Who's Who At Google New York

Who's Who At Google New York - Ari Paparo on the DoubleClick DFA team makes the list. Short and sweet insider view.

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Nov 13

• Has it really been 1 month since my posts? Wow well here are some updates:
• Part of my blog slackiness was due to a 10 day hiatus while biking in Croatia! The trip was amazing, and I highly recommend my tour company, Vermont Bike Tours. One of my travel mates blogged about the trip on her own blog, saving me the time. Worth a read if you want to learn more about my trip, thanks to the Traveling Hillbilly. I'm toying with the idea of starting a new blog - focused on travel as well. The traveling Hillbilly inspired me a bit, along with Rick Steves, who I saw speak today for his latest book. I read his 1st book (he now has 30 books) before I Eurorailed and moved to France in 1995. It was his 1st book, and I learned a lot from it. To this day (and my traveling friends can attest), I never carry more than my carry-on rollerboard and a backpack.
• I am back in the bay area for a while now which I am excited about. Looking forward to getting out on the bike this weekend for a trip around Tiburon.

Oct 7

• In Chicago for the week enjoying some crisp fall weather. Great for runs and leaf peeping. I will be here for the Chicago marathon. Spectating, not running!
• Google launches 'simple ads' for the AdWords local market.
• Sergey and Eric talk in NY and are featured as TechCrunch's headline article today.

Oct 2

• Google launches new local mobile search.
• Bing market share falls for the 1st time since launch to 8.5% down from 9.4.
• How are your presenting skills? Up to par? Here's a great refresher that are helpful points to remember. Good for all of us. My favorite one is to remove your badge, and of course less words generally are better. That reminds me of another famous powerpoint best practices by Guy Kawasaki.
• Comcast to have a 51% stake in NBC? What would GE do? NBC has no cable offering at this point, so the two could make sense, if not blocked by regulators (likley I think).

Oct 1

• One of the many blogs I subscribe to had a good post about leadership this week. It was a good reminder of what we can each do, every day, to practice leadership in our own ways. I found it inspiring and perhaps you will too! Summed up nicely it states

Three things to remember, for continuous learning:

• Raise your self-awareness regarding your leadership effectiveness
• Get out of your comfort zone, try new things and learn from your mistakes
• Be curious and learn from others

What have you done today to raise your self awareness? What could do out of your comfort zone?

Sep 30

• Chicago for 2016 Olympic summer games? The four cities bidding to host the 2016 Summer Olympic Games - Rio de Janeiro, Chicago, Tokyo and Madrid - are ramping up their bids for a Friday decision. The Obama's arrive in Copanhagen today and tomorrow to lobby. This WSJ article highlights Chicago Mayor Daley's take, and his swaying stance on how the city will cover any losses for the games. Given the finalists, its likely Chicago or Rio will be chosen IMO. I'm all for it and would be there in 2016. Follow progress on GameBids.
• Speaking of Olympics, I am looking forward to my own trip to 2012 in Vancouver BC in February 2010. Lots of hockey and speedskating in my future. I couldn't fork up the $500+ per ticket for figure skating, sorry Canadian relatives.
• What are the top 10 attractive cities for youth? WSJ reports Washington/Seattle (tie), followed by NYC, Portland, and Austin. San Jose made #6. Congrats to my bro and my friends in San Jose! Interesting article as why even 11% unemployment city like Portland still has appeal.

Sept 29

• September always flies by, but this was fast. Hello, October (well almost)
• Google's YouTube finds Money in Analytics

Sept 23

• More info on the Google Advertiser Exchange, this time starring Neal Mohan

Sept 22

• More updates on the Adobe/Omniture deal. Omniture CEO Josh James gives his commentary to MediaPost today. He has some good ideas on integration and how it will benefit and automate the industry. I think we are all up for that.
• Netflix announced its $1M prize winner for improving its movie recommendation system. I remember when this was announced about 6 months ago, and it seems like a cool idea. I'm a big Netflix fan, so I'm looking forward to getting more accurate recommendations myself!
• Gearing up to explore Napa and dine at the CIA this weekend. That's Culinary Institute of America to you and I. I have never been to the CIA, but I'm very excited to have an amazing lunch on Saturday, with my food scientist Seattle friend Joanne. Of course, I'll have to stop at Jessup, my Yountville based wine club for a tasting and a wine pick up. I'm 2 shipments behind!

