Check Out Google's New 411 Service!

It might be time to lug that stack of phone books you just received to the trash can! Check out Google 411 and then decide.

1-800-GOOG-411, Google's new 411 service is totally FREE, fast and easy to use. Give it a try now and see how simple it is to find and connect with local businesses for free. I love it, it's awesome with a hand-free Bluetooth system.

Tip: Always use categories, never business names.

If you decide to throw your phone books out in favor of GOOG-411, opt-out and never have to lug or store another bulky phone book again? Below are the numbers to call for the major distributors of phone books and yellow pages. Call the numbers and tell them you want to opt-out of delivery - it only takes a few minutes.

AT&T/YellowPages (formerly SBC):
(800) 792.2665

Verizon:
(888) 266.5965

Yellow Book:
(800) 373.3280 or (800) 373.2324

RSS

Wondering what this little RSS orange insignia that's popping up everywhere is all about? Believe it or not, so was I? I found out that it’s called Really Simple Syndication. OK and what does that mean, you ask? It's gotta be something really technical right? No, it actually serves a very good purpose.

RSS solves a problem for people who regularly use the web. It allows you to easily stay informed by retrieving the latest content from the sites you are interested in. You save time by not needing to visit each site individually. You ensure your privacy, by not needing to join each site's email newsletter. Many news-related sites, blogs and other online publishers syndicate their content as an RSS Feed to whoever wants it. What the RSS button does (aka RSS Feed) is allows you to indicate that you like a particular blog or podcast, and would like to stay current with their content. By clicking on the RSS button you’ll indicate that you would like to stay apprised to the latest publications or broadcasts. It’s as simple as clicking the button and will be notified every time someone posts a new thought on your favorite blog or podcast!

So, click the RSS button off to the side of this blog!

Internet Safety Training

Information on how children are utilizing websites such as MySpace and other social networking sites. Click here to view the training video.

Now There's Even MORE to Watch on YouTube!

Google Inc.'s YouTube confirmed a Wall Street Journal story that it has reached a revenue-sharing deal with Hearst-Argyle Television in which local TV stations will be paid when users of the video-sharing site watch their programming. This marks the first time the video-sharing site has paid for local TV content.

Under terms of the deal, YouTube will offer programming from stations in Sacramento, Calif., Boston, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, and Manchester, N.H. The channels will feature news, weather, entertainment, local high school football and basketball content as well as original local programming.

Since Google bought YouTube last October for $1.65 billion, the companies have been bombarded with legal complaints over the use of copyrighted works on the popular video-sharing site and they have been busy signing deals to pre-empt further legal battles

Google struck a deal with EMI Group last week that will allow it to show the record label's collection of music videos and artist performances on YouTube. Before that deal Google had successfully negotiated licensing deals with Warner Music Group, Universal Music Group, Sony BMG Music Entertainment, CBS and the BBC making the world's major music companies official YouTube partners.
For Web surfers, this deal will allow YouTube users not only to watch and play authorized professionally produced music videos and recordings from EMI artists, but also to incorporate elements of these videos in YouTube users own user-generated content.

The record label will rely on YouTube's content management tools to track EMI content and compensate its artists and police copyright infringements.

Google Maps Hits the Streets

Recently at the Where 2.0 conference, Google announced it has rolled out city level street view in several metropolitan areas, including San Francisco ( e.g., a search for " 94111").

Unlike Microsoft Virtual Earth's Birds Eye photos, which are shot from low flying aircraft, Google's imagery gives you an immediate on-the-ground perspective and using a nifty Flash interface actually allows you to navigate the streets in a nearly 3D environment.

Clearly, this has great application in real estate, as you will now be able to scope out a potential neighborhood or property from the ground up. Of course, it still doesn't beat seeing it in real life - but becomes another handy way to narrow down search results.

It remains to be seen whether Google will roll out this feature to its API users (Trulia et al.) or if it'll keep this card close to its chest.

Also at Where 2.0, Google announced Mapplets, widget-like applications that you can add your Google Maps searches and create your own customized Maps pages. There's already a pretty substantial Real Estate Mapplets Gallery that includes contributions from Zillow, Propsmart and others. You can see what a Mapplet enabled page would look like at Google Maps.

Video Killed The Blog