Empowering users to map their worlds

<span id="pj__" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">In countries like India, great maps and comprehensive local data are hard to come by. And traditional mapping approaches are stretched to the limit in such environments, where infrastructure and local businesses are evolving at a furious pace.<br /><br />This need inspired us in Google India to design and build <a href="http://mapmaker.google.com/" id="pj__6" target="_blank">Google Map Maker</a>, which enables users everywhere over to create rich, deep maps and fresh local data. People can mark their favorite spots in their cities and hometowns, add features such as roads, parks, and buildings, tag small businesses to help users find them, and collaborate to map neighborhoods of interest. This product is motivated by the spirit of information democracy, where people can create information that are moderated and consumed by their peers.<br /><br />Today, we are bringing home this innovation by launching Google Map Maker in India, which has already been deployed in <a title="57 other countries" target="_blank" href="http://www.google.com/mapmaker/mapfiles/s/launched.html" id="s548">57 other countries</a>.<br /><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/DjoXsot4Xao&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/DjoXsot4Xao&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /></span><span id="uszo1" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">We hope Google Map Maker will result in rich local data which will benefit Google users both on the web and on mobile. The creation of base maps where there were previously none will encourage many mashups, mapplets and other cool applications that make use of this data. We're also excited to see Google Map Maker create a new breed of local map experts who bring their passion for their neighborhoods and communities into the online world, adding <span id="dtpw" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">to</span> local commerce, tourism and investment.<br /><br />I will leave you with a map of IIT Bombay, the alma mater to many of us in Google India. When I spent a few hours mapping IIT Bombay -- the place I lived in, the school I went to, and the streets I played on, it turned out to be a surprisingly satisfying experience that reconnected me to a place that is home to many of my memories. We hope you will find the Google Map Maker experience as fun and fulfilling as we do.</span><span id="pj__" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPF-igSAvUcbxEj2oqKWKMUsVAMzixWozjj3Aj4VafTPd1fBEs1D8cjqfH_D_JwNfKHE6zaonV-w6GEULSzdijn6y4APYqDl6Nuc2C8xZPm4Fe-8E20tdWE6tmy1IDPR7G0SYNmAUDYLys/s1600-h/IIT.gif"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5239577004463933522" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPF-igSAvUcbxEj2oqKWKMUsVAMzixWozjj3Aj4VafTPd1fBEs1D8cjqfH_D_JwNfKHE6zaonV-w6GEULSzdijn6y4APYqDl6Nuc2C8xZPm4Fe-8E20tdWE6tmy1IDPR7G0SYNmAUDYLys/s320/IIT.gif" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" /></a><span id="pj__" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br /><span class="byline-author">Posted by Lalitesh Katragadda, Software Engineer and creator, Google Map Maker</span></span>

Empowering users to map their worlds

In countries like India, great maps and comprehensive local data are hard to come by. And traditional mapping approaches are stretched to th...

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Non-profit gives itself a Google makeover

