Archive for June, 2008
Google “Street View” grows and grows
30 Jun. 2008 | Author: 
At the end of May 2008, the Google Maps feature “Street View” celebrated its first birthday. On the occasion of its birthday, its creators added recently a bunch of new parorama views.
For this purpose the drivers of the Google-Street-View cars (fitted out with special 360º cameras) spread out over 37 ‘new’ USA areas, shooting or reshooting a whole lot of new photos. As detailed in a post in the Google Lat Long Blog, programmer Jiajun Zhu revealed that with this new surge, the coverage of Street-View is doubled.
Twenty new cities and urban areas, including Springfield, Atlanta, Oklahoma and Reno, as well as the addition of ten National Parks and Recreational areas such as the Everglades National Park, Death Valley National Park and the Florida Keys, have been newly documented at close range. The survey of cities such as Kansas City, Miami, Nashville, San Francisco or New York City have also been expanded.
Simultaneously, according to Zhu, the photo quality has been improved, and the glimpses of the Street-View car have been removed from photos– when looking at street level, one now sees the street itself, instead of the roof of the car on which the camera is mounted. Face-Blurring technology has now been fully implemented, thereby rendering the faces of pedestrians and license plates unrecognizable.
Although until recently only cities and regions in the USA were viewable using the Street-View technology, results are now also viewable in the German-language editions under the label “Straßenansicht”. This link appears on the map, whenever areas or locations are displayed where the photo-documentation has been published.
Posted in Local Search per PC, Local Search, News, Local Search Engines, Practical features | 
Tags: Geburtstag, Google, google maps, Panoramaansicht, Panoramabilder, Straßenansicht, street view | 
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meinestadt.de now offering photo tour
The city portal meinestadt.de is now offering its own improved image of Germany’s towns and cities. Recently it started offering a so-called “Photo channel” for each town.
This new feature allows users, for example, to take a virtual tour of many German towns and communities, via a slide show. Additionally one can also access various thematic categories in the search for different visual motives. One comes across photos of buildings, castles and monuments, and also art, people, landscapes and animals, as well a the expected general townscapes.
However, in addition to viewing photographs, viewers may add their own. According to a press release from the operators of meinestadt.de, allesklar.com AG, all amateur and professional photographers are able to publish their town views. Photos can be uploaded with titles and supporting information reflecting the subject matter, and the name of the photographer is also published.
The new town photo album feature is really nice – even though photos are not geo-tagged, and therefore not linked to specific locations on the map. This mean that if one comes across a photo of interest, it is not always easily linked to its actual geographic location (yet.)
SES in Hamburg: Interview with Isabell Wagner
The 2008 SES (Search Engine Strategies conference), an industry special event (see our report) for search engine marketing, has opened in Hamburg. We spoke to Isabelle Wagner, Managing Director of bigmouthmedia – one of the participant speakers.
What advantages do local search engines offer over standard web search engines?
One cannot compare these with each other, as local and global search engines follow two different approaches. In “the Business” the term Local Search is taken to mean the search function for a website. I assume that you mean the search engines which focus on specific regions. Advertising becomes interesting for local undertakings, especially when their target public is found in the same catchment area as the companies themselves are located. A web search engine combs through the Internet. As there Web consists of more than ten billion websites, companies can have an enormous reach. However, this also means that the competition with other providers is greater as well.
In what way does SEM (Search Engine Marketing) become rewarding for local small and medium-sized companies?
SEM is one of the most successful instruments in the online-marketing toolkit, achieving the higest ROI (return on investment) and presents the most limited risk. Through this, medium-sized concerns are able to wield marketing “weapons” on an equivalent basis compared to the big guns. Contrary to classic TV or print advertising, online advertisements are affordable for small and medium concerns and require no minimum turnover volume. Using the reporting functions of Google or Yahoo!, you can see at a glance how successful your campaigns are/were and how much they cost. The great advantage here is that in comparison to traditional methods, campaigns can be rapidly implemented . A further important aspect is that the advertisers can choose the regions where the ad-spots are to appear.
Web 2.0 continues to be an important trend, also in the local landscape. Are social-web local services and networks also of interest to small and medium business, as regards online marketing?
Advertising on social networks is a hot topic at the moment and relevant for undertakings of all sizes. Such communities consist of members sharing special interests, and thus are more receptive to the advertising message of the undertakings. Loss through spreading too thin is thus reduced there, as one can assume a certain predilection, and that the community will speak openly about their needs and interests.
