So Google launched its second foray into social networking today.

“Wait, second?” you ask. Yep. Oh, you never heard of Orkut?

Don’t feel bad if you haven’t. That’s probably because you’re not a Brazilian gang member.

It remains to be seen whether or not this will be a “Facebook killer”, or at least deliver a low blow to the giant site. However, Google’s approach to launching this is great for two main reasons:

Workplace Restrictions

For a large chunk of the population, the act of checking social networking sites during work hours has replaced the smoke break. Employers have noticed this, and consequently, Facebook, Myspace, etc. are blocked at many workplaces.

On the other hand, checking your personal email isn’t looked upon with the same suspicion. So, Google gets the benefit of the doubt, and people who are already prone to flaking off for a few extra minutes, will most likely enjoy this new feature.

I don’t imagine that this was a huge component of their launch strategy, but the idea of having a unified platform for communications addresses a need that goes well beyond what Facebook can provide. After all, they don’t exactly do email.

You’re already networked

I only know a handful of people who aren’t using Gmail for their personal email accounts. And of those, they’re either hardcore privacy advocates, or just too attached to their Hotmail or Yahoo accounts.

For people like me, checking Gmail is like checking the time. I usually have it up in a browser tab whenever my browser is open. Unlike Gmail, however, I only usually keep Facebook up in a tab if I’m doing something business related. It’s a credit to Facebook’s usability that it’s so easy to get immersed in commenting on status updates and what-not, but it’s also a productivity killer.

The idea of using a Facebook-like app for something beyond finding out what my buddy thinks of the iPad or how Barack Obama’s going to turn us all into Socialists, is highly appealing. And the fact that my contacts are already, well, my contacts, makes life just a smidge easier.

It remains to be seen if Buzz is in the “sliced bread” category yet. But so far, it’s at least as cool as toast.

• Working from home: the laptop is on top of my netbook, and the chihuahua is on top of my lap. Not sure how this configuration happened… #
• RT @PopSci Cyber-Thieves Make Millions from Emissions Cap-and-Trade Scam #
• RT @BoingBoing Google now offers search results from "within your social circle" #
• You know society has devolved when you see people at a restaurant for lunch in their pajamas and fuzzy house slippers. #

• MOUT training (room clearing): SGT Fletcher 18, recruits 1 (and that was a gimme). I wish there was a MOS for OPFOR. #
• I'm an ok conversationalist, but I've never mastered the art of leaving voicemail, even after working as a headhunter. Are there classes? #
• Had a dream about Google AdWords last night. The worst part of working from home is that you actually have to commute to get AWAY from work! #

Yeek Yeek, Whoop Whoop...

To be honest, I don’t really have a fleshed-out idea for this blog post; I just wanted to get this phrase down on “paper” since it sounded good in my head.

It wouldn’t be too hard to come up with a genuine sounding diatribe centered around how humanity seems to be adding more technological buffers between genuine human interaction, but it wouldn’t be sincere. I actually appreciate the fact that I can have asynchronous conversations with dozens of people around the world; that I can close my netbook and go do “real world stuff” and a message or two is waiting on me, and the conversation continues.

Not to mention the fact that the planet is getting progressively more crowded. As a futurist, I realize that unless we either manage to destroy ourselves or venture to the stars, as Carl Sagan put it, we’re going to be living shoulder-to-shoulder. The future envisioned in Snow Crash is an entirely plausible scenario, and when people are living in converted storage lockers (as apparently some in California have already tried), getting some social elbow room, even if virtual, will no doubt be essential to maintaining one’s mental health.

Just random ramblings on a Friday morning.

In keeping with my use of this blog mainly as a coatrack for stuff I care about, this is just nifty:

Hrm, I don’t have a category for Economics, but I don’t really post much on it anyway.

Originally posted in this thread on Sociocide.

• Well… that's weird. Last week I sent a tweet about Atlanta Bread Company's scalding coffee. This week the location is out of business… #
• @manmadef everything ok? in reply to manmadef #
• Einstein Bros. doesn't have wifi? Is that a local franchise thing or chain-wide? Should have gone to Scooters. #coffee #
• Ring announcer: "…winning by tapout due to referee stoppage…" uh, what? #mma #

Google, baby, I love you; you know I’ll always be faithful to you. I’m just noticing Bing’s… um “features”. That’s right, it’s just a business relationship, nothing more.

Bing will delete all IP address records after 6 months

I know you’re not the jealous type, so you won’t mind if she and I spend more time together. We might have to work some lat nights at the office, but you know I’ll be coming home to you at the end of the day.

From Ars Technica.

Google's China HQ

Ni Hao, Google?