Back in May, <a href="http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2008/03/google-for-non-profits.html">we introduced</a> a site called <a href="http://www.google.com/nonprofits/" id="eqgq">Google for Non-Profits</a>, to showcase the tools organizations can use to raise funds and collaborate easily and efficiently. These tools, we hoped, would enable non-profits to focus less on creaky email systems or lost documents -- and more on their missions.<br /><br />For at least one non-profit, this was old news. Months before we unveiled our non-profit site, Marianne Clauw, who chairs <a href="http://www.casawashtenaw.org/" id="wfim">CASA Washtenaw</a>, an organization pairing volunteers with children in the local court system -- learned about Google products through an employee in our Ann Arbor office. With a website that she now compares to a "dusty storefront" and data sitting in a "scarily unsecure, un-backed up" state, she remembers, "I could see right away that we needed to switch to Google services."<br /><br />Clauw and her colleague Ferlie Yruma used Google Page Creator (now <a title="Sites" href="https://www.google.com/accounts/ServiceLogin?service=jotspot&passive=true&continue=http%3A%2F%2Fsites.google.com%2Fsite%2Fsites%2F" id="mhia">Google Sites</a>) to develop a shiny new website, complete with a <a title="YouTube" href="http://www.google.com/nonprofits/youtubetutorial.html" id="rz8q">YouTube</a> video, a Google <a title="Calendar" href="http://www.google.com/nonprofits/calendartutorial.html" id="zfvi">Calendar</a> that reflects real-time updates, and a <a title="Checkout" href="http://www.google.com/nonprofits/checkouttutorial.html" id="jo43">Checkout</a> button allowing users to donate with a few clicks of a mouse. They applied and earned a <a title="Google Grant" href="http://www.google.com/nonprofits/grantstutorial.html" id="te.n">Google Grant</a> to run free <a title="AdWords" href="http://adwords.google.com/" id="x92l">AdWords</a> advertising. As volunteer applications and donations trickled in, they began using <a title="Gmail" href="http://www.google.com/nonprofits/gmailtutorial.html" id="exmp">Gmail</a> and <a title="Docs" href="http://www.google.com/nonprofits/docstutorial.html" id="ct6y">Docs</a> to streamline the way they worked internally.<br /><br />Here's what they have to say about the experience:<br /><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/C2BWwrFHhos&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/C2BWwrFHhos&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />"Non-profits are not competitive by nature,” observes Clauw. “But we live in a competitive landscape: for donors, for volunteers, for grants. What we've done with Google is a major step in being competitive.”<br /><br />When CASA Washtenaw competes at a high level, Washtenaw County kids win. And for this non-profit, that's the biggest prize of all.<br /><br /><br /><font class="byline-author">Posted by Eileen Duffy, AdWords Associate</font>

Non-profit gives itself a Google makeover

Back in May, we introduced a site called Google for Non-Profits , to showcase the tools organizations can use to raise funds and collabora...

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Strengthening the study of computer science

At a time when more and more digital technologies are becoming indispensable to millions of people, the field of computer science (CS) is in trouble. Enrollment and retention of CS students, particularly those historically underrepresented in the field (women, African-Americans, Native-Americans, and Hispanics) has declined sharply. According to the <a href="http://www.cra.org/CRN/articles/march08/jvegso_enrollments.html">Computing Research Association</a>, CS enrollment in the U.S. was at its peak in 2000, with 15,958 undergrads. By 2006, enrollment declined by roughly half: 7,798 undergrads. And enrollment among already-underrepresented groups has dropped even more sharply.<br /><br />We hope to address this problem (and potential shortage) with a variety of programs beyond our <a href="http://www.google.com/jobs/scholarships">scholarship initiatives</a>. Recently, our educational outreach group, University Programs, and Diversity and Talent Inclusion teams joined forces to create the Computer Science Summer Institute (CSSI). This special institute included an interactive and collaborative CS curriculum, as well as a living-learning residential experience for student networking. We chose 17 college sophomores, all aspiring computer scientists, to attend the all-expenses-paid CSSI in Mountain View from August 3–15.<br /><br />Our goals for the institute:<br /><ul><li>To enrich the skills of students early in their CS studies (or at risk of leaving the major) in an effort to increase the pipeline into the CS major and boost retention</li><li>To provide a social and professional network for underrepresented (women, Hispanic, African-American, and/or Native-American) technology students </li><li>To empower students, giving them the tools, motivation and confidence to continue with CS studies</li><li>To show students daily life at Google and the amazing applications of CS that occur here</li></ul>The CSSI faculty was comprised of Google engineers and our educational outreach group. We paired students with Google "buddies" - engineers with whom they can develop a long-term advising relationship. Students heard from professionals from across the technology industry and academia about the many things they can do with a CS degree.<br /><br />Students worked in teams to build a completely interactive <a id="o77z35" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_2.0">Web 2.0</a> website, keeping in mind both practical programming skills and the theory behind it.<br /><br />We plan to keep in touch with these students across their college careers, and to encourage future participants to complete their CS work and join the community of computer scientists.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKhnoHg2FaoZepc46IaawcwvY1nTYq8KescMIZH779dP_E_v9z_q4lbBYee_IcI8Vqji6g8rmrlt-kuJOD187p8Su2w4McVL7dELQbseRU8lzK44J6pQzREMvz6xYyYhdOVACz2-VJvSso/s1600-h/CSSI_students.GIF"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5239270400723708802" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKhnoHg2FaoZepc46IaawcwvY1nTYq8KescMIZH779dP_E_v9z_q4lbBYee_IcI8Vqji6g8rmrlt-kuJOD187p8Su2w4McVL7dELQbseRU8lzK44J6pQzREMvz6xYyYhdOVACz2-VJvSso/s320/CSSI_students.GIF" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" /></a><br /><span class="byline-author">Posted by Rebecca Selvenis, University Programs Specialist</span>

