A Fuller View

Not a news story per say but still very cool… I have to say I like today’s Google logo supporting Earth Day 2008.

Had to comment with some initial views and thoughts on the recent roll-out of the “second” search box on some Google results. My initial view is that this could be good for user experience but bad for publishers and potentially even advertisers. Here’s the official Google blog post on this new feature. Search Insider has some good points and so does AdViking that are worth reviewing as well.

I know some publishers and will try to work with them and the AdViking team to see if we can get some real data on what (if any) impact this “search within a search” box is having. If I were an enterprise search vendor (such as FAST or Endeca) or a large publisher who had recently spent time/money etc on site search (especially in ecommerce or travel) this might really piss me off. Apparently site can opt out of this functionality.

I would like to get comments and feedback on metrics we should be trying to track and also any anecdotal info related to this functionality.

Below are some screen grabs of the 2dn search box on The Times Online.

Google in the UK is supporting Earth Hour ”as a gesture to raise awareness of a worldwide energy conservation effort.” This is the 1st I’ve seen anything about Earth Hour, but I’ve been on holiday for the past week. More info on Google’s effort are HERE.

 I will be interested to see if Google US also support this effort which is targeted at local time slot of 8-9pm… More importantly, what are the big energy users doing? Such as the US government and big companies doing in support of this effort?

Google search affiliate Backle has been giving users the ability to do searches in a more energy saving way for more thna a year already… Worth checking it out. The problem is still that white looks better online than black… Google’s search results are till in white today, while Backle is always black.

btw - The Earth Hour is apparently an initiative started by a guy in Norfolk.

I am going on a holiday with the family to the beach in Portugal. Yeah! This means no posts for at least a week…

 Some links to check:

• Another example of why YPs are doomed
• Marchex report on local -worth downloading
• Second click debate at SES
• AOL re-org - looks like more stuff that creates opps for the likes of G, M and FIM

And this from Looksmart today - about time they got geo sorted!

LookSmart is excited to announce that Geo-Targeting is now available in the AdCenter. Login to your account now and take advantage of this new feature.

Targeting Down to the City-Level
Take your LookSmart camaigns further with a spectrum of Geo-Targeting options: Country, State/Province, Metropolitan Area, and City-level targeting help you hit your desired targets.

Reporting, Regardless
Whether or not you implement Geo-Targeting right away, you have the ability to see where your clicks are coming from in the AdCenter reports. Take advantage of these reports to gain valuable insight into your campaigns AND customers.

Geo-Targeting Explained
Geo-Targeting is a tool that allows advertisers to focus PPC advertising campaigns on the geographic location of their desired customers. Furthermore, advertisers who focus on local advertising can buy popular, head of the query stream keywords and have them displayed exclusively in the local regions they do business in.

Here’s Google’s logo for the 1st day of spring. In London today the wather sucks, so lets hope PT is better. Have a great Easter and Happy Spring!

There are a number of interesting posts over on sister site AdViking worth a read this week if you have time:

• Google blames their tech - trying to save face with WAN
• Microsoft moves - buying Rapt
• Google shmoogle and OpenX
• Beacon Sucks - this is a sweet review of the Zuckeberg interview at SXSW!

I think working at Google’s Zurich offices would be very cool. Check out this fun video tour over on the BBC!

Google has launched a free ad serving platform aimed at mid-sized online publishers. The platform is currently in a limited beta - for more details check out this post on SEL or go directly to the Google Ad Manager homepgae. This is a very interesting product release from the big G. I am guessing the team at OpenAds will be watching this very closely…

Here’s a prediction: all ad serving technology becomes free by the end of 2008 (even from the likes of GoogleClick, Microsoft APS, 24/7, AdTech etc). So, then how do these companies make money? They will make it via value-added services and ad networks. Looks like this space is following Chris Anderson’s thesis of why free is the future.

Follow-up: a great post on this over on BuzzMachine - which completely agree with in terms of how Google Ad Manager really could be a game changer.

