Fab Friday is Experimental

Welcome to another edition of the Fab Friday Post. Today we have a quick update on our Google Developers Live events. Our latest video is up, Experiments in Big Data Visualization. Brendan Kenny and I took a look at using the CanvasLayer Utility Library [link] to visualize shapefiles and KML in the browser. We talked about some of the challenges of using binary XmlHTTPRequests and trying to do polygon triangulation in JavaScript. Take a look:







In particular, we talked about two open source JavaScript libraries we used:



JSTS, a JavaScript port of the Java Topology Suite



and



shp.js for parsing .shp files.



It’s a fun experiment and we hope to launch it soon.



Coming up next Tuesday, we have Pete Giencke and Ka-Ping Lee discussing how they build Google Crisis Response maps like the one used for Hurricane Isaac. Should be a really interesting session.





Posted by Mano Marks, Maps Developer Relations Team

Supporting modern browsers: Internet Explorer 8 support discontinued

As we announced last year, we support the latest version of Google Chrome (which automatically updates whenever it detects that a new version of the browser is available) as well as the current and prior major release of Firefox, Internet Explorer and Safari on a rolling basis. Each time a new version of one of these browsers is released, we begin supporting the update and stop supporting the third-oldest version.



Internet Explorer 10 launches on 10/26/2012, and as a result, we will discontinue support for Internet Explorer 8 shortly afterwards, on 11/15/2012. After this date users accessing Google Apps services using Internet Explorer 8 will see a message recommending that they upgrade their browser.



Editions included:

Google Apps, Google Apps for Business, Education and Government



For more information:

http://gmailblog.blogspot.com/2011/06/our-plans-to-support-modern-browsers.html

http://support.google.com/a/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=33864



whatsnew.googleapps.com


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Social that Adds Up: Performance and Measurement

Join us for a webinar Tuesday, September 18th 11am PT, in partnership with Hootsuite, to learn how we can make better decisions based on performance metrics of social networks using Google Analytics social reports. Register today, it’s open to everyone! 

Adam Singer, the Product Marketing Manager for Google Analytics, will go beyond the current social metrics of followers, +1’s, likes and others, to discuss the true impact your social media is making on your brand’s bottom line. We often are asked about how businesses can measure their social media and how they can capture the value they create for their consumers. Many of our current metrics allow us to measure the reach of our message, but not necessarily the ROI. What impact does social have on a company’s performance? Learn how to connect visits to your social pages all the way through to a sale or conversion on your website. It’s time to prove the value of social media with the right measurement metrics.

You’ll also learn how social media can actually influence other media performance and drive conversions. When you verify your Google+ Page, Google may show more endorsements for your business from your customers and supporters within the search results page. This can raise the social awareness of your business and increase its relevance. Because 77% of US consumers trust recommendations from their social media connections more than any other media source, seeing a +1, can help them make a purchase decision. On average, search ads with annotations have a 5-10% uplift in clickthrough rate. Some of our advertisers have seen even higher uplifts, H&M achieved 22% uplift, Cadbury achieved 17% uplift and Laterooms.com achieved a 9% uplift in clickthrough rates on their search ads.

Start measuring the value you’re creating through your social media campaigns! 

Sources: Google Research 2012; Google internal data

Posted by the Google Analytics team

Google Maps shows how we spent summer 2012

[Cross posted from the Google Official Blog]

In the blink of an eye, summer is coming to an end. It feels like it was just yesterday that I was planning out all my summer activities as I eagerly awaited the start of long, sunny days and warm nights.



Before we approach the official end of summer on September 21, our Google Maps team thought it’d be fun to see how those of us in the Northern Hemisphere have spent the dog days. To do this, we reviewed the summer search activity on maps.google.com in several countries between the end of May and the beginning of September. Within each country, a look at some of the top-rising searches and the often-searched landmarks on Google Maps gives us a sense of how people around the world spent their summers.



