Google search results based on reading level

Not too long ago, I noticed that Google had made it possible to organise search results according to reading level. In the screencast below, I show you how to do a search using the reading level options. However, I have not located anything indicating how the levels are determined exactly.

I hope you find the demo helpful.

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Expanding Google News for more variety and multimedia

Posted by Chase Hensel, Associate Product Manager, Google News

Every day, Google News crawls through thousands of news articles to present you with the most relevant and recent stories. For a long time, we’ve realized that bringing relevant news to the surface is only part of the puzzle—it should also be easy to scan for stories of interest and dig deeper when you find them.

The newly expandable stories on Google News in the U.S., released today, give you greater story diversity with less clutter.

Now you can easily see more content, see less of what you don’t use and have a more streamlined experience:

• Click-to-expand: Each story cluster is collapsed down to one headline with the exception of the top story. When something grabs you, click nearby anywhere but the title to expand the story box.
• Labeled diversity: For stories you’ve expanded, you’ll see genre labels for some of the additional articles that explain why they were chosen and how they add value. For example, you might see something labeled as an “Opinion” piece or an indication that an article is “In Depth.”
• Multimedia and more: Within each expanded story box, you’ll find a sliding bar of videos and photos, links to related sections and easier-to-use sharing options, so you can quickly digest the sights and sounds of a news story, dig into different types of publications and share what you find interesting with one click.
• Personalized top stories: The Top Stories section is expanded to six or more stories from three to give you more topic diversity. The first three stories remain unpersonalized and the same as before. The rest may be personalized based on your interests. To personalize your Google News experience you can click on “Edit” under “News for you.” You can choose the “Standard Edition” if you don’t want personalization.
• Less is more: The default view is now the popular “One Column” (formerly “Section”) view. We merged List View into Top Stories, as described above. You can still switch to “Two Column” view, which resembles classic Google News.

We hope you like these changes—please share your feedback and visit our Help Center to learn more.

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Google Transit comes to Pune

Today I'm happy to report that we've added Pune city bus service (PMPML) public transport information to Google Maps. Public transport is a vital part of the infrastructure that makes our cities run efficiently, and can help mitigate congestion, environmental concerns, and increasing energy costs. But until recently, access to that information has been more difficult than it needs to be. This lead us to the fundamental goal of the Google Transit project: make public transit information as easy to find as any other geographic information.

With a daily ridership of approximately 1 million passengers, PMPML is the second Indian Bus service to launch on Google Maps. Commuters in Pune can now find out bus schedules and routes for 320 of PMPML buses via Google Maps on desktop and mobile. The easy access of this service helps commuters and tourists find their way around the city using buses. As an example, here is the route from Pune University to MG Road.

How would the Google Transit work for commuters of Pune’s PMPML

As Google Maps provide integrated services like local information, driving directions for commuters, with Transit, Pune PMPML commuters would be able to receive information in the following way:

• The user searches for information to reach from Place A to B on Google Maps

• The result shows a map with the possible route and driving directions for the commuter

• By choosing the transit option, commuters would get first hand information on Pune’s routes and schedules

• Commuters get to see the step by step directions for the entire route including frequency, travel duration for each leg of the trip in text and on the map.

Transit is now launched in over 500 cities around the world including in Delhi where we partnered with Delhi Metro Rail Corporation earlier this year to launch Delhi Metro routes on Google Maps and in Bangalore we partnered with BMTC to launch Bangalore Bus routes.

So next time you are in Pune and want to plan your trip whether from Baner phata to Hinjewadi or from Hotel Le Meridien to Parvati Hill, adopt an environment friendly way to commute by taking a bus.

Posted by Kiran Bapna, New Business Development & Manik Gupta, Product Manager, Google Maps & Local Search, Google India.

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Rajan Anandan to lead Google India

We are delighted to announce the appointment of Rajan Anandan as Vice President of India Sales and Operations.

Rajan brings to Google India an impressive pedigree of hi-tech and leadership expertise, as well as degrees from Stanford and MIT. His 18-year career includes key roles at Microsoft, Dell and McKinsey & Company. Says Daniel Alegre, President, Japan and Asia-Pacific Operations,"We always hire the best talent available. India is an important growth country for Google. We were voted the best company to work for in India and we are hiring across functions. With Internet users growing at 50% year-on-year, a strong leadership team will ensure that Google captures this tremendous opportunity. We are happy to have a leader of Rajan’s seniority and calibre to manage and lead it to the next phase of growth."

