Google’s new Privacy Policy

Our updated Privacy Policy takes effect today, March 1. As you use our products one thing will be clear: it’s the same Google experience that you’re used to, with the same controls.

And because we’re making these changes, over time we’ll be able to improve our products in ways that help our users get the most from the web.

While we’ve undertaken the most extensive user education campaign in our history to explain the coming changes, we know there has been a fair amount of chatter and confusion.

Here are a few important points to bear in mind:

Our Privacy Policy is now much easier to understand.

We’ve included the key parts from more than 60 product-specific notices into our main Google Privacy Policy—so there’s no longer any need to be your own mini search engine if you want to work out what’s going on. Our Privacy Policy now explains, for the vast majority of our services, what data we’re collecting and how we may use it, in plain language.

Our Privacy Policy will enable us to build a better, more intuitive user experience across Google for signed-in users.

If you’re signed in to Google, you expect our products to work really beautifully together. For example, if you’re working on Google Docs and you want to share it with someone on Gmail, you want their email right there ready to use. Our privacy policies have always allowed us to combine information from different products with your account—effectively using your data to provide you with a better service. However, we’ve been restricted in our ability to combine your YouTube and Search histories with other information in your account. Our new Privacy Policy gets rid of those inconsistencies so we can make more of your information available to you when using Google.

So in the future, if you do frequent searches for Jamie Oliver, we could recommend Jamie Oliver videos when you’re looking for recipes on YouTube—or we might suggest ads for his cookbooks when you’re on other Google properties.

Our privacy controls aren’t changing.

The new policy doesn’t change any existing privacy settings or how any personal information is shared outside of Google. We aren’t collecting any new or additional information about users. We won’t be selling your personal data. And we will continue to employ industry-leading security to keep your information safe.

If you don’t think information sharing will improve your experience, you can use our privacy tools to do things like edit or turn off your search history and YouTube history, control the way Google tailors ads to your interests and browse the web “incognito” using Chrome. You can use services like Search, Maps and YouTube if you are not signed in. You can even separate your information into different accounts, since we don’t combine personal information across them. And we’re committed to data liberation, so if you want to take your information elsewhere you can.

We’ll continue to look for ways to make it simpler for you to understand and control how we use the information you entrust to us. We build Google for you, and we think these changes will make our services even better.

Posted by Alma Whitten, Director of Privacy, Product and Engineering

Return of the Malteser Bunny

A quick post this to say that if you haven't picked up a Malteser Easter Bunny on your way through the check-out then you really don't know what you're missing.

This is a treat from the God's. It is way too heavenly for children who won't appreciate it's gorgeous creaminess.

It is the ultimate mid-morning treat. It is very, very sweet, just the way I like it.

I thank you.

There are just 155 calories in a Malteser Bunny. Image from Figandcherry.com.

Understanding accessibility at CSUN 2012

This week we’re attending the 27th annual CSUN International Technology and Persons with Disabilities Conference. As the Internet evolves, screen readers, browsers and other tools for accessibility need to grow to meet the complexity of the modern web. Conferences like CSUN are an opportunity to check in with web users with disabilities: not just to share our progress in making online technologies accessible, but to also discuss improvements for the future.

Who are these users? In August, we conducted a survey with the American Council of the Blind, to find out more about how people with sight impairment use the web. We received nearly 1,000 responses from people who are blind or visually impaired, from a wide range of professions in 57 countries: teachers, software developers, social workers, writers, psychologists, musicians and students. The results paint a picture of why it is critical to improve the accessibility of web applications. Of the respondents:

• Almost 90 percent reported regularly using the web to keep in touch with friends and family
• Over half use a smartphone, and over half own more than one computer
• Over two-thirds of respondents said they use social media
• Over 50 percent have completed a baccalaureate degree, and of those, 30 percent have gone on to to postgraduate studies at the masters' or Ph.D. level
• Of those who are currently students, over 70 percent have their assistive technology provided for by their school
• However, for those who have left school and are of working age, 46 percent are unemployed

Better web accessibility has the potential to increase educational and employment opportunities, provide social cohesion and enable independence for the people with disabilities. We imagine a future for the web where the most visually complex applications can be rendered flawlessly to screen readers and other assistive devices that don't rely on sight, using technologies that work seamlessly on browsers and smartphones.