Sep 21

• Omniture partners with comScore to deliver "unified audience measurements" to publishers and advertisers. What does this mean for you? As CMO Linda Abraham comments, "The initial phase of the partnership will provide publishers with a turnkey solution for inclusion in comScore Media Metrix 360 measurement. This means that publishers who are already Omniture clients will be able to leverage the beacons that are already in place to quickly bypass the normal beacon implementation process for Media Metrix 360. Additionally this partnership opens the door for joint product initiatives that will leverage the granularity of the Omniture site-specific data with the Web-wide view of Internet user behavior provided by comScore."

• I completed the Santa Cruz triathlon yesterday. My race was great. The most daunting part is the swim around Santa Cruz pier. After a dip to get 'acclimated' to the 60' water, it didn't seem half as bad. I had my best time yet for olympic distance, and even won a beach towel. It's a beautiful course, and fortunately it stayed foggy and cool for all of us.

• I got giddy when I found this article today. It's siking me up for my upcoming *big* holiday - biking through Croatia with VBT.

Sept 18

• Google Launches the DoubleClick AdExchange today.

Sept 17

• A new, innovate adserving platform launched this week called 5to1. The founders, a team from myspace and Fox Interactive, have a great approach to network advertising - pick your ads a la carte, itunes shopping style. From this WSJ article, it sounds like a helpful model for publishers, to ensure and control what runs on their site. If they've figured out the mechanics of how it works, it should be a success. Good luck, 5to1!
• Simulmedia is out of the bag. Dave Morgan, founder of 2x7 and Tacoda networks, announced his latest startup that will "help programmers, distributors, advertisers and, ultimately, viewers, manage an ultra fragmented television marketplace." Given Dave's success on past initiatives, this should be welcomed by the TV industry as a new approach to improve media buys.
• Google to buy Brightcove? Mediapost reports on the rumors...

Sept 16

• The big news of the day, Adobe buys Omniture for $1.8B. Omniture's CEO will join as new SVP of the business unit. This was an unlikely pairing but makes great sense for both companies and will ultimately help "accelerate the ability to deliver on vision of enabling customers to optimize their digital interactions."
• Google Fast Flip launched! Try out Fast Flip to browse a la 'magazine' style. Checking out a news story? Try the flip and see what you can peruse and find. Is it easier? Faster? More info?

Sept 15

• This weekend I finished my MS Waves to Wine Ride. Over 2 days, myself and 2000+ other riders cycled 150 miles from San Francisco to Lake Sonoma over 2 days. It was a great ride, and the cool temperatures kept pushing us onwards. Thanks again to everyone who contributed to my fundraising. I raised $1450 total which I'm very excited about.

• My former employer, France Telecom, popped up in the news today. Apparently, FT is doing its part to end suicides and "stop the infernal spiral" of suicides among workers at the former state-owned monopoly, including surveillance and counselling programs. The WSJ claimed suicides at FT (100,000+ workers) were not out of proportion to the general population. The gesture is a thoughtful one, but also seems a bit out of place, no? At the very least FT can help bring awareness to the issue, sponsor conseling, or other means to talk about issues to avoid this morbid avenue.
• Speaking of suicides, today's other announcement of Rockefeller's investment manger/NYSE board member James McDonald committed suicide at 56. Everyone declined comment when asked questions relating to the story. It makes me wonder what and why someone would take their own life when they appear to have so much on the outside.

Sept 11

• Today, I awoke restless and had some energy to burn. Never mind the next 2 days of riding 150 miles for MS. I ran a 4.5 mile loop down to the ball park and around the beautiful and serene waterfront to the ferry building. When I got to the ball park, I was greeting by an unexpected 9/11 memorial

• Living in San Francisco, the annual 9/11 anniversary is never as stark as when it passed in NYC. It was great to see this today, and I paused to remember that terrible day and how much everything changed.

