Why Google can have a much better Social Networking Site than Facebook

To me, Social Networking is all about knowing whats happening with my friends and how the application engages me into more socially active activities. Going through this PDF, we come to know of how complex is the world behind social networking sites, all because of privacy & security. Let me not dwell into that. That article does too good a research of it. Let me try to attempt why a social networking site from Google can be more appealing and engaging than what we see today in Facebook. Let me call Google's Social Networking Site as GSN. And ya, it is for the Strong Ties. Weak and Temporary Ties may accordingly have these features or not.

1. Search by photograph
We have FB suggesting friends depending on the number of mutual friends and by an email id. But Google can give us a friend by face. If I have a friend's photograph, I can upload & Google will search for me all the people who match to that photograph. How is this possible and how can I say this? I can say this because of the superb Face Recognition implementation in Picasa Web. It automatically recognizes similar faces and suggests who that person may be, depending on the name tags which were provided earlier.

2. Travelling for work/vacation
If I were to use Google Latitude in GNS and say that I am travelling to so and so place, GNS would tell me

• What is the current climatic conditions of that place (Google Weather)
• What is the current time and timezone changes needed (Google Time)
• Currency conversion that would be required and what is the current conversion rate going on (Google Currency Conversions)
• What are the local businesses which I may be interested in (Google Local Business Search)
• What are the noted and well known restaurants / theme parks which are famous in that location alongwith their ratings (Google SideWiki / Google Places)
• Latest news about that place (Google News)
• What are the routes to go to these places, how much time it will take (Google Maps)
• Who are my friends who are currently located in that place (Simple search / Google Location)
• How many are my colleagues, how many are college-mates (Simple search aggregation over friend's profiles), their phones numbers with an option to call them immediately and talk or send an SMS (Google Voice / Google Voice & Video Chat). This would also provide a parameterized radius to include nearby friends and other friends who visited it earlier and the videos which they have uploaded of that place.
• Following this update, automatically my Vacation Responder gets created for those dates (like the one in Gmail), Google Chat status gets set (Google Talk) and event gets created in my Calendar so that I can invite friends. Also, these dates get blocked for others to know that I am out of station (Google Calendar).
• This data can also get created as a status update with an option for me to post.
• An option to view the demographics of the place from Google Public Data.
• In recent past, which all friends of mine visited that place, how they spent their time, where all they went, what all they did (Status updates), what they highlighted as a must watch, must do, etc.
• Similarly, who are the renowned artists/celebrities from that place? When they last visited and any other news.
• What is the local language and any translation that may be required (Google Translation).
• When flight number is stored as part of the travel details, it will keep track of the flight (Google Flight Tracker).
• Movies which are shown in that location on my dates of visit with their timings (Google Movie Times).
• Any sports which are undertaken in that location or within a radius (parametrized) and the current scores, depending on the sports interests that I have listed in my Google Profile (Google Sports Scores)
• All related Videos (from Youtube) for the above activities at relevant locations.

3. Info about my profile
I will know people from which part of the world, with what operating systems, through which browsers are viewing my profile and many more. Yes, integrated Google Analytics and Webmaster Tools to my Profile! Must be fun :)

4. Trends
What is the latest trend among my friends and their activities, category-wise. The feel of it.
Yup! Its Google Trends that would do this job

5. Profile Links

• From the profile, Google Books will be linked to the books that I have read or planning to read, which are part of my library, etc.
• Movies will be linked to Google Movie Times to give any updates on those movies, etc. 
• Sports info will be linked to Google Sports Scores & Schedules (from Google Calendar) for my current location & other locations, to update on any upcoming matches, etc. 
• Plus, features like favourites teams & settings on when to alert me (Google Alerts comes in!) with parameters of which teams, what place, what timings, etc. will help the person know if any relevant activity is around. Updates from friends on these set parameters will add to the interest of the user.
• Bookmark interesting profiles, links, events, etc. (an extension to Google Bookmarks).