[click here for audio description]

Since we last attended CSUN, we’ve made several improvements to the accessibility of our products:

• ChromeVox (in beta) provides a screen reader that's built for the web, right inside Chrome.
• We've improved accessibility for Google Docs, Sites and Calendar, including keyboard shortcuts and better support in modern screen readers
• Android 4.0 introduces touch exploration and out-of-box accessibility activation
• We've also expanded caption support on YouTube—improving access to broadcast and direct-to-web videos for people who are deaf or hard of hearing

If you're attending CSUN 2012, we hope you'll come up and say hello at one of our talks on the accessibility of our products, including the use of video in Google+ and Docs and accessibility on Android devices. And Friday we’ll host a Q&A Fireside chat with Google product teams. You can also try some of these improvements out at our two hands-on demo sessions on Thursday, in the Connaught breakout room:

• 10am to 12pm—Chromebooks and new features in Google Apps
• 1pm to 3pm—Android 4.0 Galaxy Nexus phones

If you're not attending CSUN 2012, we'd love to hear your thoughts on accessibility in our web forum.

Posted by Naomi Black, Engineering Program Manager, Google Accessibility

Google@SXSW: A taste of the Googleplex, in Austin

Part of what makes Google such a fun place to work is that there’s always something going on: diverse talks, lunchtime concerts, impromptu game tournaments, you name it—all wrapped up with a collective passion for building a better web. So when we were thinking of what we should do for this year’s SXSW, it was pretty obvious: let’s package up a few of the things that we love about Google and bring them with us to Austin, Texas.

Interactive talks
Our participation kicks off on Friday, March 9, in a fireside chat where senior vice president Vic Gundotra will discuss the future of the Google+ project with Guy Kawasaki. We also have Googlers speaking on more than 25 panels, covering topics as varied as the design of Google and YouTube, changing the world through hacking and WebGL’s impact on the web.

Google Village
On March 10-11 we’ll open up the Google Village. We’re taking over Rainey Street (just a few steps away from the Austin Convention Center), setting up shop in four houses and packing them full of demos, drinks, talks and, of course, live music. Here’s what you can expect at each of the houses:

• Android House: We’re showcasing the latest and greatest from Android, including phones and tablets running Android 4.0, live music on the backyard stage, and a look at cool entertainment for your device.
• Google Maps House: Interested in enhancing Google Maps with biking directions or updating the business information in your local neighborhood? We'll show you how, plus many other ways you can add more map data to the places you know and love.
• Developer House: Participate in code labs and spend a day with the team building LEGO® MINDSTORMS® race bots controlled by Android, leading up to the ultimate rumble Sunday evening. Learn more on the Developers Blog.
• Discovery House: Find out more about our latest creative and advertising products, and see how Google can help you expand your business—or maybe start one.

Live from the Lot
There’s no place like Austin for live music, and on March 15-16 Google Music and YouTube Presents will host Live from the Lot, two days of concerts atop a downtown parking garage. We’ll have performances by The Shins, Gossip, The Ting Tings, Best Coast and Heartless Bastards, to name a few. If you can't make it in person, tune in online for a full live stream of both days’ shows at youtube.com/presents.

Plus, artists officially showcasing at SXSW can also stop by our artist lounge at Live from the Lot to relax and recharge with food, laundry machines, massages and more.

Get more details about our plans for SXSW on our website. The trucks just finished packing up the last Android statue, and we’re all ready to go. It’s Austin or bust—hope to see you there!

Update March 2: Follow ongoing updates about SXSW on their Google+ page. And don't forget to use the hashtag #GoogleSXSW to share your experiences at the Google Village and our other events.

Posted by Marc Vanlerberghe, Marketing Director for Android

Win Tickets for the Ideal Home Show



Spring is loitering just around the corner and with Spring thoughts turn to Spring cleaning and with that, well, with that comes the awful realisation that things in my house are not always as beautiful as I would like them to be. Long, dark winter days are good for several things. They allow us to curl up in front of the TV and not go out, and also they let us cover a multitude of sins as in a dim light our homes don't come under too much scrutiny. My home is just not like this....

