CircleCount helps you better understand Google+

2013-06-15 05:59:30 (52 comments, 166 reshares, 866 +1s)

For the past few days, I’ve been in New Zealand, watching the folks at Google [x] as they test out their scheme for Internet connection via thousands of high-pressure, solar powered balloons circling the globe in the stratosphere.   The initiative is called Project Loon, partly because it’s crazy.   But Google is serious about making this happen.   Read my dispatch from Kiwi-land here. 

2013-06-14 14:38:30 (62 comments, 50 reshares, 340 +1s)

Dance With Us World! #TreasureVideo http://youtu.be/nPvuNsRccVw 

2013-06-13 23:57:10 (68 comments, 153 reshares, 1530 +1s)

Here's the rest of that story & image from yesterday. Which LOTR movie featured this mountain?

I just shared a photo of where I was flying with a chopper yesterday across the central part of the south island of New Zealand, and I thought you'd like to see another image from the same area.  This is the mountain you saw in the distance - Mount Cook.  I think it was in one of the Lord of the Rings movies?  Or maybe The Hobbit?  One of you smarties will know! :)  

Anyhoo, this shot is from a closer vantage point to one of the roads that heads down into a dead-end at the end of the valley...  I have more photos over at www.StuckInCustoms.com !    #HolyKaw   

2013-06-13 16:04:06 (147 comments, 283 reshares, 1223 +1s)

Notifications that sync across devices, and a new Android app

Starting today, Google+ notifications are much easier to use across mobile and desktop. In particular:

- When you read a notification on one device, we'll mark it as read on your other devices
- Likewise: dismissing a notification (with a swipe or a click) does so everywhere, so you can say goodbye to annoying repeats

We've also updated the look and feel of Google+ notifications, including:

- A new bell icon (in the Google Bar, and in the mobile apps) that lets you know if anything's waiting for you
- An updated notifications tray that separates unread from previously-read items

We're rolling out these notifications improvements gradually — first on Android and the web, then on iOS. In the meantime, we're also releasing a new Android app thati... more »

2013-06-13 10:36:06 (55 comments, 56 reshares, 263 +1s)

Why Share your Secrets?
I'm heading to Africa today. I wanted to learn how to take the best photographs, and I stumbled onto this video.  What's crazy is that one of my favorite photographers +Trey Ratcliff shows you all his secrets.

I mean he actually posts a video that shows you all of his settings, and exactly how you can duplicate his shots. (The shot from the Paris shopping mall has been one of my favorites, this is the first time I've seen how he made it).

Why would he give these secrets away?

I think +Trey Ratcliff does this because he understands something fundamental. He once explained this to me, but honestly we were sharing a glass of wine and I don't remember the details.

Can you think of why a world renowned photographer would give away his images and his secrets?

What do you think?

2013-06-12 12:25:29 (39 comments, 61 reshares, 603 +1s)

Every day the Google+ Spam and Abuse team takes down thousands of spammy posts based on a variety of automated signals, but our Google+ community plays a key role in bringing abusive posts to our attention. 

Submitting a report has been burdensome: 5 clicks just to report spam. So starting today, we’ve simplified the reporting process and cut the number of clicks to 2.

Next time you spot a post that doesn’t belong on Google+, give the new reporting process a try: Hover over the top right of the post to reveal the options menu, click, and then choose “Report spam or abuse.”

We hope you’ll see it’s easier than ever to help make the Google+ community a safe place for all of us to enjoy.

Report Abuse: 5 clicks v/s 2 clicks

#googleplusupdates

2013-06-12 03:41:35 (126 comments, 368 reshares, 1739 +1s)

Icon Ambulance

One Sunday morning, January 6th, 2008 I was attending religious services when my cell phone vibrated. As discreetly as possible, I checked the phone and noticed that my phone said "Caller ID unknown". I choose to ignore.

After services, as I was walking to my car with my family, I checked my cell phone messages. The message left was from Steve Jobs. "Vic, can you call me at home? I have something urgent to discuss" it said.

Before I even reached my car, I called Steve Jobs back. I was responsible for all mobile applications at Google, and in that role, had regular dealings with Steve. It was one of the perks of the job.

"Hey Steve - this is Vic", I said. "I'm sorry I didn't answer your call earlier. I was in religious services, and the caller ID said unknown, so I didn't pick up".
... more »

2013-06-11 19:42:51 (30 comments, 43 reshares, 411 +1s)

We're calling for greater transparency--asking the government to let us publish in our Transparency Report aggregate numbers of national security requests, including their scope.  Here's our letter to the US government.  

http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2013/06/asking-us-government-to-allow-google-to.html

2013-06-11 18:28:34 (34 comments, 291 reshares, 475 +1s)

Fantastic resource if you want to learn more about Google+.