6. Health
Though information regarding health is a very sensitive issue, GSN can give one an option to fill up the details & get to know a lot of related things - from within friends, from medical fraternity, from news, from standards practised, diet needed, personalized advice, etc. All this can straight come up from Google Health, but this time socialized.

GSN can provide all the above information in a clean & a pleasing interface.

Thus, with the existing services that Google provides and the engineering outlook it has, it can create a Social Networking experience which no Facebook has provided yet. I do understand that this is not the comprehensive and exhaustive listing but is surely a good starting point to build on.

You think you have some more/better ideas that can contribute to this list? Have  your say ...

Data Liberation Front

Google is centralizing (or starting as a concentrated effort) in Importing and Exporting data from Google Products. Their motto

Users should be able to control the data they store in any of Google's products.  Our team's goal is to make it easier to move data in and out.

Site: http://www.dataliberation.org/

They have listed import/export options against each google product on that website and are adding better options like the recent addition the "Convert, Zip and Download" feature in Google Docs

Add GBookmarks, GTranslate, etc. in GReader's Send-to option

Google Reader has got an option to Send to under a feed, in August, 2009. With this, one can share a particular post on any of the popular sites which many of the Sharing buttons give. A good thing is that they have provided an option to add custom Send-to options under Settings.

One can add Google Bookmarks to these sets of options by adding the following code:
Name: Google Bookmarks (or anything of your choice)
URL: http://www.google.com/bookmarks/mark?op=edit&output=popup&b
Icon URL: http://www.google.com/favicon.ico

To add Google Translate:
Name: Autotranslate
URL: http://translate.google.com/translate?u=${url}
Icon URL: http://translate.google.com/favicon.ico

To add Add-to-any:
Name: Add to any
URL: http://www.addtoany.com/share_save?linkurl=${url}&linkname=${title}
Icon URL: http://www.addtoany.com/favicon.ico

It would be fun to get / add as many links to Send-to as needed.

List of connected users in Oracle

To know the list of connected users to the Oracle Database, run the below sql

select distinct username, osuser, terminal, utl_inaddr.get_host_address(terminal) ip_address, status, logon_time
from v$session
where username is not null
order by username, osuser;

GChat tips

A word in GChat can be emphasized in many ways, most common being Bold, Italics & Underline.
Knew that adding * on either side of the word (eg. *word* = word) would make it bold, but learnt from the 10tip of Gmail NInja tips page that we can even italicize by adding _ on either side of the word (eg. _word_ = word) and with - on either side, it strikes the word (eg. -word- = word).[SOURCE]

Creating Sitemap in Dreamweaver

There was a need to create a Sitemap and submit it to Google Webmaster Tools. Surprisingly, I did not find an option of creating Sitemap in Dreamweaver 8. So, downloaded an extension Google Sitemap Generator and added it to Dreamweaver which created Sitemap very easily.

Update: I did get to see a way to view Sitemap in DMW. Can save it as an image. But, yet to know if Dreamweaver has an option inbuilt, to save it as .xml

META tags for improved search

Came across this webpage on why we need not use META Tags in our Webpages. Truly, no search engine will completely depend on META Tags for their indexing else, by now Search Results would have shown only spammed results.

Never use META tag in html, syntax.

Surprisingly, Google claims to be considering META tags (a bit strongly too!) for a webpage. Google talks about it here.

Update 25th Sept, 2009: Thanks to the comment posted by Vitaly, came to know of the latest blogspot made by Google on their Google Webmaster Central blog on 21st Sept, 2009 where they very clearly mention that Google does not use "keywords"  meta tag for their Web search. Occasionally, when needed, they use "description" meta tag. Their Custom Search Engine does consider meta tags though.

Thin Clients

My new fascination is Thin Client Systems. Read about it only today and tell you, the number and kind of advantages it gives are numerous, specifically so in the area of maintenance. The below pps gives very precise and to-the-point FAQs.