Strengthening the study of computer science

At a time when more and more digital technologies are becoming indispensable to millions of people, the field of computer science (CS) is in...

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Making money on YouTube with Content ID

Late last year, we introduced our newest tool for YouTube's content identification and management system, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/t/video_id_about">Video ID</a>. While we have long provided copyright owners with <a href="http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2007/10/latest-content-id-tool-for-youtube.html">similar content policies and tools</a>, Video ID was revolutionary because it provided real choice and control to content owners by combining a sophisticated policy engine with cutting-edge video matching technology. With the other tools in our content ID system, Video ID helps content owners decide exactly what they want done with their videos, whether to block, promote, or even—if a copyright holder chooses to license their content to appear on the site—monetize them.<br /><br />We've been curious to see what copyright holders would choose. Would the vast majority of partners block user-uploaded videos? Or would they embrace Video ID as an opportunity to generate revenue and exposure for their content online?<br /><br />As it turns out, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/16/technology/16tube.html">our partners are choosing the latter</a>, monetizing 90% of all claims created through Video ID. This has led directly to a similarly significant increase in monetizable partner inventory, as our Video ID partners are seeing claimed content more than double their number of views, against which we can run ads. This means that if a partner has, say, 10,000 views of its content, leaving up videos claimed by our system will lead to an average additional 10,000 views of that same content. We call this "partner uplift," and for some partners we've seen uplift as high as 9000%.<br /><br />Access to our copyright management tools is open to all rights owners, regardless of whether they choose to license their content to YouTube. But it's clear to our 300+ Video ID partners that our technology has created a framework that allows copyright holders to sanction the creativity of their biggest fans. These partners now have a new way to successfully distribute and market their content online, and with the help of our users, they are finding Video ID critical to discovering such opportunities.<br /><br />You can learn more about our content identification and management system on its <a href="http://youtube.com/t/contentid">new home page</a>.<br /><br /><font class="byline-author">Posted by David King, YouTube Product Manager</font>

Making money on YouTube with Content ID

Late last year, we introduced our newest tool for YouTube's content identification and management system, Video ID . While we have long ...

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Search experiments, large and small

