Google Apps grows up

<span class="byline-author">Posted by Derek Parham, Lead Software Engineer, Google Apps</span><br /><br />Back in 2005, Google Apps was conceived in a few lines of code, and then it was born in February 2006. Our team has had such a close relationship with it, you might understand how we have nurtured it as we would a child.<br /><br />So first there was <a href="http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2006/02/big-mail-on-campus.html"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Gmail for your domain</span></a> -- a limited service that helped organizations like San Jose City College offer personalized Gmail inboxes to all their users. As our little guy picked up new skills (Calendar, Talk, and Page Creator) it grew out of its old name and into <a href="http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2006/08/get-your-people-talking.html">Google Apps for Your Domain</a>.<br /><br />A quick learner, by October Google Apps had perfected <a href="http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2006/10/get-your-people-talking-in-more.html">17 more languages</a>, so we could help bring our communication tools all around the globe. Later in the fall, we improved our organizational skills with the <a href="http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2006/11/start-your-day-off-right.html">Start Page</a>, which brought all the Apps together into a centralized place. Then it was time to start school. <a href="http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2006/10/score-one-for-sun-devils.html">Google Apps entered Arizona State University</a> and stood out as one of those high achievers. Today, students and administrators at large universities like ASU and <a href="http://communications.lakeheadu.ca/news/?display=news&nid=310">Lakehead</a> are raving about Apps -- how it saves money and IT resources, plus make students lives easier with bigger spam-free mailboxes and a set of tools for working together.<br /><br />Now, I'm excited to tell you that our baby has finally graduated and is entering the business world. <a href="http://www.google.com/a/enterprise">Google Apps Premier Edition</a> is a new version designed to take on all the challenges presented by businesses with complex IT needs. For $50 per account per year, you get the whole Google Apps package plus many new business-oriented features, including access to our APIs and partner solutions (so it’s easy to integrate with existing systems), conference room scheduling for Calendar, 10GB of inbox storage, extended business hours phone support, and mobile access to your email on BlackBerry devices (just in case you can't get enough at the office).<br /><br />Already, companies big and small, like Procter & Gamble, General Electric Corporation, Prudential, and SF Bay Pediatrics, are <a href="http://www.google.com/a/help/intl/en/admins/customers.html">talking about</a> how this new version of Google Apps makes it easy to offer low-cost communication and collaboration tools to all their employees so they can get on with what they do best.<br /><br />Google Apps also won't forget its roots anytime soon. The <a href="http://www.google.com/a">Standard</a> and <a href="http://www.google.com/a/edu">Education</a> Editions will continue to be offered for free, and we'll keep working on all three flavors of Google Apps with the help of feedback from all of you. As a start, we’ve just integrated Google Docs & Spreadsheets in all three editions so that everyone can share and edit documents online. Since August, we’ve also added five more major features you've requested, including customized service URLs (mail.yourcompany.com) and domain registration for organizations that don’t yet have a custom domain. Our appearance has matured too, with updates to the administrator control panel that make it easier to setup and manage your services.

Google Apps grows up

Posted by Derek Parham, Lead Software Engineer, Google Apps Back in 2005, Google Apps was conceived in a few lines of code, and then it was ...

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This is National Engineers Week

<span class="byline-author">Posted by Shannon Madison, Instructional Designer</span><br /><br />It's that time of year: to <a href="http://www.eweek.org/">celebrate the engineers</a> who create the new technologies that revolutionize our world. Their work changes the way we work, play, learn, and communicate with each other.<br /><br />As part of our ongoing commitment to raise awareness of these contributions (here's more on our <a href="http://www.google.com/support/jobs/bin/answer.py?answer=57415">our K-12 initiatives</a>), and to get young students interested in engineering, we're hosting a <a href="http://www.eweek.org/2002/News/Eweek/girlsday.shtml">Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day</a> on February 22nd in several of our U.S. offices, including New York, Kirkland, and our headquarters in Mountain View. <br /><br />Hundreds of middle-school girls will come to these offices this week to buddy up with an engineer, attend interactive workshops, take a tour, and, of course, have lunch. (Just like last year - see photo.)<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_UDmG3Mkm0Lu6htfaosa3DvyRh2ssVvfekWMcR3FZKihOg_VCC4j7O_LfO79_jPV-qaa0E76Qtccf5ygaDkcSPvzFuC3H_9kMawc5hHCrhm9UqZhXMvbvq-OYXWLkbPsV-6h5ZrKJ19N1/s1600-h/Girls_Eng_day.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5033736934979061090" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_UDmG3Mkm0Lu6htfaosa3DvyRh2ssVvfekWMcR3FZKihOg_VCC4j7O_LfO79_jPV-qaa0E76Qtccf5ygaDkcSPvzFuC3H_9kMawc5hHCrhm9UqZhXMvbvq-OYXWLkbPsV-6h5ZrKJ19N1/s320/Girls_Eng_day.jpg" style="cursor: pointer;" /></a><br /></div><br />Here's hoping the day will spark the interest of these young women to learn more about science, math and engineering -- and maybe even inspire them to pursue engineering studies, so that they too can change our lives. Here's <a href="http://www.eweek.org/site/Students/index.shtml">more for students</a> to do, and <a href="http://www.eweek.org/site/Teachers/index.shtml">a page for teachers</a> too.

