How Pinterest Could Save Google

Yes, Google+ has 170 million users. But how many of them actually use it is another matter entirely. The social network’s Circle-centric design works too well for its own good; it’s easy to keep private stuff private on Google+, which makes everyone act like information hermits, leaving newcomers with a ghost town.

Regarding my article on The Digital from Monday, March 6:

>Don’t be surprised if Google and/or Microsoft and/or someone else look to rain on Apple’s parade this week. Making impromptu big announcements around the same time as someone else’s scheduled big announcement is a time honored tradition in the tech industry. Just last week Apple sent our its cryptic iPad 3 announcement invitations just as Google CE Eric Schmidt took the stage at the Mobile World Conference in Spain.

And today, exactly 24 hours before the iPad 3 announcement (actually, I was also sorta correct in that it’s rumored to be the iPad HD) Google announces Google Play. It’s Google’s answer to Apple’s iTunes and iCloud.

…and they are…

Google Bookmarks Lists
Google Friend Connect
Google Gears
Google Search Timeline
Google Wave
Knol
Renewable Energy Cheaper than Coal

Sergey did.

Not tech. Google.

Despite the fact that Android devices are significantly outpacing iPhones, and ad impressions are higher than the iPhone, somehow the iPhone leads mobile search:

While Google continues to crow about Android market share, it’s got to be pretty embarrassing for them to testify under oath that iOS owns their mobile search traffic.

This week we’re finalizing our logo for our new online software. All people will never agree on anything, much less a logo. That’s just business. That’s just life.

However, I’m reminded of Google’s godawful first logo, and the changes since.

You can always change down the road.

Google’s first logo (1998 – May 30, 1999)

Google’s second logo (May 31, 1999 – May 5, 2010)

Google’s third logo (May 6, 2010 – Present)

Daxko was a partner at the CalSAE conference in Monterey, California. Nick (Daxko Connect’s product expert) and I spent Saturday morning driving around Silicon Valley on the hunt for some of our favorite dot-coms, Facebook and Google being the main interest.

Sweet Moses, it was perfect.

I’ve driven through Mountain View, Cupertino, Palo Alto, before, but that was long before the web fully took shape.

First, much looks just like any other town you’ve visited. Strip malls and office parks, all of which are unassuming until you see ‘Loopt’ or ‘LinkedIn’ on the side of the building.

Second, you drive past Facebook and never know you passed anything special. We did. Twice.

Third, you cannot drive past Google without knowing you passed anything special. There are signs of the Googleplex long before you reach the main building. ‘Google St’ for example is a not so subtle sign.

A great quote from the Google Nexus One press conference.

[thanks to Gizmodo for catching this slide]

I have 8 Google Wave invitations. Contact me if you’d like one. First come, first serve.

By now you’ve heard. Here’s the list.

For Birmingham residents, have no fear: Birmingham’s airport is so awesome, the city itself provides free wifi all year round.

Why are so many Googlers leaving the company? One reason…

Other companies try really hard to hire Googlers, so they offer them lots of money and great titles. Former VP of ad sales Tim Armstrong had a great, comfortable gig at Google. But then Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes asked him to become CEO of AOL, and offered up to $50 million in stock options. He had to jump at it.

Ever wonder why employees would ever leave Google? Here’s swiped internal discussions from former Googlers.

My new favorite local blog as of late (Vintage Seattle) pointed me to an interesting Google/LIFE Magazine feature now available:

Search millions of photographs from the LIFE photo archive, stretching from the 1750s to today. Most were never published and are now available for the first time through the joint work of LIFE and Google.

Great screen shots of things spotted on Google Earth.

Find out what people are searching at this very moment.

Even the almighty workplace at Google isn’t perfect.

One dude has left the 1,000-resumes-a-day office of Google Seattle to go back to Microsoft, and he’s telling everyone about it on his blog.