+martin shervington has done an excellent job. I knew this when my wife watched these videos and told me she learned new tips about Google+. 

2013-06-11 18:19:27 (18 comments, 54 reshares, 258 +1s)

Customers can now follow you directly from Gmail
Posted by +Saurabh Sharma and +David Nachum:

Today we're expanding the +Gmail people widget to include brands and businesses (http://goo.gl/wx2mI), making it easier for your customers to connect with you on Google+. This way, when people receive emails from your domain, they can follow your Google+ page directly from their inbox! Your recent Google+ posts can also appear in the widget (alongside your email message), helping customers find and engage with your content.

To appear in the new Gmail widget, all your business or organization needs is a verified Google+ page and digitally-signed emails. Check out this page to learn more: https://support.google.com/plus/answer/3190197 

#googleplusupdate

2013-06-10 16:51:24 (27 comments, 98 reshares, 567 +1s)

Google+ Dashboard - making it easier to manage your online presence

Today millions of businesses use Google+ to connect with their customers in meaningful ways. Many of these businesses also use AdWords to promote their products; Maps to update store info; and YouTube to publish high-quality video content (to name a few). We want to make it easier to manage your online presence - all across Google - so today we're getting started with Google+ Dashboard. After signing in to your Google+ page, you'll now have access to the following Dashboard features:

1) The ability to update your info (like website URLs, store hours and phone numbers) across Maps, Search and Google+ - all from the Overview tab.

2) One place to monitor your Google+ notifications, assign page managers, share photos and videos - even start a Hangout with followers.

Local businesses... more »

2013-06-10 10:19:31 (11 comments, 25 reshares, 255 +1s)

Today's Google doodle celebrates what would have been Maurice Sendak's 85th birthday. This is my favorite interview he gave. 

2013-06-07 20:51:25 (102 comments, 193 reshares, 876 +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 »

2013-06-06 02:43:15 (46 comments, 122 reshares, 492 +1s)

Secrets of Google. Unless of course, you already know about +John Hanke and +Ingress and +Field Trip 

2013-06-03 05:30:53 (30 comments, 165 reshares, 813 +1s)

V838 Monocerotis heic0617 a-5

To help kick off the Summer sky viewing season in the Northern Hemisphere, here is an Animated #GIF  of V838 Monocerotis. 

a red variable star in the constellation Monoceros about 20,000 light years (6 kpc) from the Sun. The previously unknown star was observed in early 2002 experiencing a major outburst. The reason for the outburst is still uncertain, but several conjectures have been put forward, including an eruption related to stellar death processes and a merger of a binary star or planets. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V838_Monocerotis

Images taken and strung together by +European Space Agency, ESA and courtesy of the always stellar +Lars DeRuntz. Add them to your circles immediately, and get out there to do some good old fashioned star gazing. Life is too short not to. 

#Space   #astronomy   #science   #Cosmos  #GIFs... more »

2013-06-02 19:52:59 (71 comments, 75 reshares, 562 +1s)

The world has lately been making extraordinary progress in lifting people out of extreme poverty. Between 1990 and 2010, their number fell by half as a share of the total population in developing countries a reduction of almost 1 billion people. Governments should adopt as their main new goal the aim of reducing by another billion the number of people in extreme poverty by 2030 http://econ.st/19pNe2z

2013-06-02 11:48:05 (97 comments, 65 reshares, 1255 +1s)

Just a picture of the sunset reflecting off my HTC One. The picture was taken by another HTC one.

This is almost as meta as a +Yonatan Zunger post :-)

2013-06-01 18:58:56 (51 comments, 58 reshares, 757 +1s)

Want to see an early sneak peek screening of #TheInternship   TONIGHT?

Find the nearest special engagement here: http://bit.ly/TheInternshipSneakPeek

2013-06-01 00:36:36 (72 comments, 312 reshares, 936 +1s)

You Have To Watch This

This will give you a laugh before the weekend. 

H/T +Ben Helstad 

2013-05-31 04:42:12 (64 comments, 22 reshares, 913 +1s)

#ThrowbackThursday  

2013-05-30 16:00:57 (159 comments, 225 reshares, 1255 +1s)

HTC One... the Google way

We've just announced another new Android phone coming soon to Google Play — The HTC One with the Nexus user experience.  

It's SIM-unlocked and bootloader-unlockable, supports LTE (T-Mobile and AT&T), and comes with Beats Audio. Available June 26! 

#allthingsdigital 

2013-05-30 04:59:18 (39 comments, 215 reshares, 827 +1s)

If you're previewing the new Google Maps, there's an easter egg hidden in outer space. Set your computer's clock back to Thursday, May 9th at 5pm PDT. Then, enter Earth view and zoom out till you see the cloud layer appear over the planet. Now, look northeast of Australia :). You'll see the little surprise we found as we were testing the new maps. And if you zoom out all the way, you'll even see the moon in front of the sun!

http://maps.google.com/preview

#newgooglemaps

[ this will work for future eclipses also ]

2013-05-30 04:32:32 (45 comments, 60 reshares, 753 +1s)

Some water falling in sunlight. Since this is #notasquirrel I'll leave this here and not in my secret Squirrel Fanclub community.

