Tag Archives: Google

Is Google Docs Cloud Computing?

Google Docs is a free (with paid service options): Web-based word processor, spreadsheet, presentation, form, and data storage service offered by Google. It allows users to create and edit documents online while collaborating in real-time with other users. Google Docs is Google’s “software as a service” office suite. Documents, spreadsheets, presentations can be created with Google Docs, imported through the web interface, or sent via email. Documents can be saved to a user’s local computer in a variety of formats including: (ODF, HTML, PDF, RTF, Text, Microsoft Word). Documents are automatically saved to Google’s servers to prevent data loss, and a revision history is automatically kept. Documents can be tagged and archived for organizational purposes.

Google Docs serves as a collaborative tool for editing amongst users and non-users in real time. Documents can be shared, opened, and edited by multiple users at the same time. Users can be notified of changes to any specified regions via e-mail. The application supports two ISO standard document formats: OpenDocument (for both opening and exporting) and Office Open XML (for opening only). It also includes support for proprietary formats such as .doc and .xls. Google Docs is one of many cloud computing, document-sharing services like Microsoft Office Live. The majority of document-sharing services require user fees, but Google Docs is free (mostly). Its popularity amongst businesses is growing due to enhanced sharing features, accessibility, and stability (it’s no longer in beta). In addition, Google Docs has enjoyed a rapid rise in popularity among students and educational institutions.

Is Windows Live Cloud Computing?

Windows Live is the collective brand name for a set of services and software products from Microsoft, which is part of their “software plus services” platform. While a majority of these services are Web (cloud) applications, accessible from any browser, there are also client-side (binary) applications that require installation on a user’s PC.

There are three ways in which Windows Live services are offered:

1. Windows Live Essentials applications - Windows Live Messenger, Windows Mail, Windows Photo Gallery, Windows Movie Maker, and Windows Live Essentials
2. Web services – Hotmail, SkyDrive, Windows Live Contacts, Windows Live Calendar, and Windows Live Devices
3. Mobile services - Windows Phone Live

Windows Live is different and separate from Xbox LIVE, which is a multiplayer gaming and content delivery system for Microsoft’s Xbox and Xbox 360 as well as the Games for Windows – LIVE multiplayer gaming service for Microsoft Windows. However, formerly separate, Office Live, (Microsoft Office cloud) services are now part of Windows Live services.

So is Windows Live actually “cloud computing” like the commercial says? Some of it is and some of it isn’t. Find out more at Windows Cloud.

Read more on cloud storage solutions from Dropbox, Google, and Microsoft.

Is your Google+ Plus Create Page Button Grayed Out and Not Allowing You to Create New Google+ Plus Pages?

I currently have 13 Google+ Pages, but I’m unable to create more because the “Create” button is no longer active. Has anyone else had this problem?

[Update 1/2/2011: The "Create" button is red again and I can click on it. It seems Google+ put me in a waiting period and then released me.]

Google Maps

If your website is for a local business, you might want to consider integrating it with Google Maps. Google Maps uses query string parameters to pass information to the servers to change the information you see on the webpage. For example, you could have a map show directions to your business from wherever the browser is located, by gathering the information and passing it on to Google.

Google Apps

It’s out of beta and you need not be scared of the cloud anymore. While you still may want to have local backups, Google Apps is a great alternative to Microsoft Exchange and Outlook. But for those who still want to use Outlook, the beauty of it all is that you still can because Google Apps has POP access.  It even has IMAP access for use with Blackberrys.  Google Docs is a great feature too, but is not as robust as Microsoft Office.

Google AdWords

If you are tired of waiting for SEO to kick in, Google AdWords is a great way to get your website to the top of the pile nearly instantly. You’ll pay money up front, but the goal is to get more visitors – which you will do – so be prepared by having a website that is optimized for conversions, gets to the point right away, and clearly directs the user to the action you want them to take. Once that is in place, AdWords can only help.

Grow Your Business Organically

A lot of SEO companies market how they will promote your business online using Internet marketing and online advertising techniques, but Watershawl noticed a gap between where promotion stops and business begins and so we used social media management to not just promote your business, but grow your business.

Digital Marketing Strategy

We’ll work with you to create a comprehensive strategy to marry your business brand, vision, values, products, and services with traditional outdoor, radio, TV, and yellow page advertising alongside social networking and social spaces like Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and other technologies like apps for the iPhone and Android phones.

SEO is Not Enough – Content Marketing

It’s no longer enough to have a top-ranking website in Google if your web site is not converting traffic, your story is not consistent, and you are not creating lasting relationships with customers. Watershawl can help you to do all three with content marketing.

Social Media Management

We are excited to offer social media management to help your business organize and streamline their marketing efforts with a consistent message that is in-line with their mission, vision, and values. We believe so strongly about this product that we would be happy to take you out to lunch to show you how it works in a one-on-one session. Are you interested in learning more?

Google Caffeine is the latest version of the search engine’s algorithm, or method by which they search and index the Internet. One thing that hasn’t changed is that backlinks are still important, but other things have.

