What’s next for Google?

     With the increase in cell phones that are capable of browsing the web, it is natural to expect that not only will there be more data available on the web, but that new phones will be created to keep up with the demand. The new generation of “smart phones” will have numerous applications to use, other than simple email, instant messaging, or online banking. The Apple iPhone (and iPod Touch) is the American market leader in smart phones, while Palm and Blackberry follow with respectable levels of success. Google, best known for its search engine, is now attempting to break into this market by introducing an operating system called Android which will be loaded onto the Motorola Tao smart phone. Apple has such a chokehold on the American market, however (due largely to iTunes), that many in the industry feel others have an uphill battle. One of the main areas of concern is that, in order to gain a larger share of the market in the next few years, Google (et al) will have to differentiate itself from its main competitor. Specifically, it would help them tremendously if:
1) the price of the phone was lower than the iPhone, and
2) if there were more choices of service providers (iPhone works only with AT&T).
     Once a new set of phones are available, they will then have to keep up with the ever-increasing amount of content that is available. Interestingly, many of the results we get now from doing a search do not include most of what is known as the “deep web”, which is not always as accessible as one might think. The “deep web” includes much more detailed information and web pages, which are not usually included in standard search engine indexes. These search engines are continuously enhancing the methods they use to sift through the web for information, hoping to get more “deep web” content, but the success of these upgrades has yet to be proven. Google dominates the search engines, but Microsoft and Yahoo reached a deal recently where the two companies will team up in an attempt to beat Google at its own game. In fact, Microsoft has created an entire advertising campaign around their new search engine “Bing” (which will “power” the Yahoo engine) which points out how searches often return ineffective results. Bing purports to do a better job at finding more useful information, supposedly from areas that Google can’t or won’t reach. However, one possible outcome of more effective search tools may be that the very sites currently “hidden” will require fees or authentication for access to all of this additional content. Whether that will help or hinder the process remains to be seen.
     Further, accessing all of the content that is out there will be even more difficult because of the amount that is continuously added. The Google book project “Google Library” would increase this by a level of magnitude not seen before. The project basically creates a registry for books from all across the world, like an online card catalog, and would include books that are out of print. Google is currently scanning thousands of books to be made available as digital copies, and the project has the support of numerous libraries and universities from around the world such as Columbia University, the New York Public Library, the Bavarian Library (in Germany), and Keio Library (in Japan), among many others.
     Critics of this project (including Microsoft and Yahoo as well as European firms) are concerned that this violates copyright laws, but Google points out that entire books would not be viewable from the site – only bits and pieces of it. The digital copies would be off-limits unless someone wishes to download or print the book. They would then be assessed a fee to do so, similar to Amazon’s Kindle. It is interesting to note that the loudest naysayers are simply rivals (such as the European book registry), but long-time Google rival Microsoft has raised the largest stink, both in the US and in Europe.
     The objections that have been raised regarding copyright laws are not only inaccurate but miss the point entirely: writers and their progeny for under-copyright works would still get paid, and this project would streamline and centralize books from all across the globe, adding immeasurably to the amount of books available to everyone.

Sources (from hyperlinks):
- Amazon.com. “Kindle: Amazon's 6" wireless reading device (Latest Generation)”. Amazon.com, Inc. 1996-2009.
- Coursey, David. “After 2 billion downloads, can the iPhone be stopped?” PC World, September 28, 2009.
- Europeana, “portal”, n.d.
- Google, “Google Books”, 2009.
- Kellogg, Carolyn. “Postponement for the Google books settlement”, Jacket Copy, Los Angeles Times, September 25, 2009.
- Oreskovic, Alexei and Rigby, Bill. “Microsoft, Yahoo in 10-year Web search partnership”, Reuters, July 29, 2009.
- Reinhardt, Andy . “Google books fight heats up in Europe”, Business Week, September 22, 2009.
- Smith, Heather. “Google book-scan project challenged in French court (update 4)”, Bloomberg.com, September 24, 2009.

The Perils of MySpace

     Online social networking is an immensely popular method of keeping in contact with friends and family, and MySpace was at the forefront of the business. Over the years it has adapted to keep up with changing trends, and offers a wide variety of multimedia applications such as games and videos. One unique item that MySpace has is the ability of the users to customize their profile page, including graphics, photos and various color schemes. While rival Facebook has currently eclipsed MySpace (MS) in popularity, MS is still used extensively, particularly with musicians from long-established acts to those just starting out. Actors and comedians also have MySpace pages, and everyone can use the bulletin feature to update their “friends” (approved by the user) on upcoming activities, or even to mention that they have posted new photos, blogs, or song playlists. Companies have also begun creating MySpace pages to augment their online advertising.

