The European Commission reviewed Google’s play book and voiced their concern as:

• Google displays its own links differently from its competitor links for vertical search services alongside the general search service.
• Google copies content, such as user reviews from competitors to display without authorization.
• There is an antitrust agreement issue between Google and partners that use Google search on websites.
• Google puts restrictions on the portability of online AdWord search advertising campaigns to competitors’ platforms.

Almunia stated:

“Google has a matter of weeks to come up with proposals of its own. Failing that, the EC would continue its investigation into possible anti-competitive practices by Google, including the possible sending of a Statement of Objections, a list of formal charges.”

“Because these issues impact small businesses the hardest, it is critical that the EU takes decisive steps to address the Google antitrust problem.”

EC is examining the rules, so we’ll see how it all plays out. If pregame chatter impacts the end result, than the odds are against Google this season. It looks like the cheerleaders aren’t the only ones with a bone to pick.

Jennifer Shockley, May 26, 2012

Sponsored by Pandia

Going public can have a way of changing a company; suddenly, shareholders must be placated, and it can easily become all about short-term profits. Zuckerberg insists, however, that his company will forever be all about “the social mission,” as writer Emil Protalinski put it. Recently, Zuckerberg emphasized this priority in a comparison with two of Facebook’s biggest competitors:

“I think the biggest difference between Facebook and other companies is how focused we are on our mission … Different companies care about different things. There are companies that care about, just really care about having the biggest market cap. Or there are companies that are really into process or the way they do things. Hewlett Packard, right? The thing that you always hear about them is ‘the HP Way.’ … Google, I think, is very tied to their culture — they really love that. For us, it is the mission: building a company that makes the world more open and connected. The articulation of that has, I think, changed over time. But that’s really been, like, the belief the whole time.”

Will investors appreciate the boy genius’ attitude? Some have already expressed disappointment in his wardrobe. Protalinski points out that anyone investing in Facebook is ultimately investing in Zuckerberg and his vision; stockholders would do well to give the man room to keep doing what he does. Comfortably dressed, even.

Cynthia Murrell, May 25, 2012

Sponsored by PolySpot

According to the article, RJ Metrics found that, after surveying 40,000 of the 170 million people with Google+ profiles, user activity is rapidly on the decline. Unlike other social media sites like Facebook or Twitter, Google+ has an extremely low rate of reposting (15% to be exact) and the average time lapse between posts is 12 days.

Google denies these allegations and states the findings to be inaccurate, but fails to provide its own data on user engagement. The search giant does say that people are two to three times more likely to share content in their private circles than to make posts public.

The article states:

“Robert Moore of RJMetrics acknowledges that the study is skewed by the lack of private data, but points out that his findings echo a ComScore (SCOR) study released in February, which showed that Google+ users spent only about 3 minutes per month on the social networking site in January, compared with 7.5 hours on Facebook.”

While we can certain of the accuracy of this data, based on my own personal experience with Google+ it paints a pretty accurate picture. This study certain reminds readers that Google sits alone at lunch.

Jasmine Ashton, May 23, 2012

Sponsored by PolySpot

Writer David Angotti describes Google’s plan:

“A team of software engineers has been working to develop mathematical formulas that will extract and organize data that is currently spread across the Internet. The combination of an acquisition and the extraction algorithms have provided Google with an index of over 200 million people, places, and things, which Google simply calls ‘entities.’ This index, which Google named the Knowledge Graph, will allow Google to move away from keyword-based results to true semantic search.

“Once the entities are properly organized, semantic search technology enables Google to measure the relationship and separation between two entities to determine search results and rankings.”

Angotti notices that Google seems to be testing some of this functionality. His example is the query, “who directed The Hunger Games.” The results successfully placed the correct answer (Gary Ross) at the top of the list, and for some users included related images down the right side where ads usually appear.

When asked, a Google spokesperson had no information to share. More changes, though, are expected to arrive soon. We wonder– how will these revisions affect the rankings of millions of sites? Are keyword-reliant SEO pros anxious yet?

Cynthia Murrell, May 22, 2012

Sponsored by PolySpot

According to the article, the Google company currently has a global audience of over 800 million unique users. While YouTube has no plans to begin charging for its current content offerings, it might add premium offerings that are not already on the video-sharing site. Since it already does movie rentals and sports subscriptions, this would not be all that different.

