Google has begun testing some new features for Google Maps, most likely to keep in competition with Bing’s map service. Let’s take a quick look at what’s new:

• Google Buzz threads – now you have the option to see geo-specific Buzz threads on top of your Google Maps.
• 3d Street View – Google added a 3d mode to Google maps on April 1st and it was first thought to be an April fool’s prank. However, after removing it for a short time, apparently Google decided it was worth making a permanent addition to their maps service. Put on your cardboard glasses and check out your house. It’s like you’re really there!
• Streaming Video – Google has been testing live YouTube video in their Street View. Right now Google is only testing in Norway, but if the tests go well; expect to see it everywhere over time.
• Additional Local Business Info – When you use Street View expect to see names of businesses pop up near the buildings. Click it and that familiar bubble opens showing you the business info.

With all these visual changes to Google Maps it leaves us wondering what their goal really is. Does Google want its users to be so engrossed in their images that they don’t need to actually experience a location? 3d Street View…who really benefits from this?

Privacy issues seem to be on the forefront of every headline. The hottest of those headlines are about Facebook’s recent launch of a couple features called Social Plugins and Instant Personalization.

Social plugins are those “Like” buttons that site owners are placing on their sites. The idea is to click the button or become of a fan of the site to let your Facebook friends know your interest as well as some free advertisement for the site via Facebook. This isn’t exactly scary, because it’s voluntary and you’re only going to push that button if you want your friends to know about it – not so you could have a random list of sites you like on your Facebook account, just in case you forget.

Instant Personalization is much more intrusive. This new feature automatically allows your public Facebook data to be used with 3 of Facebook’s selected Partners, Pandora, Yelp, and Docs.com. Yup, everyone on Facebook was opted into this system with no notice.

This information is then used by these companies to help them target you for advertising and to create a stronger profile of your online presence. To stop this, login to Facebook and go to Accounts, then Privacy Settings and then Programs and Applications and opt out there. Be sure to click the What your friends can share about you and unclick all of the boxes there as well. This is important because when you opt out of this feature there is a very important message that shows up you should read…

This sudden release of this program with everyone opted in without notice is obviously the reason for some anger around the Internet.

Facebook has also removed the 24-hour rule with regards to how long they can keep your personal information. Facebook now holds your information indefinitely.

Another controversial Facebook privacy hole, (found by a Google developer) was that all the public events you’ve attended or are planning to attend, is publicly available for viewing. No matter how the Facebook privacy settings are altered, this list could be accessed by anyone. This privacy hole is probably the one most publicized and probably most blown out of proportion. Though it may be very revealing, keep in mind that these events are public knowledge already, and its unclear how they could be any more harmful than the standard use of Facebook. When you get invited to an event and say you’re attending, this is announced to everyone you know on Facebook already. The only way to avoid this is to simply say you’re not attending…or get off Facebook.

Deactivating your Facebook account altogether is really the only way to avoid privacy issues and it seems like it may be the most common among Google’s software engineers. Matt Cutts went so far as to announce on Twitter recently that he has deactivated his account. Though it’s unclear if he was the catalyst, using Buzz, it was discovered that many of Google’s software engineers are doing likewise and deactivating their accounts. This move (of course) is starting to get some attention, and could be considered a pretty aggressive PR campaign by Google against Facebook.

This stirs up some interesting questions about Google’s employees using their status to attempt to influence average users to follow them. Not to mention the question of this being a hypocritical act after Google went ahead and opted in its users into Buzz, and behavioral targeting without consent, as well has personalizing search by default.

Let’s look past the privacy issue and ask an important question. Is Facebook making this change to enhance your experience? Why stir up issues unless you stand to make a lot of money? Yelp, Pandora and Docs.com stand to make a lot money off of becoming Facebook partners, and no doubt they paid handsomely to gain this opportunity.

The important thing to know, and to share with your family, is that if you’re using sites like Facebook then you’re making your life public and your information available to the highest bidder. Think of Facebook, Twitter and the Internet in general like a billboard in your home town. If you wouldn’t put it up there for everyone to see then keep it off the Internet.

It also won its compliment with Google’s main engine but the fact that it’s invincibly undisputable against Gmail and Google images. It will always be at the peak of the pie.

Today, the Massive flow of Facebook is still unfolding its way through the infinite side trying every possible ways to convert its state towards achievement.

Moreover, it’s now YouTube’s rival in this industry trying to displace one another as what we’ve heard. Their auras are amazingly storming the front as what we can see. They are like gods trying to surpass one another. These two titans are devouring everything on their paths!

Everyone now must act on this matter so that they can pursue the speed of light created by these enormous things. To be able to cope up and be of track of what’s happening, others must be aware of these things surrounding them. Because the longer it stays, the higher it takes and can never be taken away.

Google once again has invented a way in befriending home base businesses. Today, business can now specify their service area and get more exposure with Google’s Local business center. By eliminating some concerns such as fake business registrations and other shadowy addresses.

This will also help home based services to attain a bigger window for marketing. It will also be a good way to be able to have success in a short period of time. Google itself can benefit it for this is a new way to attain success through its campaign. Many will show their respect in regards to this new way.