     Unfortunately, not everything about online social networking has resulted in happy endings. Each individual’s profile includes the user name, age, sex and location – all the information a stalker or other unsavory individual needs to “hunt” someone. Most individual profiles are marked as public, which means anyone who has a MS account can see/read the content (Facebook does not have this option, all individual accounts are private and must be approved by the user for viewing). Some may consider this merely a free dating service, but others take it further.

     Recently, a San Francisco-area musician called “Syko Sam” was arrested for the death of a Virginia teenage girl who sent him several messages on MS. The twenty-year-old rapper was a big fan of “horrorcore” music, which sets violent lyrics to hip-hop music. He posted his own songs to his page, and the girl was apparently quite enamored of Sam, sending him messages such as “You are my one and only everything”. The two made plans to see each other: he flew across the country, attended a concert with her, and then apparently killed her and three others. No motive for the murders has yet been discovered.

     The availability of personal information on MS, combined with a trusting outlook, can become lethal when meeting someone in person for the first time after “speaking” with them online first. There is a high level of anonymity in online communities, and many people create personas for themselves that have little to do with who they really are. Placing so much personal information about yourself online can be dangerous, particularly when the poster is unfamiliar with how devious some people can be, leading to explosive and deadly encounters. When the “Craigslist killer” began his killing spree in April 2009, the online community reeled. Even more disturbing is that MySpace is also adding a classifieds application for their users (which is the only thing Craigslist offers – free classifieds), which opens the door to more crimes being committed. A good rule of thumb is to either not post intense personal data, or simply keep your profile private. Beyond that, try not to be too gullible – if someone seems too good to be true, it is probably because they’re not what they claim to be.

Sources:
Said, Carolyn, "Slain girl on Bay Area rapper's MySpace".  San Francisco Chronicle, September 21, 2009.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/09/20/MN3M19Q1TP.DTL

Politics and Online Social Networking

     Social networking is the process of contacting people to keep updated with each other. Political networking (keeping in touch with campaign workers, supporters, donors, etc) has changed radically over the past several years, and with technology advancing all the time, traditional face-to-face networking has been replaced with instantaneous online tools such as Facebook, YouTube and Twitter. Email has almost completely replaced “snail mail”, while instant messaging, texting and status updates on Facebook and Twitter have changed telephone calls into very short tidbits of information, or sound-bites. Now and in the future, online social networking will be an invaluable aid to political campaigns.

     What started out as an electronic method to aid in business communications, really took off when it was adapted to personal communications. It is a much faster, cheaper and more efficient method of keeping in touch – where a letter may take a couple of days to arrive, the travel of email can be measured in seconds. There are no stamps or envelopes to buy, and if several different people need to be notified then just one email that includes everyone will suffice, as opposed to a separate letter for each person. This has dramatically cut the cost of notifying the public about a candidate’s qualifications, stance on current topics, and calendar of appearances. All of these can now be found within minutes via email or accessing the candidate’s web page. Multiple emails can be sent at all times of the day or night, and the mass emails that were sent out during the 2008 US presidential election organized supporters as never before.

     While emails can be very detailed with loads upon loads of information, text messages and instant messaging cuts out all of the fluff, severely condensing the notes into much smaller doses. The instant gratification of texts and IM’s was taken to the next level by Twitter, particularly during the Iranian election in June of 2009. The results of the election were hotly contested by the Iranian public, but when they protested, those in power fought back – violently. The government in Iran limited the amount of information that the rest of the world would get by banning international reporters and sometimes blocking internet access to their own people. However, they couldn’t just turn the internet off all the time – even they needed to use it. Twitter thus enabled the people on the ground to get the word out to others about what was actually happening, and planning more protests. Once a source of bemusement to many, Twitter, Facebook, MySpace and YouTube have quickly become “the” location for candidates to distribute news and updates, without any distractions or interruptions.

     All of these online applications carry one very big difference to traditional face-to-face networking – they are all highly interactive. Indeed, they almost cry out for people to respond, constantly asking for viewpoints and suggestions. In the past, only the candidates were the ones who spoke, through their campaign materials delivered by the Post Office or canvassing volunteers. Now, however, the voting public speaks out through electronic media, especially when they feel they are being threatened. Candidates who are slow to utilize these new tools do not fare well. They can be seen as uncompromising, stodgy, out of touch, and behind the times – none of which would help them to woo voters, especially young people who use online social networking every day.