This is National Engineers Week

Posted by Shannon Madison, Instructional Designer It's that time of year: to celebrate the engineers who create the new technologies t...

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Online child safety initiatives

<span class="byline-author">Posted by Elliot Schrage, VP, Global Communications and Public Affairs</span><br /><br />A big topic of discussion lately is the increasingly large influence media of all kinds can have in the lives of children and teens. Last week I participated in a <a href="http://www.commonsensemedia.org/beyondprimetime/" title="conference">conference</a> in New York about this important issue, sponsored by <a href="http://www.commonsensemedia.org/">CommonSense Media</a> and <a href="http://www.aspeninstitute.org/site/c.huLWJeMRKpH/b.2280181/k.3A10/Beyond_Primetime_Kids_and_the_Media.htm">The Aspen Institute</a> together with several organizations that have a stake in child safety. (Here are <a href="http://www.commonsensemedia.org/beyondprimetime/webcasts.php">videos of the speakers</a>.) <br /><br />The conference organizers convened a panel of experts and executives to address the question "Does the Internet Change Everything?" I approached this question by suggesting a framework of four scenarios that characterize the online interactions of children and the content they encounter:<br /><ol><li><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span>When a child isn't actively seeking objectionable content online, and doesn't encounter any, no action is needed.</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span>When a child isn't seeking objectionable content, but comes across it inadvertently, ISPs and other online services, like Google, and child safety organizations can provide tools and resources to help families effectively monitor their child's online interactions. </li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span>When a child is actively seeking out objectionable content online and finds it, parents are primarily responsible for devising a solution. </li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span>When a child isn't seeking out objectionable content, but someone deliberately forces such content on them, this amounts to exploitation -- and requires government involvement and cooperation by ISPs and other online services. </li></ol>So that you can see the types of things we're doing to promote safer online interactions, I've mapped some of Google's activities in this critical area of child safety online to these scenarios -- particularly 2 and 4, where we feel we can make the greatest difference.<br /><br />In connection with the second scenario, we have invested in developing family safety technology and tools, including<span style="text-decoration: underline;"> </span><a title="SafeSearch" href="http://www.google.com/help/customize.html#safe">SafeSearch</a>, a filter that uses advanced technology to block pornographic and explicit content from Google search results. We've also partnered with child safety organizations to educate families about ways to use the Internet and other types of media safely. These efforts include joining forces with CommonSense Media to provide </span><a title="their movie reviews in Google search results" href="http://www.google.com/movies/reviews?cid=b86c7458ef13b529&fq=the+queen">their movie reviews in Google search results</a> to assist parents in identifying healthy content. We also work with organizations like <a title="i-Safe" href="http://www.isafe.org/">i-Safe</a> and <a title="iKeepSafe" href="http://www.ikeepsafe.org/iksc_kids/">iKeepSafe</a> to provide online public service announcements that promote access to resources about Internet safety.<br /><br />When the fourth scenario occurs, we work closely with law enforcement officials worldwide to identify, investigate and prosecute child pornography and exploitation. We remove child pornography immediately when we become aware of its presence on our search engine or content services, and report all instances of child pornography to law enforcement through the <a title="National Center of Missing and Exploited Children, or NCMEC" href="http://www.missingkids.com/">National Center of Missing and Exploited Children, or NCMEC</a>. We also respond to hundreds of child safety-related law enforcement requests each year, in addition to requests to preserve data related to these cases. Lastly, we donate hardware and software to improve NCMEC's ability to manage incoming reports of child exploitation and assist NCMEC in promoting its <a title="CyberTipline" href="http://www.cybertipline.com/">CyberTipline</a>, a resource for reporting cases of online child sexual exploitation.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span>Keeping kids safe on the Internet is a huge task -- bigger than any single government, company or family. We're pleased to work with our industry partners, law enforcement and child safety advocates around the world (including the <a href="http://www.iwf.org.uk/">Internet Watch Foundation</a> in the UK and the Freiwillige Selbstkontrolle Multimedia (<a href="http://www.fsm.de/">FSM</a>) in Germany) to address this issue. <br /><br />As we develop new initiatives in this critical arena, we'll keep you posted.

Online child safety initiatives

Posted by Elliot Schrage, VP, Global Communications and Public Affairs A big topic of discussion lately is the increasingly large influence ...

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From Gmail with <3

<span class="byline-author">Posted by David Murray, Associate Product Manager</span><br /><br />Gmail sign-ups are now open worldwide! No more waiting for someone to invite you—just create an account directly at <a href="http://www.gmail.com/" title="www.gmail.com">www.gmail.com</a>. What better way to share the love with the people you care about than with <a href="http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2006/02/gmail-hearts-you.html">Gmail chat with <3</a>. And Gmail is available in <a href="http://mail.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=17091&query=languages&topic=&type=f&ctx=search%20%20">over 40 interface languages</a> (though <3 needs no translation).<br /><br />But seriously folks, good relationships are built on good communication. There's no reason you should struggle to reach the ones you love, and Gmail helps you communicate fast and easily.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><span style="font-style:italic;">Update:</span></span> Just for the heck of it, we enlisted the help of an ensemble cast we think you'll enjoy. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YUugB4IUl4">Check out our 4-part video.</a></span>

From Gmail with <3

Posted by David Murray, Associate Product Manager Gmail sign-ups are now open worldwide! No more waiting for someone to invite you—just crea...

