CircleCount helps you better understand Google+

2013-06-18 19:59:25 (42 comments, 38 reshares, 247 +1s)

We have long pushed for transparency so users can better understand the extent to which governments request their data—and Google was the first company to release numbers for National Security Letters. However, greater transparency is needed, so today we have petitioned the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court to allow us to publish aggregate numbers of national security requests, including FISA disclosures, separately. Lumping national security requests together with criminal requests—as some companies have been permitted to do—would be a backward step for our users.

2013-06-18 16:40:25 (45 comments, 196 reshares, 734 +1s)

Starting today, when you search Google for restaurants, bars or other local places on your desktop, you’ll see an interactive “carousel” of local results at the top of the page. 

Give it a go—type or say “mexican restaurants,” or try any similar search for restaurants, bars or hotels. Click on one of the places in the carousel to get more details on it, including its overall review-based score, address and photos. If you want to see more places, click the arrow at the right of the carousel. And you can zoom in on the map that appears below the carousel to restrict your search to only places in a specific area.

While some iPad and Nexus tablet users have seen this new look since December, we’re excited to expand to desktop. The interactive “carousel” is rolling out in English in the U.S.—we’ll add more features and languages over time.

2013-06-18 15:01:42 (4 comments, 24 reshares, 255 +1s)

Join the live Hangout on Air with Susan Wojcicki, SVP of Advertising and Commerce, and three AdSense publishers to celebrate our 10th anniversary. We'll share stories from the early days and discuss the future for publishers and online advertising.

We'll add the Hangout On Air link to this event page when the session begins on June 18th at 10am PDT (5pm GMT). Hope to see you there! 

Submit a live question about AdSense to Susan using the hashtag #adsense10onair. Please note that she won't be able to address individual account questions.

2013-06-17 20:45:15 (48 comments, 162 reshares, 548 +1s)

"Dear Girls of the World, the technology industry needs you." Read +Susan Wojcicki's open letter on why it's important for more women to work in tech—part of CNN's "Girl Rising" project: http://goo.gl/8EDYf

2013-06-17 19:16:01 (42 comments, 41 reshares, 382 +1s)

Beginning this summer, you'll be able to find Chromebooks in 6,000+ stores around the world—more than 3x as many as before—including +Walmart and +Staples in the U.S., Tesco in the U.K. and more: http://g.co/77rd

2013-06-17 16:15:22 (31 comments, 55 reshares, 763 +1s)

A doodle for Henry Lawson, one of Australia's most famous writers, who captured the outback life in his poems and who was born 146 years ago on June 17, 1867. 

2013-06-17 15:18:46 (21 comments, 126 reshares, 346 +1s)

To the builders, bakers and bear-resistant cooler makers: Happy Small Business Week! In celebration of all the small businesses out there, we've put together a site with some Google tools that are designed to help you take care of your business: http://g.co/sjmt

We'll also be sharing stories of some great small businesses all week on the +Google+ Your Business page, so stay tuned. 

#SBW2013  

2013-06-17 01:20:10 (41 comments, 126 reshares, 1109 +1s)

In Spain Sunday we marked the 1,000th anniversary of the Kingdom of Granada with a doodle illustrating the city's iconic architecture and the Moorish palace, the Alhambra. 

2013-06-17 00:08:25 (42 comments, 50 reshares, 629 +1s)

As part of our continued commitment to combating child exploitation online, we've announced $5 million in support to child protection partners like the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the Internet Watch Foundation, as well as a $2 million Child Protection Technology Fund to encourage the development of more effective tools to detect child sexual abuse images. Read more on our blog: http://g.co/2t2z

2013-06-16 17:32:19 (56 comments, 118 reshares, 1557 +1s)

Happy Father's Day! On our homepage, find an interactive salute to dads of all kinds—visit google.com to see it. 

