all about google

The O’Reilly Media Where 2.0 2008 conference is being held this year at the San Francisco Airport Marriott. This conference is all about Web 2.0 mapping technologies like Google Maps, Google Earth, Yahoo Maps, Microsoft Virtual Earth, and many other mapping technologies for the developing GeoWeb. This has been one of my favorite conferences during the last two years for meeting up with the folks behind the developing Internet-based mapping technologies. To make sure I would like it this year, they invited me to be on the Program Committee.

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Have you ever wanted to keep track of the newest Google Desktop gadgets right from your sidebar? With our brand new XML feed, that’s now as easy as adding it to your favorite RSS gadget.

If you don’t already have the Google Web Clips gadget in your sidebar, here’s how to add it:

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Getting directions online is part of our everyday rituals now, so why not do it in style? Google Earth lets you play god satellite and lets you zoom from seeing the whole earth to the roof of your house/apartment/underpass. You can get directions and not only will Google Earth map it out for you backwards and forwards, but you can “drive” the route via digital car. I’m not sure if this will help you or not, but it makes my top googolplex of cool features. My favorite thing to do is to check out other places in the world like Rome or Japan. The satellite photos of the world are updated about once a month, so you can’t really spy on anyone if that’s what your evil little mind was thinking. Here are some other cool features of Google Earth.

1. Keeps track of your favorite places
2. Option for weather information
3. Option for 3D Buildings
4. Option for traffic information
5. View the sky and get directions to the moon (please don’t try this)

Get Google Earth here

In the Google PPC (Pay-Per-Click) program, which Google Adwords can pay the most money to Adsense publishers for Adsense clicks?

Markus F. $901000 Adsense Check

He runs a dating site plentyoffish.com and I understand that this is the main income for this check, the 901 000 $ check represents income for more than one month, around 3 months.

Jeremy S. $132000 Adsense Check

Jeremy owns shoemoney.com where the comunity usually discuss online business and advertising, marketing, income strategies, ’skills to pay the bills’ as they say.

This coming weekend the 2008 Formula One season gets under way in Melbourne, Australia. Last year the driver’s championship went down to the wire, with Kimi Räikkönen just pipping a young Lewis Hamilton to the Formula One Championship in the last race of the season. Can Hamilton go one better this year or can Räikkönen hold onto his crown?

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We are approaching three months now since Google added support for Google’s Moon, Mars and Sky imagery to the Google Maps API. Unfortunately we have not been inundated with Google Maps mash-ups that have taken advantage of these new astronomical features.

Michael Kosowsky of HeyWhatsThat.com was quick off the mark with his Cosmic Visibility Map. This map is a great tool for astronomers as it shows where all the planets are in the night sky and the horizon is custom-drawn on the map depending on what the time is and where you are located. Michael has also produced two maps showing the phases of the Moon and Mars.

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We’re happy to announce the launch of two related new Google Analytics features: a beta version of industry benchmarking and a data-sharing settings page. Both are designed to give our customers more choice and better control over their data. We are also launching an integration with Audio Ads today, which we’ll discuss in more detail in tomorrow’s post. All of these features will begin appearing in customer accounts today, though benchmarking reports may take up to a couple weeks to show data.

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• DND Game For Google Earth - Mickey at Google Earth Hacks has been working on a new game that’s played entirely within Google Earth. It’s a massively multi-player online role playing game (MMORPG), which he is calling GEMMO. He has announced a public beta now, so you can try it out and join those who are helping give Mickey ideas on further development. The idea is you look around on the Earth and find stores, or monsters to fight. You use the layers folders on the left of GE to execute actions like fighting, buying things at stores, or checking your inventory. You need to register with his forums to get started.

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Google AdSense recently updated their standard AdSense Terms and Conditions document after a gap of more than two years. The last significant update was made in November 2005.There are some significant changes in AdSense Terms like you can now have a search box on pages that have no other content, your AdSense earnings could go to charity if you are inactive for a long time, you may show ads on 404 pages and so on.

Here’s an exact summary of the recent changes in the AdSense Terms and Conditions document (or download this side-by-side guide):

1. You can display Google AdSense ads and Referral buttons on error pages and registration pages as the following line is now deleted from AdSense terms.

[Deleted - Prohibited Uses] (You shall not) display any Ad(s), Link(s), or Referral Button(s) on any error page, on any registration or “thank you” page (e.g., a page that thanks a user after he/she has registered with the applicable Web site), on any chat page, in any email*.

*this may be a hint that AdSense for Email program is in the pipeline.

2. You may place the AdSense for Search box on web pages that have no other content.

[Deleted - AdSense for Search] Each Web page(s) that contains a Google Search Box must also contain other content related to Your Site.

3. You may place Google ads associated with multiple AdSense accounts on the same web page.

[Deleted - AdSense for Content] You agree that while You may display more than one (1) Ad Unit on each Site Web page, You shall not display any Ad Unit on a page that contains Ads associated with another Google AdSense customer (e.g., Your Web hosting company), unless authorized to do so by Google.

4. AdSense Referral products (like Firefox, Google Pack, etc) can be placed on web pages that contain no other content.

[Deleted - Referrals]: Each Web page(s) that contains a Referral Button must also contain other content related to Your Site.

5. If you are participating in any of the beta AdSense features (like AdSense for RSS Feeds), you should not talk about them on your blog.

[Added - General Beta Features]: You shall not disclose to any third party any information from Beta Features, existence of non-public Beta Features or access to Beta Features.

6. You can now have ads from other contextual advertising networks alongside AdSense. Similarly, you may have other site search from other providers in addition to Google.

[Deleted - General]: If You have elected to receive content or Site-based Ads, You further agree not to display on any Serviced Page any non-Google content-targeted advertisement(s). If You have elected to receive Search Results on any Site(s), You agree that Google will be the exclusive provider of Internet search services on such Site(s).

7. If your AdSense account is inactive, Google may donate your accumulated earnings to charity.

[Added - Payment]:  You acknowledge and agree that Google may, without further notice to You, contribute to a charitable organization selected by Google all funds, payments and other amounts related to the AdSense Program that are held by Google and that are due to you (if any), but which Google is unable to pay or deliver to You because Your account is Inactive.

8. AdSense Publishers probably need to add a new privacy policy to their website disclosing information about ad cookies to visitors.

[Added - Program Participation] You must have and abide by an appropriate privacy policy that clearly discloses that third parties may be placing and reading cookies on your users’ browser, or using web beacons to collect information, in the course of ads being served on your website. Your privacy policy should also include information about user options for cookie management.

Important: If you are an AdSense Publisher, you are required to accept these new AdSense Terms and Conditions before May 25, 2008 else you may not be able to continue using your Google AdSense account.

Disclaimer: The above is based on my understanding of the AdSense terms document. I may have misinterpreted some of the lines so please consult your AdSense rep before taking the next step.