Sept 3

• I just saw this video on YouTube featuring my brother's software audio visual graphics for rapper Soulja Boy/Kiss me through the phone video. You can't see them that well except for a few pan-outs, but they're there in the background after Whopee's intros!
• TechCrunch has an interesting insight - apparently the Onion is bubbling up to the top of Google News Search Results. The Onion's satire is always amusing, and could even be relevant. Will it stay in search results? I say yes.

Sept 2

• Happy September. Without as many visulal queues as I used to have on the east coast, it's hard to believe September is here. September is always a busy time of year for most folks, and marks the start of my favorite season. Even without rustling leaves and brisk breezes, I still enjoy it, especially on the west coast with the hottest months of the year.
• Only 2 more weeks until my 150 mile bike ride for MS. I've raised $1400 to date. Thanks for all your support. I am feeling somewhat ready as I've been doing weekly training rides and also training for my 3rd olympic triathlon this year the Santa Cruz Triathlon. After September, it will be nice to take a few weeks off!

Aug 26

• Just your everyday Joe's using the myTouch. The new T-mobile commercial for TV, Theaters, online, and print kicks off tomorrow. I will be right along with them - I have one myself. Very excited about the new extended battery life (5h talk time or so).

Painted ladies in the Hayes

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Aug 25

• Today is a proud day for me. I took and passed the CA license exam. I

went about a month ago but didn't have my paperwork quite right, so today I
returned to settle up. The CA dmv is pretty much the same as the nys dmv. It
is scary to think what the world would be like if everything was so
inefficiently run as the dmv. Probably a bit like the old Russian bread
lines.

• More news online ads boost offline sales. We already had a big hunch this was the case. Evidence is mounting that online is as effective as TV, posted on Google's blog. I tend to agree, especially for brand awareness campaigns. This is terrific news for online advertising who've figured out how to make campaigns effective, and drive their sales in the online and offline world.

Aug 24

• Are you neutral or subjective when you blog? A new development called sentiment analysis is taking place on the internet. What's interesting about this is that web mining is taking a new form - feelings, vs facts to diagnose a web page, and better understand intentions and mass stream of consciousness. The computer science plot thickens!

San Francisco scenic shot guest starring - fog

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Aug 21

• A few days ago, MSNBC.com purchased local news site everyblock - which has a interesting site for SF. It reminds me of another site...lets see? Ah yes, a very Google Analytics modeled layout for police calls, crime blotters, threats, you name it. Great way to learn what you probably didn't know about your hood.
• comScore/dunnhumby study shows CPG online advertising works to build retail sales on par with TV. "Revealing that the Internet can be as effective an advertising medium as television advertising. Over the course of twelve weeks, online ad campaigns with an average reach of 40 percent of their target segment successfully grew retail sales of the advertised brands by an average of 9 percent. This compares to an average lift of 8 percent for TV advertising as measured by Information Resources, Inc. (IRI) and published in their seminal research paper “How Advertising Works.”
• TGIF people! Have a great weekend.

Aug 17

• Got Gmail? It's officially the 3rd largest email provider after AOL and Hotmail. I have used Yahoo and MSN in the past and present myself. I prefer gmail myself, then hotmail then yahoo. Yahoo is crazy ad-centric, where my reading space is compromised unless I want to pay for 'premium' email services. Er no thanks. I may as well just go back to rowgirl@mail.com, where I'd get a new ad page inbetween clicking on an email link and then reading it. Maximum distruption and intrusiveness.
• Yesterday was another great day to sail on the bay. Some good wind and fog-less closer to the Marin and Angel Island side. On the way back home from Sausalito we stopped at Cavallo Point just under the Golden Gate Bridge on the Sausalito side. I have never ventured over there, but there is some great sights and attractions. It even looks like the Presidio, only a bit newer. Next time you're in Sausalito, drive by and have a drink at the hotel and gaze out to the bay to see the tankers, birds, and outriggers pass by.