Need to study the traffic that it will generate on the network. If that goes fine and 1GBps of network bandwidth safices the need, then we are on a go! :)



If you wish to download this pps as ppt or pdf, click on the Open in a new window icon in the menubar of the presentation. It will open up in a new window where you will be able to do multiple things with the presentation. In any case, this is the direct link to new window

OpenID

Now a days, we see OpenID on so many websites. Wanted to know what this concept was about.

In simple terms, OpenID is a Universal ID (specifically a URL) which once created, can be used on an OpenID complaint website for a specific activity. For eg. on Blogger (OpenID compliant website), one can comment (specific activity) using an OpenID. One need not create a separate OpenID if one already has a Gmail id (or Google Accounts ID), Yahoo id, a blog on Blogger, etc. Best part about OpenID is that it is not dependent on any single OpenID provider. One can switch to any OpenID provider as one wishes, without monopoly of any specific company. It is an open standard with decentralized server.

So, next thing to know is which all are the OpenID providers. The list is here as well as here.

I wanted to use Gmail as an OpenID. To create an OpenID URL for Google Account ID or Gmail ID go here [SOURCE]. To use your Blog URL as an OpenID, details are given here.

Know how to run your own OpenID here.

Go here to get to know about having your own OpenID.

More on OpenID:

Spread OpenID

OpenID Foundation

Information on Diseases

Google Health, happens to be a place where one can enter medical health care data so that it can be accessed across the globe, avoiding our carrying health records physically alongwith us during our journeys.

With added features like Import Medical Records (from selected hospitals, as yet), Graph test results, Share profile, Upload images, print wallet-size Health Profile, etc. it is doing more than just giving us an option to enter data like what Excel gives :). One thing among all these that is striking is the More Info option next to each Diagnosis Condition which one can link to their profile.

Here is one example on Acne

Very impressive. It contains all the information that one (as a patient) needs to know on Acne. They are adding for other conditions too! The complete list appears here. I doubt anywhere else it is given in such a complete fashion. I checked on Wiki for information on Acne. The info given on Google's Reference page is more comprehensive, clean and informative.

Interestingly, there is a post on Google blog saying SNOMED-CT is a better way of coding diseases than International Classificaton of Diseases (ICD-9) (New versions: ICD-10 CM / PCS). When Google makes such statement, its implications can be huge especially when whole of USA uses ICD coding!

Lets wait and see, if in any way, this influences the type of diseases coding system adopted by the hospitals across the globe.

QR Code & Microsoft Tags

Heard about QR codes (QR stands for Quick Response) today at this post on Google Docs Blog. QR Code is another way of storing information, like Bar Code, through 2-D images developed and popularly used in Japan.

One can create an image like the one shown aside. This image is for this very blog.There are QR Readers available (most of the phones now a days are coming with QR Reader embedded). When the reader scans this QR Code on their cell phone (with GPRS enabled), it will get one to this blog.





The fields & patterns correspond and convey a particular information. The image beside gives some insight into it.

Wiki has got all the information in short and crisp fashion, worth a read.

One can create this code by using Google API.

URL for creating code for this blog was: http://chart.apis.google.com/chart?chs=250x250&cht=qr&chl=http://robadilavoro.blogspot.com/

Change the url and have yours! :)

This template is the QR Code Gadget template available in Google docs. They say

Make a QR code of your data. Just put in the data and instantly a QR code is created matching a comma separated list of your data.

Surely worth a try.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Microsoft has got a similar one called Microsoft Tags


Signup, Create Tags and share them. Need not worry if you dont have a Windows Live login id. One can Signup with Gmail Id as Windows Live ID and use it for all future purposes.

