Over the last year, we’ve introduced a number of new advertising features to help merchants provide potential customers with the most relevant information when they’re searching on Google.com. For example, last year we introduced product extensions, which allows you to include the pictures and prices of the products you sell, right below your ads.
Starting today we’re introducing a new feature, called seller rating extensions, that makes it easier for people to identify highly-rated merchants when they’re searching on Google.com. Seller rating extensions does this by attaching your merchant star rating from Google Product Search to your AdWords ads. These star ratings, aggregated from review sites all around the web, allow people to find merchants that are highly recommended by online shoppers like them.
If your online store is rated in Google Product Search, you have 4 or more stars, and you have at least 30 reviews, you’ll automatically get seller ratings with your ads. What’s more, you’ll only be charged if someone clicks on the headline of your ad - clicks on the review link are free.
At this time, seller rating extensions will show to English-language users searching on Google.com. Please note that because we’ll be rolling out seller rating extensions over the next 24 hours, you may not see it immediately, even if your ads meet the qualifications above.
To learn more about seller rating extensions, including how to manage when they appear with your ads, you can read the FAQ in the AdWords help center.
Monday, June 28, 2010
ISTE 2010: I Made It!
Just pulled into Denver.
And I'm starving.
Well, not really, but you know what I mean. Hoping to meet with a few bloggers and chart a course of action, a plan of attack, a... well... I want to figure out what to see and when to see it.
If you are at ISTE 2010, please leave comments here as to what I should see over the next three days. Last year, I pulled off 25 posts in 4 days... and I think at least a few of them made sense.
This year, I'm looking for you to tell me what interests YOU.
I'll try my best to cover all I can. Scott McLeod put together a list of everything happening here over the next few days; check it out whether you are in Denver or whether you are elsewhere in this big world.
Will report back soon!
And I'm starving.
Well, not really, but you know what I mean. Hoping to meet with a few bloggers and chart a course of action, a plan of attack, a... well... I want to figure out what to see and when to see it.
If you are at ISTE 2010, please leave comments here as to what I should see over the next three days. Last year, I pulled off 25 posts in 4 days... and I think at least a few of them made sense.
This year, I'm looking for you to tell me what interests YOU.
I'll try my best to cover all I can. Scott McLeod put together a list of everything happening here over the next few days; check it out whether you are in Denver or whether you are elsewhere in this big world.
Will report back soon!
Music Business/Law Tips - "Controlled Composition" (Part 2)
One potential problem that an artist faces with the controlled composition clause, is that generally such a clause requires a rate for all songs on the album. This issue becomes real when some of the songs recorded for the album are written by outside writers who refuse to accept a reduced rate. If the artist cannot convince the outside writer to take a reduced rate, the artist must pay out of his/her royalties the extra 25% payable to any producer or outside writer who will not agree to the 75% rate.
It is significant that under the 1976 Copyright Law the minimum statutory rate changes over time. The minimum rate is set to increase at certain yearly intervals based upon the U.S. Consumer Price Index. The label will want to lock-in the rate at a certain point in time, usually: (a) the date of signing the contract, (b) the date of recording, (c) the date of master delivery, or (d) the date of first release of the master. It is advantageous to the artist to get the latest possible date, since there is a strong chance the rate will go up.
Although it is usually the case that a new artist does not have much leeway with respect to negotiating a rate higher than 75% of statutory, it does not hurt to request a "full rate", or perhaps an 85% rate.
Ben McLane Esq
benmclane.com
It is significant that under the 1976 Copyright Law the minimum statutory rate changes over time. The minimum rate is set to increase at certain yearly intervals based upon the U.S. Consumer Price Index. The label will want to lock-in the rate at a certain point in time, usually: (a) the date of signing the contract, (b) the date of recording, (c) the date of master delivery, or (d) the date of first release of the master. It is advantageous to the artist to get the latest possible date, since there is a strong chance the rate will go up.
Although it is usually the case that a new artist does not have much leeway with respect to negotiating a rate higher than 75% of statutory, it does not hurt to request a "full rate", or perhaps an 85% rate.
Ben McLane Esq
benmclane.com
An update on the AdSense Product Ideas page
A few months ago, we created a Product Ideas page for AdSense, where you could tell us what product and feature updates you’d like to see. We received over 600 ideas from publishers all around the world, with ideas ranging from ad filtering options to increased transparency, and more detailed reporting to easier account management.