One major change is that the search engine now can update it’s index in seconds, instead of days, which means that anything you post on your website, blog, or Twitter will be updated in Google’s search results within seconds as long as its in the index of results already. This is powerful because it means that the search engine is extremely up-to-date at almost every moment.

The other big change is how it views relevance. Relevance is how Google determines whether or not your page is worth ranking at the top of the search results. In the beginning Google used a mathematical formula that took into account the number of pages linking back to your page, the content on your page, the content of the pages linking to your page, and the links from your page to other relevant sites (based on content). That core feature is still in the algorithm, but it’s been added to and tweaked over the years.

No one except the Google engineers know what the algorithm actually looks for, but we have hints from its behavior and from Google’s blog that lead us to believe that a new feature of Caffeine is that the search engine now takes synonyms used on the page as a factor in determining relevance. This means that a site that uses a keyword of “web design” should also have related terms like “web hosting, SEO, and web development.” If you think about it, it makes sense as it builds context around a term. For those who have built their web sites around a primary keyword, this can hurt, but if you write naturally and really know what you are talking about, this should be okay. Just keep in mind that internal and external linking to relevant sites with similar content will help your site have relevance and get better search engine rank results.

If you need help getting better results, contact us.

Google is now bringing it’s search engine and the Android operating system to televisions.

In response to this move by Google to TV. Rishi Chandra, one of the product managers at Google, announced at their I/O 2010 conference, Google TV, which will bring the best of the web and TV together, integrating them into one platform. Google touts, “Less time finding, more time watching,” “Control and personalize what you watch,” “Make your TV content more interesting” and “more than just a TV”. There are two points from this that I’d like to discuss in relation to Internet Marketing and SEO, which may lead my to other topics, but I digress:

1. Apps as marketing (SEO) techniques – creating a WordPress, Android, or iPhone app creates backlinks to your site.
2. Video as promotional tool (and primary content) – it’s not just making sure your site looks good on a TV, it has to be something people want to view on a tv, and it has to be something they can find in Google.

From what I’ve learned about SEO, I’ve created a set of tenets for Internet Marketing, which center around the Clinton-esque phrase, “It’s the backlinks, stupid.”

A. Update-able Web Design (Blog Area), On-Page SEO, and Directory (at least the ODP, but Yahoo if you can afford it) and Search Engine Submissions are foundations.

B. Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Myspace, [+Space of your choice], Youtube, Relevant Forums, and Relevant Blog Comments should all be pinged in equal measure. Don’t rely too much on the most popular (Twitter and Facebook) for two reasons:
1. Heavy re-posting could damage brand with followers who actually care about the product/service
2. It doesn’t spread the backlinks around to different IP addresses. Consider that there is a saturation point, if you will.
C. Now that the low-hanging fruit is gone, it’s time to hit Squidoo and Hubpages to create lenses and create distributable content like ebooks, Ezine articles, and any app you can (ex. WordPress plugins or themes, Android apps, or iPhone apps). Youtube videos can also fall in this category.

Forums, Forums, Forums

The power of forums is that once you get a signature file, every post you’ve ever made, every comment you’ve ever made on the forum creates a backlink to your site of choice and changing it in the future will retro-actively change all your old posts in the past. Just know that if you intend for the backlinks you create with your signature file to stay powerful, you’ll need to leave your signature alone or start a new account. Most forums require that you post ten times and wait ten days before being able to add hyperlinks to your signature. This is because they almost all use the same forum platform, which also makes it nice when learning how to navigate.

News Mentions of Tumblr over Time

Tumblr is Nice, and Growing – I stumbled upon tumblr through Ping.FM. I was looking for ways to expand the use of Ping.FM and browsed a couple of the choices. Tumblr seemed like it had a very clean design and was simple to use. It’s kind of setup like Twitter should have been. Each post can be a blog, a picture, a video, a link, or a quote. You can re-post another person’s work (like Twitter’s retweet function) and follow other users, just like Twitter. Tumblr can even go out and pull blog posts then blast the links to that post out to Twitter and Facebook, a Ping.fm-like feature. Very nice. I see Tumblr growing over time (even John Mayer has left Twitter for Tumblr). If you use Alexa as a ranking tool, here are where the sites I’ve mentioned fall:

Tumblr Alexa Rank over time

2 – Facebook
3 – Youtube
11 – Twitter
18 – Myspace
130 – Ezinearticles
149 – Tumbr
230 – Hubpages
235 – Squidoo

But consider that LinkedIn ranks at 29 and allows you to have 3 customized backlinks per person, but like forum signatures, once it is changed, it is no longer a back-link.

Android Apps

Mobile Devices reports that Android beat out the iPhone OS for the 2nd place spot in the US smartphone market, but the iPhone OS still outranks Android globally. This could change though. ZDnet says, “The time to build Android apps is now,” and I would have to agree. If you can get in at this stage of the game, you will be better positioned for success, and isn’t that what it’s all about?

Growm your business. Need help?