This post on Webmaster World dealing with the recent shenanigans around Google’s Chinese venture, caught my eye. So I’m reposting it here:

What have we got so far?

Google: PR smokescreens from MV telling the main stream media that they do this for two reasons 1) censorship debate, and 2) hacking attempts on Gmail accounts. Google making https connections the default for Gmail. A revenue of $200M generated in the PRC. They threaten to uncensor the results on google.cn. (I have not seen a credible source that Google already has uncensored their results.)

The PRC: Reacts as expected, pointing to Chinese laws and equal rules for all (Internet) companies operating in China. Also they have strict laws against hacking etc etc. And they pull the plug, or will pull the plug once Google uncensors their results on google.cn. Business as usual. They have no issue with that, and they prefer Baidu over Google anyway.

Possible explanations:

1) Google has suddenly realized they can indeed be not evil and decided to pull out of the PRC. No, no, and no – this does not make sense at all. Why now? Why link it to the hacking attempts? Why not just say, “we’re done with this censorship thing” and wave good-bye? No.

2) Google are fed up with the treatment from the Chinese regime and are in dire need of positive PR in the western world who have been really upset about recent Google statements, launches and announcements. But I do not think that Google would just withdraw from one of the main future markets to get a short-lived PR value in the western world. Typically, companies never actively reduce their growth opportunities to get some positive PR. Nah.

3) Google realized that they can not compete with Baidu and decided to pull out. This could be the case, but somehow it just does not sound like Google, who certainly have the spirit to keep fighting. Also they do have the cash to keep the operations running, maybe on maintenance mode. Why give the whole thing up, when they operate in other markets where they also are not number one? Nah.

So what could be it? I have only two plausible theories what really happenend.

A) Through analysis of their massive usage data they (think they) can predict what is going to happen in PRC, i.e. they know that the tide will be turning and that the PRC will change. Soon. So they decide to pull out for the moment, trying to speed up the freedom process and to leave a positive impression in the western world AND IN CHINA. Just see those Chinese folks putting down flowers in front of the Google offices in China! They certainly do have fans over there. And when the liberation comes, Google get in again, with big hoopla and enjoy a bigger market share. — This theory is interesting, because it could be true. Google placing a bet on “change, soon” and takes the positive PR value on its way out. Could be. Still does not solve the question of the “why link all this to hacking”, but hey.

B) The Google China office had one or more sophisticated “moles” who had access to source code and/or user data, or tried to gain access to source code and/or user data. Google corporate security caught one of the moles while stealing the stuff, or found the code that should have done this. They could not identify the mole(s) and realized they have a massive security issue. Massive! Google then decided that the risk of operating an office in China is simply too high. When you can not trust your employees in such vital questions, then you have to shut the whole thing down. — This theory is the best in my view. It would explain the strange link to the hacking attempts; it would explain why the employees are (according to CNN) already on paid leave. The whole censorship discussion covers up the embarrassing facts of Google being very vulnerable. It hurts to give up China, sure. It’s a massive failure, sure. It probably throws you back years, sure. But it has to be done if you don’t want to lose the whole thing. Just imagine, if the moles had access to user data! They would need to release just a tiny sample to the press, and Google would be toast. Noone would ever trust Google with anything again, especially with the whole privacy debate right now. (From the fact that they “just” closed the office and seem to continue the discussion Chinese officials we know that no data has been compromised, so they can not be blackmailed.)

Personally, I think option (B) is the best explanation for what has been going on.

Best analysis I’ve seen of the situation. Hopefully Google does pull out of China completely, and sincerely; bottom line be damned. Given recent comments by their CEO on the issue of privacy, I’d like to think Brin beat him about the head with a “Don’t Be Evil” stick, and that they’re back to taking the motto seriously.

Because like Fox Mulder, “I want to believe” in Google.

• You know what's totally awesome? Being mildly electrocuted by your headphones when you're trying to work out. #

Everyone’s familiar with the branding disaster involved when Chevy tried to introduce its Nova to the Latin American market (“no va” means “doesn’t go” in Spanish).

However, did you know that Pepsi inadvertently tried to sell its cola to the Taiwanese market under the promise that it’d reanimate their grandparents?

According to Brand Failures a book by Matt Haig, Pepsi’s “Come alive with the Pepsi Generation” came out “Pepsi will bring your ancestors back from the dead”.

Another example of marketing departments not making localization a priority happened when Gerber made its first foray into the African baby food market. They didn’t bother to translate the English on the jars of baby food, leaving the locals to make an assumption as to their contents based on nothing but the picture of the baby on the labels.

Which is funny because said contents probably do resemble mashed baby anyway.