In addition, businesses now have the option to not show their address on Google Maps. This is one advantageous way for everyone but rumor has it, once you agree and choose not to show your address could really remove you from showing at all.

This is one step of Google’s achievement to attain though but the fact that there are still imperfections through it, we always bear in mind that these new innovative technological way could be perfected someday. New ways have things attached to it. Bugs and imperfections are all at stake so we have to face the risk of trying.

This new addition to your search filtering options puts a huge spot light on local search, once again, by giving you location specific search suggestions in a feature they’ve smartly named, Nearby.

This option adds a twist to your regular Google search for a restaurant, a clothing store, outdoor adventures or whatever else that’s location specific by returning a self explanatory list of places related to your query within the same area.

Google stated that the suggestions don’t necessarily share any specific characteristics, so that you end up getting broader and more interesting results. So far it seems to be true except that in a test we did, a pizza place ended up giving 6 out of 10 pizza place suggestions. Of course perhaps there were just a lot of pizza places in that area and not much else in terms of restaurants.

One thing we quickly noticed is that it seems Google’s idea of what’s Nearby is questionable. In a larger town you might get restaurant suggestions that are 15+ miles away, and in a smaller town, like Lincoln, NE (250,000 people) 5 miles from your search query is all the way across town and may not be as convenient a result. I’m sure it wont take long for them to put in a distance from current location filter.

You can quickly access Nearby within every Places Profile in Google Maps or within the Search Options Panel on the left side of Google’s homepage in English.

With smart phones flooding the market and people fighting over power outlets at the coffee shop with free wireless, it’s no surprise that Google is in full development of local search features. People are on the move these days with the Internet in the their pocket or slung over their shoulder and people need to eat!

The important thing to know is – if you’re a brick and mortar business owner or an SEO looking to target local businesses in your marketing – here’s yet another great reason to be sure your local listing is claimed. Put your local search optimization onto the top of the list before you’re so late into the game that knocking your competitors out will be next to impossible.

If you haven’t yet read our recent local search editorial that highlights the importance of local search in today’s markets, then take the time to check it out!

This can be considered Google’s biggest jump onto the social media train. Currently, Buzz is an addition to Gmail that allows you to follow and be followed by the people in your Gmail contact list, and then it updates you with information from your contacts that come from Twitter, Picasa, Flickr, and Google Reader.

Say your friend tweets something you find interesting, you’ll be able to reply to them via Buzz in Google’s usual chat/comment format with text and a timestamp. Anyone who’s following your friend on Google will be able to see your post, much like a Facebook wall, also Google will immediately index buzz posts meaning that they will show up on Google’s real time search results.

Should anyone respond to your post, you’ll see it show up in your Gmail inbox. Of course Google has made it possible to make these posts privately available only to those you choose. Furthermore, Google can take topics you’re Buzzing about and suggest other Buzz posts to you that Google may think you find interesting.

Google Buzz also has a feature pulled from a social network gaining popularity called Foursquare that is location related. While using Buzz on your mobile device, users can essentially set their location and when they Buzz other users will be able to know their location.

Of course when an Internet titan like Google releases something that seems to directly compete with Twitter and Facebook, people start talking. So far Buzz’s emergence has been fairly controversial. Some people praise it; saying it’s already better than Facebook and Twitter, while others say it’s a disaster and too late into the game. The fact that Buzz is getting this kind of attention proves that when it comes to Google, it’s never too late.

Let’s be serious, frankly should we really be that surprised that Google has released a product that attempts to emulate all the things we love doing online and then put them into one place? Isn’t Gmail just email and instant messaging and chatting?

Isn’t Google Documents all the Microsoft Office products online? Isn’t Wave Google’s attempt to blend all of those into one interface?

Google’s first obstacle after launch was the privacy concern. Originally Google took all your Google contacts and made you follow them while your contacts followed you. People complained that their contacts weren’t the same people they were Facebook friends with and that they didn’t want their contact list public along with their email address and so on. Within two days Google had already released an update making it easier to decide who is and isn’t one of your followers and to manage the other privacy concerns that many people had.

Furthermore, Google has announced that it is definitely contemplating the idea of releasing Buzz as a separate application from Gmail allowing Buzz users to have their own account separate from Gmail. This would be another way to help remove some privacy concerns, but Google will surely want to find a way to introduce people to Gmail along with Buzz.

It’s important to note that after 3 days Buzz already had more than 9 million posts and comments averaging at 160,000 an hour. While the mobile version has put out more than 200 posts a minute, and is gaining popularity.

So will Buzz take down Twitter, MySpace and Facebook? Well some savvy experts are comparing the likely hood of that to the likely hood of Facebook taking down Google by creating a search engine. However, we don’t agree with that because Google is an Internet juggernaut that’s been around the block a few times. Google tends to bury its roots in every popular thing around it and has a history of success. That all leads to an enormous amount of resources that Facebook just doesn’t have.