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Strawberries are red, stems are green...

<span class="byline-author">Posted by Dennis Hwang, Google Doodler</span><br /><br />You may have noticed today's <a href="http://www.google.com/intl/en/holidaylogos.html">Google Doodle</a> on our <a href="http://www.google.com/">homepage</a> in celebration of romance and good food (something we consider extremely important).<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKB6VSEE66HNke_8OTx7FicT8jFOBunqfGFEk4JCIvW619VIUCafP0mnKSwmCAI4FynX8vg6ocwCDYlVHbL1-Q85g39aExMrnwV5oqY7e1dd9ipv7FplVlk1aRUOtabPxFoQ2za-R6eZEX/s1600-h/V+Day+image.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5031447915006321154" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKB6VSEE66HNke_8OTx7FicT8jFOBunqfGFEk4JCIvW619VIUCafP0mnKSwmCAI4FynX8vg6ocwCDYlVHbL1-Q85g39aExMrnwV5oqY7e1dd9ipv7FplVlk1aRUOtabPxFoQ2za-R6eZEX/s320/V+Day+image.jpg" style="cursor: pointer;" /></a><br />When you look at the logo, you may worry that we forgot our name overnight, skipped a letter, or have decided that "Googe" has a better ring to it. None of the above. I just know that those with true romance and poetry in their soul will see the subtlety immediately. And if you're feeling grouchy today, may I suggest eating a strawberry.<br /><br />A very happy Valentine's Day to everyone!

Strawberries are red, stems are green...

Posted by Dennis Hwang, Google Doodler You may have noticed today's Google Doodle on our homepage in celebration of romance and good ...

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About the Copiepresse decision

<span class="byline-author">Posted by Rachel Whetstone, European Director of Communications and Public Affairs</span><br /><br />Today we heard that the Belgian court, which last year ruled against us in the Copiepresse case has reaffirmed its original decision. This judgment is clearly disappointing, and we intend to appeal it because we believe that Google.be and Google News are entirely legal and provide great value and critical information to Internet users. However, we are very pleased that the judge agreed Google should be given notice of articles and other material that content owners want removed. As we have in the past, we will honor all requests to remove such materials.<br /><br />It is important to remember that both Google Web Search and Google News only ever show a few snippets of text. If people want to read the entire story they have to click through to the web publisher's site where the information resides.<br /><br />Here's a quick summary of the case: Copiepresse represents a number of newspapers in Belgium. It sued Google last August claiming that our search engine and news site breached these publications' copyright. <a href="http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2006/09/about-google-news-case-in-belgium.html">In September</a>, the court ruled in favor of Copiepresse, ordering us to remove these publishers' content from both Google.be and Google News. We complied with that order and also posted the ruling to both home pages.<br /><br />Today's ruling does not affect the current content of Google News because the websites represented by Copiepresse have already been removed from Google News. In fact, hundreds of news publishers in Belgium and around the world are delighted to be included in Google News because it helps more people find their websites and read their articles. That's why Google receives far more requests for inclusion than requests for removal.<br /><br />We believe search engines are of real benefit to publishers because they drive valuable traffic to their websites. If publishers do not want their websites to appear in search results, <a href="http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2007/01/controlling-how-search-engines-access.html">technical standards like robots.txt and metatags</a> enable them automatically to prevent the indexation of their content. These Internet standards are nearly universally accepted and are honored by all reputable search engines. In addition, Google has a clear policy of respecting the wishes of content owners. If a newspaper does not want to be part of Google News, we remove their content from our index—all the newspaper has to do is ask. There is no need for legal action and all the associated costs.

About the Copiepresse decision

Posted by Rachel Whetstone, European Director of Communications and Public Affairs Today we heard that the Belgian court, which last year ru...

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Happy V-Day...Fido?

<span class="byline-author">Posted by Tom Oliveri, Group Product Marketing Manager, Checkout Team</span><br /><br />One of the things I love most about Google is that I get to learn little bits about human nature all the time. This Valentine's Day, the Checkout team wanted to better understand the habits of V-Day shoppers, so we worked with Harris Interactive to conduct a survey with a variety of folks. We found out all sorts of interesting things about the nature of the holiday, what people like to shop for, and who people shop for -- for instance, this year, the family dog is more likely to get a little something for V-Day than Dad is. <br /><br />There's plenty more where that came from, and the findings might interest you. <a href="http://googlecheckout.blogspot.com/2007/02/for-those-special-someones.html">Read more on the Checkout blog</a>.

Happy V-Day...Fido?

Posted by Tom Oliveri, Group Product Marketing Manager, Checkout Team One of the things I love most about Google is that I get to learn litt...

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