2013-05-28 21:20:52 (51 comments, 104 reshares, 367 +1s)

Save Nina!
My friend +Mark Louie has a cousin who only has 2 months to live unless she finds a bone marrow match. It's a heart wrenching story. The family is looking for a typed match. 

Her name is Nina. I'm sharing because I'm touched and hope this can raise awareness for Nina and many others diagnosed with lymphoma. 

2013-05-28 20:21:02 (44 comments, 61 reshares, 330 +1s)

Google+ for iPhone: 43

At Google I/O we launched 41 new Google+ features (http://goo.gl/FQY95). Last week we launched number 42 (the Android app: http://goo.gl/p3iyb), and today we’re rolling out number 43: a brand new app for iOS. It includes:

- Auto Backup, Highlight, Enhance and Awesome for your photos (http://goo.gl/5f9DH)
- Related hashtags at the top-right of individual posts
- The ability to edit your comments, and display strikethrough text
- More complete profile editing via mobile, including your cover photo
- The ability to copy a post’s permalink to your clipboard

The app is available now in the App Store (v4.4, http://goo.gl/CAe9s), so give it a try and let us know what you think!

#googleplusupdate  

2013-05-28 02:27:46 (114 comments, 231 reshares, 1848 +1s)

I've written in the past that charging me for Internet Access can drive me away from nice hotels. This weekend at the St. Regis in NYC the Internet access was free AND the new outlets have two USB ports in the middle. It's a small thing, but it makes me want to go back!!!

2013-05-28 02:03:38 (19 comments, 34 reshares, 222 +1s)

Not for children

I don't know if any of this article is true. But I found it hilariously entertaining :-)

2013-05-27 13:13:42 (124 comments, 59 reshares, 1174 +1s)

Since Friday I've taken 424 photos on my mobile phone. This is one from Laguna Beach.

The best camera really is the one you have with you.

These many photos would have been harder to manage without highlight view :-)

2013-05-27 06:26:54 (38 comments, 93 reshares, 565 +1s)

#amazingsauce
:-)

2013-05-26 16:43:56 (97 comments, 204 reshares, 783 +1s)

How we have systematically bred the nutrition out of our food.

The ancestor of corn had ten times more protein than the corn we eat today. That's just one example. 

Over the millennia, farmers have selectively bread food crops for better taste. In the industrial era, we got really efficient at it and bred food that worked best in the industrial food system and contributed to better "food products." 

Nutrition took a back seat to all this selective breeding. As a result, our food is nearly devoid of nutrition compared with what our ancestors ate. 

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/26/opinion/sunday/breeding-the-nutrition-out-of-our-food.html

2013-05-26 13:27:22 (112 comments, 294 reshares, 2860 +1s)

What Her Heart Had to Say About It... Truckee, California
Her heart was an impressionist,
Her soul had vision. 
Teaming up seemed only natural.
--------------------------------------
This photo is actually a couple of years old. I ran across it looking for something else. It struck me how my processing style has changed in just a couple of years, but that it doesn't take away from the marvelousness of the moment. I like that. It takes some of the pressure off of always trying to be so danged perfect. I mean, sure I might do something different with this now... but dang, what a moment it was! And as I recall, I didn't have to process this all that much. 

I could go back and  do something different with sharpening and contrast. But honestly, I have other projects calling me... and there's something kinda cool about enjoying a blast from the past simplyfo... more »

2013-05-24 00:08:41 (80 comments, 165 reshares, 657 +1s)

A nice article about some of the powerful search technology we released last week.  I also like that the graphic they chose for the article is someone being "blown away".  

2013-05-23 19:29:07 (60 comments, 18 reshares, 365 +1s)

I'll be live from the 24 hr party at Disneyland this week! Check out today's blog post for the details!

2013-05-23 19:10:59 (178 comments, 122 reshares, 974 +1s)

Just wait till you see us continue to invest in the product. We are just getting started here.

2013-05-22 17:57:19 (82 comments, 585 reshares, 2071 +1s)

Good night Me luvilees! 

stolen from +Ben Zaitz 

2013-05-22 17:47:34 (33 comments, 84 reshares, 436 +1s)

"Conversational search has natural language, semantic search and more built into it, and while it’s far from perfect, this really is one of those significant changes that makes even a “seen it all” person like me sit up and take notice." - +Danny Sullivan 

2013-05-22 17:39:31 (51 comments, 246 reshares, 638 +1s)

THIS

2013-05-22 09:49:25 (68 comments, 168 reshares, 1683 +1s)

Night Light... Donner Lake, 1am, Truckee, California

A good night light makes you feel safer. Lets you see in the dark. Is discreet and doesn't sear your eyeballs out of their sockets if you have to get up in the middle of the night and don't want to run into the door frame.