2013-06-15 16:29:30 (68 comments, 120 reshares, 804 +1s)

We have always believed that it's important to differentiate between different types of government requests. We already publish criminal requests separately from National Security Letters: http://goo.gl/OCFck Lumping the two categories together would be a step back for users. Our request to the government is clear: to be able to publish aggregate numbers of national security requests, including FISA disclosures, separately.

For more background please read this New York Times piece: http://goo.gl/t5P7e

2013-06-15 03:22:09 (87 comments, 503 reshares, 1512 +1s)

For 2 out of every 3 people on earth, a fast, affordable Internet connection is still out of reach.  Today we are unveiling our latest moonshot from Google [x] - Project Loon: balloon-powered internet access. Learn more: goo.gl/3VUHC

#ProjectLoon

2013-06-15 00:33:48 (42 comments, 99 reshares, 1080 +1s)

serene and still
the mountain viewing
frog

Wishing a happy birthday to Japanese poet and haiku master Kobayashi Issa. Issa often wrote about insects, snails and other small creatures, such as the frog that's the subject of today's doodle on google.co.jp. 

2013-06-14 23:12:54 (124 comments, 37 reshares, 266 +1s)

This month, the Supreme Court will likely rule on the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and California’s Proposition 8. In anticipation of these decisions, next week +msnbc will host a series of Hangouts on Air discussing marriage equality. Find out more about the full slate of Hangouts, which will bring together MSNBC anchors with experts, celebrities and members of the Google+ community, on our Politics blog: http://goo.gl/DsGul

#marriageequality  

2013-06-14 14:55:08 (10 comments, 30 reshares, 221 +1s)

Here's a link to the U.S. wildfires map from Google Crisis Response: http://goo.gl/B1zcd  It  features the latest from coemergency.com, fire locations, shelter info and more.

2013-06-13 22:46:38 (44 comments, 123 reshares, 1044 +1s)

Let's say you're planning a trip to Maui and want to see images of the beaches so you can visit the best ones. Try using Google's related images at the top of the results and you can find the most relevant pictures for your destination. A search for [maui beaches] will show you tons of gorgeous beaches, but checking out those related images at the top of the results like Black Rock, Makena and Maui Beaches Maps will help you see more specific results. When you click on the related images query, you'll see a snapshot of the results and you can click View all images to see even more and visit their sites to learn more. 

#searchtips   #googlesearch  

2013-06-13 15:34:38 (20 comments, 109 reshares, 604 +1s)

From nutrition info to bike trails and awesome playlists, getting healthy just got a little easier using Google tools: http://goo.gl/vUKDr

2013-06-12 21:03:46 (96 comments, 176 reshares, 868 +1s)

When you use your phone, sometimes it's easier to handwrite and use gestures than type. We've updated our Gesture Search app (http://goo.gl/9LNRC)  for your Android phone or tablet to recognize a mix of over 40 languages for quick access to content in an array of languages. You can simply draw a number or letter and access, contacts, applications, bookmarks, settings, music, and more all with the swipe of your finger on the screen. You can even use transliteration across many languages so you could write [pinyin] for Chinese instead of writing native characters potentially use more strokes. This also works for other languages where transliteration is used more often. For example, you can write [arhus] for [Århus]. Update your app and start drawing your searches today!

2013-06-12 17:12:47 (31 comments, 101 reshares, 394 +1s)

Play Cube Slam face-to-face against your friends in Chrome!

Cube Slam is a Chrome Experiment built with +WebRTC, an open web technology that lets you video chat right in the browser, without installing any plug-ins.

To play Cube Slam, visit cubeslam.com, click “Play a friend,” and share the unique URL. You and your friend’s video feeds will appear across from each other in the game arena, so you can video chat while you play.

Have fun!

2013-06-12 13:21:41 (65 comments, 181 reshares, 597 +1s)

We've partnered with +Burberry to create a new experience that lets you send kisses around the world from any device. This is the latest project in Art, Copy & Code, our ongoing series to re-imagine how brands tell stories in a connected world. Pucker up at kisses.burberry.com, and learn more on our blog: http://goo.gl/9ZpJN

2013-06-11 23:53:39 (80 comments, 263 reshares, 1599 +1s)

Hang tight! Celebrating Dragon Boat Festival with a doodle in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore and Malaysia.