In my <a href="http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2008/08/search-quality-continued.html" id="ydhu" title="previous blog post">previous post</a>, I described the components of your web search experience and the principles behind creating a great search experience. There are complex algorithms underlying simple features such as spelling correction and the two line snippets that describe each search result. We figure out what works by running experiments - tiny tests for a small number of users which help us determine whether that feature helps or hurts. <br /><br /><br /><br />Experimentation is a very powerful tool, and we use it very widely to test potential changes to search. At any given time, we run anywhere from 50 to 200 experiments on Google sites all over the world. I'll start by describing experimental changes so small that you can barely tell the difference after staring at the page, and end with a couple of much more visually obvious experiments that we have run. There are a lot of people dedicated to detecting everything Google changes - and occasionally, things imagined that we did not do! - and they do latch on to a lot of our more prominent experiments. But the experiments with smaller changes are almost never noticed. <br /><br /><br /><br />For example, can you tell the difference between the two pages below?<br /><br /><br /><br />Choice 1:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbp7OBMFq4enVdvdPVzB6Iq9ZDXUCpTBqQR7Ro5XgKq3TKmfmqcc5lmSjIyOXVkaXNnhWXHeFoWYxnAItfkT5tJLr6KKuGOsBYZLCwMW16fnvAS8IGrt-SsLza7aHXAStY7pe3dPyXyKV0/s1600-h/Gomes_1.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1lXC3kfdZVjGDcsjWj2Eb9UeG1vY-yOJJaq8zT5qdIS22JR1EQGTe3lQtuM42orduR7Q_UOYzpln7zDm6aC8uomJ89Q_ubJjDQQIxkqe9eEXHSU0WWfl7bs-O8VzyvoNEWFIT3FmHEOZo/s320-r/Gomes_1.gif" /></a></div><br /><br />Choice 2:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtM_EEhk2JQmdQBDQ6aM8q-8I1uA0L32gca7q4XZyAdQ-GHS7cYie3LFTMRmhzbFhPwzBqe0MEo7KxDHubpjOf0gETHK4F50sOJwth5UE-LJYzmfhLyuZH-rsdbkECpiJiE8g-IbnxyKhh/s1600-h/Gomes_2.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYCVLfgwgZ8yCkcLInmwmW0aZud2Yy3ieBdWtCCT-s9fsZ15DOMvtCotoYWb5niBD2Ba22HqHrcQ4i9GXRSVPKssOXP9mrDrEkz5b3NbLc_Rsrf_UT12QaaOjU5gIYGyhfOG8DD7Nc9JhM/s320-r/Gomes_2.gif" /></a></div><br /><br />I'm pretty sure I would not be able to tell the difference if I were to see each of them on their own. But apparently you can! At least in the aggregate, there is a measurable difference with a change like this. In case you can't tell after staring, the white space around the first search result has changed, which makes the first result in Picture 2 slightly more visually prominent. This visual prominence conveys the fact that according to our ranking signals, the first result is a substantially better match than the next result. On the plus side, it helps you focus on the first result. But if you were looking for one of the other results, it can disrupt your scanning of the page. An experiment helps us determine which effect is more prominent, and whether a change would help you search faster. <br /><br /><br /><br />Another change, almost as minimal visually, is between these two results:<br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div id="bk7m"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN7H1NSOpGTVoiixOeYMIA1z4DP9C9ygEqgCkolBFNk5CGm7QbHZjDBzE8K8jqgJsnreSM-JPKcdhOTb_QFOcsT39tnsq6w_anlT-axXPHhYL7qTuDr59g3g945xwMizeQpSDSInC75YUy/s1600-h/Gomes_3.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ56W398v5CJlmllGTivY4LXx3fcHBahvk5IHpskqzyDiAAHZ2GjzR5Ipdx_xmUeeJa7vU7WLUvFfxQy_QMXzsLFsvpZapQXDoxfxzmVCOjOurEpGGysiCuYOs-9HxQpFv8q9bSeApjCTM/s320-r/Gomes_3.gif" /></a></div><div id="bk7m"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhablNJ1mQb34wRLm66CpsaWh38Z2KQJHxrVk_ko-cAHObPB6rAPVQ_OLCwa25VYqaS4VY7rhPdv4nEXhqEs-qu9pXR5zVYrrBOYOF94K44002ldRtMv4BOB0Y8l9yz6lhyphenhyphenGu5ZHbKnJ1DN/s1600-h/Gomes_4.