What Will You Get Paid When You Die?

          Imagine a salary that extends past your death and is delivered to members of your family in order for them to stay afloat. This seems unreal, right? Well this is just one of the many benefits one would acquire by working at Google.

          According to Career Bliss, Google employees have reported a 37 % increase in happiness because of the recently changed policies at their company. Though Google has previously been known as the job playground, it is emphasized now more than ever.

Some changed policies are:

• Death Policy - Google will pay the deceased's spouse or domestic partner 50% of the employees salary for ten years. The surviving spouse will also get stock benefits, and the children will get $1,000 a month until the age of 19.
• On-site hospital at the Googleplex
• Exercise facilities; including endless lap pools
• Free food and haircuts
• Maternity Perks - New parents get to spend longer periods with their children and are given a little extra spending money for it.
• Paid to Learn - Google employees are reimbursed for any extra education that may help them with   what they do.
• And many more

It seems that Google hasn't left anything out. 

*SOURCE: Huffington Post - Ramona Emerson - Ramona has been writing for the Huffington Post for many years. She is the Associate Tech Editor and has had her work published in many different medias (Oprah, Time, etc.)

Charting Google's Success

This chart demonstrates the volume of ads on Google sites versus that of ads on sites that are not supported by Google search. From 2001 to 2009, they had managed to generate billions of dollars of revenue from ad services provided. This chart visually represents the extremes of how successful Google has become in the search and internet industry.

*Courtesy of CBS*

Google: The Phone Bug

As technology is quickly growing, so is Google's outreach on products. Google has been dominating desktop searches for over a decade, and is now on the move...literally. Technologically, cell phones are getting smarter. With Google's interest in going mobile, there is no doubt that they will succeed in branching out to the cellphone industry.

*Photo courtesy of Alexandru Savu

Already, Google is powering Android and, although it is possible to choose one's search engine preferences, a popular choice for the iPhone. These types of phones are also becoming the most popular in the country, thus, increasing the popularity of Google. PR Newswire has reported that Visiongain estimates that Google will rack up a hefty $2.85 billion by 2016 just on mobile search engine advertising alone.

To capitalize on this mobile success, Google is committing some serious money to better their position in the market. The company has been very active in seeking partners and making many acquisitions in order to offer competitive products. In 2010, Google was reported to have spent more than $7.31 billion in acquisitions and $3.76 billion on research and development for the best software they can offer to companies willing to use the search engine in their smartphones.

Should smartphones, like the iPhone, have the choice of main search engine? Does Google seem to be monopolizing by branching out to the cell phone industry?


SOURCE: Google in Mobile 2011: Building A Sustainable Competitive Advantage

                The credibility of this source is unquestionable because it was obtained from the database Student Resources in Context. The article was taken from PR Newswire. This news agency has been trusted by Americans since 1954. Today, they're hired by corporations, public relation firms, and non-governmental organizations to deliver content to the public regarding multimedia.

Synthesis & Plan

          Generally when a person logs onto their computer for research, they are not thinking of all the apps and how surrounded they are by their search engine. With Google being the #1 search engine for the past decade, the company has branched out in many directions to not only help the population, but to generate as much revenue as possible. Through these little applets, Google partners with companies and creates space for advertisements on both their search engine and willing websites. Along with these modes for outreach, Google has infiltrated the cell phone industry through Android and many others. The innovative technology and business strategies displayed are moves of stealth and creativity among the growing possibilities of the internet.
Questions I plan on answering:

• How did Google rise to where it is today?
• What technology does Google use for its search engine?
• What does the future look like for Google?
• What are the smart moves the Google has made to make the company rise to the top?

Is Google the new Facebook?

How is it possible that Google may surpass Facebook in social networking, you might ask? Easy, with Google+. This branch off of the Google industry serves much like a Facebook page does with similar functions to statuses, "liking", and sharing information. Recently after the launch of this service, Scott Martin of USA Today had written about the overwhelming numbers of usage. He had found that "visitors to Google+ shot up to nearly 15 million" soon after the social networking site was unleashed.

*Photo courtesy of Briar Press

This is all about Google flexing their internet-superpower guns and flaunting their followers. The advertisements for Google+ were minimal. By simply placing a blue arrow by the "Google+" link on the search engine's homepage, they were able to rack up a few million more followers. 

Martin had quoted IDC analyst Scott Ellison in saying that "theoretically, Google has the edge [over Facebook]". By this he means that Google is the search engine behind so much of the technology that we use today. In Google's repertoire is search, Android, YouTube, and Gmail, whereas Facebook just does not have the means to compete with such outlets of status. 

Facebook may continue to change its features so that it may look as though improvements are being made on the site, but users may soon discover that the changes are only skin-deep, so to speak. Opposing all of this, Google+ is adding functions to it's site that are user-friendly and apparent (such as sharing circles, video chats, and games). 

When it all comes down to it, Facebook is fleeing threatened and is going to have to up their game when it comes to competing with Google+. With it's growing fan circle, and Facebook's inability to make substantial changes, the future success of this new program is looking bright. 

