, a stalker could start fallowing you simply by the common knowledge of his Blackberry cellphone. All in all, this is a very troubling feature! Once the update becomes available on my iPod Touch and my Motorola Hint, I will definatly try it out!

Google Lets Users Track Friend's Locations (NOTES)

• Google added a mapping feature which lets user track their friends.
• It's called the "Latitude Program".
• It's available via Google Maps.
• This works on wireless phones in 27 different countries.
• Users have to give the OK before being tracked.
• Information limitations are also available.

Google Earth Maps The Oceans (RESPONCE)

I think is a really good idea on Google's part. This makes the Google Earth program even better because before it only showed pictures of land and not the ocean. So now 100% of the earth is viewable from this program. With the acception of government areas which may be censored by law or something.

BEFORE

AFTER

Google Earth Maps The Oceans (NOTES)

• Google earth usually shows just some blue shading to give an idea of depth.
• Google earth now shows things below the surface of the water in 3D.
• Shipwrecks, Surface temperature, Wildlife tracking are also included.
• Google has the idea of using this technology to create an awareness about taking care of marine wildlife and not polluting.

Google Gears Up For Offline Email (RESPONCE)

In my opinion this is old news. When my iPod Touch connects to the internet it downloads my email giving me the ability to read them when I dissconnect from the schools network. Also my phone downloads my emails 24-7 so the new add on and my iPod are obselete because my phone gets my mail as soon as it arrives in my inbox on the Google Gmail servers.

Google Gears Up For Offline Email (NOTES)

• A new gmail addon allows users to search and read their email while offline.
• The add on is still in an experimental stage.
• The add on only lets you read the email and it disables the act of sending them.
• Gmail already has the ability to sinc with mobile phones.
• The add on was created by the Mountain View company.
  

Google Stuff We Missed This Week (RESPONCE)

Wow, Google had failed to amaze me! This is just a small amount of what Google can do in just one week! This makes me love the company even more! I feel better than ever about the research topic I chose because its growing so rapidly and getting better and better! And for anyone that doesn't know already, Google owns YouTube which explains why the article talked about embedded YouTube videos.

Google Stuff We Missed This Week (NOTES)

• You can now watch YouTube videos in Gmail chat.
• Just copy and paste your link into the chat box and the video is embedded automatically.
  
• Embedded videos can be played in high quality.
• Before users didn't have this option.
• Google didn't announce this, they just quietly had it added.
  

Google Prunes Unpopular Services From Its Portfolio (RESPONCE)

We all saw this coming! The economy is down and nobody at google wants to spend money for online webservices that hardly anyone uses anymore. Personally I'm glad this is happening because when I view their services page and I see all these boring and dumb things that nobody uses. It just seems like cyber trash to me so I ignore it! This doesn't make me feel like Google is selling out and downsizing, but the truth is I just feel like their cleaning up a little bit.

Google Prunes Unpopular Services From Its Portfolio (NOTES)

• Google will stop supporting several free web-based services.
• This is due to unpopularity.
• Google video (replaced by YouTube) will be used just as a search engine.
• Google will also stop working on one of their largest projects (Google Notebook) one of its largest projects.
• Google also annouced that it will be closing an engineering office in texas.

Google Cuts 100 Recruiting Jobs (RESPONCE)

I think this is something that had to be done. If Google didn't let anyone go and completly left ignored the terrible economy I think they'd be running directly into the ground. I feel bad that these people are losing their jobs but for the sake of Google, I think a few people could stand the threat of job loss. In other words, it has to happen sometime.

Google Cuts 100 Recruiting Jobs (NOTES)

• Google fires 100 job recruters.
• There are over 10,000 temporary jobs at google.
• The company has over 25,000 total employees.
• Google is still hiring for jobs, just at a slower rate.
• Google VP says "We do recognize the upheaval and heartache that these changes may have on Google families, and that we may not be able to keep 100% of these exceptional employees."