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My 2 featured articles for the week ending Aug. 11, 2006:

Archived blogs for the week of Aug. 14, 2006

1216 - Aug. 18, 2006 - 11.12 AM EST

Google launches its Wi-Fi network

On Aug. 16, Google officially launched its Wi-Fi network in its hometown of Mountain View, California. Transmitter units mounted on lampposts throughout Mountain View are now distributing Google's Wi-Fi Wireless Internet Access utilizing the 802.11b/g protocol.

Google's new service brings wireless Internet access to the city's residents, businesses, and its many tourists.

All a person needs is a laptop or other wireless-enabled device and a web browser to get online. Then Mountain View users can select the "Google-WiFi" signal, open their web browser and sign in with a free Google Account.

To learn more about Google's new network coverage area and the location of the Wi-Fi transponders, Google has published a map.

Google's new Wi-Fi network is its way to give back to and engage with the community where its headquarters are located.

"As the product manager for Google Wi-Fi, it has been has been tremendously rewarding to partner with the local government, the schools, the library, the neighborhood associations, and all of our trusted testers to introduce the power of free, wireless Internet connectivity to the city. I look forward to meeting with more members of the community at upcoming training sessions and ice cream socials" said a Google spokeperson.

Posted on Businessblog™

1215 - Aug. 17, 2006 - 8.15 AM EST

When will Google become generic?

Naseem Javed is a harsh critic of casual and accidental naming. He is a dynamic speaker on corporate image and branding issues, and is also the author of Naming for Power. He founded ABC Namebank International, an image and branding consultancy 25 years ago. I like Naseem for his candid 'dry' remarks and his philosophy on what corporate branding should be.

I just found this article he published today on Marketing Trends.org:

Today, there are hundreds of once highly protected famous name brands, which were backed by multi-million dollar promotional budgets, now commonly used in daily lingo as generic names, as it was their huge popularity that made them lose their trademark protection.

So why is the use of famous trademarked names as ‘verbs’ in our daily language feared by the attorneys representing that mark? Now this calls for a closer look.

For example, when you open your fridge, have an aspirin, use a kleenex and watch the kids in spandex jumping the trampoline then go out rollerblading later you sit xeroxing then fedexing and have a granola or may be googling on the net. All these highlighted names are generic, and their respective owners try very hard to keep them unique by means of graphic logos for better identification.

Currently, the term, “to google”, is in the Oxford English Dictionary with a lower case”g”. This is indicative that the word ‘to google’ has entered the English language as a word, and therefore, making it very difficult for the originators, Google™, to keep it exclusive for themselves.

Today, anyone can manufacture a frigde, trampoline or a rollerblade, so does this mean that there will be googling devices and googling softwares, or google kits produced by others?

Now the giant of the search engine universe, Google™ flares up and warns media to back off from using its most powerful moniker, Google™ as a “verb”. This now calls for an even closer look.

First of all, it is all about our cultural transition surrounded by today’s Novo-Psycho-Cyber-Dependency-Behavior. i.e an uncontrollable and unstoppable compulsion disorder to become fully symbiotronically attached oneself to various access devices with the body, and to search the net for hidden secrets and hidden bargains in the farthest and darkest corners of the world.

This cultural revolution and this cyber-dependency-behavior both embrace the centrality of ‘googlization’ as its main force. The popularity of Google™ is awesome, and soon, historians will refer to our current times as a Search-Craze-Era. Well done, Google viva le search.

Like Netsurfing or email and many thousands of other brand names that became common generic terms, Google is now swimming in the same soup, and if you google today or talk about googling, watch out as you are seriously upsetting this monster search engine. You can read the rest of Naseem Javed's article here.

Posted on Businessblog™

1214 - Aug. 16, 2006 - 9.14 AM EST

AOL acquires Userplane

On Monday, America Online (AOL) announced that is has acquired Userplane, a pioneer in community networking software. Userplane develops and markets easy-to-use, Web-based chat and instant messaging (IM) tools that can be rapidly deployed and seamlessly integrated into a variety of Web services.

The agreement with AOL was signed on July 28th and closed last week. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Originally founded in 2001 by Michael Jones, Nate Thelen and Javier Hall, Userplane has licensed its chat technology to more than 100,000 Web sites and online communities, and has a presence in more than 25 countries. Key customers include MySpace.com, Honda, Date.com, Spark, IGN, Tagged, Red Bull, Marvel Comics, and others.

Userplane'swide network of online communities includes social networking and dating websites, blogs, and niche communities.

Userplane offers its Web-based chat and instant messaging services under three business models.

There is a monthly licensing model in which customers pay fees based on usage, a free model in which Userplane represents the resulting advertising inventory, and a hybrid model through which licensed clients can also place Userplane's advertising inventory on their site and share in the proceeds.

Userplane's visitors spend an average of at least 20 minutes engaged inthe Userplane experience per visit, which enables Userplane to provide rich advertising space - including streaming audio and video.

Because the Userplane experience is fundamentally user-centric, advertisers can precisely target their audience based on user profiles and demographics.

The trend-setting and early-adopting 18 to 35 demographics is best represented among Userplane's large and rapidly growing user base.

"Userplane will expand and extend the reach and relevance of the AOL instant messaging franchise, while continuing to provide social networking audiences and specialized communities with brandable clients tailored to meet their needs," said Ted Leonsis, vice chairman and president, AOL Audience Business.

Posted on Businessblog™

1213 - Aug. 14, 2006 - 5.33 PM EST

Will Google compete head-on with eBay?

Some eBay sellers have launched a discussion on Google Groups to press the Mountain View company to consider opening a new auction site that would directly compete against eBay.

This comes right after eBay announced a sharp fee increase for Store inventory listings, in an effort to what eBay has termed "rebalancing the marketplace" toward a core platform (Non-Store listings).

The discussion group, called "Google We Need an Auction Site," was created on August 3rd and had only 17 members. The Group now has grown to 80 members as/of August 9.

Posted on Businessblog™

Copyright © Serge Thibodeau 2006. All rights reserved.

All views and opinions expressed on this blog are those of Serge Thibodeau only and are not representative of any company listed. All slogans, trademarks, text or logo representation used or referred to on this blog are the property of their respective owners.