Introducing SketchUp 7

We're very excited to announce the new release of <a href="http://sketchup.google.com/" id="p-w9" target="_blank" title="Google SketchUp 7">Google SketchUp 7</a>. If you don't already know about the fun you can have with SketchUp, here's a quick recap:<br /><br />SketchUp is software you can use to build 3D models of anything: your house, killer robots, furniture, trees, <a href="http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/cldetails?mid=d64f9fd934a566437fff1e42c246688a&ct=mdcc&prevstart=0" id="wb8c" target="_blank" title="abstract art">abstract art</a> — anything. Architects and engineers use it to design buildings and other structures. Woodworkers use it to plan their projects. And lots of people use it to figure out where to put their furniture. SketchUp is easy to learn, it comes in <a href="http://sketchup.google.com/product/gsu.html" id="un:7" target="_blank" title="free">free</a> and <a href="http://sketchup.google.com/product/gsup.html" id="y7yt" target="_blank" title="Pro">Pro</a> versions, and it's more fun than a houseful of clowns. Oh, and you can use it to <a href="http://www.google.com/intl/en/sketchup/3dwh/index.html" id="d0.i" target="_blank" title="build models for Google Earth">build models for Google Earth</a>, too.<br /><br />So what's new in SketchUp 7? There's too much to list here, but we focused on three major areas for this release:<br /><ul><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Making it even easier to get started –</span> We've created a new class of "smart" objects called <a href="http://sketchup.google.com/product/dcs.html" id="xqhe" target="_blank" title="Dynamic Components">Dynamic Components</a>, which are simpler to work with for new modelers. Take a look at this video to see what I mean:</li></ul><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/4aVW5X-tb8s&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/4aVW5X-tb8s&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed></object><br /><br /><ul><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Making it easier to share what you make and collaborate with other people –</span> We built a better link between SketchUp and the rest of the 3D world, made it possible to "sign" your models, and added Google Docs–style <a href="http://sketchupdate.blogspot.com/2008/09/this-model-is-your-model-this-model-is.html" id="py.e" target="_blank" title="collaboration and sharing">collaboration and sharing</a> to our <a href="http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse" id="pw.:" target="_blank" title="Google 3D Warehouse">3D Warehouse</a>.</li></ul><ul><li><span style="font-weight: bold;"> Adding powerful features for experienced SketchUp Pro users – </span>SketchUp is only half of the SketchUp Pro suite; the other half is all about sharing your work with your clients. <a href="http://sketchup.google.com/product/layout.html" id="o3mi" target="_blank" title="LayOut 2">LayOut 2</a> (which is now officially out of beta and rarin' to go) lets you create multi-page documents and presentations. Your models are linked to your LayOut file so that changing the former automatically updates the latter.</li></ul>Take a look at the <a href="http://sketchup.google.com/product/newin7.html" id="pdb2" target="_blank" title="What's New in 7 page">What's New in 7 page</a> on the SketchUp website to get the whole scoop. There's a great video to watch, and it stars some of the more prone-to-sunlight members of our engineering team — in lab coats, no less. Don't miss it.<br /><br /><span class="byline-author">Posted by Aidan Chopra, SketchUp Product Evangelist<br /></span>

Introducing SketchUp 7

We're very excited to announce the new release of Google SketchUp 7 . If you don't already know about the fun you can have with Sket...

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It's Jam time

Today we hosted the <a href="http://code.google.com/codejam/">Google Code Jam</a> finals, inviting 100 of the world's top programmers to flex their brains in a grand coding showdown. This is our <a href="http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2008/06/google-code-jam-is-back.html">fifth annual</a> Global Code Jam competition, and thanks to a new platform created by a 20%-time team that includes previous Code Jam winners, more than 11,000 contestants tackled complex algorithmic challenges, programming in the language of their choice. After a series of online rounds in July and August, the top 500 semi-finalists competed in regional semifinals at 15 offices across Europe, Asia and the Americas to determine the final 100.<br /><br />We're pleased to announce that after three hours of furious typing, debugging and problem-solving at the onsite finals in Mountain View. this afternoon, Tiancheng Lou of China took home the $10,000 Grand Prize. Zeyuan Zhu from China won second place, Bruce Merry from the UK came in third, and cash prizes went to the other finalists. Overall, the 100 finalists represented 23 different countries.<br /><br />Congratulations to all the Code Jammers. We hope to see you at the next Jam. It's never too early to start practicing!<br /><br /><span class="byline-author">Posted by Jeanne Williams, Google Code Jam Program Manager<br /></span>

It's Jam time

Today we hosted the Google Code Jam finals, inviting 100 of the world's top programmers to flex their brains in a grand coding showdown...

