What will Google do next in web?

Using an age-old public relations tool, Google looks to be sneaking its web redesign into the public via a leak. Not sure if this is the case or just someone on the outside found some web sites using the new image?

Here is the story on The Next Web.

Using New Media Update

I am impressed with Google's ability to place ads for me on pages I visit. I just visited Science Daily web site and ads there for me are for Emory's business school [I used to work at Emory] and ads for health that are for Atlanta-based programs.

I thought I would find some comments on using Google+, and ran into Life Hacker.com. Check out this web site for many features on using state-of-the-art media.

If you are trying to find apps for your iPad, you can check out this article. I really don't know how the writer decided these were the best, maybe the best for him?

Check it out on PC Magazine.

New technology is getting more and more fun

Not posting on your own blog for months is bad form in the blog world.

Since I am managing a few blogs other than for Goodwin Communications, I have put them as top priority. Now, I am back looking at my own and wondering what is important in communications that should be covered. No doubt that technology is changing at warp speed and affects our habits.

I have been doing what everyone else does and bought all the new items in order to learn how to be effective with them. It is important to sign up for major new tools - since Twitter, Posterous, tumblr and others have become the norm, what is new on the horizon?

I did like the fact that Facebook bought Instagram - makes sense to me with Facebook's social goals. I started using Instagram a few years ago when Poloroid stopped making instant film and I could not buy it for my camera. At the same time, all things photos went online, even though I longed for the Poloroid art form. Voila, Instagram and its very cool features, expecially the square, really soothed me.

Of course, I love Siri like everyone else - you can entertain yourself with this. I wish I liked online games, as they look fun but I get bored with them. The iPad is great for fiddling with images. If I went out more often, I would use FourSquare - I would love to be the mayor of something.

Best new item is the Google hybrid glasses that act as a miniaturized smartphone wired with hands-free access to a micro display, cameras, microphone, Web browser and speech recognition. I want one right now.

Let me know if you think of something more awesome to discuss here!

What will you do with Google+?

It is interesting watching the media coverage and interest in Google+. The important goal here for Google is to try to break through the media saturated environment so that people can understand advantages of its new product.

Even though a recent news article says there are only 20 million users right now, it appears from the Google+ web site that it is "overcapacity" right now, so it makes sense it will not catch up to Facebook numbers any time soon. And, a half billion users may not be a goal anyway. A Forbes reporter is already writing an eulogy for Google+ and explains why.

If you are a communications strategist for a large company, then you have been spending time trying to understand and use this product. Where does it fit in with all the other channels you are recommending and building elaborate plans to use?

Read this NPR story to get some extra perspective on Google+ as you plan your strategy going forward.

Watching New York Times new digital model unfold

There is no doubt that the New York Times has taken on a mightly challenge in setting up its digital subscription plan. Are there enough of us who regularly read a lot of NYT pages that will take the plunge? Read about how some people are viewing the change on Adweek. Wired puts it well: "The New York Times unveiled its widely anticipated digital subscription plan Thursday, a big step by one of the most impactful newspapers in the world. In the months to come, the headlong dive by this resource-rich media giant should help answer the biggest question in digital news: Can newspapers convert digital readers they have conditioned for years to expect “free” into paying customers? In other words, if The New York Times can’t, who can?"

Planning content for a tablet

Hewlett-Packard announced its long-awaited new tablet device called the TouchPad today. There's no doubt that developing a web site today is not like it was a few years back.

We need to plan for how this information is displayed and how it is consumed in a new way. We got some practice with the iPhone and then the iPad, but the tablet is more ubiquitous now.

I will leave the details to the techies who help us brand messaging and content folks get the info out in the right format. But no doubt the mobilty factor is not just about phones.

For the consumer looking for information, anything goes now. To learn more about this tablet, visit the New York Times.