 

...and I so wish it was!

Tired rooms become cosy in winter-time, but with the first low rays of the sun that Springtime brings, all the flaws are highlighted. Scuffed paintwork, cracks, cobwebs (!) all come into the view as does my annual dissatisfaction with the one room in the house I spend most of my waking home time hours - my kitchen.

It's not that it's in bad shape but it is getting a bit over the hill with doors that don't quite fit and paintwork that needs a bit of tlc. We have given it the occasional bit of a lift with a new floor and new work-surface, but what it really needs and what I wish I could just magic up, is space. 

I lust after my sister's conservatory kitchen - she has work-space, a large range cooker and one of those big American fridges. I don't. Far from it. Some would describe my kitchen as 'bijoux', I describe it with something beginning with B that is far worse.

So I'd really rather have this instead...

Ideal Home Show sponsors Everest



So I lust after the kitchen's of family and friends and I will no doubt lust after the Ideal Home kitchens that will be making their annual appearance at the Ideal Home Show once again this year. Everest are sponsors of the show and I must admit that I could do with some help myself, but there is nothing like a day's indulgence and a visit to Ideal Home at Olympia to get some great ideas. The show runs from the 16th March to the 1st April and those lovely people at Everest have given me 5 tickets to give away. So all you have to do is leave a comment (give me a twitter name or contact please) and tell me what you hate and about your home and what you would change and I'll put your name into a draw to win tickets! The competition will close on March 4th.



This is a sponsored blog post.

Ideal Home Show Sponsors Everest

Opening the Oscar (search) envelope

Time to polish the champagne flutes and brush up on your movie trivia—it’s almost Oscar night again. Before you make any Oscar bets, get an edge by exploring Google Insights for Search. Out of the major entertainment awards shows (Tonys, Emmys, Grammys) the Oscars are the most popular in terms of search volume, and as we discovered last year, patterns in search behavior can help us predict which stars will go home with shiny gold statues. So without further delay, let’s open the (search) envelopes and see who the Oscar (may) go to this year.

Best Picture
Last year we found that for three years running, the films that won best picture had two things in common when it came to search data. First, the winning movies had all shown an upward trend in search volume for at least four consecutive weeks during the previous year. Second, within the U.S. the winning film had the highest percentage of its searches originating from the state of New York. Looking at search data for 2011, there were three films that satisfied these conditions—The King’s Speech, The Social Network and Black Swan. Our prediction was on the mark: The King’s Speech took home the Oscar in 2011.

This year, if we assume the two “winning conditions”—at least four consecutive weeks of increasing search volume plus highest regional interest from New York—will apply, then we can narrow down the nominees to a field of four: The Artist, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, Midnight in Paris and War Horse. But how to go from four to one?

Let’s again look back at last year’s finalists. When you compare search query volumes for The King’s Speech, The Social Network and Black Swan, the winning film, The King’s Speech, had the lowest search volume throughout the year leading up to the Oscars. It was the underdog that took home the statue.

We tried the same test on the Best Picture nominees from 2010. The nominated movies in 2010 that met the two conditions were The Hurt Locker and Inglourious Basterds. Once again, it was the the winning film, The Hurt Locker, that had lower search volume in 2009.

If the underdog trend holds this year, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close could be our surprise winner. If we go strictly by search popularity, however, The Artist or Midnight in Paris have the best chances—among our group of four, they’re currently blowing the competition out of the water.

If we’re having a popularity contest, it’s only fair to look at all nine nominees for best picture. A 2-step comparison shows that the most popular films by search volume are The Help and Martin Scorsese's Hugo.

Best Actor
Of this year’s five nominees for Best Actor, Brad Pitt (Moneyball) is clearly the most popular—searches for Brad in the last 12 months far outpace any of the other leading men, as was the case in 2009 when he was nominated for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. However, it could be Brad’s famous good looks that have us searching, which brings about a good point: the most searched-for nominee doesn’t guarantee a win. James Franco had the highest search volume in 2011 but Colin Firth won, and in 2010, George Clooney was the most-searched nominee but Jeff Bridges took home the Oscar.