If Google were to become the next Facebook, it would obviously take a really long time. Which do you think is more efficient for a human's needs and purpose for social networking? Google + or Facebook?

SOURCE: Success of Google+ Promo Shows Off Search Giant's Might - Scott Martin
               Scott Martin is an "unbiased" reporter for USA Today. This daily newspaper which vies with The Wall Street Journal for having the widest spread circulation and readership around the US. 

Don't Think You're Googling?... Think Again

   

SOURCE: Duvien

      Though many internet consumers may not notice it, they are Googling... constantly. Many of the web's applets and services provided are run by this company. One, for example is AOL. Though AOL seems outdated to some and has lost users because of competition (ex. Yahoo). However, Google still generates enough revenue to the point where this is not a problem.

     Almost everywhere you turn, Google is there.

     Turn on your computer and open Chrome (owned by Google).
     Want to check your MySpace or YoutTube account? Google owns those too...
     Say you need directions to get somewhere... Google Earth is there to show you a precise picture of your location and directions by foot, bike, or bus (complete with mapped stops).
     You can even track Santa Clause when it gets close to Christmas using Goggle's NORAD Santa Tracker.

    Google has proved hard to escape. The multitude of services that the company has both bought and created has clearly impressed the world because the population continues to use it! With previous performance in regard, if other services were as convenient as Google has made itself, would you use them instead? Why or why not?

SOURCE:The Secret To Google's Success - Businessweek

How Google Knows Your Life

      Ever get that feeling that someone is stalking you when an advertisement banner pops up on a website and it is full of exactly the things you would buy? Well, you should feel that way because you are being tracked. Google's AdSense keeps track of your website history and pairs that with products that you would potentially buy. Though this would make the average person cringe, it is really nothing to be afraid of. AdSense is a secure and private database that is not released to the public. It is not even released to the person creating the history.

Source: Flickr-Croppy

           To the average consumer, this may seem like a lot of work with little revenue. However,the work only really goes for one side. Google draws in these websites to assign advertisements to by leading with alluring titles such as "Get Paid!" and "It's Free!". Who would not want to sign up for something (for free) and get paid for simply doing so.

           AdSense is easy-going for the consumer but is not so much for the ones advertising on the website. Companies bid for certain websites that they would like to advertise on in a real-time auction (which Google facilitates and collects a percentage of each bid -- like any auctioneer). Owners of the website will know which advertisement had gotten the highest bid because the highest bidder is always shown.

           This, in part, is what makes AdSense the most reliable way to advertise. By pairing the highest bidder with the consumer's (website viewer's) search history prior to visiting the website, AdSense produces the most-successful suggestions while also earning a profit from the auction of the ad and paying the owner of the website on which the advertisement is displayed.

            Does using Google's AdSense seem like it would be good to use for the average website constructor?

   Source:Google AdSense
           This source is reliable because it is information and observations directly from the company's website itself.

Be Lazy At Work And Get Paid For It

             As many people may wonder what actually happens within the walls of the Googleplex, there is a multitude of answers to be given. However, when it comes to creativity, the employees at Google are encouraged to think in just this way. 

Source: The Telegraph

             According to Erin Hayes of ABC World News, Google has a contractual plan for its employees to use twenty percent of their time in doing whatever they want. Hayes writes, "so often that "20 percent time" has proved to be some of the most productive time spent at this company". This amazes me because I believe that, after a while, 20 Percent time could turn into 30 Percent and so on. Clearly, though, this has not been happening.

             From this "20 Percent Time" provided by Google for its employees has sprung the ideas of the RechargeIt Project and Google News, both of which have produced a substantial revenue for the Google industry.

            What I still wonder is why this idea has only hit Google. Many employees, if seen daydreaming or taking a mental pause, would be reprimanded or accosted by their boss to keep working. Clearly Google knows what it is doing in keeping their employees happy and working.

           Would you be able to keep control and stay on task if given a kind of "20 Percent Time"?

Source:"Google's 20 Percent Factor" - Erin Hayes, ABC News - (May 12th, 2008)

         Erin Hayes is a news correspondent for ABC News. She is a 25-year veteran for broadcasting and has won numerous national award regarding her performance. 

What makes Google so economically successful?

In middle school, I had a friend whose father had worked for Google. Whenever I would be at their house he would be telling me all these crazy stories about the office that he had worked in. Chairs replaced with bouncy balls, scooters used to go to and fro, even napping orbs that the employees could use as their own personal “thinking time”. Everyday seemed like a vacation to him. Since hearing his stories, and growing up to gain a better understanding of the world and how corporations work, I am curious as to how such a successful business can exist with employees that are so carefree and seem to hardly do any work at all. Now, I know that some work has to be getting done within the Googleplex walls, but it seems that the founders and organizers of the Google workers value creativity, innovation, and relaxation to increase productivity in some way. How does Google create such a large revenue with such lax working areas and no blatant services that are being paid for?