Aug 11

• 7 Great Adserver Solutions - my favorite is up there. A good high level comparision of today's top options for serving ads on your web site. A few are free (Google Ad Manager, Open X)
• I haven't seen this myself, but I am going to start looking. Goats are one of my favorite animals. Way better than pushing a lawn mower, my least favorite chore (another apt living perk).

Google Hires Goats To Mow Its Lawn (GOOG)

• Flash gets tricky with cookies. Great Wired article on how there's new technology out there that 'bends' around existing privacy policies. It's gettig a lot of attention now that Google and behavioral targeting is getting more attention these days.

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Aug 10

• As rumored, Publicis buys Razorfish, the advertising arm of Atlas, from Microsoft for $530M in auctioned treasury shares. This is a good move and a value buy. It also makes the French agency a much larger player in the digital advertising space. Publicis can expand its digital advertising and generate up to 25% of its sales in this area. Razorfish can once again be an agency that supports all types of digital clients.
• This weekend was a great training weekend for MS Waves to Wine. I am keeping a riding blog/log on my personal fundraising page. Lots of hills yesterday. I really enjoyed the ride. We took lots of good breaks to combat the 1400ft climb!
• Looks like Gietner is also feeling the housing slump. The trickle-up effect spares no one, as John Stewart shows us on the video clip.

Aug 6

• How much is Google's brand worth? $100 billion according to Millard Brown. MSFT is #2 followed by Coca-Cola. Some other usual suspects at top brand value follow (Apple, IBM, Blackberry). Who's missing? I didn't see Tide or P&G up there, but then again maybe its becuase they keep changing their brand (diluting it in my opinion)
• I am enjoying watching The Ascent of Money - a 1-hour episode, 4 hour series shown on PBS. I'm on episode 3. This is a great tale of how money historically has come and gone, and what countries, economies, and industries have learned along the way. They are beautifully made and produced, and very insightful. Watch them for yourself on pbs.org.

• I swam for 45 mintues this morning. Very tiring. Probably because I'm learning a new technique that Paul was kind enough to show me. It feels very different, and I can tell I'm using my upper body lots more than my old stroke (thanks to camp swimming lessons). Let's hope it pays off, or at least I can do it for 1.2k for my upcoming triathlon in September.

Aug 5

• Kevin Ryan chats briefly about stealth mode in starting a company on Silicon Alley Insider
• The new Android myTouch launched today. I'm seriously thinking my Blackberry Pearl 8100 has had a good run, but its time to join the mobile 3G brigade. I'm already a big T-mobile fan so its a just a matter of taking the plunge and coughing up $199.99

• I found a great new online hiking resource for bay area hikes. It looks like it's already a book. I hope to use it this Sunday in Marin county. I've thought about this hike for a while at theAudubon Preserve. Maybe its time to go.'

• Yesterday I had one of my favorite deserts. This cake is so good. It is fairly dense, if done right, so eat sparingly. Although that can be difficult at times (like yesterday).

Aug 4

• First comic I've seen on Microhoo. Enjoying it!
• Depeche Mode is coming to my neighborhood (Mountain View) next Wednesday. It could potentially be my 2nd Depeche Mode concert I've been to, and my 2nd seeing them alone! (a bit of a die hard)

Aug 3

• Happy August - my favorite month (due to birthday at the end)
• comScore backs up why the click doesn't matter in online advertising. I am a big fan of comScore, and this is a great article that details exactly what should be the focus instead: sales impact and post-buy analysis. The emphasis echoes what I communicate every day in my work - display ads help search succeed and vice versa. Marketers are waking up to this, but there's still plenty of CMOs and the like who need futher convincing, at big Fortune 500 companie
• Eric resigns from is seat from the Apple board today. Interesting commentary about why, which is in principal how Apple and Google differ on vision. Oh yes and the FCC. All this 2 days before the new Android appears in stores. It's for the best.

July 31 - resurrection

The Blue Bobsled is back!