Most recently Rajan was MD of Microsoft India, responsible for all aspects of Microsoft’s software, OEM and services business in India. Under his leadership, Microsoft India was recognized as the Number 1 subsidiary among the emerging markets worldwide (China, Russia, Brazil, Mexico, Turkey, South Africa and India).

Prior to joining Microsoft, Rajan was the Vice President and Country General Manager of Dell in India where he grew the Dell business from $250 million to over $800 million and several leadership roles including being the Executive Assistant to Chairman Michael Dell. Before that, he was a Partner with McKinsey & Company in Chicago. He holds an MSc from Stanford and a BSc from MIT.

Shailesh Rao, who has been covering those two roles, that of the Japan and Asia-Pacific Managing Director, Media and Platform Sales and Managing Director and Head of Sales, Google India, will remain in Gurgaon and move full-time to the former to deliver on the exciting growth plans for that business. Shailesh has been instrumental in getting India off the ground from a start-up to a scaled-up and successful business operation, with revenues and headcount growing substantially.

We would like to thank him for his achievements and dedication to the India business.

Posted by Daniel Alegre,VP, JAPAC Operations

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Google To Run Internet Awareness Program In Gowtham Model Schools

Google will work with Gowtham Model Schools across Andhra Pradesh to provide students and parents a first hand experience of the Internet, and how it can be beneficial to their lives through the Google Internet Bus school outreach program.

The school outreach program comprises of a team of two people with laptops and projectors who will visit all fifty Gowtham Model schools and showcase informative content both in English and Telugu. The campaign will run for a total of 45 days and is expected to reach out to more than 50,000 students and their parents.

This initiative is part of Google’s program to spread awareness about the Internet. Google Internet Bus is a custom designed Internet enabled bus, which aims at educating people about the Internet and how it may be beneficial to their lives, by taking the Internet experience to them in their preferred language.

“We are very proud to be partnering with Google on this special Internet education program. The program will enable our GMS students and their parents to learn about the Internet and be up to date on the latest technology happenings. We are extending this program to the whole of Andhra Pradesh and educating over 50,000 people. ” said Mr. M.Venkata Narayana, Chairman, K12 Techno Services Pvt Ltd.

Commenting on this collaboration, Abhishek Bapna, Product Manager, Google India said, "We are extremely excited about this collaboration with Gowtham Model Schools. We have learnt a lot about the Internet habits of Indian users from the Internet bus. Our experience with the various states that we have visited reinforced our belief that awareness is one of the key challenges in the growth of the Internet in India. With this collaboration, we hope to increase the awareness about the Internet and how it can enhance the lives of people.”

The Google Internet bus that has so far covered 10 states in India and touched over 1.2 million Indians. Google aims to replicate the success in other states – providing them with a platform to experience the Internet.

Posted by Nishant Nair, Project Manager, Google India.

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Google Map Maker catches World Cup Fever

Can you identify this stadium? Are you crazy enough about cricket to stay up late watching the last ball of any match? Do you drive/cycle/walk around a lot and love using maps to plan your moves? If you answered yes to either or both, then come help us map all 13 venues where the cricket world cup matches will be played; on Google Map Maker. Look at this example for inspiration!

Many cricket fans will be visiting these stadiums for the first time, most of them would not have visited your city prior to this. As a true-blue cricket fan and as a connoisseur of your city, it would be great if you could map out the layout of the stadium including

• Each stand in the stadium,
• Parking lots in and around the stadium,
• Nearby areas of interest, etc.

You could add a feather in the cap of your city by also mapping out all important roads leading in to and out of the stadium from all major locations in the city (for example, the road from the airport to the stadium). You can also collaborate with other users mapping in your countries.

Considering the nature of the crowd that will be coming in to the stadiums you might also consider mapping all the waterholes around the stadium along with the best restaurants and hotels (who knows, one of these might even be hosting the teams playing!)

If you need pointers, see how other mappers are going about mapping out their favorite stadiums. And if you are too late to map one of the 13 venues, remember there are other great stadiums you can help with.


Posted by Ajith Kumar, Program Manager & Zareer K’Maneck, Program Manager

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Tips for creating a free business listing in Google Places: business types

Are you curious about what kind of businesses are eligible to appear in the free listings that appear on Google and Google Maps? In this second post in our blog series about how to create a clear and effective business listing via Google Places, we’ll help you to determine if Google Places is right for your business.