We’re honored that people rely on the comprehensive and accurate imagery in Google Maps to research, plan, preview and digitally experience distant as well as local destinations across the globe. Take a look and click through for a larger image:







North Americans sought out the best local beaches to help cool off from the summer heat. In comparison, many more people from Spain, Italy and France searched for community swimming pools. In cooler areas of the U.K. the rising Google Maps searches included many indoor activities such as squash, bars and going to the gym. And, as expected, travel was a clear choice for the summer, as indicated by a surge in searches for lodging in almost every region.



Many popular destination searches were located outdoors. National parks and Hawaiian islands were the most popular searches in the U.S., while local parks, zoos, gardens and playgrounds topped Canada’s and Europe’s list. Major landmarks such as the Empire State Building in New York City, Niagara Falls in Canada, the Eiffel Tower in Paris and the Taj Mahal in India also topped the list of often-searched places in Google Maps. And of course, with the Summer Games drawing in international audiences, Wembley Stadium and the Olympic Stadium were two of the most searched for locations throughout the U.K. this summer.



Check out the destinations that captured people’s attention this summer and see how your interests compared to others around the world. We hope you enjoy this look back to remember the fun places we all went with Google Maps this summer, and we can’t wait to help you find your next adventure!



Posted by Manik Gupta, Sr. Product Manager, Google Maps

Announcing v4.1 of the AdSense Host API

We’re happy to announce the release of v4.1 of the AdSense Host API. Don’t let the numbering fool you, this is a major update that provides a ton of new functionality!




The new version is intended as a full replacement of AdSense Host API v3 for ContentAds hosts, with a few extra features. Changes from v4 include added support for:

• Account creation and association with a new publisher signup flow


• Managing URL and custom channels on the host


• Retrieving publisher ad clients


• Creating and managing new publisher ad units, and retrieving ad code for them


• Running publisher-side reports

With this new release, we're also announcing the sunset of version 3 of the Host API, to take place on January 1, 2013. Over the next few weeks, we will be getting in touch with existing hosts and helping them get started with the migration.



If you’re not an AdSense host yet and are interested in joining the program, take a look at our introduction page to find out more about the requirements and how it works.




Let us know if you have any questions!



 - Sérgio Gomes, on behalf of the AdSense API Team

Map of the Week: Vote Night

Map of the Week: Vote Night

Why we like it: Vote Night shows current projected outcomes for the 2012 US Presidential Election, on a state-by-state basis. The site allows you to make predictions about the outcome of the election by changing the projected results in a given state to see how that would alter the outcome. You can also view historic elections going back to 1932.



The site uses Styled Maps to mute the map background, providing the context of the map but highlighting its own data. The individual states and the District of Columbia are rendered as clickable Polygons, allowing you to change their color (red for Republican, blue for Democrat, gray for undecided). This makes for an easy interface to interact with the map to change the data. There’s also a drop down list you can select from.



You can embed your prediction into your blog or website, or share it via social media.









The site also restricts the zoom levels you can view on the map, so that you don’t get too far away or too close and lose track of what they are looking at. All around a great user experience packed into a deceptively simple package.



Post Text Posted by Mano Marks, Maps Developer Relations team

Exclusive promotions for fall

Google Affiliate Network exclusive promotions are back! Over 40 limited-time deals are available only to Google Affiliate Network publishers from September 21st to September 24th. 

Follow these steps to get started:

1. Apply for Google Affiliate Network with your AdSense Publisher ID (or sign in if you're already a Google Affiliate Network publisher).


2. Once approved, review the available promotions and click "Apply Link" for each one that you wish to promote.

When can I post these promotions on my site?
All promotions will be live on 12 am Central Time on September 21st, and they will expire at 11:59 pm Central Time on September 24th. You can find the promotions in your Google Affiliate Network Home tab or by searching for “September Exclusive” in the Links tab.


For additional questions, check out the Help Center or contact us.



Posted by Erica Sievert, Product Marketing Manager