Our product and engineering teams have been hard at work to bring you ideas from the wishlist. We still have more to do, but wanted to share some of the progress so far:
You asked for...More transparency about how much you’re earning from AdSense.
What we’ve delivered...The AdSense for content and AdSense for search revenue shares are now publicly shared.
You asked for...The ability to block certain categories of ads, like religion and dating.
What we’ve delivered...Category blocking (previously known as category filtering) is now available in 13 languages. You can filter up to 11 ad categories, including religion, dating, politics and weight loss.
We’ve also been developing a new version of the AdSense interface. Although the interface is currently in beta, it addresses many of the requests we saw on the Product Ideas page. Take a look at the improvements that the new interface offers:
You asked for...Make it easy to change addresses when we move from one location to a new one.
What we’ve delivered...You can make requests to change the country of your payment address directly in the new AdSense interface. (Due to legal and system constraints, some country updates will still require you to create a new account.)
You asked for...Automatic revenue tracking to quickly and easily compare performance of ads of different sizes and types.
What we’ve delivered...The new AdSense interface offers Ad units, Ad sizes, and Ad types reports in the Performance Reports tab. These detailed reports can help you understand which individual ad units, ad sizes, and ad types perform best on your site.
You asked for...The ability to view data for a custom date range, similar to Google Analytics.
What we’ve delivered...The new AdSense interface includes a date range selector just like Google Analytics. Plus, to see how your earnings have changed over time, we also have a feature that allows you to compare two date ranges. Simply select the date range you want to compare, check “Compare to other dates”, fill in the start date, and we’ll fill in the end date for you!
You asked for...More time frames for analyzing metrics. Specifically we heard the wish to “select the same period of time and say group by week or month to see the trend.”
What we’ve delivered...Reports by week and month, in addition to by day, are available in the Performance Reports page. Along with reports for “Entire account by day” you can choose from weeks and months.
If you’d like the new beta interface enabled in your account, you can make a request.
Thanks for all your ideas and votes. Your ideas and feedback help our teams determine where we should be spending our time, so keep them coming!
Our product and engineering teams have been hard at work to bring you ideas from the wishlist. We still have more to do, but wanted to share some of the progress so far:
You asked for...More transparency about how much you’re earning from AdSense.
What we’ve delivered...The AdSense for content and AdSense for search revenue shares are now publicly shared.
You asked for...The ability to block certain categories of ads, like religion and dating.
What we’ve delivered...Category blocking (previously known as category filtering) is now available in 13 languages. You can filter up to 11 ad categories, including religion, dating, politics and weight loss.
We’ve also been developing a new version of the AdSense interface. Although the interface is currently in beta, it addresses many of the requests we saw on the Product Ideas page. Take a look at the improvements that the new interface offers:
You asked for...Make it easy to change addresses when we move from one location to a new one.
What we’ve delivered...You can make requests to change the country of your payment address directly in the new AdSense interface. (Due to legal and system constraints, some country updates will still require you to create a new account.)
You asked for...Automatic revenue tracking to quickly and easily compare performance of ads of different sizes and types.
What we’ve delivered...The new AdSense interface offers Ad units, Ad sizes, and Ad types reports in the Performance Reports tab. These detailed reports can help you understand which individual ad units, ad sizes, and ad types perform best on your site.
You asked for...The ability to view data for a custom date range, similar to Google Analytics.
What we’ve delivered...The new AdSense interface includes a date range selector just like Google Analytics. Plus, to see how your earnings have changed over time, we also have a feature that allows you to compare two date ranges. Simply select the date range you want to compare, check “Compare to other dates”, fill in the start date, and we’ll fill in the end date for you!
You asked for...More time frames for analyzing metrics. Specifically we heard the wish to “select the same period of time and say group by week or month to see the trend.”
What we’ve delivered...Reports by week and month, in addition to by day, are available in the Performance Reports page. Along with reports for “Entire account by day” you can choose from weeks and months.
If you’d like the new beta interface enabled in your account, you can make a request.
Thanks for all your ideas and votes. Your ideas and feedback help our teams determine where we should be spending our time, so keep them coming!
Summer school is in session with Google Apps Teacher Training
Teachers and students may already be enjoying their summer vacations, but the Google Apps for Education team is going back to school for the annual ISTE conference in Denver, Colorado this week. We’re excited to talk with educators about the latest ways that Google Apps empowers teachers to teach – and schools to save money.
