GoogleRight 2008

Despite it’s many strengths (and already taking 2.8% marketshare in one day, it seems Google Chrome is the devil in disguise…

 

 

11. Content licence from you

11.1 You retain copyright and any other rights that you already hold in Content that you submit, post or display on or through the Services. By submitting, posting or displaying the content, you give Google a perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, royalty-free and non-exclusive licence to reproduce, adapt, modify, translate, publish, publicly perform, publicly display and distribute any Content that you submit, post or display on or through the Services. This licence is for the sole purpose of enabling Google to display, distribute and promote the Services and may be revoked for certain Services as defined in the Additional Terms of those Services.

Wow… So when you post a blog through Google Chrome, as I’m doing with this one, you give Google permission to copy it, translate it, modify it, alter it and publicly display and publish it royalty-free. It apparently also means that if you email a friend with a very personal issue via webmail using Google Chrome, Google are allowed to perform it publically.

Google allegedly used similar wording in their chat system Orkut, MSN was shot out of the sky when they attenpted this ‘data grab’ through MSN messenger, and AOL’s AIM again had to rephrase their Terms and Conditions.

Realistically, Google are not going to take all that copyright text and images from your business website and set up in direct competition (unless you happen to be Yahoo! or Microsoft) but keep this in mind as they distribute your content via Google Images, trackers and various ad tools.

Advice? Use at your own risk!

Google Chrome have 2.8% of the market quickly overtaking Opera and catching up already with Safari.

Whether or not this will last is anyone’s guess, how much of this percentage is created by people ‘just trying it out?’

Google Chrome Screenshot

Google Chrome is the latest web browser to the market, directly competing with Firefox, Safari and Internet Explorer although at the moment it targets Windows systems and isn’t available on Mac.

Interestingly enough, they’ve chosen to use the Webkit engine, this theoretically means that it displays web pages more like Safari than Firefox. (Internet Explorer has it’s own rules and therefore the rendering engine is unavailable for non IE uses.

As the rumours spread, I didn’t have much hope for Google’s own browser despite it being a logical step for the company. Google’s online applications have tended to be fairly bland and uncustomisable. The flipside of this meant that they were reliable and did their job incredibly well.

Since trying out the first addition of Google Chrome however, I’ve found a few interesting things:

• Despite using the Safari engine, Webkit, it doesn’t suffer from the same incompatibilities.
• The name ‘chrome’ always makes me think of Firefox… this word crops up in the background every so often so I was suprised that they chose the Safari route over the more popular Firefox.
• Far from being too simple, it’s very powerful and unsurprisingly, does the job very well.
• Google Chrome launches much faster in windows than Internet Explorer, Safari and Firefox due to it’s multi threading.
• Google Chrome also loads pages much fast than it’s rivals, again due to a deeper multi-thread system unavailable in it’s key rivals. (meaning elements on a page aren’t reliant on other parts to finish before they start.
• Google Chrome does not feature themes, colourschemes or plugins as yet although does work with the Windows Vista’s Aero and Glass quite nicely.
• Tab Grouping – Google Chrome now groups tabs. If you have Ecademy opened in Tab position 1, Facebook in 2 and Gmail in 3, then choose to open an Ecademy (1) page in a new tab, Google Chrome will open the new tab next to tab 1 instead of the far end. This means that all Ecademy tabs will be grouped, as will facebook and gmail. IMHO, a great feature!
• The browser is open source… this means developers can access the code and create their own variations (providing they’re non-commercial) this is one of the only main Google applications that has taken this route.
• Because Google Chrome has based itself on the Webkit engine, my job as a web developer isn’t interrupted (for the first time on any browser launch!)
• Google Chrome’s tabs are separate processes. This means that if it can’t handle some code or the code would normally crash the browser, Google Chrome is able to separate that tab and only lose that one rather than the entire browser!
• The built in spell checker is as good as IE or Firefox, however doesn’t kick in in certain situations (for example a wordpress blog.
• Posting data seems a little slow. Uploading an image to a blog took aroun 120 seconds, to then use wordpress to move the image from uploaded into the text area seemed to take an age too. I assume at this stage that it’s a minor bug to be fixed in due course… watch this space!
• Then new ‘Incognito’ mode allows for sessions to be ignored from the browser history. This offers no protection against hacking or web session storage, but if you’re browsing for gifts for a loved one, or anything else you don’t want your family to find… this option is for you. Enable Incognito mode by clicking the page icon on the top right and ‘new incognito window’ for a new window. Any saved bookmarks, downloaded files and sessions will work as normal but the browser history will be ignore when searched from the browser.
• Text zoom has gone back to the old font size change as before. IE revelutionised accessibility by zooming in on the entire page, images, text and all. Firefox soon followed but Google Chrome has ignored. Prior to this, only the actual text size increased often destroying expensive designs and carefully positioned layouts. Normally not a problem but if you’re target audience could be hard of sight, something to bare in mind when looking into a new or assessing your old web design.
• All the major keyboard shortcuts are followed, control-f finds within the page, F6 jumps to the address bar, F5 refreshes, control-t opens a new tab, I just wish they had my developer plugin with control-shift-y for CSS options etc I soreles miss from firefox!

You have decided to launch your new marketing campaign. You have identified your target market and decided which product you want to promote. You are sat down in front of your PC with a blank screen in front of you. So where do you start?

Ask yourself what is your reader interested in? Let me give you a clue; THEMSELVES.

 

You must write about your product from your readers’ point of view. Don’t waste precious space telling them what it is: tell them what it does for them. In other words tell them how your product will make their life easier, more rewarding or complete.

 

I guess you are wondering where the 7 deadly sins come into all of this. They are the keys to tapping into your prospective customer’s emotional desires.

 

Pride – You can simply make your reader believe you by flattering them. They are important; they have huge amounts of experience and savvy. Make the suggestion that someone with as much talent for making the right decision as they have really ought to be signing up for/buying your suggestion, and they will.

 

Envy – Tell them people out there already have it and are benefiting hugely from it. They’ll hate to think they are missing out.

 

Gluttony – People will always want more of something. Be it for taste, comfort, sensation or solace. If you can convince them they will feel contented when they ‘consume’ it you are onto a winner.

 

Lust – OK, this could be a bit tricky. Try and convince them that this product will satisfy their craving and they’ll snap your hand off. You will also deserve an Oscar especially if you are selling something like carpet cleaner.

 

Anger – People get angry all the time. The last time I was it was over my mobile phone’s pathetic battery life (which I may add has not yet been resolved). Give your readers a way out of their present frustrations and they will thank you heartily for it.

 

Greed – This is a major motivator. People always want more of what they already have so promise more and they’ll be faster out of the trap than a greyhound.

 

Sloth – Yes, we are all inherently lazy. So if your product can save them time and effort they will gladly open their wallets.

 

Remember, people will try to rationalise their buying decision so all you have to do is provide sufficient objective reasons why buying your product is a sensible thing to do. But people will always buy on an emotional basis first so make sure your pitch presses one of the deadly sins buttons and you’ll be on to a winner.

Sally Ormond

Freelance Copywriter

Let me take your business to new heights by making every word count.