The article states:

“In adding a new subscription service, the idea is to entice owners of high-demand programming in categories such as live sports, music and entertainment to put their content on YouTube. Much of this content is owned by big media companies, which receive the bulk of their revenues from TV advertising and subscription TV carriage fees. Many of these companies have been unwilling to put their content on YouTube, because of its predominantly advertising-only business model.”

This may not be a new idea, but it will certainly cause some changes in the way YouTube does business and may impact the way that others see the company. Will this solve the big hat, no cattle problem of YouTube?

Jasmine Ashton, May 21, 2012

Sponsored by PolySpot

Google may have announced its $12.5 billion acquisition of Motorola Mobility last August and gained approval from both EU and US authorities but it’s taken until today for the search giant to gain clearance in China…. Chinese law stipulates that any business which generates revenues in excess of $1.55 billion (10 billion yuan) per year, of which $62 million (400 million yuan) comes from China, must receive government approval before it can be acquired.

Messrs Brin and Page did not suggest China change its laws. The company waited until the Middle Kingdom did its bureaucratic boogie.

Now that the deal between a vendor with a ore competency in software and online advertising and an mobile phone outfit nearly done, the question becomes, “Can Google Manage Motorola Mobility?” My hunch is that Google will do Googley things. For example, Google will behave in an unpredictable way.

There are rumors that Google will create a preferential implementation of Android. There are rumors that Google will sell the Motorola Mobility manufacturing operation. There are rumors that Google will wheel and deal with the Motorola patents.

My view is that Google itself is not sure what it will do. Situational decisions, betas, and mixed signals are likely to be the summer picnic fare. I don’t pay too much attention to Google, but the company is a headline maker. The Motorola deal caught me by surprise. Google’s tie up with Samsung has been great for Samsung, but I think the Google management of Android has been interesting.

According to PCMag:

Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt raised eyebrows when he appeared at the Consumer Electronics Show in January and argued that Android is not fragmented but “differentiated.” Then there was the write up “The Many Faces of a Little Green Robot.” If that write up is correct, there are 681,900 Android devices running different flavors of Android.

Now that’s a form of management that is remarkable.

Stephen E Arnold, May 19, 2012

Sponsored by Polyspot

According to the article, the report found that the average post on Google+ has less than one +1, less than one reply, and less than one re-share. Also, roughly 30% of users who make a public post never make a second one and even after making five public posts, there is a 15% chance that a user will not post publicly again.

A Google spokesperson countered these results with a statement saying:

“By only tracking engagement on public posts, this study is flawed and not an accurate representation of all the sharing and activity taking place on Google plus. As we’ve said before, more sharing occurs privately to circles and individuals than publicly on Google+. The beauty of Google+ is that it allows you to share privately–you don’t have to publicly share your thoughts, photos or videos with the world.”

Since the survey only looked at user’s public profiles, we can’t be completely sure of the accuracy of its results. However, what we can be sure of is that Google needs to increase its social game because there are some skeptics out there.

Jasmine Ashton, May 18, 2012

Sponsored by PolySpot

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The utility of Dr. Guha’s invention is roughly similar to the type of question answering supported by WolframAlpha. However, there are a number of significant differences. I have explored these in the chapter in The Google Legacy “Google and the Programmable Search Engine.”

I read with interest the different explanations of Google’s most recent enhancement to its search results page. I am not too eager to highlight “Introducing the Knowledge Graph: Things, Not Strings” because it introduces terminology which is more poetic and metaphorical than descriptive. Nevertheless, you will want to take a look at how Google explains its “new” approach. Keep in mind that some of the functions appear in patent documents and technical papers which date from 2006 or earlier. The question this begs is, “Why the delay?” Is the roll out strategic in that it will have an impact on Facebook at a critical point in the company’s timeline or is it evidence that Google experiences “big company friction” when it attempts to move from demonstration to production implementation of a mash up variant.

In the various analyses by experts, “real” journalists, and folks who are fascinated with how Google search is evolving, I am concerned that  some experts describe the additional content as “junk” and others view the new approach as “firing back at Bing.”

You must reach your own conclusion. However, I want to capture my observations before they slip from my increasingly frail short term memory.