Our initial thought was that if Facebook could keep its content to itself unlike MySpace and Twitter then Google would have a very tall mountain to climb. Unfortunately for Facebook, shortly before we published this article, we received the news that Facebook had already sunk that boat by allowing their updates to be included in Google’s real time results. Now that Google is able to use Facebook’s data, Google has a huge advantage that’s just been handed to them on a silver platter. Only the future will tell what the fate of Buzz will be, and with it, the fate of Twitter and Facebook.

Although LBAs can be displayed in Google’s organic search results the same as any AdWords ads, they have the added advantage of being displayed right on a Google Map itself. This is good because, when a user clicks your ad within the map, an info window expands, showing your business listing as seen in the screenshot below:

Google recently added a link to directions. This makes it super-easy for a prospect to learn exactly how to get to your location. They can also see a Street View…

…as well as select the Save to My Maps option.

Google is also working on new reporting features for Local Business Ads designed to report how many people opened your info window and clicked your various links. For more on Local Business Ads, check out Google’s FAQ. To set up your own ads follow these steps from the Google help files.

That’s why Google is now making Gmail available even when you’re not online. You simply access your messages within the normal Gmail interface and then synchronize changes while you’re connected. Messages that you send while offline are now stored in your outbox and automatically sent as soon as you’re connected again.

Take note this feature relies on Google Gears—a set of open-source developer tools Google created to help build more powerful web applications. You must have Gears installed to use Gmail offline. (Another option is to simply use the Google Chrome browser which already has Google Gears pre-installed).

To access offline mode in your Gmail account, start by installing Google Gears. Then go to your settings and look for the Labs tab near the top of your screen. Once there…

1. Select Enable next to Offline Gmail.
2. Click Save Changes.
3. After your browser reloads, you’ll see a new Offline0.1 link in the upper right hand corner of your account, next to your username.

Cool! …thanks Google.

Google Suggest is just what is sounds like. It suggests alternative queries for you in real time as you type your searches into Google. Those suggestions are primarily based on the queries that other Google users have searched for…

As you can see in the image above, there’s been a lot of interest in Bigfoot recently (due to claims of Bigfoot being recently captured). That interest has translated into large numbers of searches for queries like searching for bigfoot, causing that query to show up on Google Suggest when you type search.

Mid-tail searches of 3-4 words which are currently getting a lot of traffic are likely to receive even more traffic once this new feature goes live, as users are channeled towards the queries Google suggests for them. Longer-tail searches of 5 words or more that don’t get much traffic to begin with are likely to get even less as many users opt to use the shorter phrases Google displays.

As for your own site, you should be able to get good traffic out of this new feature if you can generate enough publicity and reach that tipping point where your keywords are shown in this suggestion box.

For example, TravelRepublic.co.uk could see significantly increased traffic since, even though they don’t appear on the first page of search results for the query travel. That’s because they do appear in the list of search suggestions that Google provides.

That’s most likely caused by TravelRepublic.co.uk having a good offline marketing campaign that drives a large number of searches for their brand. Google is aware of these searches, and thus includes travel republic in their list of Google Suggestions for the very high traffic keyword travel.

This could mean that your offline branding and advertising efforts could have a very real impact on your search engine traffic, particularly if you brand around a phrase that starts with a keyword that already gets very high search engine traffic.

More from the official Google Blog.

The problem with search engine optimization

SEO is the purported science of optimizing your webpage so that you rise to the top of the listings in Google and Yahoo!

The theory is that a huge number of people find what they’re looking for via search, that virtually all of these people only look at the first page of the results and that if you don’t tweak your page, you’re doomed.

I just got a note from someone asking me for a recommendation, and when I said I didn’t think that most SEO was worth the money, he asked me why. So here goes:

1. Because it’s a black art, it’s really hard to tell who’s good and who’s not. Andrew Goodman is good, there are people who are less reputable… no matter what, it’s hard to guarantee you’ll get your money’s worth.

2. my real problem, though, starts with an analogy. Imagine your retail store was on a road that no one ever drove down unless they found it on a map. And then imagine that they redid the maps every week and the mapmakers refused to tell you exactly how they went about deciding which roads to draw and in which hierarchy to place them.

Could you imagine finding investors for that sort of store? Could you imagine being confident enough in your ability to grow that business that you’d want to work there?

Lucking into (and it is luck) the top slot of a great word on Google is not a business plan. It’s superstition. It’s blind faith.

If you want to grow your business, you need a reliable and scalable and dependable way to spend time and money and have it turn into traffic and revenue. In the real world, companies do that with real estate and with advertising. Online, it’s about adwords and site design.

If you can figure out how to BUY (not luck into) keyword searches that bring you X number of visitors, and then you can figure out how to design your site so that Y% of those visits turn into customers, you win. And nobody can stop you from growing all you care to grow.

Take a look at The South Beach Diet(TM) > Online. They spend more than a million dollars a year on online promotion (keywords, etc.). They spend a bunch more on optimizing the site. The result? One of the bestselling diet books ever written (4 million copies sold) plus more than 100,000 subscribers. Marketing that pays for itself.

No magic, no superstition. Just planning and measurement and hard work.

SEOs are not a shortcut to success, at least not for 99% of the companies out there. You won’t win by fooling Google into listing you first for a common search term. You will win once you figure out the simple mechanics of turning strangers into friends and friends into customers.