The pattern emerging over the past few years is that the winner is generally in the middle of the pack in terms of searches and has relatively steady search volume throughout the year. First-time nominee Gary Oldman (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) fits that bill this year, but so does George Clooney (The Descendants). Maybe it will finally be George’s year to win Best Actor.

Best Actress
For the past three years, the eventual Best Actress winner has seen a spike of interest in the preceding December. Additionally, two of the three most recent winners have had the strongest regional interest within the U.S. from the cities of Los Angeles and New York City (2010 winner Sandra Bullock is the exception).

Among this year’s nominees, Rooney Mara is the clear breakout star, with a huge surge in search volume this past December for the young lead in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. However, it’s Meryl Streep who has the highest regional interest in NYC and while Rooney is popular in LA, she’s even more popular in San Francisco. So it could be her name that is announced when the envelope is opened—or not.

Of course, we don’t have a Magic 8-Ball or access to the names in those top-secret envelopes, so our predictions are just that—but it’s always enjoyable to look at how what people are interested in online plays out in the real world. As you prepare for your Oscar viewing parties this year, put a visit to Insights for Search on your checklist before the red carpet walk begins (fun fact: searches for [red carpet] peak at Oscar time every year). Between dry cleaning your tuxedo and making hors d'oeuvres, tune in to a pre-Oscar hangout on the +Good Morning America page, where the live discussion will be the fashion dos and don'ts of the big night. You can also stay up to date on all Oscar news on +Oscars, the official Google+ Page of the Academy Awards.

Posted by Rebecca Mall, Entertainment Account Executive, LA office

Granny Boyd's Biscuits from Nigella Lawson

Granny Boyd isn't Nigella's granny - she's her editor's grannie and her biscuits are a heavenly melt in the mouth, all dark chocolate flavour and crumble.

The best thing about them is the ingredients is lurking in your store cupboard and they are simple to make.

You will need:

300g self-raising flour, 30g cocoa powder, 250g soft unsalted butter, 125g caster sugar, 2 greased baking sheets.

Preheat the oven to 170 degrees. Sieve together the flour and cocoa. Cream the butter and sugar then work in the flour. Do not add any extra liquid even though it looks dry.

Roll into walnut sized balls and put on sheet leaving lots of space around as they will spread. Squash down with a fork Bake for 5 mins then turn the oven down to 150g for a further 15 mins. Carefully remove ont a wire rack to cool.

Simply amazing! (makes around 35 depending on size - mine were big!)

Recipe from How to Be a Domestic Goddess by Nigella Lawson.

Faze and twin sister celebrate birthday

For those of you who don't know faze is a twin, and it's their birthday today. They are having a party on the Island, it's a private one so I can't give out the details..:-). Happy birthday to them!

Helping you find what’s in the mind’s eye with improved related searches

Today we’re making it easier for you to hone in on that perfect image or explore your topic visually with an update to related search links. Related search links have been around for awhile—they’re the row of blue links running across the top of your image search results—but today we’re making them more visual to help you find exactly what you’re looking for or just have fun exploring.

For example, when planning a trip to Greece, I may not know what places are worth a visit, so I search for [greece] on Image Search. Now, with more visual search links, I can hover over the links on the top of the results, like [santorini greece], and see a panel pop up with images of Santorini. Without having to type more words into the search box or clicking through, I can quickly glance at the pictures of Santorini. If I decide to click through, I find new links for further refined or related searches, such as [oia santorini greece] or [santorini greece sunset]. Now I’m sold, I want to see more Santorini images.

You’ll start to see these links whenever you search for images as we roll this change out globally over the next few weeks.

Posted by Peter Linsley, Product Manager

(Cross-posted on the Inside Search blog)

A Gathering to Rekindle Friendships! Sasha, Karen, Toolz, Denrele, Lami, Yinka Davies & More at “Baileys Spoil Your Friends Day” Event in Lagos

Dec 28

jan 30

LASTMA turns Conductor.

