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Nerd-Its
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The People's Database
In what seems like a weekly event, Google just launched another product: Google Base. Google describes Google Base as 'a place where you can easily submit all types of online and offline content that we'll host and make searchable online. You can describe any item you post with attributes, which will help people find it when they search Google Base.'
In short, it is a customizable online database. Google has suggested categories such as want ads, course schedules, news, jobs, recipes, and events. If those categories don’t meet your needs you can create your own or modify existing categories by adding labels and attributes. Entries can be added individually or in bulk through RSS feeds or other means.
This new service raises many questions...Will this free service draw users from Craigslist, Ebay and Monster as some suggest? Will this help add valuable content to the web in an organized manner or will it become a spammer’s paradise? In addition, what about copyright concerns?
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0 Nerd-Its
Google Base = SEO tool
This morning I added the four most recent Omninerd articles to Google base. There is near instant feedback. Now, for example, if you search google base for electric car, hybrid car, hybrid car review, hybrid electric vehicle, hybrid vehicle, or toyota hybrid Brandon’s recent article shows up on the first page of results. Google has said they will use Google Base to enhance their search results on their main page and other search programs (Google Local, Froogle, etc).
This raises an interesting question. Google Base is being touted as a service that will allow others to upload content to the web. I’ve created no new content. Will the Google Base pages I just created help Google and other search engines better organize the world’s information? With the ease that I just promoted Brandon’s article how will Google combat potential spammers?
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0 Nerd-Its
Adding valuable content to the web
In thinking about the possible uses of such a tool, I can't help but wonder about the logistics of truth...call it philosophical, but who decides whether your content is 'good' or even bears some resemblance to reality?
For example, a student decides to report on polar bears. Certainly there's information on Google about polar bears, but let's hypothesize that a scientist posted a large amount of observational data about migratory patterns, etc. on GoogleBase. That would be terrific addition to a report, and would likely be accurate. But on the other hand, anyone can claim to be an expert about anything, and unless there's some way to rate the content for relevance and know who's rating it and whether or not they're relevant...it becomes circular, so I'll cease and desist. Where is the standard, the benchmark from which relevance and 'truth' is determined?
More importantly, is the day coming when IPv6 will allow each person to have a concrete identity and be fully traceable online, credentials and all? Will we have global profiles of trust? And then, will people pay others for a 'good' digital ID, or to give them (in eBay parlance) 'positive feedback'?
0 Nerd-Its
Now Microsoft...Yahoo next?
Microsoft will launch a product, codenamed Freemont, which appears to be very similar to Google Base. According to ZDNet's article, Microsoft thought this up back in February and six people have been working on it since April. Garry Wiseman, an MSN product unit manager tried to point out the differences between their product and Google Base:
"We started this before anyone knew about Google Base. Having seen what Google Base is doing, I don't think they were aiming for a classifieds service," Wiseman said. "They don't have a taxonomy of listings like we do. They see it as an open database."
This follows a recent survey by Pew Internet that 1 in 6 Internet users have sold something online. The market for classified ads is heating up. Will Google Base, Microsoft's Feemont, or another service (Yahoo?) be able to overcome Craiglist's lead?
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Looks like a good stock to own! by jmarkdavison :: NR6 :: Show
A little foresight and faith a couple of months ago would have netted an intelligent investor 37.3% in just 50 days!
Of course, I'm holding it so I haven't made anything yet. I still think it's the next Microsoft.
Google's recent secondary issue hasn't yielded any new acquisitions yet, although Craigslist and a couple related sites have been mentioned as possible Google gobbles. Also, with Yahoo (which I'm up almost 20% since buying it the same day as Google) out of the running for the fabled "AOL partnership," it's down to Microsoft and Google.
If Google needs to lock up any company, it's AOL: 11% of Google's revenues come from its searches on AOL. Having done everything right business-wise, and with the ability to keep a mystique around its seemingly grossly overvalued stock, I'd bet on Google to get AOL. Microsoft has far more cash ($38 billion, in fact), but their "Evil Empire" reputation helps Google seem an underdog in spite of the contradictory evidence.
And back to Microsoft- Nov. 22 is a big day for Bill Gates & co. The nex XBOX 360 comes out. I've already bought some Microsoft (and gained 10% in four weeks), and if I had more money I'd get more. Bill is betting on the Xbox to be Mr. Soft's new growth engine. Any Video Game Nerds planning on picking one up? 10 shares will run you about the same price as a new Xbox...think about owning both!