Keeping up with Google Apps

<span class="byline-author">Posted by Jeremy Milo, Marketing Manager</span><br /><br />During 2007, we introduced 40 significant improvements to <a href="http://www.google.com/a/help/intl/en/business/applications.html" id="a4g:" title="Google Apps">Google Apps</a>, which is our suite of communication, collaboration, and security apps for businesses, schools, and organizations. Feedback from many of you, and even our own employees, inspired these changes. And there are many more in store -- the count this year is already up to 11.<br /><br />Since we introduced Google Apps a little more than a year ago, many of these features have been of particular benefit to businesses, like tools to migrate mail from an old email system to Google Apps; integration of Postini's security and compliance services; support for IMAP in Gmail; syncing tools for Google Calendar; support for dozens of new languages; new mobile access options; and just weeks ago, Google Sites.<br /><br />We're able to release these sorts of things quickly because all of our apps live "in the cloud." That means updates are continuous: you get improvements without having to wait for new versions, as you do with traditional software. Of course, it may also mean that IT administrators get a little dizzy from the pace of these changes.<br /><br />The latest improvement will help technology departments and those of you who already use Google Apps keep up with every change, no matter how often they appear: Now we're documenting all updates in an <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/GoogleAppsUpdates" id="ze6y" title="RSS feed">RSS feed</a>, so you can get notified as they happen.<br /><br />To subscribe to new updates and see details about past improvements, click this "Add to Google" button:<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://fusion.google.com/add?source=atgs&feedurl=http://feeds.feedburner.com/GoogleAppsUpdates"><img alt="Add to Google" border="0" src="http://buttons.googlesyndication.com/fusion/add.gif" /></a><br /></div><br />If there's something you'd like to see in Google Apps, <a href="http://google.com/support/a/bin/request.py?contact_type=suggest">let us know</a>. Feedback like yours shapes its future development.

Keeping up with Google Apps

Posted by Jeremy Milo, Marketing Manager During 2007, we introduced 40 significant improvements to Google Apps , which is our suite of commu...

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Space Jam

<span class="byline-author">Posted by Lior Ron, Product Manager</span><br /><br /><a title="Code Jam" href="http://www.google.com/codejam/" id="tfny">Code Jam</a> is one of our most famous traditions. Programmers compete to hack and solve complex programming challenges in a very short time, and the winners are awarded fame, cash prizes and the opportunity to intern at Google.<br /><br />Diego Gavinowich from Buenos Aires was a finalist in our Latin America Code Jam, and joined us for a winter internship three months ago (missing summer break in Argentina!). Since he loves astronomy and web hacking, we gave Diego a new Code Jam challenge: code a web version of <a title="Google Sky" href="http://earth.google.com/sky/skyedu.html" id="iw.m">Google Sky</a> by the end of his time with us.<br /><br />Well, he did it... with the help of other engineers jamming along on their 20% time. We're very pleased to tell you that Google Sky is now available on the web at <a title="sky.google.com" href="http://sky.google.com/" id="fwfb">sky.google.com</a>. You can <a title="now search for planets" href="http://www.google.com/sky/#latitude=27.4491&longitude=-108.082107&zoom=8&Spitzer=0.00&ChandraXO=0.00&Galex=0.00&IRAS=0.00&WMAP=0.00&Cassini=0.00&slide=2&mI=1&oI=0&by=1" id="n_4f">search for planets</a>, listen to <a title="Earth & Sky podcasts" href="http://www.google.com/sky/#latitude=-2.410787363563224&longitude=8.301544189453125&zoom=10&Spitzer=0.00&ChandraXO=0.00&Galex=0.00&IRAS=0.00&WMAP=0.00&Cassini=0.00&slide=6&mI=1&oI=7&by=1" id="dj5j">Earth & Sky podcasts</a>, watch some beautiful <a title="Hubble telescope images" href="http://www.google.com/sky/#latitude=22.01276918882111&longitude=-96.36571884155273&zoom=13&Spitzer=0.00&ChandraXO=0.00&Galex=0.00&IRAS=0.00&WMAP=0.00&Cassini=0.00&slide=16&mI=1&oI=2&by=1" id="yxpw">Hubble telescope images</a>, or <a title="explore historical maps of the sky" href="http://www.google.com/sky/#latitude=-3.337953961416472&longitude=-54.140625&zoom=4&Spitzer=0.00&ChandraXO=0.00&Galex=0.00&IRAS=0.00&WMAP=0.00&Cassini=68.00&slide=1&mI=1&oI=2&by=1" id="mjun">explore historical maps of the sky</a> from the comfort of your browser.<br /><br />Sky in Google Earth, which <a href="http://google-latlong.blogspot.com/2007/08/sky-final-frontier.html">launched last August</a>, was originally available to our 350 million Google Earth users. This release brings the universe to every browser and makes Sky accessible to just about anyone with an Internet connection — from school children to professional astronomers — in 26 different languages.<br /><br />To learn more about Google Sky web edition, watch this short video, and read the full story on the <a href="http://google-latlong.blogspot.com/2008/03/organizing-more-than-one-worlds.html">Google Lat Long blog</a>.<br /><br />We'll miss you, Diego!<br /><br /><object height="355" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/gX9MeF2Au9c&hl=en"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/gX9MeF2Au9c&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="355" width="425"></embed></object>