The Tag created for this blog by Microsoft Tag looks like the one shown aside





If these were not enough, Wiki gives a list of other types of codes existing. The list is as below:

• Aztec Code
• Barcode
• Data Matrix
• E-Reader
• CueCat
• High Capacity Color Barcode
• PDF417
• Semacode
• ShotCode

Google insisted for secure Gmail & Docs

This piece of article from Security Watch on Google is intriguing. Google has been asked to secure the complete Gmail and GDocs sessions. Though Gmail already has a feature to optionally choose it but not defaulted, these security safeguarders and law makers felt it is not safe to leave it without HTTPS and have urged Google to secure it completely.

These people have not questioned Yahoo, Rediff or for that matter any other mail provider. Gmail was the first one to introduce HTTPS into free mailing environment and they only are questioned for not having it mandatorily put up throughout! Its ridiculous.

Surprisingly, Google is going to work on securing the whole session from next tuesday onwards, on a selected user's base

IEAK

We needed an option to customize IE on over 160 systems in our institution which has standard settings, to let our applications run. Everytime a system crashes, we re-install WinXP and we have to manually change settings to achieve its compatibility with our application. This becomes tedious as we grow by years, still doing the same stuff.

Thanks to Channa, IEAK - Internet Explorer Administration Kit made its appearance and now we dont struggle manually making custom settings changes in IE.

• Firstly, download the package from this site depending on whether you want to deploy on IE6 or IE7 or IE8. We downloaded for IE6 (soon we will for IE7 too!)
  
• Once downloaded, install it.
• Go to Internet Explorer Customization Wizard from All Program. It is here that all the settings are changed and profiles are created. Only place where one can get stuck in the process is at Automatic Version Synchronization (AVS) where it shows the current version of IE on system and asks for updating it through Internet. We will need Internet Connection only during this time of the configuration. It stores these downloaded files in \IEAK-Program-Folder\IEAK6\Downloads\EN\
• Once, all the components are up-to-date, then one can proceed step-by-step and customize the standard values which one wants on each system in the organization.
• In the end, it creates the profile build in the Build folder of the IEAK Program Folder. One has to click on the IE Setup file in the FLAT folder of this Build folder on the client system. On this, it will restart the client system and while startup, it customizes the IE settings.

Quite useful.

GTasks in GCal

Google Tasks have been integrated with Google Calendar (finally! Expected this to be the first step than following its integration with Gmail). Features are awesome.

• Once a Task is added to GTasks with a due date, it becomes a day's event in GCalendar.
• One can create a Tasks from Calendar (only in All Day and Month views only).
• Using Sort option in Actions of Tasks, one can finish in the order of due date
  

Things expected in future:

• Assigning Priorities to Tasks (Its available in standalone GTasks app).
  
• Adding Time aspect to the due date. Currently, its only at the Date level and not at Date & Time level
• Default Calendar Notifications to get applicable to the Task (as in a Calendar event).

Access Calendar events through SMS:

Similar to SMS events usage in Google SMS Channels, one can create an event, know which is the next event for the day, total agenda for the day, next day's schedule - all through sms! Number: 48368 (GVENT). Its currently available only for US citizens. How to create using SMS? They give an example (Source):

"Send a message with something like "Shopping with Sarah at Monterey Market 5pm Saturday," Google Calendar can figure out what you mean and pop the new event into your calendar."

Horoscope Calendar:

 I personally liked the Horoscope Public Calendar. So, if one is interested, just click on the links below and get the respective zodiac sign's calendar added to your list of calendars (Source)

"For some cosmic direction, get your daily horoscope directly in Google Calendar. Just click the icon showing your sign in the upper-left corner of the day to read your overview, courtesy of tarot.com.
To subscribe to your horoscope calendar, click the appropriate link in the following table:

Horoscope Calendars
	Aries		Libra
	Taurus		Scorpio
	Gemini		Sagittarius
	Cancer		Capricorn
	Leo		Aquarius
	Virgo		Pisces

 "

Google Contacts

This thought had been there for quite a while that there should be a Birthday field in GContacts. And when we enter it, it should automatically create an event in GCal [or give a choice whether we want to create or not] with Recurring type, Repeating Annually and stuff like that. Who doesnt have! Even a simple 14 field contacts manager in a Sony Ericsson mobile phone has it [including setting a custom ringtone for each user! :)] which at the end of adding a birthday prompts whether we want to add reminder to the calendar. This reminder in SE automatically reminds every year!