Which trends do you anticipate that the coming year will bring to local search engine marketing, such as the mobile sector? What importance will online advertising gain over the next five years?
Mobile-search combined with localized search is one of the hot trends that will occupy the online marketing branch in the coming years. Local search per mobile phone will come to the forefront when the search requires quick results, such as “where am I and where is the nearest café?” For search results that need/allow more time and research, one expects rather the use of home PC or laptop. Geo-tagging is not yet far enough advanced for accurate and personalized target group implementation. Further development is required so as to limit the diffusion loss, and to specifically target the user. This will lead to the Internet becoming a direct marketing instrument. In the future, the user will only receive advertisements that fit their personal pereferences, search habits and actual geolocation. Thus “below the line marketing” will be able to use their trump card, over that of classic marketing.
Posted in Local Search per PC, Local Search on the go, Local Search per Mobile phone, Local Search, Localization technology, News, Local Search Engines |
Tags: Anbieter, bigmouthmedia, Community, Handy, Internet, Isabell Wagner, local, search engine marketing, Search Engine Strategies, SEM, SES, Suche, Suchmaschine, Suchmaschinenmarketing, Unternehmen, Veranstaltung, web2.0, Werbung |
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Google and Yahoo! cooperate
Rather Google than Microsoft, seemingly think the internet portal creators Yahoo! thereby negotiating a non-exclusive advertising contract between the search engine giant and its arch-rival.
In February this year, as is well-known, Microsoft made a bid for the complete takeover of Yahoo! This proposal came adrift in May 2008 after exhaustive negotiations. However Microsoft still showed interest in Yahoo! – and wanted at least to buy out Yahoo’s search engine undertaking. Yet again, the deal came to nothing and Microsoft walked away empty handed. On 12th June 2008, Yahoo! announced in a press release that negotiations were officially over with Microsoft.
Later the same day, Yahoo! announced its cooperation with Google. And Google too announced the collaboration in a separate press release. As is to be discerned from the press releases, the agreement covers a non-exclusive advertizing contract between the companies. Soon, paid ads from Google’s “Adsense for Search” and “Adsense for Content” will be visible on Yahoo! pages, as well as on the search results of Yahoo! and its partner and affiliate portals. This agreement applies only to the USA and Canadian Yahoo! services.
The agreement was negotiated for a four year term, with the option for two extensions of three years each, to a maximum of ten years. In the meantime, both sides have factored in a wait-time of three and a half months to allow the US Justice department time to evaluate the cooperative venture.
Wikia Search – interactive search engine improved
The start of 2008 saw the Alpha-version start of the free search engine Wikia Search (see our report). Subsequently this service has been steadily developed, and as of the start of June 2008, it is substantially more user-friendly.
In the launch version of the social search machine, users were able to rate the results, create mini-articles on the search results, or according to their technical abilities, even view the source code, and were free to help with its further development. User involvement was somewhat restrictive, leading to considerable criticism in the media, also as a result of limited search results.
The new Beta-version is now more inviting, especially for the purposes of development and expansion – users can, for example, add new links by mouse click, relevant to the search results, comment on these or edit their description and labeling. The discovered websites also are now able to be rated, thereby influencing their position in the search results. To this purpose, not even a new registration is required – changes are immediately reflected. In order to discourage abuse of the system, all recent changes and their authors are listed to the right of the results list, in a new area “Recent Changes”, and are thus subject to reediting or correction. This underlines the Wikia-Search organization’s Wikia Inc., emphasis on the quality and reliability of the information submitted by users in this collaborative project.
Posted in New Search Machine Interest, News |
Tags: freie Suchmaschine, soziale Suchmaschine, Suchmaschine, Wikia Inc., Wikia Search |
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Google Transit: Mit Bus und Bahn zur Euro 2008
A press release announced the punctual expansion by Google Maps, of its feature “Google Transit” to include Austria, timed for the start of the European Soccer Tournament 2008. For the co-host country Switzerland, this service has already been available for some time.
Using Google Transit, visitors can plan their journeys with public transportation. This feature has been available in the USA since December 2005, though at its launch it was only accessible under the so-called ‘Google Labs’ section. In October 2007, this service was integrated with Google Maps (see our post) and successively expanded since then.