Space Jam

Posted by Lior Ron, Product Manager Code Jam is one of our most famous traditions. Programmers compete to hack and solve complex programmin...

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Using log data to help keep you safe

<span class="byline-author">Posted by Niels Provos, Google Security Team</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">We recently began two new series of posts. The first, which explains how we harness data for our users, started with <a title="this post" href="http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2008/03/why-data-matters.html" id="wkxh">this post</a>. The second, focusing on how we secure information and how users can protect themselves online, </span><a style="font-style: italic;" title="began here" href="http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2008/03/how-google-keeps-your-information.html" id="b3rt">began here</a>. <span style="font-style: italic;">This post is the second installment in both series.- Ed.</span><br /><br />We sometimes get questions on what Google does with server log data, which registers how users are interacting with our services. We take great care in protecting this data, and while we've talked previously about <a href="http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2008/03/why-data-matters.html" id="gjr1" title="some of the ways">some of the ways</a> it can be useful, something we haven't covered yet are the ways it can help us make Google products safer for our users.<br /><br />While the Internet on the whole is a safe place, and most of us will never fall victim to an attack, there are more than a few threats out there, and <a href="http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2008/03/how-google-keeps-your-information.html" id="syc9" title="we do everything we can">we do everything we can</a> to help you stay a step ahead of them. <span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Any information we can gather on how attacks are launched and propagated helps us do so. </span><br /><br />That's where server log data comes in. We analyze logs for anomalies or other clues that might suggest malware or phishing attacks in our search results, attacks on our products and services, and other threats to our users. And because we have a reasonably significant data sample, with logs stretching back several months, we're able to perform aggregate, long-term analyses that can uncover new security threats, provide greater understanding of how previous threats impacted our users, and help us ensure that our threat detection and prevention measures are properly tuned.<br /><br />We can't share too much detail (we need to be careful not to provide too many clues on what we look for), but we can use historical examples to give you a better idea of how this kind of data can be useful. One good example is the <a href="http://www.citi.umich.edu/u/provos/papers/search_worms.pdf" id="ujjv" title="Santy search worm [PDF]">Santy search worm</a> (PDF), which first appeared in late 2004. Santy used combinations of search terms on Google to identify and then infect vulnerable web servers. Once a web server was infected, it became part of a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Botnet" id="or.e" title="botnet">botnet</a> and started searching Google for more vulnerable servers. Spreading in this way, Santy quickly infected thousands and thousands of web servers across the Internet.<br /><br />As soon as Google recognized the attack, we began developing a series of tools to automatically generate "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regular_expression">regular expressions</a>" that could identify potential Santy queries and then block them from accessing Google.com or flag them for further attention. But because regular expressions like these can sometimes snag legitimate user queries too, we designed the tools so they'd test new expressions in our server log databases first, in order to determine how each one would affect actual user queries. If it turned out that a regular expression affected too many legitimate user queries, the tools would automatically adjust the expression, analyze its performance against the log data again, and then repeat the process as many times as necessary.<br /><br />In this instance, having access to a good sample of log data meant we were able to refine one of our automated security processes, and the result was a more effective resolution of the problem. In other instances, the data has proven useful in minimizing certain security threats, or in preventing others completely. In the end, what this means is that whenever you use Google search, or Google Apps, or any of our other services, your interactions with those products helps us learn more about security threats that could impact your online experience. And the better the data we have, the more effectively we can protect all our users.

Using log data to help keep you safe

Posted by Niels Provos, Google Security Team We recently began two new series of posts. The first, which explains how we harness data for ou...