It is only in Lagos that you see this. LASTMA turns a conductor all in a bid to arrest a bus. Eko for show, LASTMA in Action.

Optical illusion

Blink and look at the photo again, what do you see? Amazing huh?

Warehouse Spring/Summer 2012

Spring/Summer is all about pastels but the pastels to be found at Warehouse this season are no ordinary pastels. Forget muted and subtle and think zing this Spring/Summer. Prints are bold, shapes are soft and flowing - it's girly but still makes a massive statement. I think this is a truly versatile collection as you can dress it up for the office and wear it to the beach with a few parties thrown in for good measure.

I fell in love with the fabrics too - they feel expensive even though they're not - so I will be making a trip shortly to stock up on a fab shirt and might even go for a long-line dress that does the maxi length without looking like a maxi-dress. These gorgeous images are just a sample so if you haven't been into a Warehouse store recently I suggest you give it a visit.

Collaborate and edit anywhere with the updated Google Docs for Android

As I was sitting on the ferry commuting to Google’s Sydney office this morning, two thoughts occurred to me. First, Australia is beautiful. If you’ve never been here, you really should visit. And second, it’s amazing how productive I can be with just my Android phone and an Internet connection. I was responding to email, reading news articles and editing documents—just like I do at the office. Only the view was better!

We want to give everyone the chance to be productive no matter where they are, so today we’re releasing a new update to the Google Docs app for Android. We've brought the collaborative experience from Google Docs on the desktop to your Android device. You'll see updates in real time as others type on their computers, tablets and phones, and you can just tap the document to join in.

We also updated the interface to make it easier to work with your documents on the go. For example, you can pinch to zoom and focus on a specific paragraph or see the whole document at a glance. We also added rich text formatting so you can do things like create a quick bullet list, add color to your documents, or just bold something important. Watch the new Google Docs app in action:



If you want to hear about the latest Docs news or send us feedback on the new app, visit Google Docs on Google+.

Gotta run—I’ve got another ferry to catch!

Posted by Vadim Gerasimov, Software Engineer

Top Shop Bow bag

I bought this gorgeous little Top Shop bag for my daughter - it's cute but then so is she.

I would love to be young enough to carry a bag like this but I would just look a bit too sad - it's a perky little shape, fab colour for the season as it sets off all those coloured jeans that are in the shops (another thing I'd love to try but am way too old).

And it was a bargain at just £25. What price a half term treat eh?

Using schema.org markup for videos

Webmaster level: All

Videos are one of the most common types of results on Google and we want to make sure that your videos get indexed. Today, we're also launching video support for schema.org. Schema.org is a joint effort between Google, Microsoft, Yahoo! and Yandex and is now the recommended way to describe videos on the web. The markup is very simple and can be easily added to most websites.

Adding schema.org video markup is just like adding any other schema.org data. Simply define an itemscope, an itemtype=”http://schema.org/VideoObject”, and make sure to set the name, description, and thumbnailUrl properties. You’ll also need either the embedURL — the location of the video player — or the contentURL — the location of the video file. A typical video player with markup might look like this:

<div itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/VideoObject">
  <h2>Video: <span itemprop="name">Title</span></h2>
  <meta itemprop="duration" content="T1M33S" />
  <meta itemprop="thumbnailUrl" content="thumbnail.jpg" />
  <meta itemprop="embedURL"
    content="http://www.example.com/videoplayer.swf?video=123" />
  <object ...>
    <embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" ...>
  </object>
  <span itemprop="description">Video description</span>
</div>

Using schema.org markup will not affect any Video Sitemaps or mRSS feeds you're already using. In fact, we still recommend that you also use a Video Sitemap because it alerts us of any new or updated videos faster and provides advanced functionality such as country and platform restrictions.

Since this means that there are now a number of ways to tell Google about your videos, choosing the right format can seem difficult. In order to make the video indexing process as easy as possible, we’ve put together a series of videos and articles about video indexing in our new Webmasters EDU microsite.