After almost a year Google has finally closed the DoubleClick deal. SAI has some interesting posts on the deal here (job cuts?) and here (a bold move in display?). I doubt Google will put banners on google.com, but I can see them building out a serious display network to rival Yahoo, MSFT and AOL - they have all the pieces. I’ll be back tomorrow with some more comments… In the meantime here is a DCLK email to exisiting clients:

Dear Valued Client,

As you may have heard, Google closed the acquisition of DoubleClick today..

I wanted to personally share with you our initial plans now that our businesses can join together.

We’re very excited to be able to combine DoubleClick’s industry expertise and market leadership with Google’s technology and resources for serving our publisher clients. The combined company will offer more tools for publishers to enhance productivity and create additional revenue opportunities.

We wanted to immediately address some of the specific implications of the acquisition, so we have a few FAQs below to give you more insight into our partnership with Google and plans for the future. For now, the offerings and services will not change and you will still work with the same great DoubleClick team. As decisions about business integration and products are made we will not only keep you informed on the progress, but also solicit your feedback. Our top priority is to continue to provide you with the highest level of service.

We hope to speak with you soon regarding any questions or concerns you may have and we look forward to working with you during this exciting time!

Regards,

David Rosenblatt

1. Will you continue to support my DoubleClick products and services?

DoubleClick has built its business by providing best-in-class service to customers. We are committed to maintaining those service levels as the two companies combine. And we are committed to better addressing your needs as we combine resources and develop enhanced solutions in the future.

2. Does anything change in my ownership of my data?

Data confidentiality remains a DoubleClick and Google priority. We will fully honor our client contracts that govern the use of the data, and have no plans to change the limited use provisions set forth in those contracts.

3. What are your plans going forward?

Ad serving encompasses a set of critical technologies that will get more support and resources after close. The combined company’s goal is to build on DoubleClick’s products and services so that they scale for the future. We are committed to building a true end-to-end solution that gives publishers more efficiency, scalability and profitability. The DoubleClick and Google product teams will work closely over the next few months to build a plan for delivering next generation ad serving.

For AdSense publishers, DART tags will be introduced into the Google content network. After close, Google will begin testing DoubleClick’s ad serving products to pave the way for the acceptance of DFA tags in our content network. The testing will begin on a small scale and expand over the course of the next year. We look forward to sharing more and to working with our publisher partners to maximize the potential of the network.

Together, we will create the next generation enterprise-class ad serving and management solution for publishers.

We will work with you to generate higher yields by combining DoubleClick’s and Google’s strengths in inventory management, ad serving, and optimization

The first Monday in March - this makes me very happy that it is finally March. This means we have finally turned the corner on winter here in northern Europe and start to really look-forward to spring! And then summer…

Some random links to check out today - Monday, March 3:

• Tim Harford has an interesting piece on why email is a good way to communicate but also helps drive the need for more face time. I would agree with his analysis.
• Over on AdViking you can read a nice recap of Fast Forward and hear how Simon B is getting religious about SEARCH!
• I might have to rethink quiting Twitter and give it another serious go…
• The coming Search Duopoly on GS - worth a quick read.

Btw - I am flying out to Seattle today for work and a visit to the HQ of my current employer. Might be a sparse week for posts… I am also using TripIt for the 1st time, this site totally rocks (thanks Simon B)! More on that later - for sure.
And here is today’s Google logo… Nice one.

I disagree with Mr Blodget’s comments on SAI re: 20% time at Google. That just proves that Wall Street analysts don’t get tech innovation or how the Valley works. The 20% is great “life hacking” and I am sure Google still gets 125% from most staff… On a related note this over on Fast Company is cool and well worth read!

• Marissa Mayer’s 9 Principles of Innovation

Plus, worth checking this one on NYT:

• Yahoo Reveals (Some) Details About Its Ad Plans

I added some comments to yesterday’s post on AOL below.

Great video interview with Nicholas A. Christakis on The Edge about his research into social networks (and not just the online variety, but the real social networks offline).

This just in on TechCrunh a rumour that Google may try to buy 20% of Yahoo to block you-know-who. Totally wild.