Friday, April 6, 2007

I totally heart Google's creations

Have you ever kicked yourself after you passed on something that you thought was cool, but you just didn't commit to it because you weren't COMPLETELY sure that your hopes would dashed against the rocks? Well, I did that with Google's stock buying opportunity.

I remember all the Wall Street buzz was saying that it won't be as hot as everyone thought it would be. Hmm. Initial stock was offered at about a $100 a share. Since its initial public offering, Google's shares have surged more than fivefold. This growth has created more than $120 billion in shareholder wealth. The shares fell $1.58 to $471.02 on Wednesday. I promise next time Google has stock offerings at the original $100 I will buy some, assuming of course Chevron hasn't bought them out.

Whatever. Did you see the video bar at the top of my blog? Yeah. Pretty cool, huh? It's powered by Google, in case you didn't notice. Have you clicked on one yet? No? You should try...you can watch a video without leaving my blog, and the videos are determined by search criteria I've specified. This way, when anything gets added to YouTube or GoogleVideo, bloggers like myself can include the content in the bar. Of course, if you're on the distribution list (serviced by GoogleGroups) and accessing my blog through a link other than http://jromi.blogspot.com, then you're missing a lot of the links, graphics, videos, news feeds, etc. and overall presentation that's present on the actual blog.

Why would I include a video bar? Why not? If I want to include clips of Dubya saying "I hear there's rumors on the internets" (yes, he really says 'internets') or of Dave Chappelle showing us what the current state of affairs would be like with a Black George Bush and Tony Blair, then I'm going to do it. I'm not scared. In fact, perhaps one video could help get an allegedly wrongly convicted American out of a Nicaraguan jail.

Also, I recommend you check out the new GoogleMaps feature: MyMaps. You can make your own maps, complete with placemarks, annotated pictures, videos, lines, shapes, etc. Then you can choose to make your maps public or private. Are you a burgeoning tour guide with a web presence? Try your IP out on GoogleMaps, and see if you can drive traffic to your site with your value-added content! Yay!

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