I took a few months off the editorial desk. The truth is - I like updating the Sled! Sure, I can Twitter and Facebook update away, but there's something about the flow and daily postings I find satisying. I'll continue to focus around Online Advertising and personal updates, or anything else I find interesting.

• Having to do with neither online ads nor personal updates, the Sears Tower , or Willis Tower, has an impressive all-glass Skydeck Ledge to help your vertigo.
• There's a lot in the news about Microhoo lately. My favorite article of choice is from yesterday's WSJ - and how Carol Bartz (and Jerry Yang) missed the boat. It's good to see these two companies joining forces, but why so long? How did it get to this? Now Yahoo! is giving up its own technology, and some of its revenue, without a large buyout payoff. It's too bad, but at the same time at least its finally happening, and we'll see how it does from there.

March 26

• Even the casual YouTuber probably recognizes the 'numa numa' guy, or as the euro-trash refers to it, 'lalala he!' song, he's got a new gig.  Now he's getting tight with Geico.  Very funny and another good marketing tactic for just a plain vanilla insurance company. For those who want a refresher of 'numa numa'  (one of my personal favorites - by Ozone btw and yes I have the vinyl!) check him out here in the gig that got him famous.

March 24

• My cousin Steve made some waves at SXSW film festival this month.

Check out his interview about his documentary "weekend pictures" on the subject of privacy.



Then check out his interactive feature Weekend Pictures

Mar 9

• Spent the weekend up in Tahoe!
• Heading up to sugarbowl this week - new mountain for me.

I've been checking out TipJar - Google's release of social networking centered around tips for better living - finance, health, misc, travel.  A lot of good ones out there.  A good one I just found is that if you throw 3 tennis balls into the dryer, it has the same effect as costlier, chemical based fabric softeners. Who new?

March 6 - in like a lion

• Where has the time gone. I suppose it's been logging most of my time on the road to Tahoe, working hard (well, not really working) to get the most out of my 1st season's pass at Lake Taohe, at Kirkwood. Speaking of which, I'll be off early tomorrow at 6am to head out to Kirkwood. D-train and I have a good system: Friday eve we pack and prep, Saturday we head out at the crack of dawn for the mountain, ski, find motel that's reasonable but not ghastly bad, ski again on Sunday, then head home. We're getting pretty good at it. This will be our 4th weekend heading up to the Sierras.
• Daylight Savings - remember you lose an hour Sunday. Be sure to ski extra late on Saturday to make up for it. I know I won't be getting up any earlier.
  

Feb 8

Where do I get my online laughs?

• http://fuckyoupenguin.blogspot.com/
  
• www.failblog.org
• www.catsinsinks.com  (not so funny but mildly amusing)

Jan 7

• A great read on Mediapost for the anyone planning SEM or how to take their search to the next level
• A few good stats out there today on display advertising and market share: Google 57%.  This used to be much lower (<20%)>

Jan 5 2009

• Happy New Year.  As I sit here on a gloomy wintery bay day, I have high hopes for 2009.  Some of which are:

      - Finish furnishing my condo

                - take swimming lessons 

- join a gym (new pad doesn't come with it this time)

- visit some national parks (Grand Canyon, Zion) would be great

     - revisit Hawaii

Those are just a few quick thoughts at this point. I'm sure others will materialize as the year progresses, but that's a good start for now.

•  In the Internet advertising world, things are also humming along.  The 'lull' everyone thought may happen during the holiday break wasn't really a lull - it was more a steady hum for clients getting things done at the last minute.  Everyone is predicting things will slow down a bit, given the state of economy, etc.  I think that may happen slightly but overall online ads and video won't be too diminished from 2008 levels.  It's still the fastest growing medium for advertising. 
• Facebook topic. I go in and out of using this tool.  Everyday brings a new face/blast from the past to my inbox.  This article on MediaPost today is all about the next wave: 1:1 video.  A few weeks ago I had a friend video a hello message and I thought it was very cool.  I didn't video her back, and probably should have, but it's a perfect example of the video effect.  What will be next? mobile video messages? facebook live mapping tools?  I think all of the above.