GeekSugar

Should Google Have First Amendment Rights?

Anna Monette Roberts — Tue, 22 May 2012 08:11:00 PDT

Most people consider Google to be a connector to information - in the same way that Flickr connects users to photos - yet one UCLA professor has recently taken up the cause that Google functions more as a publisher, like a newspaper, and should be treated as such by the law. And as journalists receive freedom of the press, entitled to pick and choose what content they prefer without government interference, Google's search results, the professor argues, should be protected under First Amendment rights too.

Google, the number one search engine in the world, promises that its algorithm pulls the most relevant results from trusted sources to "answer" search queries related to news, places, people, things, and products. The site does not promise neutrality in those results, and competitors have argued that Google's algorithms favor Google products and Google-owned services. If Google is protected under the First Amendment, then it is protected by law to favor its products and certain websites while excluding others.

Does Google's search-engine product deserve a freedom-of-press type of legal protection, shielding it from claims of anticompetitive practices, or should it be regulated like other large corporations are?

Facebook's Multi-Billion Stock Market Debut & 5 Mammoth Tech IPOs

Kristy Korcz — Fri, 18 May 2012 10:04:12 PDT

Facebook's day in the stock market arrived today as the company debuted on the NASDAQ to a valuation over $100 billion. The $38 a share IPO price makes Facebook the biggest company in U.S. history to go public, yet other tech companies have also raised massive amounts (yet relatively modest sums compared to Facebook) of cash with their own initial public offerings. Take a look back at tech's financial heavyweights.

Photo: Instagram User katestern

How to Use Google's New Knowledge Graph

Anna Monette Roberts — Thu, 17 May 2012 13:03:03 PDT

In an effort to improve and smarten up search results, Google launched the Knowledge Graph today. Previously, Google's search algorithm matched a string of letters or keywords to websites containing those letters, but keywords often have deeper meanings than face value. Google created the Knowledge Graph in response to the need for a more intelligent search model that better understands the people, places, and things that users are looking for.

Intended to include more appropriate search results, the Knowledge Graph also includes an organized array of basic facts, maps, and pictures to enrich the results. We've outlined below the three points you need to know when using the Knowledge Graph:

What terms to use: As of now, the Knowledge Graph only pulls results for people, places, or groups (like bands). Type in terms such as "Wes Anderson," "Houston, Texas," or "The Strokes" to see the Knowledge Graph in action. Type in a longer query like "keyboard shortcuts for mac," and Google will return to its classic results page format.

Learn more about the Knowledge Graph after the break.

Google Drive and 4 Other Cloud Storage Solutions

Kelly Schwarze — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 13:48:01 PDT

After years of speculation about a storage product, Google announced today its cloud storage solution - Google Drive. In an effort to seamlessly blend use for those already entrenched in Google Docs, documents are automatically built into Drive so that files can be collaborated on in real time. Users can give feedback on anything shared, including PDFs or video files, not just Google Docs; all users are then notified of the latest comment.

Drive can be installed on both Mac and PC platforms and a Drive app is available now for Android phones and tablets. We're hoping the iOS app is on its way. The cloud industry standard of a free 5GB of storage is the basic Drive account, with paid upgrades of 25GB for $2.50 per month, 100GB for $5 per month, or a huge 1TB for $50 per month. Any upgrade to a paid account includes the storage in your Gmail account boosting to 25GB.

Of course, Google Drive is only the latest product for cloud storage needs. Here are four more solutions for storing budget files or photos from your around-the-world vacation.

Dropbox - Arguably the leader in cloud storage, Dropbox has won customers with the user-friendly ability to sync files across multiples devices and act as a hosting tool for large media like hi-res images when sending them through email isn't an option.
iCloud - Stores 5GB of anything and everything for free for all iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, and Mac users. It has some limits and only stores media purchased through iTunes, but for Apple devotees it's an effortless option.

Discover two more cloud solutions after the break.

How-To: Easily Organize Your Google Docs

Anna Monette Roberts — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 03:12:02 PDT

"I'll start a Google Doc." You might hear it every day, because volunteering to share documents via Google is almost an instant reflex these days. Most people are shifting away from sharing documents via a flash drive or network, because Google Docs makes it so easy to view and update files. But with so many schools and offices making the Google move, it can be overwhelming to keep track of all your personal and professional files. Luckily, Google allows you to organize files into neat little folders, so here's our simple and efficient how-to.

Google Recruiter: Here's How to Craft an Email That Will Catch My Eye

Emily Co — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 15:01:24 PDT

If you don't want your email to get lost among the mountain of job pitches in a recruiter's inbox, perhaps you need to revise your strategy. Michael Junge, Google recruiter and author of Purple Squirrel, gives a few pointers on writing the ideal introduction email with SavvySugar in an interview.

Be specific. Junge says he's more likely to click on an email that's specific versus one that's generic. It's helpful to make sure that even the subject line is specific to the purpose of an email so the intention of the email is clear. "Instead of a generic subject line, I recommend something that references the specific job title," Junge says. For example, using a subject line like "Expert Project Manage For Position Number 428" will make the receiver more likely to open it versus a generic "Hi, Nice to Meet You."

