Google Goes Wide.. More Relevant Results
Added
Google Goes Deep... New Ways To Use Google
And The Crowd Goes Wild... Awards and Accolades
Building Momentum... Google Going Places
Dear Google Friends:
With the year well underway, we have much to share with
you in the
way of Google news. From changes in the scope of our index
to new
tools for extracting just the right information from all
that data,
Google continues to innovate and grow. We hope you'll find
this
update of interest and will use the information to make
your own
searching more productive.
The Google Team
Google
Goes Wide.. More Relevant Results Added
Here a billion, there a billion - our index gets a bit bigger
Google announced in January that its index
of web pages searched had experienced something of a growth
spurt. More than a billion items were added to the already
sizeable number of documents, images and Usenet posts Google
examines to find relevant results. That brings the total
number to 4.28 billion web pages, 880 million images, 845
million Usenet messages and a growing collection of book-related
information pages. Hard to believe that a couple of years
ago, a billion seemed like such a big number.
Read more at: http://www.google.com/press/pressrel/6billion.html
Double
vision - twice as many images as before
The images element of our index increase
is so substantial as to merit another mention. Effectively,
Google now searches twice as many images as it did last
month. You can search by image size, format (JPEG and/or
GIF) coloration and by the site or domain on which the images
appear. So now you're much more likely to find exactly the
image you need for that homework project or business proposal.
After all, Google is all about helping you look good.
Do your image searching at: http://images.google.com
Google
Goes Deep... New Ways To Use Google
Hidden treasures - uncover five new ways to use Google
Google does lots of little tricks. You
probably know already that you can enter ticker symbols
to get links to stock quotes, street addresses to get links
to maps and numeric expressions to use Google as a calculator.
Here are a few new features that you might not have tried
yet.
* Area Codes
With the proliferation of U.S. area codes, it's not easy
to figure out who's calling from where these days. Now you
can enter a 3-digit U.S. area code into any Google search
box for a link to a map of that area code's location.
Example: http://www.google.com/search?q=650
* Universal Product Codes (UPC)
Is your checkout scanner on the fritz? Find out more about
a product by entering its UPC code into the Google search
box. The UPC code is the number on the bottom of the zebra
striped bar code displayed on most product packages.
Example: http://www.google.com/search?q=073333531084
* Flight tracking
Attention, travelers (and those picking you up): find the
status of a U.S. flight without delay. Just type a flight
number into the Google search box (for example, USAir 50)
to see a direct link to that
flight's status information.
Example: http://www.google.com/search?q=usair+50
* Vehicle ID (VIN) numbers
Want to learn a little more about that car you're about
to buy? Check the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN), then
type it into Google for a link to a page with more information
about the year, make and model of a specific car.
* Package tracker
Eager to find out what happened to that fruitcake you ordered
last December? Enter a tracking number for any package from
UPS, Federal Express, or the U.S. Postal Service in any
Google search box and you'll see a direct link to information
about the delivery status of that package.
All of these new search features are available
now for English language users on Google.com throughout
the world. (International versions will be available in
the coming months.)
Learn more at http://www.google.com/help/features.html
Dutch treat
- Google Toolbar now in Dutch - and Chinese and Korean
Been waiting for a Google Toolbar that
speaks to you? Well, if your preferred tongue is Dutch,
Korean or Chinese, your day has come. The Toolbar, with
its pop-up blocker and form filler are now available in
these tongues, as well as Arabic, Greek and dozens of others.
Windows users can download a free Google Toolbar 2.0 at:
http://toolbar.google.com/
Worldwide
alerts - Google News Alerts in more languages
Sure, you're up to speed in English, but
what about news from the Francophone world? Or the latest
updates from the Spanish press? Now you can get Google news
alerts in these languages as well as German and Italian,
with even more languages on the way. Google News Alerts
are an easy way to track topics of interest, and deliver
to your in-box either a daily roundup of the latest relevant
headlines or quick messages as news breaks.
