Google Zeitgeist 2010: iPhone Beats Android, Twitter Beats Facebook, Chatroulette Beats All

It’s now nearly the end of the year, and you know what that means: end-of-the-year lists. Apple has just released a bunch, and now Google has too. As they do every year, Google has unveiled their “Zeitgeist 2010“. And they have some nifty interactive data visualizations once again and now they’re in HTML5.

Google singles out the Olympics, the World Cup, earthquakes, the oil spill, and Lady Gaga among others in their post on the matter. But their charts focus mainly on the fastest-rising queries. Of note in the top queries, the top iPhone (iPhone 4) beat the top Android phone (Evo 4G), Twitter beat Facebook, and Chatroulette beat everyone. In fact, the service (which no one seems to talk about anymore) was far ahead of every other fast-rising query expect for the iPad, which was a close second.

It’s worth noting again that these lists are just for the fastest-rising queries of the year. While Twitter beat Facebook in that area, Facebook is far ahead of Twitter in terms of overall queries, for example.

Below, the top 10 fastest-rising queries of 2010:

1. chatroulette
2. ipad
3. justin bieber
4. nicki minaj
5. friv
6. myxer
7. katy perry
8. twitter
9. gamezer
10. facebook

And here were the fastest-rising queries in consumer electronics in 2010:

1. ipad
2. iphone 4
3. nokia 5530
4. htc evo 4g
5. nokia n900
6. blackberry apps
7. duracell mygrid
8. 트위터
9. otterbox
10. pdanet

Interestingly enough, we’re told that number 8 is “Twitter” in Korean.
Also cool, Google’s “Strangest Searches Of The Year”:

1. can a horse have ocd?
2. am i bipolar or overachiever?
3. why are americans afraid of dragons?
4. ninjas are better than pirates
5. why is a raven like a writing desk?
6. why does brian wilson dye his beard?
7. should i marry him?
8. i wish i could speak whale
9. why couldn’t you stand on the sun’s surface?
10. why does my baby grunt?

-------------------
By MG Siegler

Google Movie: Producers Seek Writer To Rival ‘Social Network’ Success

 Following the huge critical and box-officesuccess of ‘The Social Network’ on its opening weekend, the team behind the planned big-screen adaptation of a movie about Google is hunting for the perfect writer to turn the story of dot-com billionaires Sergey Brin and Larry Pageinto a blockbuster.

A spokesperson for production companyGroundswell told Forbes that the search is on for a writer to adapt Ken Auletta’s bestsellerGoogled: The End of the World as We Know Itinto a screenplay, as Aaron Sorkin successfully did for Ben Mezrich’s tale of Mark Zuckerberg and the founding of Facebook. The spokesperson said the team expects to announce its chosen writer in coming weeks.

In August, Groundswell’s Michael London announced his company had acquired the movie rights to New Yorker writer Auletta’s book, which chronicles Google’s rise from dot-com upstart to preeminent search engine.

At the time of the announcement, it was unclear when the film would make it to the screen, if ever; plans were at a very early stage, with the only names attached to the project that of London and co-producer John Morris.

Now, with the success of ‘The Social Network’, a release date for the big-screen adaptation of Googled has been set for 2012, according to Groundswell’s spokesperson. The Los Angeles-based production house is responsible for such critically-acclaimed movies as the Harvey Milk biopic ‘Milk’ and Matt Damon vehicle ‘The Informant’.

Watch this space for news on the film, its writer, and its yet-to-be-announced cast. Ideas for who should play Brin and Page are welcome in the Comments section.

--------------------------------

By CLARE O'CONNOR

Working for Google From Home

The California-based company is known for its employee-friendly Mountain View campus and quirky corporate culture. So, given the investment in Google’s workplace, it’s no surprise that the company’s culture does not emphasize telecommuting. That said, there are a few legitimate Google jobs from home. But Google is pretty quiet about advertising for these jobs, which are mostly for people with foreign language skills, and it does the hiring for these independent contractor jobs through a temporary agency.

The World's Most Reputable Companies – Scores and Rank

From Google to Volkswagen: Companies built on trust and admiration

When top executives set out to build well-regarded companies, most start in their home countries. If they're successful, strong business practices and values they craft there will translate overseas.

