Google announced the new addition of the “Plus 1″ (+1) button for websites. This is naturally a response to the information that facebook is able to collect by having websites add a “Like” button. Google offers a very simple and clean button for webmasters that will allow Google to give webmasters higher search engine ranking for many “plus ones” and gives them vast amounts of consumer preferences.
Coding of the +1 buttom is very simple with 2 lines of code to add to your website. There is a very simple line that goes in the header portion of your website and then a corresponding section of code that goes in the location where you wish the button to appear.
So for every webmaster there is now the project of adding some simple code to each site and possibly even each page that warrants the attention Google is willing to give.
Google docs has been belittled as being far insuperior to Microsoft Word or any of the other competitors word processing programs. While it is true that Google docs doesn’t offer all the bells and whistles of an expensive product, I have found that even as a writer presenting theses for graduate school, writing technical papers, and making business proposals that Google docs offers enough to cover my vast array of writing needs. The little demonstration above shows just what can be done with Google docs. I have found working at a regional office of a national business that having the opportunity to easily share a doc and edit or ammend it individually or collectively is much easier than what the competitors offered at the time that I made the switch. Clearly even an advance business proposal with animation and a variety of charts and graphs can be done in a short amount of time. The one short coming of google is that should you encounter a glitch or a problem there is no 800 number to call and get help. However, having sat on hold with Microsoft support line for hours trying to get help, I often found it was much quicker to surf the internet looking for others who have had similar problems and found solutions that they were willing to share. I find that is definitely true with Google docs. The community of users is vast and some of them share copious details of their problems and the solutions they have found. Many of the initial problems with Google docs have been fixed rapidly. Google’s interest in supporting their users and not having an item on the shelf that needs to be reboxed and resold, they are much better at letting the user determine the final look (in one sense there is no final look, because the users keep suggesting additional changes and updates and Google keeps responding to those request). Obviously this style of cloud-computing document service has its limitations. There is a limit to file size and image size that some users may find restrictive. However due to the vast number of users they have to set some limits to preserve the server space they are working with. Google has had one security breach that impacted a tiny fraction of the documents on their server. Even a small fragment of a breach is somewhat of a concern. Google reports tha
Cloud computing isn’t really all that new. Google has been pushing for it for a long time. The introduction of Google Documents was a push to see if users could handle storing documents online and work in an online only format. Microsoft has been concerned with software licenses and has long thought that an always on internet connection would be a great way to have more control over the software platforms a user has access to. Amazon, ITunes and the other players in the music industry will have control over what people upload to their iPods by having the licensed files on their servers. The Amazon Kindle (and other book platforms) love it to for the same reason.
The pitch to the consumer is pretty easy, as it’s something new, trendy and interesting technology that is accompanying it. There are going to be a ton of problems to come with cloud computing. Reliability, hacking, reliable access, lack of full coverage wireless access in the USA and abroad are some of the initial concerns that need to be overcome. Already in the attempt to use some basic cloud computing technology you will find errors and non-functioning components.
Google cloud printing sounds great, but they have errors that do not allow many users to actually use their services. Timeout errors in the software gives the receiving computer no chance at printing. When you start talking about more advanced features the trouble is going to multiply rapidly. Now this doesn’t mean that it’s bad or is going to go away. There are a ton of benefits to cloud computing. But, it’s not the best thing since sliced bread. And really it’s not that new either. So, take your time when adjusting to cloud computing and it will get there. Not this year, and not next, but it will. And hey, there really is a silver lining to cloud computing.
Google Sky is one of the coolest applications for the new breed of high tech phones. I have always been interested in the stars and astronomy, but I have been completely overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of the night sky. The constellations are vague and obscure to my sight. Google sky has changed all of that for me. Using my android and the Google Sky application I can move the screen around and see different stars and other objects in the sky. I am able to turn on different levels to see names and/or outlines of the constellations. In just a matter of a few months I have become much more adept at seeing certain stars and the constellations to which they belong. This is another great success in the Google enterprise. Google has become the king of the internet. Although there are several other companies that are players in the internet game most of them have a small fragment of a piece of the action compared to the gargantuan hold that Google has on the internet. It is interesting that Google is a relative late comer to the game compared to yahoo, Microsoft (BING), and others. Many of the others have lost their share completely after a strong start and are no longer even in the business (you’ve got mail). Google keeps extending itself into the online world through acquisition of other companies and ventures. Some of these seem very natural and some of seem like far stretches from the original mission of Google. Personally the launch of the Android DROID telephone from Verizon was the final link that switched me over from having a foot in the Microsoft world and the other foot in the Google world to completely giving myself to Google. I no longer use Microsoft Office products. I have given up on Internet Explorer. Instead I am using Google docs for my word processing, spread sheets, data base. I really love Google Chrome for my internet browser. Google has added so many applications and gadgets for use on their browser or on the mobile phones that use their operating system, that the Google world is becoming all encompassing. The universal usage of Google is astonishing not withstanding their struggles in China and some of the other religiously or politically restrictive countries. Any other county in the world if you can get the right inflection the vast majority of the people will be able to help you Google. I know that there is a fragment of society who used to hate Bill Gates and have now transferred some of if not all of their disdain to Google. I think it is hostility that is not necessarily merited, but is based solely on the expansiveness and success that Google has experienced.