Business types and models that work with Google Places

Google Places is meant to facilitate customer interaction with brick-and-mortar businesses and service providers. Therefore, the business owner or employee who is officially authorized to represent their particular business location must have a physical address in order to comply with our quality guidelines.

Having a physical address means that your business has a specific location (typically including a street name and a street number), can be visited by potential customers or business partners, and has a specific phone number at that location where you can be reached during operating hours. Including your physical address in your free business listing helps customers figure out where they can find you.

Examples of business listings displayed on Google Maps

Businesses that aren’t right for Google Places

Here are a few examples of business types that are not currently eligible to use Google Places:

• Web shops that operate exclusively online and have no office for visitor traffic or direct client interaction

• Businesses without actual physical locations (your living room, the airfield where you offer paragliding lessons, nor the river where your rafting tours start do not qualify as business locations)

• Companies with non-permanent locations like a farmers market stall, a mobile hot dog vendor, or a one-time concert event at a local café

• Real estate companies that don’t have a central office and are trying to advertise individual apartments where no one can be reached in person or by phone

For operations like these, rather than appearing in Google and Google Maps search results associated with a physical location, other online tools might better fit your needs. One option is to advertise and generate awareness about your business activities through Google AdWords. This cost-effective program enables you to get the word out about your business, website or event via online ad campaigns, and does not require you to have a brick-and-mortar business address.

How to create a free listing if you’re eligible

If you’re a business with a physical office location that is open to customers and staffed both in person and via phone during regular business hours, we encourage you to create a free listing by signing in to Google Places here. For example, a real estate company with a corporate office can add the services it offers, the apartments it sells, and so on in the description field of the listing.

Be careful to create just one listing per physical location and to create listings only at places where your business is actually located. For example, if you run a DJ service and your office is at # 47 MK Road in Chennai, you should only add that location in Google Places, even if you also DJ at # 21 BG Road and at # 62 KT Street.

How to indicate service areas

For businesses that have one physical location but also offer their services elsewhere - such as the aforementioned businesses as well as locksmiths, translation services, delivery pizzerias, cleaning services and the like - you can use the Service Areas feature in your Google Places account. Marking a service area enables you to show your potential customers the range of places where you work.

Businesses that require travel to meet customers can define a radius around their main location or select specific areas they serve. If your main location is your home address and only used to receive business-related mail and phone calls, you can also hide that address and only show the service area in which you operate. This might be the case for babysitters, DJs, household services or IT repair services. Detailed instructions about how to set up this feature can be found in our help center.

Taxi and courier companies are particularly good examples for the use of the Service Areas feature. They offer a service that is location-independent and therefore shouldn't be associated with fixed locations on Google Maps. Even if you can find taxis often in front of train stations or airports, these are not locations owned by the business. The service area feature allows taxis to indicate the area in which they operate. If the taxis are coordinated over a dispatch centre, that can be listed as one physical location, otherwise the address should be hidden.

How to verify a listing

In order for your free business listing to appear on Google and Google Maps, you must verify your business via Google Places. This simple process includes providing a verification code by mail, automated call or text message. The phone number used for this process will be shown in your listing, so be sure that the number directs calls to your business.

We hope this information helps to explain our Google Places quality guidelines around setting up a free business listing. If you have any further questions about the types of businesses that are eligible for inclusion in Google Places, please visit our Google Places help forum.

Posted by Lina Paczensky, Local Search Quality

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Tips for creating a free business listing in Google Places: Adding useful descriptions and relevant categories

With this blog post, we’re concluding our three part series about the Google Places quality guidelines. Today, we’ll discuss how to choose the best fitting categories for your business listing as well as how to provide a useful description. In case you missed the first two blog posts, you can find here the first post about business titles and here the second part about business types.

Adding useful descriptions

As a business owner, we encourage you to add a specific description of your business in the “description” field. This gives potential clients more information to understand what your business is about and see if your business matches what they are seeking. You can also use this field to provide further guidance about the location of your business which might be useful in some cases where it is hard to find, e.g. if the entrance of your business is only accessible via the rear.

Keep the description clean and concise, so it is helpful to users and catches their attention. A series of repeated keywords or categories may turn off potential customers, but a crisp and catchy summary of the services you offer help users determine if your business is right for them.