Make it brief. Short and sweet is always the better route to take when you're writing emails, and a great introduction email is going to make a difference, according to Junge. "The idea of the email is mostly to get the person to click on the résumé," says the Google recruiter. A good email should say something like, "Hey my name is so and so, it's nice to meet you. I'm a project manager with 10 years of experience. Here are a couple of quick highlights of my background." Junge recommends to then add about two or three bullet points that are relevant to the particular position based on the information the applicants have about the job.

And if you manage to score a meet and greet with the email, here's a question you should consider asking at the start of the interview.

Google's Future Project Glass Heads-Up Display Glasses Make an Appearance

Kristy Korcz — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 10:53:41 PDT

Google unveiled its Project Glass heads-up display glasses earlier today. Still in the concept phase, Project Glass would essentially take your smartphone out of your hands and onto your face with the ability to check the weather, get directions, send texts, make calls, and more, thanks to augmented reality. If nothing else, it will definitely bring more hands-free, sci-fi infused interactivity into your life. Get a look at what the glasses can do in the demo video after the break.

5 Reasons to Use Google Voice

Kristy Korcz — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 10:30:04 PDT

A lot of you guys have signed up for a Google Voice account, but I've heard a lot of people say they weren't entirely sure what the fuss was all about. If you're considering an account (or an invite) but aren't sure what you'd use it for, check out my favorite reasons for using Google Voice below.

A phone number you'll have forever, but other people won't - Your Google Voice number is one you'll keep forever (at least until we communicate mentally), but it's one you can give out freely without being leery about the person you're giving it to. Suggestions for this include using it for Craigslist transactions (because you don't always know who you're dealing with) and people you meet but aren't sure they're not total freaks. If they turn out to be weird, you can easily block them.
It's all online - You manage everything online with Google Voice, so you'll never go through some confusing automated menu. Manage all your settings, check out your visual voicemail and download messages as MP3s, and read voicemail transcripts, so you don't have to put a phone to your ear if you don't want to.
Ring more than one phone - If you have a bad habit of not hearing your cell phone or you don't want to pick up your cell for whatever reason, you can also set the number to ring your house line, your friend's phone, or the phone at the hotel you're staying at.
Best call screening ever - You can set up Voice to make callers say their first and last name before you answer; you can set it to identify all unknown callers or just blocked callers.
Custom greetings - Your outgoing voicemail greeting is rarely one-size-fits-all. You can set up custom voicemail greetings for groups if, for instance, you're applying for jobs and want a very formal greeting, but a casual one for everyone else.

Google Recruiter: Ask This Question at the Start of the Interview

Emily Co — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 05:00:55 PDT

Everyone has their own spiel about what they can offer the company and relevant skill sets, but sometimes the job description is vague and you have no clue what your interviewer wants to hear. There's a way to get around this hurdle. Michael Junge, Google recruiter and author of Purple Squirrel, shared this suggestion with SavvySugar in an interview:

"One of the biggest missed opportunities for most people in the interview is finding out what the other person thinks is important at the beginning of the conversation. If you and I sat down and I had no idea of what your goals and expectations are in a new hire, I can spend the entire interview talking about elements and aspects of my background that are totally meaningless to you. And I may have experience that's completely relevant and miss it. And I see this happen all the time. [Broach the topic by saying] simple things like, "I have a general idea about the goal of this position, but I'd love to hear in your own words what you're looking for in a new hire or what makes someone successful." Just something simple to get them talking about their expectations and what they're hoping for and how the person is going to make their life easier. And then for the rest of the conversation you have the opportunity to be more useful and relevant."

Asking the interviewer a question when he's asking you questions can be a sensitive scenario so make sure you tread lightly and that you're phrasing it in a respectful way. What do you think - is this is a good way to start an interview?

Find out how to answer some of the most common interview questions.

Google Play: Syncing and Storing Your Music, Movies, and EBooks in the Cloud

Kristy Korcz — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 11:04:47 PST

Google introduced Google Play today, which wirelessly syncs and stores all of your music, movies, apps, and ebooks that you buy from the Android market, Google Music, and the Google eBookstore across numerous devices. Google Play will make it insanely simple to streamline your media experience. For example, you can start a book on your Android tablet and pick up where you left off via your phone, or start a movie on your Chromebook and watch it later on your Internet-connected TV. If you download a song from Google Music, it will be instantly available across all of your devices, without storage or membership fees.

There will be some changes you need to know about though - as of today, the Android Market, Google Music, and Google eBookstore will become part of Google Play, changing their app names to the Google Play Store, Google Play Music, Google Play Books, and Google Play Movies, but you can access all of these in one place online through the Google Play website. You'll still have access to your purchased apps and media, store up to 20,000 songs for free, and be able to log in with your Google account. You can even pay for your purchases through Google Wallet.

Check out Google's cool demo video of the service and tell us what you think of the new Google media ecosystem after the break.