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOEByVS8JlLtlvj4gPIHRD_O8KdSqJmGhsxBEVg91Avo9shUocx1py0mc2uF92cx3IdFNaCRQqyVXCMQ76BHgi5Ym4xG38IJUZZWGjKjtCzo4-4s5ejNynHAljbBeupaCE30lrJTIpcZlC/s320-r/Gomes_4.gif" /></a></div><div id="bk7m"> </div><div id="bk7m">In this case, the difference in user interaction is so clear and marked we could tell extremely quickly which one worked better: the difference is in the thickness of the plus box next to the stock quote. Now, coming to the conclusion that one is "better" is tricky, and there's many a possible slip on the way there. Does more interaction with the plus box mean that it is better? How about if users then miss good results because they are distracted by the more prominent plus box? Keep watching Google to see which version won! If we've done our job right, almost without your noticing, things will work just that little bit better for you. The world will seem rosier. Birds will sing. Or maybe not - but at least you will have the best-designed plus box we can come up with :)<br /><br /><br /><br />Okay, so not all of our experiments are insane eye tests. My main point in highlighting the above experiments is that we test almost everything, even things that you would think are so small that we could not possibly care (nor could they possibly matter). In fact, small changes do matter, and we do care. <br /><br /><br /><br />Another class of experiments have to do with changes that are not purely visual, but rather involve changes to the underlying presentation algorithms. For instance, the algorithm that is responsible for the titles and snippets of result pages now highlights stems and some synonyms of the original query term. For the query [<a href="http://www.google.com/search?source=ig&hl=en&rlz=&=&q=hp+printer+drivers&btnG=Google+Search" id="h1cc" title="hp printer drivers">hp printer drivers</a>] we will also return results that include and highlight the word "driver".</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-3PkmzfAAhutzHnK2VCXehUdiqD6fFLexvVPPZCd9va0LtHorddr_V0rwAICyHBtZjIKUByByGTU7VVuzIWfhJCXyw1DTNzPArkiOpLq4V8qYL5DosUR7hOluGPPWTyGXgkJbl6iENMRm/s1600-h/Gomes_5.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifPaLdl-p2jTmuwoAzv6LgIeALP8g6rk-aKlR0DV9ZrGxkBf7MyIrmWkhoFncWLrQcRR2UCoD8-FMx3erK98rz77A1Xo6AFVrxb3ZyYgxLvLad1fkIT2VKwiyIw-TvILFnCRgCbpkiRxlq/s320-r/Gomes_5.gif" /></a></div><div id="z2ml" style="padding: 1em 0pt; text-align: left;">This sort of "stemming," as it's called, is generally a good idea, because it helps you better identify results that match your query, but not always. Experiments of this sort help us verify (or, occasionally, overturn) our assumptions regarding changes in these algorithms. <br /><br /><br /><br />There is a further class of experiments - the kind that are hard to miss - which introduces fairly prominent features. Even with these larger features, the goal of experimentation always remains the same: are we adding something that really helps people, or is this just another distraction? Google does not really come with a user manual (actually, there are some nicely-written help pages, but we're pretty sure most of you don't bother to read them!). So features need to stand on their own feet, without the help of a careful explanation. Part of the goal of an experiment is to understand just how a feature will be used, which might be quite different from what we initially intended. <br /><br /><br /><br />Here's an example of an experiment that lets you comment on search results and move them around on the result page:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj70-9FyRBx96tLE34dyYi0VyTjGoFu4lf_P8t4cTN4t_G8SMccJW1C_x2gq35PTUdcqYdNlHTxJZDbO1DQJFqyUOTBhPBMaZPhJqA_z_RY-mfPjtFOBJnKv-Uv0sO7vFJefA4NMzoH9TAT/s1600-h/Gomes_6.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3dQRlXLRHYHryA0hPHvzscbel3QeG0SxAohn9XlU4NKxiVoP2T7HCI_O9bxEsaru0q2g3XkhNIRwdltFMHIrphtssu2UoDh993-Lq-NVaLKscOz25iIWGCQQuIl-GNhJF-dc0UR9HzjrT/s320-r/Gomes_6.gif" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /><br />At this point, I can't say what we expect from this feature; we're just curious to see how it will be used.<br /><br /><br /><br />These are a small sample of the kinds of experiments we run as we test everything from the barely visible to the glaringly obvious. So the next time you use Google and it seems a little different - well, maybe it is. Just for you!<br /><br /><br /><br />Posted by Ben Gomes, Distinguished Engineer