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Book info where you need it, when you need it

<span class="byline-author">Posted by Frances Haugen, Associate Product Manager and Matthew Gray, Software Engineer, Book Search</span><br /><br />Here at <a href="http://books.google.com/" target="_blank">Google Book Search</a> we love books. To share this love of books (and the tremendous amount of information we've accumulated about them), today we've released a new <a href="http://code.google.com/more/" target="_blank">API</a> that lets you link easily to any of our books. Web developers can use the <a href="http://code.google.com/apis/books" target="_blank">Books Viewability API</a> to quickly find out a book's <a href="http://books.google.com/intl/en/googlebooks/screenshots.html" target="_blank">viewability</a> on Google Book Search and, in an automated fashion, embed a link to that book in Google Book Search on their own sites.<br /><br />As an example of the API in use, check out the <a href="http://catalog.dpls.lib.or.us/record=b1022758" id="rx3l">Deschutes Public Library</a> in Oregon, which has added a link to "Preview this book at Google" next to the listings in their library catalog. This enables Deschutes readers to preview a book immediately via Google Book Search so that they can then make a better decision about whether they'd like to buy the book, borrow it from a library or whether this book wasn't really the book they were looking for.<br /><br />We think this API will be useful to all sites that connect readers with information about books, from <a href="http://nov9.scriblio.net/search/history?subj=20th+century&open_sesame=1" target="_blank">library catalogs</a> to <a href="http://catalog.dpls.lib.or.us/record=b1022758" target="_blank">public libraries</a> to <a href="http://catalog.lib.utexas.edu:2082/search/X?SEARCH=Landscapes+and+Communities+on+the+Pacific+Rim&searchscope=28" id="w4ew">universities</a>. To see more implementations in action, <a href="http://booksearch.blogspot.com/2008/03/preview-books-anywhere-with-new-google.html" id="x1:g">read this post</a> on the Book Search blog.

Book info where you need it, when you need it

Posted by Frances Haugen, Associate Product Manager and Matthew Gray, Software Engineer, Book Search Here at Google Book Search we love boo...

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Our solutions for ad serving

<span class="byline-author">Posted by Rohit Dhawan, Senior Product Manager</span><br /><br />Earlier this week, we <a href="http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2008/03/weve-officially-acquired-doubleclick.html">completed</a> our acquisition of DoubleClick. Together, we're now focused on building a full suite of products and tools that help publishers of all sizes improve productivity, manage their inventory, generate additional revenue opportunities and save time so they can focus on what they do best -- creating great content and delivering an exceptional experience to their users.<br /><br />First, let us address the options that publishers have when it comes to selling and managing ad space on their websites. Some publishers use ad networks like <a href="https://www.google.com/adsense/login/en_US/?gsessionid=KDKfga-9mk0" title="Google AdSense" target="_blank">Google AdSense</a> to fill their ad space. Still others employ a direct sales force to manage and sell their ad inventory with solutions like the <a title="DoubleClick Revenue Center" href="http://www.doubleclick.com/solutions/publishers/index.aspx" target="_blank">DoubleClick Revenue Center</a>, and partner with third-party ad networks to fill in any unsold space. Regardless, it is a challenge for publishers to effectively manage their available inventory and ensure all of their clients' campaigns serve on time without a sophisticated ad management and ad serving solution.<br /><br />Today, we're announcing a new tool for publishers with the beta launch of <a href="http://www.google.com/admanager">Google Ad Manager</a>. Directed at addressing the ad management and serving needs of publishers with smaller sales teams, Google Ad Manager is a free, hosted ad and inventory management tool that can help publishers sell, schedule, deliver and measure their directly-sold and network-based ad inventory. It offers an intuitive and simple user experience with Google speed and a tagging process so publishers can spend more time working with their advertisers and less time on their ad management solution. And by providing detailed inventory forecasts and tracking at a very granular level, Ad Manager helps publishers maximize their inventory sell-through rates.<br /><br />Google Ad Manager effectively complements the DoubleClick Revenue Center, which is focused on publishers with larger sales teams. We're excited to add DART for Publishers to our suite of products, and we're committed to the continued development and enhancement of DoubleClick's offerings. Today's announcement demonstrates this promise, and at the same time furthers our goal of creating new opportunities for publishers of all sizes. Dozens of publishers have been using Google Ad Manager successfully in early trials. To hear what those publishers have to say check out some <a href="https://www.google.com/admanager/login/en_US/index.html#successstories" title="Ad Manager Success Stories" target="_blank">Ad Manager success stories</a> or take a product tour to learn more.<br /><br />As we are still in beta, Google Ad Manager is available to publishers by invitation only. If you're interested in learning more about it or would like to be considered for the program, visit the <a href="http://www.google.com/admanager">Google Ad Manager</a> site. Existing DoubleClick customers are not affected by this announcement. As we expand the Google Ad Manager beta program, we will be in touch again to include additional publishers and offer updates on our progress.

Our solutions for ad serving

Posted by Rohit Dhawan, Senior Product Manager Earlier this week, we completed our acquisition of DoubleClick. Together, we're now focu...