For more information, you can go through the Webmasters EDU video articles, read the full schema.org VideoObject specification, or ask questions in the Webmaster Help Forum. We look forward to seeing more of your video content in Google Search.

Posted by Henry Zhang, Product Manager

Daftarkan Feed Blog Ke RSS Directories, Tingkatkan Pelanggan Blog!

Memiliki blog dan sharing ilmu pengetahuan ataupun pengalaman tentunya dipersembahkan bagi pembaca/pengunjung blog. Tanpa pembaca blog yang loyal dan respon mereka, tentunya blog tidak akan berkembang ke bentuk apapun. Traffic blog atau pageview blog pun akan susah meningkat, Pengunjung loyal biasanya tidak datang dari search engine, melainkan mereka yang datang melalui feed subscription, follow,

Shrove Tuesday Perfect Pancakes

No excuses now - Pancake Day pancakes can be made in minutes and are one of life's little pleasures. Here is a recipe for the perfect pancake - and will make four golden, crisp and delicious pancakes to top at will... Of course we all prefer lemon and sugar in this household!

110g plain flour, 2 eggs, 200ml milk, 75ml, water, 50g butter.

Beat together the eggs, milk and water. Gradually add the flour until you have whisked up a smooth batter. Add a nob of butter to a frying pan then a ladel full of the batter. Tilt the pan to cover the bottom and fry until the bottom is golden. If you are feeling brave toss your pancake, if not flip it with a spatula. Fry second side. Serve with lemon and sugar or chocolate spread or whatever takes your fancy really.

Spring/Summer fashion at Comptoir Des Cotonniers

Although I love Autumn/Winter fashion after a few month's hibernation in greens, greys and blacks I'm more than ready to welcome in the new season with a splash of colour. Comptoir Des Contonniers is a label that cleverly makes sure that it appeals to all ages without anyone looking like they are dressing outside of their age range. Their clothes use fine fabrics and are timeless pieces that will last and I can't fault this Spring/Summer 2012 collection in terms of the colour palette and variety. Makes me want to take a road trip...

The full collection (some of which are shown here) mixes urban suits with loose tops in neon colours or lemon (loving that lemon) and there's a nodd to rock and glam. Little A-line jackets and a beautiful white tuxedo set off the more relaxed separates. I like these longer length trousers but 7/8 skinny pants also feature for the thinner amongst us. There's also a fair amount of Mexican influence with embroidery and graphic shapes making an appearance.

Comptoir Des Cotonniers boutiques are nationwide.

Etre Touchy Gloves for texting, tweeting, touching

Gloves with the thumb and forefinger missing? Now what is the point of that?

Every point actually, if you've struggled as much as I have this winter taking my gloves off to answer my phone, get change out of my purse, text, tweet - all with my gloves stuffed under my armpit.

I love the idea of these Etre Touchy gloves - bonkers to lose two fingers and so darn practical - why has no-one thought of them before? They are cashmere so no quality has been lost - just a couple of fingers...

Etre Touchy Gloves, £35.

Vaishaly Cleansing Balm for Dry/Sensitive Skins

I have run out of my Shu Uemura Pure:Nu Gentle Cleansing Oil-In-Gel cleanser so was happy to get my hands on a suitable replacement - and what a replacement! Vaishaly Cleansing Balm for Dry/Sensitive skin  is wonderfully aromatic and organically based, with sweet almond and olive oils to nourish skin as it cleanses, and arnica, ginkgo and calendula to soothe and relieve dry skin.

Essential oils include lavender, geranium, chamomile, rose absolute and ylang ylang. The bottle is a pump which keeps things clean and easy-to-use. A couple of pumps is all you need, you simply emulsify with water and it lathers up - not a huge amount but enough to cover and no need to use a cloth (which again can by unhygienic). Massage into the face and neck for 30 seconds and voila gorgeously clean skin. This cleansing balm is refreshing on the skin, washes off easily and my skin did feel super-smoth and moisturised!

Oh and it smells great too.

Vaishaly Cleansing Balm, £69.

Prolong the life of your Ugg's!