A good night light kisses you on the forehead and says quite tenderly; "It's time to sleep, sweet thing. Good night." And you always reply "'Night, light. Sweet dreams."

A good night light is timeless.

2013-05-21 05:55:49 (139 comments, 256 reshares, 1151 +1s)

Are you sitting down? This has just blown me away. The new Google+ Photos section in the app is astounding.

1. Built-in photo editing
2. People tagging
3. Image search
4. Highlights - albums that take the best photos from an album and show them off.
5. A single button to auto enhance photos with a before and after button and option to undo.
6. Rename and delete albums
7. Edit profile and cover photo

Image search has me shaking in disbelief! All the example screenshots are from family photos I have uploaded, none of them have added tags and they are all standard from-camera filenames.

2013-05-21 03:33:58 (46 comments, 59 reshares, 840 +1s)

2013-05-20 15:10:48 (126 comments, 143 reshares, 767 +1s)

Here's why Vic couldn't sleep last night!  A fresh new Google+ Android build that incorporates all of last week's goodness... and more.   Enjoy.

#googleplusupdate

2013-05-20 14:57:55 (54 comments, 15 reshares, 306 +1s)

Good morning everyone.
Here is what I'm listening to right now.

Holy Ghost! "Hold On" (Live in NYC)

2013-05-20 04:31:37 (264 comments, 213 reshares, 856 +1s)

I am struggling to sleep tonight. Can't wait until tomorrow :-)
+Bradley Horowitz +Ujjwal Singh

2013-05-19 08:25:17 (62 comments, 20 reshares, 1257 +1s)

Lots of memories from last week's Google I/O. Thank you for making it so special. (That includes you +Brynn Evans and +Jonathan Terleski for photobombing +Bradley Horowitz and me :-)

2013-05-18 22:53:06 (10 comments, 1 reshares, 12 +1s)

Bluetooth stream music problems?

I have my streaming music cut out intermittently. (HTC one). After about 30 seconds the car recognizes the phone again and I can restart the music. Anyone else having this issue?

(Yes I've rebooted console)

2013-05-18 02:06:34 (94 comments, 45 reshares, 1175 +1s)

A beautifully #AutoEnhanced picture from my walk this evening.

Have a great weekend everyone.

2013-05-17 14:19:46 (27 comments, 51 reshares, 316 +1s)

Offer posts in Google+: Easily save and share offers with your circles

Millions of people follow brands they love on Google+ to keep tabs on them, get the latest news on products, join in on the conversation or simply to be entertained. Many people also engage with businesses to get great deals and discounts. Starting today, we’re making it easier to discover, save and share offers right from Google+.

We’re beginning with a select group of brands like +ZAGAT , +Hello Kitty , +Art.com , +NOOK , +Adafruit Industries  who can now share offers with their followers. If you follow any of these brands, you'll soon see offers from them in your stream.  You can save these offers directly from the post. Once saved, you can use the Google Offers app or simply follow the email confirmation on how to easily redeem the offer online or in-store. 

And just like in reallife, if y... more »

2013-05-17 01:20:22 (40 comments, 25 reshares, 740 +1s)

Mel's Drive-In here in San Francisco. Here's another quick shot through Glass.  

I love the wide-angle lens on this thing.  I don't actually know what it is.  It feels like a 28mm or so?  Maybe 30?  I can't figure it out.  I haven't actually checked the specs on it...I'm just going by feel.  Still experimenting and having fun!  #throughglass  

2013-05-17 01:15:11 (58 comments, 81 reshares, 430 +1s)

*Getting started with #AutoEnhance  and #AutoAwesome *

Many of you have been asking, "How do I apply Auto Enhance and Auto Awesome to my photos?" The good news is, all you have to do is upload some new pictures, and we'll do both automatically: 

- To review Google's automatic enhancements, just open a newly-uploaded photo in the desktop lightbox
- Click the new "Enhanced" button to toggle between your original, and Google's enhancements
- If you like the changes, keep them. Otherwise, just uncheck "Auto Enhance" from the More menu
- You can also turn off the feature completely in settings: google.com/settings/plus

It's the same story with Auto Awesome. Just upload some new pics, and we'll get to work:

- Visit your Photos page (plus.google.com/photos), and look for one the five Awesome icons ont... more »

2013-05-17 00:58:55 (52 comments, 31 reshares, 721 +1s)

Walking home after a long week. Nice to see the gate already open. Oh wait... Where is the dog? :-)