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The most wonderful time of the year

<span class="byline-author">Posted by Ben Lewis, Product Manager</span><br /><br />... for fans of college basketball, that is. We're only days away from <a title="March Madness" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NCAA_Men%27s_Division_I_Basketball_Championship" id="x6jp">March Madness</a>, and the question is: who's going dancing? Will a Cinderella team pull the upset or will we see a number one seed team as the champion again? These questions and more will be answered over the next few weeks as we watch one of the greatest tournaments in American sports unfold.<br /><br />I'd like to invite you to join the madness of this year's NCAA tournament. Some of our engineer-sports fans and I have developed the <a title="Basketball Bracket Battle gadget for iGoogle" href="http://www.google.com/webmasters/igoogle/basketball.html#utm_source=en-et-googleblog&utm_medium=et&utm_content=en&utm_campaign=googleblog" target="_blank">Basketball Bracket Battle gadget</a> for iGoogle to help you track your picks as the tournament progresses. Use it to compete against your friends and coworkers in a pool, or compete with other Bracket Battle gadget users. You'll be able to make your picks and track your progress without ever leaving your homepage.<br /><br />You can pick your bracket and invite friends to your pool starting on Selection Sunday (March 16th), but feel free to add the gadget to your page anytime starting today. And the madness officially begins on March 20th, so make sure you're all set by then. Come join us for the battle and <a href="http://www.google.com/webmasters/igoogle/basketball.html#utm_source=en-et-googleblog&utm_medium=et&utm_content=en&utm_campaign=googleblog">add</a> the Basketball Bracket Battle to your iGoogle.<br /><br />We'll see you at the dance!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.google.com/webmasters/igoogle/basketball.html#utm_source=en-et-googleblog&utm_medium=et&utm_content=en&utm_campaign=googleblog"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5176610975386820946" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOV6rjXm17yr2DOys2E3A1qPVvg8De3lYQ6QWNtv3RsQuYE67Br7xlDxS0cpnY6UZmpGCk42r7hnXrRlBzBZFU3bY93qWftit1ga6IZQzj86vhKeC6NEU7wEC2RYKQyQfuDX4_jPXODD2W/s320/March+Madness.gif" style="cursor: pointer;" /></a><br /></div>

The most wonderful time of the year

Posted by Ben Lewis, Product Manager ... for fans of college basketball, that is. We're only days away from March Madness , and the ques...

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ARIA For Google Reader: In praise of timely information access

<span class="byline-author">Posted by T.V. Raman, Research Scientist</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">From time to time, our own <a href="http://emacspeak.sourceforge.net/raman/">T.V. Raman</a> shares his tips on how to use Google from his perspective as a technologist who cannot see -- tips that sighted people, among others, may also find useful.<br /><br /></span>The advent of RSS and ATOM feeds, and the creation of tools like <a href="http://www.google.com/reader/axs" target="_blank">Google Reader </a> for efficiently consuming content feeds, has vastly increased the amount of information we access every day. From the perspective of someone who cannot see, content feeds are one of the major innovations of the century. They give me direct access to the actual content without first having to dig through a lot of boilerplate visual layout as happens with websites. In addition, all of this content is now available from a single page with a consistent interface.<br /><br />Until now, I've enjoyed the benefits of <a href="http://www.google.com/reader/axs" target="_blank">Google Reader</a> using a <a href="http://emacspeak.blogspot.com/2007/03/emacs-client-for-google-services.html" target="_blank">custom client</a>. Today, we're happy to tell you that the "mainstream" Google Reader now works with off-the-shelf screenreaders, as well as <a href="http://www.clcworld.net/" target="_blank">Fire Vox</a>, the self-voicing extension to Firefox. This brings the benefits of content feeds and feed readers to the vast majority of visually impaired users.<br /><br />Google Reader has always had complete keyboard support. With the accessibility enhancements we've added, all user actions now produce the relevant spoken feedback via the user's adaptive technology of choice. This feedback is generated using <i>Accessible Rich Internet Applications</i> (<a href="http://www.w3.org/TR/2008/WD-wai-aria-20080204/" target="_blank">WAI-ARIA</a>), an evolving standard for enhancing the accessibility of Web-2.0 applications. WAI-ARIA is supported at present by Firefox -- with future support forthcoming in other browsers. This is one of the primary advantages of building on open standards.<br /><br />We originally prototyped these features in Google Reader using the <a href="http://code.google.com/p/google-axsjax/">AxsJAX</a> framework. After extensive testing of these enhancements, we've now integrated these into the mainstream product. See the <a href="http://googlereader.blogspot.com/2008/03/reader-and-aria-new-way-to-read.html">related post</a> on the Google Reader Blog for additional technical details.<br /><br />Looking forward to a better informed future for all!

ARIA For Google Reader: In praise of timely information access

Posted by T.V. Raman, Research Scientist From time to time, our own T.V. Raman shares his tips on how to use Google from his perspective as...

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