In the mean time, the user is able to access information on trains and busses in more than 40 US cities as well as some locations in Canada, Australia, France, Italy, Poland and Britain. Further, all Japan, Switzerland and most recently, Austria are now fully covered. And well-timed for the Football, one is able to access cross-border connections, from Austria to Switzerland and back, with all public transportation reflected. This service lightens the travel planning of fans, and suggests the best connections, for example from hotel to stadium, to public viewing locations or the next game location of the fans’ own national team.
The service is to be found on the Google Transit page, or in the respective country versions of Google Maps, including those of Germany, Austria, or Switzerland. Users enter their data under route calculations (entering start and finish), or using a right click, they can click on the start or finish locations on the maps view, which then displays the requested routing. If there is data available about connections using trains, buses, trams and so on, a link will appear labeled “Public Transportation” [de=Oeffentliche Verkehrsmittel.) On clicking this link, the next available connections for the route desired will be generated and displayed. If one needs a later time or date, just click on ‘Options’, enter the new details, and away you go…
Posted in Local Search per PC, Local Search, News, Local Search Engines, Practical features |
Tags: EM, EM-Features, Euro 2008, Euro08, Fußball EM, Fußball Europameisterschaft, Google, google maps, Google Transit, lokale Informationen, öffentliche Verkehrsmittel, Österreich, Public Viewings, Schweiz |
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Euro 2008 Specials on local search services
The soccer Euro2008 has started. Many local search services are offering their users special Euro 2008 features, in honor of this grand event.
The city portal meinestadt.de for example, in its local online event calendar, lists times and locations of live TV broadcasts on large screens in public places (a.k.a. “Public Viewings”), as well as broadcasts and Euro 2008 parties in pubs or beer gardens, with listings of start times, locations and contact details. According to a press release, all schedules are also available for download via the portal’s mobile version. In a Euro 2008 Special, one can also check out the game schedule and much more.
Google has also put together an additional Fan portal. Accessible via google.de/23tage, the user can find, among much else, a Fan Map with lots worth knowing about Euro 2008 (e.g. teams, players, games and stadiums). A press report by Google Deutschland, posts also a personalized iGoogle Fan start page with loads of information about the contest, the participating teams and even a YouTube Fan Diary that one can add to.
Internet online directory YellowMap offers soccer fans a special Guide to the festivities, in cooperation with online-portal Raumobil, the Mitfahrzentrale [en=Ride sharing] and Quoka. Offers include information about the game-cities, with aerial views of the eight stadiums, a ‘tip’ game and a route planner. In addition, one can reserve hotels and accommodation in Austria and Switzerland, or nearby the hotels where the teams are bunked, and even offer or search for rides to the games.
On the City24 city portal, one can find the games schedule along side with stacks of news about this pan European sporting mega event. Here too, one can find the locations and details of public viewings or parties on offer. Further, users may personally add local parties and events around Euro 2008, using the so-called ‘CityScout’ feature.
The participation of users is also found as expected on Qype. The local search and rating platform, in its own blog, calls for users to add listings and reports on public viewings or sportsbars. Find these under the Groups search term “euro2008” or the Guides listings.
Sharing soccer-mania with other fans is made possible by the local search machine suchen.de. Here, one simply enters search phrases “Public Viewing” or “Sportsbar” plus a location, to discover where the games are to be broadcast in public places or bars.
Extensive listings of Public Viewings and Sportsbars are also to be found on the online directory DasÖrtliche.de and DasTelefonbuch.de. Both services offer a special search feature on Euro 2008, in cooperation with “Premiere Sportsbar”. DasTelefonbuch.de also allows its users to participate ‘virtually’ in the festivities – using the so-called “Virtual-Kicker League“. Whoever participates and wishes to ‘appear’ against other online-soccer players, can register online and receives a Player-Pass. According to DasTelefonbuch-Servicegesellschaft, the virtual game schedule parallels exactly the real Euro 2008, including all preliminary games. The parallel victories and defeats will run alongside the actual events.