Well, GContacts has come out as a separate service from Google. It does contain the Birthday field, an Anniversary too, plus Other option [good news! :)]. Though integration with GCal is yet a feature to look at [bad news:(]. Now, one can maintain quite good amount of data here. It is better managed than Gmail Contacts. Though some fields here are duplicated from GProfile. The service is available even in GApps [after admin enables it. Steps given here].

Hoping a day comes when we will have to enter our information only once, and it will get reflected in all possible places.

Sharing Content

RSS feeds is the most common way of sharing content on web. Almost all the blogs and relevant websites have this enabled. With RSS feed agregators, one can subscribe and be upto date.

With the popularization of Socializing websites, one wants to share what one reads or likes with his/her friends on social networks (like facebook, stumble, digg, tweet, etc.) or email it to them. Thats when the concept of sharing using button came up and became popular.

One can give these options to the readers as text (using FeedBurner), or as button (using Tell-A-Friend or Add-this). They add themselves up at the bottom of each post (in blogs) or can be placed according to one's own wish.

These utilities give added features of multiple ways of subscribing, sharing and analysing the traffic/crowd that is visiting the site.

IMEI - International Mobile Equipment Identity

With announcement against all mobiles carrying invalid or no IMEI numbers (an article by Techtree), there was a need to know if we were owning a cell phone with correct IMEI number or not. So, here is the site where one can verify if a particular IMEI is valid or not: http://www.numberingplans.com/?page=analysis&sub=imeinr

From this page, one can analyse Phone, IMSI, IMEI, SIM, ISPC

More on IMSI

EMR - Electromagnetic Radiation

We all have heard about the hazards of radiations coming out of cell phones and other electronic devices and that we have to guard ourselves against them by reducing our exposure to them, or completely eliminating them from our life-styles.

Here is a website where they present products, specific to the items that we use in our daily life, which will remove / reduce radiation effects on our body.

http://cogentemr.com/

Price of a Cell phone chip is about $19 on average and of a cell phone pouch ranges from $15 to 65$. Pick your choice!

HTML Signatures in Gmail

Now one can create HTML signatures in Gmail and insert them using a Greasemonkey script: User Script 


In Gmail, it creates a box (shown aside) where one can create a signature.





Firefox Add-on: Black Canvas Gmail Signatures

In their own words,
Automatically inserts HTML signatures into your Gmail messages based on which address you are sending from. Supports up to four signatures for each address you have set up. Works for Compose Message and Reply/Forward.

SMS Notification for a mail in Gmail

Now one can get an sms notification for

• any mail that appears into Gmail / Yahoo
  
• a specific mail that appears into Gmail / Yahoo
  

How? Answer is Way2SMS.com

Way2SMS has come long way from its preliminary old. Their UI resembles the AJAX technology and has its similarities with Gmail UI. As in 160by2, one will get the 'A message from Recipient's Name' instead of 'A message from WAY2SMS.COM' which is common for all the free web sms websites.

It provides with 110 characters as against 90 of 160by2.com and Indyarocks.com

One can set a mail alerts for Gmail and Yahoo. The funda is: Whenever a mail appears in the inbox of Way2SMS.com, one can activate an alert, which will send an sms for every mail that appears in way2sms.com. So, to get an alert for all mails that appear in Gmail or Yahoo, create a filter (to suit the needs) and say Forward to your Way2SMS.com mail id and Woah! You get an sms whenever a mail meeting those conditions appears in Gmail or Yahoo! Help of Way2SMS for Gmail Configuration and Yahoo Configuration.

Chat with both Yahoo and Gmail users simultaneously.

For other features, sign up for Way2SMS.com and check out.