As companies become more connected and businesses more international, creating a first-class reputation across borders is critical. For some companies, this can be the difference between success and failure.

So what is the secret to earning esteem that spans the world? And which companies are best at doing it? Reputation Institute, a global private consulting firm based in New York, uncovered 28 companies that have established international merit. Earlier this year it conducted a survey to assess the strength of the world's 600 largest companies (by revenue) in their home countries. Then consumers in 24 countries, from Brazil and the U.S. to Spain and South Korea, judged the 54 highest-rated companies, giving them more than 181,000 reputation ratings--from 0 to 100--on their products and services, innovation, workplace, governance, citizenship, financial performance and leadership. 

Companies at the top of the list all had one thing in common: innovation. Google ( GOOG - news - people ) and Sony ( SNE - news - people ) ranked No. 1 and No. 2, respectively (with scores of 78.62 and 78.47), pulling in consumer admiration for new technologies that touch consumers' lives. The two companies have a history of producing forward-thinking products that have emotional and rational appeal. Google, along with pulling in $6.7 billion in advertising revenue for the first quarter of 2010 (up 23% from the same time period last year), offers free services, such as e-mail and maps, for anyone to use. Sony, the world's second-largest consumer electronics maker behind Samsung, has a 54-year history of releasing leading music players and television sets. The two companies recently announced a partnership to launch Internet-connected TVs.

Apple ( AAPL - news - people ), IKEA and Intel ( INTC - news - people ), placing sixth, eighth and 10th on the list (with scores of 76.29, 75.60, and 75.39), also won over consumers by making snappy products. Apple, based in Cupertino, Calif., sold 1 million iPad tablet computers in the first 28 days at retail. IKEA, the Swedish furniture retailer operating in 44 countries, has revolutionized home furnishings, making fashionable, affordable furniture available to families across the world. Santa Clara, Calif.-based Intel makes semiconductors to help power cars, computers and even televisions. "Innovation is a powerful tool for reaching consumers," says Kasper Nielsen, managing partner of Reputation Institute.

The eighth, ninth, and 25th most reputable companies, BMW, Daimler (Mercedes-Benz) and Ferrero, established their reputations by forming prestige around their brands. Italian chocolate and confection maker Ferrero individually wraps its Ferrero Rocher chocolates in gold wrapping, which gives them an upscale look. BMW and Daimler, both German-owned, manufacture luxury cars and cater to consumers who are looking for top-notch products and services. They tap into car-buyers' emotions. BMW launched an ad campaign in February, re-branding itself as a company that makes people happy. "What you make people feel is just as important as what you make, we make joy," one of the company's ads says.

Commitment to citizenship is especially important these days. Microsoft ( MSFT - news - people ) founder Bill Gates established a philanthropic arm, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, in 1994 as a way to improve international health and education. The Redmond, Wash., software giant--once viewed as a monopolistic, monolithic company--is now seen as a charitable, approachable company and ranked No. 11 on the list. French cosmetic maker L'Oreal, No. 16, is also reaping the rewards of its benefit work. The company started in 1998 the L'Oréal-UNESCO Awards for Women in Science, a scholarship fund granting $100,000 to female researchers.

Companies with large international operations can thrive. Johnson & Johnson ( JNJ - news - people ), maker of medical devices, consumer products and pharmaceuticals, oversees sales in more than 175 countries. The New Brunswick, N.J., company is the world's 12th most reputable company. Food maker Nestle ( NSRGY.PK - news - people )'s expansion into South America, where it was listed regionally as the most reputable company, is paying off. The company, based in Vevey, Switzerland, ranked 20th overall.

Another important factor in building global reputation is the appearance of transparency, a category won by Google. When the Mountain View, Calif., company pulled out of China to avoid showing censored search results to users there in late March, Google sent a message to the rest of the world that its values would be placed ahead of its profits. The decision resonated strongly in Central and Northern Europe, Central and South America and in North America, where consumers rated the company within the top five most-reputable businesses.

When privacy issues arise around its business, Google usually responds quickly: Recently the search giant said it would keep its Street View cars from picking up wireless networking data after Google revealed that these vehicles had collected content of users' Internet communications on open Wi-Fi networks.

Most important is the realization that global consumers matter, says Nielsen. "Having a global reputation is really difficult, but future growth will come from international markets," Nielsen says. "Companies need to know how to build and trust outside of their own homes."