We're also excited to share the news that the states of Colorado and Iowa have made Google Apps available to their public schools, joining Oregon in leading the movement to Google Apps for education.
One of the things that we value most about working with educators is their commitment to always improving the tools and practices they use when they teach. Teachers often ask us about resources that support the use of Google Apps in the classroom. Today, we’re announcing a full spectrum of training solutions that schools can use to develop and enhance their use of Google Apps – regardless of their size or budget.
These Google Apps for Education training solutions encompass three components: a free online training center, a set of qualification exams for teachers, and a Certified Trainer and Partner program.
Schools wanting a “self service” approach to mastering Google Apps can now find a comprehensive set of resources on using Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Docs, Google Sites, and more in our new online Google Apps Education Training Center. This free online center is designed to take a new user of Google Apps – even someone with no Apps experience – and guide them step-by-step to understanding and proficiency.
Schools can take this proficiency one step further with a set of exams that let educators or trainers prove their mastery of Google Apps – a key step in becoming a Google Apps Certified Trainer or Partner. These exams are based 100% on the content in the training center, so everything that’s needed to pass the test is available online. Exams are administered by an independent third party training organization and can be purchased directly from our new training center.
These training solutions also support schools with the training and professional development resources they need to enhance their teachers’ use of Google Apps as a teaching tool. The new Google Apps for Education Certified Trainer and Partner program provides a formal structure for certifying individuals and partners who lead workshops or trainings about Apps, and provides schools with an easy way to find the best partners in their area.
We’ll be talking more about this program at ISTE, but if you’re not there, take a look at the site to see what it can offer you and your school.
We have one more piece of good news for educators everywhere: we’re extending our offer to provide Google Message Security (GMS) at no charge to schools who sign up with Apps through the end of this year. Primary and secondary schools that add the GMS service to their domain before December 31, 2010 will be able to take advantage of GMS’s custom email filters, policy management, and enhanced security controls.
If you’re at ISTE this year, stop by the Google booth #2536 and take a seat in our teaching theater to learn more about Google Apps from our team and some of our Google Certified Teachers.
One of the things that we value most about working with educators is their commitment to always improving the tools and practices they use when they teach. Teachers often ask us about resources that support the use of Google Apps in the classroom. Today, we’re announcing a full spectrum of training solutions that schools can use to develop and enhance their use of Google Apps – regardless of their size or budget.
These Google Apps for Education training solutions encompass three components: a free online training center, a set of qualification exams for teachers, and a Certified Trainer and Partner program.
Schools wanting a “self service” approach to mastering Google Apps can now find a comprehensive set of resources on using Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Docs, Google Sites, and more in our new online Google Apps Education Training Center. This free online center is designed to take a new user of Google Apps – even someone with no Apps experience – and guide them step-by-step to understanding and proficiency.
Schools can take this proficiency one step further with a set of exams that let educators or trainers prove their mastery of Google Apps – a key step in becoming a Google Apps Certified Trainer or Partner. These exams are based 100% on the content in the training center, so everything that’s needed to pass the test is available online. Exams are administered by an independent third party training organization and can be purchased directly from our new training center.
These training solutions also support schools with the training and professional development resources they need to enhance their teachers’ use of Google Apps as a teaching tool. The new Google Apps for Education Certified Trainer and Partner program provides a formal structure for certifying individuals and partners who lead workshops or trainings about Apps, and provides schools with an easy way to find the best partners in their area.
We’ll be talking more about this program at ISTE, but if you’re not there, take a look at the site to see what it can offer you and your school.
We have one more piece of good news for educators everywhere: we’re extending our offer to provide Google Message Security (GMS) at no charge to schools who sign up with Apps through the end of this year. Primary and secondary schools that add the GMS service to their domain before December 31, 2010 will be able to take advantage of GMS’s custom email filters, policy management, and enhanced security controls.
If you’re at ISTE this year, stop by the Google booth #2536 and take a seat in our teaching theater to learn more about Google Apps from our team and some of our Google Certified Teachers.
You can also join us tonight at our Google Block Party and hear from Executive Directory of SIPA John Conley about how Colorado schools are moving to Google Apps.
Posted by Dana Nguyen, Product Marketing Manager, Google Apps Education
Posted by Dana Nguyen, Product Marketing Manager, Google Apps Education
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