2013-06-11 22:05:21 (77 comments, 252 reshares, 1084 +1s)

Breaking news. For the first time ever. MSFT agrees with Google. 

2013-06-11 20:46:33 (5 comments, 10 reshares, 134 +1s)

The first-ever Google Journalism Fellows (http://g.co/eczr) kicked off their summer with a week in Miami hosted with the Knight Foundation, profiling local startups for WLRN. After hitting the NPR airwaves, the Fellows are now at their host organizations, which include Pew Research Center and ProPublica. More about the Fellows' time in Miami:

2013-06-11 19:28:49 (30 comments, 34 reshares, 388 +1s)

With wedding season in full swing, turn to the Google Search App to help you look your best for the big day, whether it's your own or not. Do your nails need some love? Ask “Where can I get a manicure?” Haircut looking shaggy? Say "Where can I get a haircut?" For these questions, you'll see the top listings for businesses in the area near you. Plus, you'll get user reviews and ratings so you can pick the best spot, especially if you're an out-of-town guest without local know-how. And while you should probably plan your outfit ahead, know that you can ask "Where can I rent a tuxedo?" Fear not, the Google Search App won't think less of you for it!

#searchtips   #googlesearch  

2013-06-11 17:33:38 (58 comments, 135 reshares, 445 +1s)

This morning we sent a letter to the offices of the Attorney General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation asking the government to allow Google to publish more national security requests for data. Read the full letter on our blog: http://g.co/j3u5

2013-06-11 17:00:52 (10 comments, 32 reshares, 324 +1s)

Hurry! Click over to www.GoogleScienceFair.com right now! Be one of the first to find out who the the 2013 regional finalists are and remember to explore the interactive map.  

2013-06-11 16:09:17 (19 comments, 32 reshares, 181 +1s)

Last week we hosted an event, “How Green is the Internet?”, to explore the impact of the Internet on the environment. Today, we're building on that discussion with the release of a study by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab), which shows that migrating all U.S. office workers to the cloud could save up to 87 percent of IT energy use—about 23 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, or enough to power the city of Los Angeles for a year. Read more about the study on our blog: http://g.co/re3k and watch our video for highlights from last week's summit:  

2013-06-11 15:48:14 (53 comments, 258 reshares, 800 +1s)

To help you outsmart traffic, today we’re excited to announce we’ve closed the acquisition of Waze. We look forward to working with them in our ongoing effort to make a comprehensive, accurate and useful map of the world. Read more: http://g.co/253t

2013-06-11 14:11:31 (83 comments, 170 reshares, 1373 +1s)

Happy National Day to Portugal! The Galo de Barcelos helps us celebrate the occasion with a doodle on google.pt today.

Update: Thanks to those of you who corrected us - June 10 is Portugal's National Day, not Independence Day. 

2013-06-10 18:07:48 (16 comments, 109 reshares, 394 +1s)

Enjoy a short film sharing the story of the WEIZAC, Israel’s first computer, which performed its first calculation in 1955. Read more about the WEIZAC: http://g.co/9ur7

2013-06-10 14:21:25 (77 comments, 152 reshares, 1386 +1s)

Let the wild rumpus begin! Our homepage in the U.S. and other countries today is a rousing tribute to children's author and illustrator Maurice Sendak. Visit google.com to see a veritable parade of Sendak's beloved characters, from Max to Bumble-Ardy.

2013-06-09 00:51:23 (52 comments, 91 reshares, 1313 +1s)

In Slovenia Saturday, our doodle marked the 505th birthday of Primož Trubar, author of the first Slovene language printed book.