French - http://www.google.fr/newsalerts
German - http://www.google.de/newsalerts
Italian - http://www.google.it/newsalerts
Spanish - http://www.google.es/newsalerts
And
The Crowd Goes Wild... Awards and Accolades
Search Engine
Watch Awards - keeping their eye on Google
Google received eight awards in the 4th Annual Search Engine
Watch Awards, which recognize outstanding achievements in
web searching. Google was recognized as the "Outstanding
Search Service," for helping Internet users locate
information from across the Web. Google has received this
distinction every year since the awards were initiated in
2000. Google AdWords was also given top honors for value,
targeting, tools and overall advertiser satisfaction. Since
the awards are based on votes by users from across the Web,
they have special meaning for the Googlers who work to make
our search service fast, accurate and easy to use. Thanks
to all of you who supported us this year and in the past.
Brand
new all over again - Google stays "Brand of the Year"
Interbrand, a marketing consultancy firm,
has named Google "Brand of the Year" for the second
consecutive year, based on a survey of more than 4,000 people
in 85 countries. Given that Google's growth has come almost
entirely from word of mouth and not traditional brand promotion,
we're not sure what to make of this marketing honor. Perhaps
it's best to simply acknowledge that a lot of you not only
like using Google, you like letting others know how well
Google works for you. For that we (and your friends) thank
you wholeheartedly.
Raves
for the Rover - Google logos take off
On January 15, we posted a special homepage
logo marking the Mars landing of the Spirit robotic explorer.
Delighted science fans deluged us with email, including
some from NASA scientists close to the project. The month
before, we marked the centennial of human flying machines
by depicting the Wright Brothers' flyer in our logo. For
Valentine's Day, our logo "O"s smooched it up.
Our year-end winter holiday logo consisted of a "Google
Doodle," a simple graphical story that unfolded over
five days. If you ever wonder what it is we're celebrating
with our homepage graphics, simply roll your mouse over
the image for a description or click on the special commemorative
logo to view search results about the topic.
Check out all of our special logos:
http://www.google.com/holidaylogos.html
Building
Momentum... Google Going Places
A
World of Talent - Google Engineering in Switzerland, India
Google's audience of information seekers
is global in scope so lately Google has been doing some
global searching of its own. We recently opened engineering
centers in Zurich and Bangalore and are actively hiring
engineers and computer scientists to join our staffs there.
These offices are on a par with Google's engineering offices
in New York, Santa Monica and Mountain View and the work
to be done there will improve our search service for all
users. If you've thought about working for Google, but didn't
want to make the 5,000 mile commute, we're trying to make
it a bit easier for you. More information can be found on
our site.
Google India: http://www.google.com/jobs/sw-bangalore.html
Google Europe (Zurich): http://www.google.ch/intl/en_ch/jobs/
Encouraging
women in Computer Science - Anita Borg scholarships
Google is pleased to be able to support
women seeking degrees in Computer Science through the Anita
Borg scholarship program. Before her untimely passing last
year, Dr. Anita Borg worked relentlessly to dismantle barriers
that kept women and minorities from entering computing and
technology. Google offers a $10,000 scholarship in her name
for one undergraduate and one master's level degree candidate
in computer science during the 2004-2005 academic year.
Selection will be based on academic background, a short
essay, financial need, and letters of recommendation. Complete
applications must be received by Friday, March 12, 2004.
Spread the word to women you know with an interest in computer
science or read more about the program at:
http://www.google.com/anitaborg
Same URL, different
address - Google moves
It's official. The Googleplex has a new
home in Mountain View, Calif. While some Googlers are still
in the process of making the move, our new headquarters
is up and running at our new address.
If you're planning a visit or sending us chocolate chip
cookies, you'll find us at:
1600 Amphitheatre Parkway
Mountain View, CA 94043
http://www.google.com/corporate/address.html
For past issues of this newsletter, browse our archive at:
http://www.google.com/googlefriends/archive.html
To subscribe to the Google Friends Newsletter, please visit:
http://www.google.com/contact/newsletter.html
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