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Google Site Search gets more demanding

Customers today demand speed. Waiting around is so, well, yesterday -- as so many of the things we used to have to wait for are now at our fingertips online. We can read <a href="http://news.google.com/">up to the minute news</a>, <a href="http://maps.google.com/">get directions</a>, and find the answers to our <a href="http://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1GGCM_enUS299&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=election+results">most pressing questions</a> simply by entering them into a search box.<br /><br />For a business running their own website, this means that visitors who turn to search expect to have access to the newest products, pages and announcements a site has to offer.<br /><br />That's why today we're excited to bring you <a href="http://www.google.com/sitesearch/">On-Demand Indexing</a> for Google Site Search. On-Demand Indexing is like a turbocharger for Google Site Search, ensuring that your newest pages appear in search results on your website fast. Whether you're promoting a new line of products, sharing breaking news or reports, or updating your site in time for the holiday season, On-Demand Indexing puts businesses in control with an "Index Now" button, giving them the flexibility to quickly update search results whenever they have new content to update or add.<br /><br />Google Site Search builds on the <a href="http://www.google.com/coop/cse/">Google Custom Search Engine</a> by adding business integration features, the option to turn off ads, a more customized look and feel, as well as email and phone support. Check out this video to learn more:<br /><center><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/uUB04YCUQ7k&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/uUB04YCUQ7k&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed></object><br /></center><br />Anyone with a website can take advantage of On-Demand Indexing today by signing up for Google Site Search. For more information about On-Demand Indexing, and how Google Site Search can help your online business or website, check out the <a href="http://googleenterprise.blogspot.com/2008/11/meeting-your-demands-with-google-site.html">Google Enterprise Blog</a> or visit <a href="http://www.google.com/sitesearch">www.google.com/sitesearch</a>.<br /><br /><span class="byline-author">Posted by Nitin Mangtani, Lead Product Manager, Enterprise Search, and Tom Duerig, Software Engineer </span>

Google Site Search gets more demanding

Customers today demand speed. Waiting around is so, well, yesterday -- as so many of the things we used to have to wait for are now at our f...

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How we help track flu trends

<span style="font-style: italic;">This post is the latest in an ongoing <a href="http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2008/06/using-data-to-fight-webspam.html">series</a> about how we harness the data we collect to improve our products and services for our users. - Ed.</span><br /><br />Google search isn't just about looking up <a href="http://www.google.com/search?q=football+scores">football scores</a> from last weekend or finding a great <a href="http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=rome+hotel">hotel</a> for your next vacation. It can also be used for the public good. Yesterday, we <a href="http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2008/11/tracking-flu-trends.html">announced Google Flu Trends</a>, which uses aggregated search data in an effort to confront the challenge of influenza outbreaks.<br /><br />By taking <a href="http://www.google.com/intl/en/trends/about.html">Google Trends</a> — where you can see snapshots of what's on the public's collective mind — and applying the tool to a public health problem, our engineers found that there was a correlation between flu-related queries and the actual flu. They created a model for near real-time estimates about outbreaks, in the hopes that both health care professionals and the general public would use this tool to better prepare for flu season.<br /><br />Since we launched yesterday, the response from the medical community has been positive. "The earlier the warning, the earlier prevention and control measures can be put in place," said Dr. Lyn Finelli of the influenza division at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/12/technology/internet/12flu.html?_r=2&ref=todayspaper&oref=slogin&oref=slogin">The New York Times</a>. "[T]his could prevent cases of influenza." You can <a href="http://www.google.org/flutrends/">check out the tool</a> for yourself.<br /><br />We couldn't have built this flu detection system without analyzing historical patterns. Because flu season is different every year, just a few months of data wouldn't have done the trick. For example, the 2003-2004 flu season was unusually severe in many regions. The data from that season was especially robust and allowed us to discover a more accurate, reliable set of flu-related terms. To learn more about how we built the system, see this page on <a href="http://www.google.org/about/flutrends/how.html">how Flu Trends works</a>.<br /><br />Because we're committed to protecting your privacy, we made sure that the searches that we analyze for Google Flu Trends are not drawn from personally-identifiable search histories but rather from an aggregated set of hundreds of billions of searches.<br /><br />In order to provide a rough geographic breakdown of potential flu outbreaks, we use IP address information from our <a href="http://www.google.com/privacy_faq.html#serverlogs">server logs</a> to make a best guess about where queries originate. To protect your privacy, we <a href="http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2008/09/another-step-to-protect-user-privacy.html">anonymize</a> those IP addresses at nine months. And we don't provide this aggregated, anonymized data to third parties. For more information about the privacy protections for Flu Trends check out our <a href="http://www.google.org/about/flutrends/faq.html">FAQs</a> and <a href="http://www.google.com/privacypolicy.html">privacy policy</a>.<br /><br />This is just the first launch in what we hope will be several public service applications of Google Trends in the future. And as we continue to think of ways to use aggregated and anonymized search data in helpful ways, we're also committed to <a href="http://www.google.com/intl/en/privacy.html">safeguarding</a> our users' privacy.<br /><br /><span class="byline-author">Posted by Pablo Chavez, Senior Policy Counsel</span>