Posted in Local Search per PC, Local Search, News, Local Search Engines, Practical features |
Tags: City24, DasTelefonbuch, DeTeMedien, EM-Features, EM-Special, Europameisterschaft, Fan Map, Google, google maps, GoYellow, lokale Informationen, meinestadt, meinestadt.de, Public Viewings, Sportsbar, Suchdienst, suchen.de, t-info, YellowMap |
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Point of View – “Street View” in Germany
A report by news magazine ‘Focus’ reports that Google intends to introduce its panorama photo innovation for German towns and cities. Deutsche Post AG plans a similar venture. The call to action for data privacy activists has been sounded…
To realize the Google Maps Feature “Street View” for Germany, the foreseeable future will show cars sporting specialized cameras, cruising the streets of local towns and shooting innumerable 360º photos. “We are at the moment already on the go in Europe and will also come to Germany”, confirmed Google’s data security executive Peter Fleischer to ‘Focus’ magazine.
In the USA, this service has been on display since May 2007 and is constantly being expanded. From the launch, Google’s display of highly detailed photos – some of which clearly show faces of pedestrians or license plates (and occasionally still do) – has been cause for discussion and uproar. For example: a couple whose house was visible in “Street View”, felt their privacy had been invaded and took Google to court. In Europe the situation will not be any easier for the search-engine market leader. On the contrary – according to a report posted in the online magazine PCWorld, the EU’s data protection supervisor, Peter Hustinx has expressed his reservations concerning “Street View” and warns against its introduction, as its present format is not compatible with European legislation.
Google has actually already started to blur the faces of people caught in “Street View”, using a technique aptly named “Face Blurring”, which automatically recognizes faces and blurs them. This technology was first tested in documenting Manhattan, according to Google’s Lat Long Blog. It is planned to be universally implemented in Europe, and will obliterate not only faces but also vehicle license plates as well. “In all European locations, no faces or vehicle license plates will be recognizable [in Street View]”, promised Fleischer to ‘Focus’.
However this doesn’t satisfy many privacy watchdogs. As outlined in the ‘Focus’ report, the Deutsche Post AG is working on a very similar project. For this project, watchdogs are calling for not only the blotting out of faces and license plates, but also house numbers. According to ‘Focus’, concerns are mounting regarding public display of private buildings. These could then be linked to specific people [and invade their privacy].
Whether these fears are unwarranted, is questionable. Actually, “Street View” is a nice and useful feature. Shouldn’t it, assuming that faces and license plates are unrecognizable, also be granted the blessing of the data protection legislators?
Google Maps extends local content offering
Google Maps is transforming itself ever increasingly from a classic Local Search service to that of an all-encompassing localized information service.
The function “My Maps”, which allows users to generate content and make that accessible to other users, was seemingly one of the first steps in this direction. Recently, the sector-leading search engine added localized photos and videos to the “My Maps” arsenal, accessible under the “Explore this area” (after entering a location in the search field) … see our post.
Just weeks after the above innovations, comes the “More” button, to be found at the top right corner within the displayed map (in all views). Using this feature, one can access even more resources such as photos, panoramas (Panoramio) as well as local-interest articles from Wikipedia. If one selects Wikipedia, for example – for every location where any relevant Wikipedia content exists, a small Wikipedia symbol appears on the map. When clicked, the symbol opens an extract from the online-lexicon in a pop-up window, with a link to the full article. The text describes relevant content e.g. Buildings, streets, places or institutions.
Through these new functions, Google wants to ease the discovery of information about the geographical context, for its users. This was detailed by Christoph Oehler, Product Manager at Google, in Google’s Lat Long Blog.
Upcoming features anticipated for Google Maps include the probable integration of relevant Local News. Such a function is apparently available, according to the Google Lat Long Blog, as of May 2008 in the US-version of the virtual earth program Google Earth. This capability is soon expected for the German-edition of Google Earth as well as Google Maps (maps.google.de). This was announced in a separate announcement by press spokesman Stefan Keuchel, in an interview with “Spiegel-Online”.
Live Search Maps: New RoutePlanner functionality
Recently the German edition of the Microsoft local search service, Live Search Maps, allows direct access to route planning from the map view.
Toni Pelg, a Business Manager at Microsoft, detailed this development in the Windows Live Blog.
To activate the Route Planner from within the maps, one uses a right-click (Control+click for Mac) with the mouse, on the desired start location on the map, and then selects in the resulting Pop-up menu “Route from…” [de=Route von]. At this point, the Route Planner opens within the browser window, with the selected location registering automatically as the start point. The destination is selected similarly. Alternatively, one is able to manually enter the destination in the Destination field. After clicking the “RoutePlan” button, the desired routing is generated.
This new feature also functions in all view types – map, aerial, hybrid and “bird’s eye view.”