Search experiments, large and small

In my previous post , I described the components of your web search experience and the principles behind creating a great search experience....

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At a loss for words?

Have you ever been stumped in finding the right words to search for? Back when I was planning my wedding, I had a list of wedding songs in mind, but the problem was that I couldn't remember any of the artist names or song titles. So I started typing into the Google search box parts of the lyrics that I did remember -- and like magic, I saw suggestions with the artist name and song titles that I wanted! (I was opted-in to the <i>keyword suggestions</i> Google Labs experiment at the time). At that moment, I was so proud to be working on <a href="http://labs.google.com/suggestfaq.html">Google Suggest</a>, a search feature that provides real-time suggestions while you search.<br /><br />Today we're excited because Google Suggest will be "graduating" from Labs and available by default on the Google.com homepage. Over the next week, we'll be rolling this out so that more and more of you will start seeing a list of query suggestions when you start typing into the search box.<br /><br />We find that by providing suggestions upfront, we can help people search more efficiently and conveniently. Below are some great ways Google Suggest can help simplify your searching.<br /><ul><li><b>Help formulate queries</b>: Instead of just typing [hotels in washington] - did you want [hotels in washington dc] or [hotels in washington state]? Don't remember that song title or person's name? Let Google help you search (and yes, I ended up choosing "From This Moment" as our wedding song).</li></ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibarN4sZPXY9I_YZa5F6XpFmmgV1Ab_QWNc-gk-CMau0svI4Y6bfog9-E4abDHUNNhrQ391dDcg8z84UCu08dGg6B90b7rrOo8aojmYWwqQwhhdv23vf7l5tsqtiWASdmCASDERCxhNJ2r/s1600-h/Suggest_1.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-jmew1ww-R9M71_TVoPWk35ogG-GTmCy_Wlcz9WrIGn7FQ1MZKfhmjh4dDavDgmXrDi_IoHiWbr9zGxOPVcqKVjgOR78h8P6cYQY9g_nOi2HhB9dXP6pyFXOiYPx6QxTxtPsh9h4b2bdY/s320-r/Suggest_1.gif" /></a></div><ul><li><b>Reduce spelling errors:</b> Since suggestions are spell-corrected using the same "Did you mean?" feature that offers alternative spellings for your query after you search, misspellings and typos can be corrected ahead of time. Instead of wasting your time with a misspelled query like [new y<b id="wxz0">ro</b>k times] or [tomo<b id="skcn">r</b>ow never dies], search the first time with the correctly-spelled query.</li></ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQzUKP-HlkZU0Kro7AGxRAjU8lUTJG2Xvx3746HPR3Ka7ib03SM2NMaW47WcHPzdR1jPFzvLo7V0jm67bmxyqIT5r_0t5dbmPr-vKtToG_Dn4kvkeVdZBA8MO8hG5WjL_8J5cB8O2nYcYT/s1600-h/Suggest_2.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVNJP6_qjlnWq7zMmBlhNk1kIyCFFEvF6w7sp4RLIoRTNSTnSgEzjsmjHDcVO8o9RW3W0RaqlW_wlNTBppr5hpBpTNyzU-goOnCbmoeJk6cQoP5gLT71n9ykKMWv6P8tapZ_sZIGIjMdEr/s320-r/Suggest_2.gif" /></a></div><ul><li><b>Saves keystrokes:</b> Who wants to spend their time typing [san francisco chronicle] when you can just type in "san f..." and choose the suggestion right away?</li></ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO9SHtsLIA86NvOb6QSs8AG8qFmaY2OE8Tztg45Fn_elx-U8kUe_7aQr9ym12UTbEN8hCYxgQm39gv7rPrlZhx1c367vHQUYPbrUga7_OPsKyZOZAU9hCKIziddbdFwazkn4y5I4Bw1Gy1/s1600-h/Suggest_3.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguFavVb7aRzf-NPPRZ8KDEQH3BUw5OqMpBo8WGSgehTqYP3PUnglXSPcCkxP8xhZ17VUn2V8CIT9JDqE6UyKxVAfJkvq-hc2t0gD_sXKhRtwY0tylybPVZCJQqAgkOggwVYt8_epK40s63/s320-r/Suggest_3.gif" /></a></div>The Google Suggest feature originally started as a 20% project in 2004, and has since expanded to Google Labs, Toolbar, Firefox search box, Maps and Web Search for select countries, the iPhone and BlackBerry, YouTube, and now Google.com. Special thanks to my teammates Miki Herscovici (Tech Lead) and the rest of the engineering team in Haifa for their hard work in making this happen.<br /><br />So what are you waiting for? Give it a try. Start typing in a query on Google.com to see Google Suggest in action!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Update:</span> Corrected team mention.<br /><br />Posted by Jennifer Liu, Product Manager