How we help track flu trends

This post is the latest in an ongoing series about how we harness the data we collect to improve our products and services for our users. -...

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Promote your video with YouTube Sponsored Videos

<span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Update</span> on 8/10/09: The name of this product has <a href="http://youtube-global.blogspot.com/2009/03/few-name-changes-on-site.html">changed</a> from Sponsored Videos to Promoted Videos.<br /><br />With 13 hours of video uploaded to YouTube every minute and millions of viewers watching hundreds of millions of videos every day, the popularity of YouTube can be a mixed blessing for users. While it's easier to get your 15 minutes of fame (or more, depending on who you are), it can be difficult for people to find your video in the first place, even if it's exactly what they're looking for.<br /><br />But what if you could promote your video on YouTube and make it easier for people to find it?<br /><br />Today, we are excited to announce a way to do just that. YouTube Sponsored Videos is our new advertising program that enables all video creators -- from the everyday user to a Fortune 500 advertiser -- to reach people who are interested in their content, products, or services, with relevant videos. Anyone can use Sponsored Videos to make sure their videos find a larger audience, whether you're a start-up band trying to break out with a new single, a film studio seeking to promote an exciting movie trailer, or even a first-time uploader trying to quickly build a following on the site.<br /><br />So how does Sponsored Videos work? Easy-to-use automated tools allow content owners to decide where they'd like their videos to appear, place bids in an automated online auction, and set daily spending budgets. Then, when people search for videos, YouTube will display relevant videos alongside the search results. These videos are clearly labeled as "sponsored videos" and are priced on a cost-per-click basis. (You can learn more about these tools in the video below.)<br /><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/hTffb8OF8_U&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/hTffb8OF8_U&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />We are constantly working to develop the right advertising format for the right content and experience on YouTube. That's why our primary focus with Sponsored Videos is to build a platform consistent with the site's search and discovery experience. Just as AdWords provides people with relevant, non-obtrusive advertising, we hope that Sponsored Videos will provide useful, engaging content, accessible to advertisers of all kinds.<br /><br />We think this is a great first step for offering users, partners, and advertisers search marketing solutions on YouTube. Like Google, our philosophy at YouTube is continuous innovation, so we will work to improve Sponsored Videos by listening to your feedback and observing the auction as it takes time to fully develop. We hope that by leveraging much of the technology and insight of the AdWords team, we can make this transition as easy as possible.<br /><br />We do not believe there is one advertising solution for YouTube, but lots of valuable ways for advertisers to engage with our audience. The scale of YouTube Sponsored Videos -- with the branding power of InVideo ads, the engagement of our <a href="http://www.youtube.com/contests_main">contests</a>, the analytics of <a href="http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2008/03/insight-into-youtube-videos.html">YouTube Insight</a>, etc. -- should create exciting opportunities for users, partners, and advertisers.<br /><br />YouTube Sponsored Videos is currently only available in the United States, but we're working to bring it to other countries soon. If you're interested in running your own Sponsored Videos campaign, please visit <a href="http://ads.youtube.com/">ads.youtube.com</a>.<br /><br /><span class="byline-author">Posted by Matthew Liu, Product Manager, YouTube</span>

Promote your video with YouTube Sponsored Videos

Update on 8/10/09: The name of this product has changed from Sponsored Videos to Promoted Videos. With 13 hours of video uploaded to YouTu...