Okay before I finally come off the topic of Ugg's (well for the time being anyway) I want to tell you about a fantastic little company I came across while drifting around the internet.

Sheepland Ltd sell sheepskin crafts from their home in Somerset all hand-made by local women, and yes there are loads of 'old-lady' skeepskin slippers and  mittens. HOWEVER... they also sell not just boots that would happily give Ugg a run for their money but a nifty little sheepskin insole that will prolong the lift of your sheepskin boots. After all these are not a cheap purchase and it's the lovely, fluffy insole that is the first to go.

My sheepskin insoles (£5) arrived this morning and I am really thrilled by both the quality and value for money. If you like Sheepskin you'll love this site - refresh your Ugg's, buy a gift for a friend with a baby or simply treat yourself to a pair of slipper boots to snuggle up in.

£5 for insoles

Slipper boots £57.50

Tall sheepskin boots, £95.99

Ugg Spring/Summer 2012

So last night we popped along to a blogger event at the Ugg store in Knightsbridge. Along with some heady cocktails and free flowing Prosecco, the store had been stripped of the remnants of the winter 2012 season and replaced with all the new Ugg Spring/Summer 2012 collection.

And what a collection! The problem with Uggs's as I have said before in a recent article about whether I should go for a pair of Ugg trainers or not, is that we associate them with the sheepskin boot favoured by the under 25's. But there is so much more to the range.

I won't tell you about the strappy sandals for £600 because I'm afraid they really didn't do it for me. Now I know they are real snakeskin and hand-made and I could see that a lot of work has gone into each pair but £600? Really? For Ugg's? I will probably be proved wrong and they will fly off those shelves in Knightsbridge but they won't be entering my shoe collection anytime soon....

Anyway some of these might as I won't feel like I'm dressing like my teenage daughters if I treat myself to any one of these styles... and it's nice to see a few accessories creeping into the collection too. Roll on Summer!

Bagaimana Cara Link Building Yang Disukai Google?

Backlink adalah poin penting yg dibutuhkan oleh setiap blog/website dalam rangka bersaing dengan blog/website lain di search engine. Itulah mengapa link building selalu disebut-sebut & sering muncul dalam SEO. Setidaknya ada dua alasan penting di balik usaha link building yg anda para Blogger lakukan:1. Anda butuh backlinks karena ingin situs/blog mendapatkan otoritas di mata search engine,

Google Public DNS: 70 billion requests a day and counting

We launched Google Public DNS in December 2009 to help make the web faster for everyone. Today, we’re no longer an experimental service. We’re the largest public DNS service in the world, handling an average of more than 70 billion requests a day.

DNS acts like the phone book of the Internet. If you had to look up hundreds or thousands of phone numbers every day, you’d want a directory that was fast, secure and correct. That’s what Google Public DNS provides for tens of millions of people.

Google Public DNS has become particularly popular for our users internationally. Today, about 70 percent of its traffic comes from outside the U.S. We’ve maintained our strong presence in North America, South America and Europe, and beefed up our presence in Asia. We've also added entirely new access points to parts of the world where we previously didn't have Google Public DNS servers, including Australia, India, Japan and Nigeria.

Shortly after launch, we made a technical proposal for how public DNS services can work better with some kinds of important web hosts (known as content distribution networks, or CDNs) that have servers all of the world. We came up with a way to pass information to CDNs so they can send users to nearby servers. Our proposal, now called “edns-client-subnet,” continues to be discussed by members of the Internet Engineering Task Force. While we work with the IETF, other companies have started experimenting with implementing this proposal.

We’ve also taken steps to help support IPv6. On World IPv6 Day, we announced our IPv6 addresses: 2001:4860:4860::8888 and 2001:4860:4860::8844 to supplement our original addresses, 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4.

Google Public DNS’s goal is simple: making the web—really, the whole Internet!—faster for our users. If you’d like to try it yourself, please see our page Using Google Public DNS. For more information, please see our Introduction to Google Public DNS and Frequently Asked Questions.

Posted by Jeremy K. Chen, Ph.D, software engineer, Google Public DNS

Roses are red, violets are blue...here are some Valentine’s Day tips for you

It’s Valentine’s Day, and all you need is love.