At a loss for words?

Have you ever been stumped in finding the right words to search for? Back when I was planning my wedding, I had a list of wedding songs in m...

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Election season in high gear

As many of you know, the 2008 U.S. political conventions--two weeks of party business that begins for the Democrats in Denver today, and for the Republicans in Minneapolis next week--marks the beginning of the general election season. To help you stay informed and engaged in the upcoming election, we're launching a one-stop shop for political information: <b id="g.ta"><a title="www.google.com/2008election" href="http://www.google.com/2008election" id="ayrk">www.google.com/2008election</a></b>.<br /><br />Can't make it to Denver or Minneapolis? Go to our <a id="vguz" href="http://www.google.com/2008election/convention.html" title="conventions site">conventions site</a> to view the latest news, videos, photos and blog posts. See what the candidates are saying about the issues that concern you by using <a id="zb-f" href="http://www.google.com/ig/directory?url=www.google.com/ig/modules/elections_video_search.xml" title="Elections Video Search">Elections Video Search</a>, which lets you search across all of the candidate speeches and videos by word. If you want to see what the Obama or McCain campaigns and other political journalists are reading, check out <a id="z1q_" href="http://www.google.com/googlereader/powerreaders/index.html" title="Power Readers in Politics">Power Readers in Politics</a> and subscribe to get daily snippets. You can also interact with a wide variety of political mash-ups in the <a id="d595" href="http://maps.google.com/elections" title="Google Maps Elections Gallery">Google Maps Elections Gallery</a>. If you're a teacher, inform your students about the political process with our <a title="Election Toolkit for Teachers" href="http://www.google.com/educators/elections_tools.html" id="m48y">Election Toolkit for Teachers</a>. If you happen to be running for office yourself, or are blogging about various campaigns, go to our <a id="a9jw" href="http://www.google.com/campaigntools" title="Campaign Toolkit">Campaign Toolkit</a> to find out how you can use online tools to raise money, follow the campaign trail or spread your influence.<br /><br />And as election day grows closer, we're working on ways for you to find local voter registration sites or polling places on demand -- stay tuned for more details on that.<br /><br />We're excited to be a part of this exciting election season, where technology is playing a groundbreaking role in connecting candidates and voters.<br /><br />Posted by Rick Klau and Brittany Bohnet, Google Elections Team

Election season in high gear

As many of you know, the 2008 U.S. political conventions--two weeks of party business that begins for the Democrats in Denver today, and for...

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