2013-06-08 06:18:22 (287 comments, 373 reshares, 1419 +1s)

From +David Drummond, Chief Legal Officer: We cannot say this more clearly—the government does not have access to Google servers—not directly, or via a back door, or a so-called drop box. Nor have we received blanket orders of the kind being discussed in the media. It is quite wrong to insinuate otherwise. We provide user data to governments only in accordance with the law. Our legal team reviews each and every request, and frequently pushes back when requests are overly broad or don’t follow the correct process. And we have taken the lead in being as transparent as possible about government requests for user information.

2013-06-07 20:03:17 (75 comments, 159 reshares, 668 +1s)

Dear Google users—

You may be aware of press reports alleging that Internet companies have joined a secret U.S. government program called PRISM to give the National Security Agency direct access to our servers. As Google’s CEO and Chief Legal Officer, we wanted you to have the facts.

First, we have not joined any program that would give the U.S. government—or any other government—direct access to our servers. Indeed, the U.S. government does not have direct access or a “back door” to the information stored in our data centers. We had not heard of a program called PRISM until yesterday.

Second, we provide user data to governments only in accordance with the law. Our legal team reviews each and every request, and frequently pushes back when requests are overly broad or don’t follow the correct process. Press reports that suggest that Google is providingopen-ended ac... more »

2013-06-07 18:05:03 (39 comments, 37 reshares, 605 +1s)

When you're out and about in a new place, knowing fun things nearby can help you make the most of your visit. Say that you're moseying around Washington, D.C. and want to take in some of the sights. Check Google Now on the Google Search app for iPhone and Android and you'll see a card for Nearby attractions like the White House, National Mall and Washington Monument. Each attraction is labeled with the distance from your current location and when you click on one, you'll be taken to a page that highlights info such as contact info, hours and reviews. To embark on your adventure, simply tap on Directions and Google Maps will help you find your way.

#searchtips   #googlesearch  

2013-06-07 15:18:50 (24 comments, 189 reshares, 568 +1s)

Want to tell a visual story of interesting places—from your favorite restaurants to newly discovered hiking trails? Learn to do all this and more with Mapping with Google, a new online course beginning this Monday, June 10. It's not too late to register—visit g.co/mappingcourse today. All registrants receive an invite to the new Google maps. #mappingcourse

2013-06-06 23:37:12 (30 comments, 71 reshares, 279 +1s)

Attention, bug hunters! In an update to our Vulnerability Reward Program for web properties, we're paying higher rewards for security bugs we can fix to make our most critical services even more secure. Are you up to the challenge? 

2013-06-06 21:42:01 (54 comments, 46 reshares, 462 +1s)

In 2007, I partnered with Davis Guggenheim, Jeff Skoll and a talented team of movie-makers to bring the discussion of the climate crisis and how to solve it into the mainstream. Seven years later, the discussion continues and the stakes have never been higher. Every day we continue to see the terrifying power of rising global temperatures—from  stronger storms to larger floods, from fierce wildfires to parching droughts, from rising seas to the extinction of species —we must halt the climate crisis. 

Join Jeff Skoll and me as we discuss the climate crisis and its solutions—live on Google+ on June 11th at 2PM EST. We want to hear from you. Please submit your thoughts, ideas and experiences to the Science on Google+ Community and we will pick the most insightful responses . 

I look forward to hearing from you. Post your ideas here: http://ow.ly/lKmN5

2013-06-06 16:30:07 (15 comments, 33 reshares, 342 +1s)

+Al Gore, +Eric Schmidt and industry experts are on stage today to discuss the environmental impacts and benefits of the Internet at our "How green is the Internet?" summit. Watch the live stream now at www.youtube.com/googlegreen.

#greeninternet

2013-06-05 21:00:43 (27 comments, 73 reshares, 967 +1s)

Happy 295th birthday to furniture designer Thomas Chippendale! We've made over our U.K. homepage today in recognition of the cabinet-maker's quintessentially British designs. 

2013-06-05 19:03:29 (34 comments, 94 reshares, 926 +1s)

In Spain, we're paying tribute to 20th century poet and dramatist Federico García Lorca, known for his rich symbolism and works such as "Bodas de sangre," the inspiration for today's evocative doodle. 