Well, maybe you need a few more things.

This year, lovebirds in the U.S. are pulling out all the stops and are expected to hit a 10-year spending high on romantic goods. Whether you’re looking for a box of chocolates or buying a diamond ring, we’ve taken notes on how Google can turn any last-minute Cupid into a polished Romeo. Think of us as Cyrano de Bergerac, whispering words of wisdom in your ear for dishes, dates and romantic inspiration.

Sweets for a sweetie
They say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. Searches for [valentine’s day dinner], [valentine’s day recipes], [romantic dinner] and [romantic recipes] ramp up at the start at February, hitting their peak on the 14th.

If you’re whipping up a homemade treat, you can use Google Recipe view to search for thousands of heart-shaped cookie recipes, and tailor the ingredients (and the calorie count) for the best fit.

If you’re not a maestro in the kitchen yet, we can help. Peruse some trendy dishes and learn how to cook from YouTube’s Next Chefs, who have created a highlight reel of their best aphrodisiacs. We’re not playing favorites, but we do love the Sweetest Vegan’s red velvet beet cupcakes, which will come in handy for many couples—searches for [vegan valentines] have more than tripled since 2006.

Don’t know a truffle from a trifle? Then let a professional handle the meal. If you haven’t booked a table yet, you’re not alone: searches for [valentines day reservations] typically peak on February 9 and remain high through the holiday. For ideas, check out Zagat’s recommendations for romantic hotspots in your neighborhood. A word to the wise, though: If you’re planning on popping the question on Valentine’s Day, avoid dining out, as 69 percent of those surveyed in Zagat’s recent Valentine’s Day Survey feel that restaurant proposals are “cheesy.”

Perfect planners and last-minute cupids
Women have a head start on the menfolk when it comes to Valentine’s Day gifts, searching earlier (and more often) than their male counterparts—about 160 percent more since January.

The staple romantic gifts haven’t lost their appeal. Searches for [jewelry gifts] have grown over 10 percent, searches for [flower delivery] have increased nearly 20 percent, and searches for [couples massage] have jumped nearly 50 percent over last Valentine’s Day.

To impress, some folks are thinking outside the (heart-shaped) box. For the daring, create your own [valentines scavenger hunt]—searches are up more than 20 percent from last year. Or, add a personal touch—searches for [personalized valentines day gifts] are up over 20 percent compared to last year and searches for [homemade valentines gift] are up over 60 percent since last year. The last-minute lovers don’t have to despair, though. Visit Google Shopping to find gift ideas and filter results to see which items are in stock nearby.

Celebrating solo
Celebrating Valentine’s Day solo doesn’t mark you as a Miss (or Mr.) Lonelyhearts. Instead, treat yourself to a night on the town. View interactive results for nearby movie showtimes on your mobile phone, and know that if you indulge your inner cynic by skipping the rom com and catching a horror film, you won’t be alone: in the past 30 days, searches for [horror movie] are 230 percent higher than searches for [romantic movie].

Vive la romance
Everyone loves a fairytale ending, so let’s wrap up with two final ways to make your heart grow two sizes too big today. For a close-up look at romance at its finest, check out the “Awww: Romantic Proposals” YouTube Slam. Vote for your favorite mushy, creative, artistic, or—in one case—magic proposal.

Finally, today’s homepage doodle gives a nod to love, both young and old. Though “Cold, Cold Heart” plays in the background, we bet yours will warm just a bit.

Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone!

Posted by Jim Lecinski, Vice President, U.S. Sales

(Cross-posted on the Inside Search blog)

Facebook Parenting: For the troubled teen.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kl1ujzRidmU&feature=player_embedded

You all need to watch this video and tell us what you think. Do you approve of the father's actions? 

Ashanti's outfit, you like it?

This is what the singer wore to the Mercedes Fashion Week in NYC last night. You like it?

Happy Valentine's Day

Wishing you all love, love, and more love. Happy Val's day everyone and have a great great celebration! My gift to you all when you continue...

hehehehe.....lol