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An invitation from the mayor of Rome: Come see Ancient Rome in 3D

As you read this, I am standing beneath a marble statue of Julius Caesar, participating in an event that means a lot to me: the launch of the <a href="http://earth.google.com/rome/">Ancient Rome 3D</a> layer in Google Earth. Thanks to Google and the <a href="http://www.romereborn.virginia.edu/">Rome Reborn Project</a>, everyone in the world, from Rome itself to Calcutta, can now travel through time and discover Ancient Rome as it was 1,688 years ago when it was ruled by Emperor Constantine.<br /><br />The project includes more than 6,700 buildings of Ancient Rome rebuilt in 3D — a true record. This accomplishment demonstrates how technology can be helpful in promoting culture and disseminating knowledge. Ancient Rome 3D is a great opportunity to rediscover the importance of Ancient Roman culture, which is at the base of the Italian, European and, more generally, Western identities. The archaeological heritage and the artistic monuments of the Roman Empire have found their way to many continents, but it is in the capital city (known in Roman times as <span style="font-style: italic;">Caput Mundi</span>, which is Latin for "Capital of the World") that we can still find most of it. For example, architectural masterpieces like the Colosseum (considered one of the seven wonders of the world) have managed to withstand the tests of time — resisting sacks, invasions and world wars over the centuries and proving, with the immortality of their stones, the grandness of one of the most majestic empires that has ever existed.<br /><br />What fascinates me most about this project is the accuracy of the details of the three-dimensional models. It's such a great experience to be able to admire the monuments, streets and buildings of Ancient Rome with a virtual camera that lets you go inside and see all the architectural details. From the Colosseum to the Ludus Magnus, from the Forum Caesar to the Arch of Septimius Severus, from the Rostra to the Basilica Julia, you can get up close to them all. The idea that virtual technologies now let people experience the city that I guide as it appeared in 320 A.D. fills me with pride — a pride that I inherited from Rome's glorious past.<br /><br />(To find out more about the new layer, visit <a href="http://earth.google.com/rome/">http://earth.google.com/rome/</a>, watch the video tour below, or check out the <a href="http://google-latlong.blogspot.com/">Google Lat Long Blog</a>.)<br /><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/MqMXIRwQniA&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/MqMXIRwQniA&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Update</span> @ 12:10 PM: Rome wasn't built in a day! The Ancient Rome 3D layer will be available soon. We're sorry for the delay, and we'll post here when it's live.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Update</span> @ 6:50 PM: The layer is now live in Google Earth, in the Gallery folder of the Layers panel. When you zoom in on Rome, you will see yellow Ancient Rome 3D icons. To load the terrain and buildings, click on any icon and then click the links at the bottom of the bubble.<br /><br /><span class="byline-author">Posted by Gianni Alemanno, Mayor of Rome</span>

An invitation from the mayor of Rome: Come see Ancient Rome in 3D

As you read this, I am standing beneath a marble statue of Julius Caesar, participating in an event that means a lot to me: the launch of th...

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About our Veterans Day logo

Today is <a href="http://www1.va.gov/opa/vetsday/index.asp">Veterans Day</a> in the U.S., a day to honor all veterans of military service. As we often do, we created a special design of the Google logo (which we call a "doodle") in honor of the event. The design for the doodle featured a few military-style hats. We weren't trying to represent all of the branches or all of the symbols of military service and, as a result of space and design limitations, we inadvertently left the <a href="http://www.uscg.mil/" target="_blank" title="U.S. Coast Guard">U.S. Coast Guard</a> out of our depiction.<br /><br />Understandably, we have heard from many veterans and Coast Guard members, and have now posted an updated version of our Veterans Day doodle, including all five branches of the military. <br /><br />Our sincere apologies for what may seem like a slight -- this was not in any way our intention. Our thanks to those of you who were alert enough to catch our omission and diligent enough to tell us about it. Thank you very much to all current and former Coast Guard members for your outstanding service. And finally, thank you very much to all U.S. veterans, for protecting our nation and the ideals it stands for. <br /><br /><span class="byline-author">Posted by Marissa Mayer, VP, Search Products & User Experience, and Dennis Hwang, Chief Doodler and Webmaster</span>

About our Veterans Day logo

Today is Veterans Day in the U.S., a day to honor all veterans of military service. As we often do, we created a special design of the Goog...

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