Choosing relevant categories

If you provide appropriate and accurate categories, we can better match your business listing to relevant user searches. We recommend choosing specific categories that describe the core of your business well instead of broad ones. A good way to find representative categories for your business is asking yourself the question “What is my business?” Be sure to capture what your business is as opposed to what it offers or sells - in that sense, “bakery” would be a good category as opposed to “cakes” or “bread”.

Also, do not include location information in the categories field. If you would like to provide such additional information about your business, you can use the description field and, if appropriate, the service areas feature.

You will be asked to choose at least one category from our standard list - just start typing in the categories field to see what is available via the auto-suggestions.

We recommend always choosing the best matching and most specific category for your business - for any specific category, Google will be able to automatically determine the more generic category as well. That means, if you are a Mexican restaurant, you should go for ‘Mexican Restaurant’ and not ‘Restaurant’ - Google then automatically knows that if you are a Mexican restaurant, you are also a restaurant.

You can provide up to five categories for your business listing. After picking a standard category, you can add up to four customized categories. To add another category, just click on ‘Add another category’ and an additional field will be triggered. Put only one category per entry field. Entering more than one category into a category field is not compliant with our quality guidelines and could result in your listing being suspended and not appearing in Google Places. In case you find it difficult to find an appropriate standard category to start with, just pick a category that fits best and add more specific custom categories. If you are uncertain about categorizing your business, you can also ask for advice in the Google Places help forum and discuss with other business owners.


We hope that this information helps you add a concise description and accurate categories to your business listing in Google Places. This gives potential clients more information to determine if your business matches what they are seeking. For further questions you can visit our Google Places help forum.

Posted by Sabine Borsay, Consumer Operations

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Teach your old docs new tricks with Google Cloud Connect for Microsoft Office

(Cross-posted from the Google Enterprise Blog)

Millions of businesses are experiencing radical productivity gains with web-powered tools, and today Google Apps collaboration is ready for every employee. We’re bringing multi-person, simultaneous editing to the Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint applications that coworkers may still need from time to time. More people will be able to achieve a 100% web future entirely in Google Docs after learning the benefits of web-powered collaboration within traditional software.

Google Cloud Connect for Microsoft Office is now available to all users worldwide, letting two or more people work together on the same file at the same time in Microsoft Office 2003, 2007 or 2010 on Windows PCs. For example, you can edit a Word document’s table of contents from Dublin while coworkers adjust formatting and make revisions from Denver. Instead of bombarding each other with attachments and hassling to reconcile people’s edits, your whole team can focus on productive work together.



Google Cloud Connect vastly improves Microsoft Office 2003, 2007 and 2010, so companies can start using web-enabled teamwork tools without upgrading Microsoft Office or implementing SharePoint 2010.


Comparison of collaboration alternatives

Today we’re also introducing the 90-Day Appsperience program globally so businesses encumbered with 1990s technology can experience modern collaboration and the burst of productivity that’s possible now. Whether you manage IT for your whole business, lead a department, or manage a complex project like an industry event, a nominal fee covers 90-day unlimited use of Google Apps collaboration plus hands-on support from Google experts. To help companies measure the productivity impact of better teamwork -- and ultimately pay for what they really need instead of desktop software that could sit on the shelf -- the new collaboration dashboard in the Google Apps for Business and Education control panel provides aggregated activity metrics to administrators. Both Google Cloud Connect and this collaboration dashboard are available in English, with many more supported languages to follow soon.


This year we look forward to bringing you countless stories on the Google Enterprise Blog from schools, businesses and other organizations that are becoming much more productive with Google Apps. To get the wheels turning, check out the transformation that’s speeding ahead at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

Join me for a live webinar on March 3rd, 2011 at 10am PST / 1pm EST / 6pm GMT to learn more about Google Cloud Connect and the 90-Day Appsperience program. Register to attend the live event.

Posted by Shan Sinha, Google Apps Product Manager

Update: Many of you have also asked about availability for Macs. Unfortunately due to the lack of support for open APIs on Microsoft Office for Mac, we are unable to make Google Cloud Connect available on Macs at this time. We look forward to when that time comes so we can provide this feature to our Mac customers as well.

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Google Upgrades Search with Real-Time and Mobile Features

It was bound to happen, but is quite exciting nonetheless. Google Search has now added support for real-time search results.

Now when you search for any topic, you will see a search section that is constantly being updated with new results. The real-time search section shows results from sources such as blogs, news, Twitter and FriendFeed. They’ve also revealed their partnership with Facebook, MySpace, Jaiku, and Identi.ca other than FriendFeed and Twitter for real-time search.

Read more »

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