2013-06-05 16:57:59 (23 comments, 72 reshares, 538 +1s)

A couple of weeks ago, we revamped Google Trends to include Top Charts, a monthly roundup of 40+ top 10 lists that showcase the people, places and things that captured people’s attention on Google Search (http://g.co/a3fa). Today, we’re releasing Top Charts for May, and we’re expanding some charts to include the top 20 or top 100 search topics in the category. You can do take a deeper dive in the Top Charts for People, Sports Teams, Athletes, Actors, TV Shows and many more: http://g.co/gb46.

We've also expanded Hot Searches to Germany (http://g.co/y87s).

2013-06-05 16:00:12 (97 comments, 79 reshares, 393 +1s)

Tune in tomorrow at 9:30 am PDT to hear +Al Gore, +Eric Schmidt and industry experts discuss the environmental impacts and benefits of the Internet. Watch the live stream of our "How green is the Internet?" summit at www.youtube.com/googlegreen. 

#greeninternet

2013-06-04 21:46:02 (98 comments, 645 reshares, 1642 +1s)

Heard about +The Internship, the new Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson comedy coming out this Friday? See what it’s really like to spend the summer at Google from five of our #realinterns: google.com/students. 

2013-06-04 19:47:49 (55 comments, 86 reshares, 570 +1s)

When you're stressed out at work, have you ever considered meditation as a way to relax and regain focus? A few years ago, one of our massage therapists based in Kirkland, Wash. started a guided meditation program, “MindBody Awareness,” as part of the Googler-to-Googler (g2g) program in which Googlers teach, share and learn from each other. Employees who have participated in the class tell us that they're better able to manage work stress thanks to some of the techniques they've learned there.

Read more about g2g meditation at Google, plus a few de-stressing tips from us: http://g.co/vqd4

2013-06-04 17:17:44 (21 comments, 56 reshares, 449 +1s)

At #io13 , we announced another addition to the Knowledge Graph: populations. Say that you're watching "Portlandia" and want to find out how many people live in Portland, Ore. On your mobile device, ask Google, "What's the population of Portland?" In addition to providing you with an answer to your immediate question, Google also shows you the answers to potential follow-up questions people often ask. On the card, you'll see the current populations of Seattle and San Francisco charted against Portland on an interactive graph that allows you to see each city's population change over time.

#searchtips   #googlesearch  

2013-06-04 16:10:20 (28 comments, 71 reshares, 757 +1s)

Wishing a happy birthday to Ukrainian architect Vladislav Gorodetsky, known for his many contributions to Kiev's urban development, in particular the "House with Chimaeras," an Art Nouveau building ornately decorated with sculptures of exotic animals.

2013-06-04 14:42:37 (48 comments, 102 reshares, 824 +1s)

We've signed agreements with Swedish wind farm developer O2 and German insurance company Allianz to power our data center in Hamina, Finland with renewable energy for the next 10 years. This is our fourth such agreement worldwide, and our first in Europe. Read more about this agreement and how it works in practice on our blog: http://g.co/bj3x

2013-06-03 19:17:10 (12 comments, 24 reshares, 219 +1s)

The Online News Association just announced the winners of the AP-Google Journalism and Technology Scholarship. Congratulations to the 6 talented winners, who each receive $20,000! Get inspired and check out their projects at http://goo.gl/gJtHg.

2013-06-03 18:24:23 (21 comments, 20 reshares, 232 +1s)

Meet the four recipients of the U.K. Global Impact Awards (g.co/impactchallenge): SolarAid, Integrity Action, CDI Apps for Good and the fan favorite, Zoological Society of London. In March, we asked British nonprofits to tell us how they’d use technology to change the world. These four awardees were selected from hundreds of creative and visionary projects and will each receive a £500,000 Global Impact Award as well as support from Google volunteers to make their project a reality. Read more about the Challenge and the additional six finalists: http://g.co/zuc5