Global Reputation Pulse 2010 - The Most Reputable Companies in the World Pulse Scores and Rank

Company	Home Country	Rank	Reputation Pulse
Google	U.S.	1	78.62
Sony	Japan	2	78.47
The Walt Disney Company	U.S.	3	77.97
BMW	Germany	4	77.77
Daimler (Mercedes-Benz)	Germany	5	76.83
Apple	U.S.	6	76.29
Nokia	Finland	7	76.00
IKEA	Sweden	8	75.60
Volkswagen	Germany	9	75.55
Intel	U.S.	10	75.39
Microsoft	U.S.	11	74.47
Johnson & Johnson	U.S.	12	74.12
Panasonic	Japan	13	73.67
Singapore Airlines	Singapore	14	73.54
Philips Electronics	the Netherlands	15	73.31
L'Oreal	France	16	73.17
IBM	U.S.	17	73.03
Hewlett-Packard	U.S.	18	72.67
Barilla	Italy	19	72.45
Nestle	Switzerland	20	72.37
Ferrero	Italy	21	72.36
Samsung Electronics	South Korea	22	71.62
FedEx	U.S.	23	70.84
Honda Motor	Japan	24	70.82
The Coca-Cola Company	U.S.	25	70.40
Carlsberg	Denmark	26	70.31
Procter & Gamble	U.S.	27	70.21
UPS	U.S.	28	70.07

----------------------------------------

By Laurie Burkitt – for forbs.com

Tips for Google Adsense! | Advertising

Power Tip: Here is a neat little trick: Find the most profitable Adsense keywords, build an Ad sense site around those keywords, and then setup an ad campaign on one of the smaller PPC systems. Do not modify the Google Ad sense code. Google benefits by more people using ad sense, so offering it for free was the best thing they could do.

Makes sense - a visitor is about to leave, and has one of two choices:(a) visit another page on the site, or (b) click on a high "paying" Google Ad sense ad, prior to leaving the site Serving them with a wide-choice of Ad sense ads in the format which is statistically proven to have the best CTR, is an obvious choice. “Watch out, it could be the next most prominent event since Google Ad sense,” writes UK marketing consultant Julie Vernon in her article “What is Pixel Promotion All About. Almost-There is never good enough in this nether world of Ad Sense gaming

. Regular monitoring of traffic log and your ad sense reports: Monitor your ad sense reports and your traffic logs regularly (at least once a day).

More on http://contentdig.com/business/advertising/tips-for-google-adsense.html

BigTable-The database used by "GOOGLE"

BigTable:
A Distributed Storage System for Structured Data

Bigtable is a distributed storage system (built by Google) for managing structured data that is designed to scale to a very large size: petabytes of data across thousands of commodity servers.
Many projects at Google store data in Bigtable, including web indexing, Google Earth, and Google Finance. These applications place very different demands on Bigtable, both in terms of data size (from URLs to web pages to satellite imagery) and latency requirements (from backend bulk processing to real-time data serving).
Despite these varied demands, Bigtable has successfully provided a flexible, high-performance solution for all of these Google products.

Some features

• fast and extremely large-scale DBMS
• a sparse, distributed multi-dimensional sorted map, sharing characteristics of both row-oriented and column-oriented databases.
• designed to scale into the petabyte range
• it works across hundreds or thousands of machines
• it is easy to add more machines to the system and automatically start taking advantage of those resources without any reconfiguration
• each table has multiple dimensions (one of which is a field for time, allowing versioning)
• tables are optimized for GFS (Google File System) by being split into multiple tablets - segments of the table as split along a row chosen such that the tablet will be ~200 megabytes in size.

For more Info:click here



Here is the link to the PDF of the research paper.

CHART OF THE DAY: Google's Search Share Flatlines (GOOG, MSFT, AOL, YHOO)

One of Google's biggest growth engines is stuck in netural. As you can see in this chart, Google's share of the U.S. search market has flatlined, hovering around 65%.

True, Google isn't losing much ground to Microsoft Bing (or anyone else). But most Google bulls thought Google would march towards total domination of the search market, eventually grabbing 80%-90% share. That's clearly not going to happen.

chart of the day search share google