Have you ever had those days where everything lines up just right? Or you get the same message over and over again through different channels? I love those days! They fascinate me. Not long ago I had one about running. All of my old running friends seemed to be coming out of the woodwork, there was talk of lots of different races, the newest clinic was starting, and it all built up to a level of excitement that just made me think long and hard about my own running.
Sadly, I’d been off my own training for a couple of months (sometimes life gets in the way of running), but instead of taking this influx of running information and hanging my head because I wasn’t running, it catapulted me into thinking about what I needed to do to get out there again. And trust me, starting training up at the beginning of December, right before the crunch of the holiday season, is not the easiest plan to implement. Did I get back into running? Yes, but not just running: I am running, spinning and doing a core class. I do better with extremes, as it turns out, than with gently easing myself into my exercise regime. It makes for a rough and tired couple of weeks, but I know the results will be fantastic and my motivation will continue to expand from approaching it this way.
Turns out that Google and I have a lot in common: they like to take on big projects and through all they have at it too!
Have you done a Google search over the last few days? I did on this morning. Actually, I searched for this website, so I could see what we’d blogged about lately (no need to repeat myself), in order to get a bit of inspiration. And this is what I found:
Turns out that as soon as I did a bit of poking about online (I love that part of my job!) it became apparent that Google has finally launched their Real Time search. What’s interesting about Real Time search is that it gives you results for your search that are new or current. As Google themselves put it, they wanted a “dynamic stream of real-time content from across the web”. It’s really a result of the influence of tools like Twitter and Facebook, where we’ve become used to getting real-time content.
A little more searching uncovered that Google is working on a few projects for their mobility users too. They’ve added more languages to their voice search, with concrete plans to add even more languages in the future. What’s Nearby is being introduced to Google, a feature that allows mobile devices to “launch a the menu whereby users can find businesses and attractions immediately around them” based on a single mapping point. And Googles, a visual search tool that “uses the camera to search on objects/image…take a picture and get information back”, is also on the table.
All of these new Google products are expansions to the success of the original search tool, but Google is taking into account the development of tools, needs, and desires of its users. Google doesn’t work in a vacuum, and their business is smart enough to look at other developments, like Twitter’s real-time content or the need for search features via voice or picture, and apply them to grow their business. It’s smart development work and it keeps internet marketing companies on their toes.
Plus, like my running, they seem to have the resources to tackle many large projects at once and still look like they are having a good time. It’s a model to live up to.