First, Google operates its own way and in a “Google bubble.” Because the engineers and managers are quite intelligent, clever actions and economy are highly prized. Therefore, the roll out of the new interface tackles several issues at one time. I think of the new interface and its timing as a Google multiple war head weapon. The interface takes a swipe at Facebook, Bing, and Wolfram Alpha. And it captures linkage, wordage, and puffage from the experts, pundits, and wizards. So far, all good for Google.

A MIRV deployment. A single delivery method releases a number of explosive payloads. One or more may hit a target.

Second, the action reveals that Google * had * fallen behind in relevancy, inclusion of new content types, and generating outputs which match the “I have no time or patience for research” user community. If someone types Lady Gaga, the new interface delivers Lady Gaga by golly. Even the most attention deprived Web or mobile user can find information about Lady Gage, click, explore, and surf within a Guha walled garden. The new approach, in my view, delivers more time on Google outputs and increases the number of opportunities to display ads. Google needs to pump those ads for many reasons, not the least of which is maintaining revenue growth in the harsh reality of rising costs.

Third, the approach allows Google to weave in or at least make a case to advertisers that it is getting on its social pony, collecting more fine grained user data, and offering a “better search experience.” The sale pitch side of the new interface is part of Google’s effort to win and retain advertisers. I have to remind myself that some advertisers are starting to realize that “old fashioned” advertising still works for some products and concepts; for example, space advertising in certain publications, direct mail, and causing mostly anonymous Web surfers to visit a Web site and spit out a request for more information or, better yet, buy something.

The new interfaces, however, are dense. I point out in the Information Today column which runs next month that the density is a throw back to the portal approaches of the mid 1990s. There are three columns, dozens of links, and many things with which to entice the clueless user.

In short, we are now in the midst of the portalization of search. When I look for information, I want a list of relevant documents. I want to access those documents, read them, and in some cases, summarize or extract factoids from them. I do not want answers generated by someone else, even if that someone is tapping in the formidable intelligence of Ramanathan Guha.

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So Google has gone beyond search. The problem is that I don’t want to go there via the Google, Bing, or any other intermediary’s intellectual training wheels. I want to read, think, decide, and formulate my view. In short, I like the dirty, painful research process.

Stephen E Arnold, May 17, 2012

Sponsored by Polyspot

The engineer responsible for the initiative was Marius Milner, who says he did try to get direction from his higher ups before proceeding. They insist they never read his reports. Writer Casey Johnston points to comments Milner made in 2004 that indicate he was very familiar with the legal and ethical implications of his project. She writes:

“Milner’s prior awareness of the privacy and legal issues in lifting data from open WiFi networks implicates him, in one sense: he created tools to do something that was, at best, an ethically gray area for the community out of which he came. But he did first raise questions and seek out advice from his superiors; when it was not forthcoming, he apparently decided to forge ahead. His decision to raise the issue at least partly exonerates him from Google’s initial suggestion that he acted alone and failed to make his superiors aware of what he was doing. . . .”

“Whether it was a matter of time pressure or miscommunication, the apparent lack of advice and supervision resulted in an alarming misstep for Google.”

Good points, though calling this a “misstep” is generous. We thought the policy was do what you want and just apologize if someone complains. Would a movie star convert ethics into ideological tiger blood or just winning?

Cynthia Murrell, May 17, 2012

Sponsored by PolySpot

“In a blog post about the changes, Scott Zuccarino, product manager of Google News, wrote: ‘Many news stories inspire vibrant discussions on Google+, and today we’re starting to add this content to both the News homepage, and the real-time coverage pages.’

“Google has yet to reveal how many active users Google+ has. This latest move to weave the Facebook rival into one of Google’s most powerful products is a bid to boost the popularity of the service.”

She has that right. Google+ has not exactly been a stellar success.

Another Google News addition is, perhaps, a bit more useful for the average news junkie. The new “real-time” button summons the latest articles displayed chronologically, with commentary or more in-depth pieces at the bottom. This feature is probably designed to replace the Twitter feed the site used to get; Google’s deal with Twitter expired last year and has yet to be renewed.

Oh, and images are larger now. That may be the most useful change of all.

Cynthia Murrell, May 16, 2012

Sponsored by PolySpot