Using Google Offline: How Does It Work?

Every time I write about Google, I am always a little bewildered. Not only are they a hugely popular search engine, but they also develop and support Internet analytics, cloud computing, advertising technologies, and Web app, browser and operating system development. It is one of the most highly valued companies in the world and yet they offer many of their services for free.

However, no matter how big and powerful they are, they continue to develop ways that will give people who live in areas that don’t have access to a good internet connection a fighting chance. I get frustrated at times because they seem all powerful and can change their formula (such as algorithm changes and products that get the ax) without a word’s notice, but they still champion the little guy and their humanitarian projects are quite impressive.

Initially, most people used a PC to search, work, and discover and their Internet connection was generally stable. But now that people are much more mobile with smartphones and tablets, this isn’t always the case. So, Google is advancing methods that will allow you to work offline until an Internet connection is available. The following article outlines the products that they are focusing on for offline work:

Google Is Quietly Rebuilding Itself Offline | Co.Design | business + design

Google is never down. It’s the most resilient, expansive cloud infrastructure ever built, with layers of redundant servers to promise that when you ask Google to look up some inane piece of trivia or search your email—from a restaurant, or in the middle of the night—it’s always there to respond.

Yet for the past few years, Google has been quietly updating its offline capabilities. Search. Maps. Docs. Chrome. YouTube. Each of Google’s largest branches is now fit with some level of functionality, even when the internet is out of reach. Maps will download cities to your phone. YouTube Red automatically downloads your favorite songs. Chrome can save webpages so you can view them even without Wi-Fi. And most recently, Google announced that even good old Googling can work without a connection. On Android, the searches will queue up when you don’t have a connection, then the system will automatically alert the user with results when a connection comes back online.

Read the full post here:  Google Is Quietly Rebuilding Itself Offline | Co.Design | business + design

Using Google offline isn’t like being connected, but it is definitely better than nothing. Through some settings on your phone, you can queue up a search and be notified when the search results are available. This video demonstrates how to work offline using your smartphone:

One of the best offline functions they have cultivated is using Google Maps offline. This works really well to store specific locations on your device or an SD card so if you happen to be where your phone doesn’t have service, you can still utilize the saved map to find your way around. You have to think ahead and search for the area you need to save while you have Internet, but once you are connected you don’t have to worry about getting lost.

These are the step-by-step instructions straight from Google support:

1. On your phone or tablet, open the Google Maps app .
2. Make sure you’re connected to the Internet and signed in to Google Maps.
3. Search for a place, like San Francisco.
4. At the bottom, tap the name or address of the place. If you search for a place like a restaurant, tap More .
5. Select Download .

Read more here on the Google Support Page

This post from CNET gives a few more helpful tips on using Google offline. Keep in mind that the instructions are pretty much identical for iPhone and Android users:

How to use Google Maps offline mode on iOS, Android – CNET

You’ll then be tasked adjusting the area to be saved via panning and zooming around, making sure to pay attention to the size limit alert along the top of the screen. If the mapped area is deemed to large, you’ll need to zoom in and repeat the process for the area left out. Once you’re happy, tap on Save and give the offline map a name.

To access your saved maps, slide you the menu draw and select My Places from the list of options. Scroll to the bottom of the page, where you should find any offline maps still stored on your device.

Keep in mind that any saved maps will only remain on your device for 30 days. Presumably, after that the app will purge a saved map to clear up space on your device.

Read more here:  How to use Google Maps offline mode on iOS, Android – CNET

Google continues to amazing me with their innovative and charitable ways. In the end, though, it really comes down to the fact that Google wants to encourage anyone they possibly can to be part of the community as well as a potential paying customer.

First posted here:  S&S Pro Blog

What’s New With Google Voice

The virtual phone number service, Google Voice, was originally launched in 2009.  How did Google Voice initially work? It allowed you to use call forwarding and voicemail services for a chosen phone number.

From Pixabay

When it came out, we were excited to use it because it allowed a way to create a unique phone number for our business in the preferred area code and have calls forwarded to our landline phone. We didn’t have to pay for a second phone line or receive business calls on our personal line.

However, the days of landlines are gone, and in the meantime other companies came out with virtual phone numbers that worked similar to or better than Google Voice with your mobile phone. In fact, many people thought Google Voice was being completely removed from the Google lineup, but recently there have been some surprising updates to the service.

One big issue with the previous version of the app,  besides its awkward interface, was the inability to receive an image with the transcribed text that the service provided. The Verge reviews the MMS inline feature and what’s new with Google Voice in the following article:

Google Voice gets a new look for its first major update in years – The Verge

Aside from simply bringing Voice up to date aesthetically, the upgraded app carries over some features that until now were only available for users who

Image from Flickr

had switched to Hangouts for some Voice functions like texting and voicemail. For one, photo MMS is now supported by Google Voice on all platforms and across pretty much all major carriers. Images show up inline in your conversations, and firing off your own is as easy as any other texting app. That sounds like basic functionality, but MMS has been a longtime sore spot for Voice. No more emails with MMS attachments or other weird workarounds.

Read more here:  Google Voice gets a new look for its first major update in years – The Verge

This video analyzes the new features for Google Voice. The author goes through the ins and outs of using the app, how it is still integrated with Voice and Hangouts, but in addition also being integrated with the web application.  It is still an option for people who don’t want to use a phone carrier and prefer to use VoIP for their calls:

 

In this post by CNET, it examines the differences in how the application works for Android users as opposed to iPhone users. The main variable is the placement of the three dedicated tabs:

Revamped Google Voice has five new features you really need to check out – CNET

Most notably, Google Voice is now split up into three different sections. Each section has a dedicated tab, instead of a series of links.

Android users will find the three tabs along the top of the screen, with the standard Android Compose button in the bottom-right corner. Select the compose button to reveal your contact list, along with a dial-pad button to place a call.

iOS users will have four tabs along the bottom of the app, the three mentioned above and a dedicated dial-pad button. Once you begin using the updated mobile app, the web interface will update as well. The web interface has three tabs plus a menu button.

Read the full post here:  Revamped Google Voice has five new features you really need to check out – CNET

Another big change includes the ability to do a group message. It seems that the new interface is very similar to other messaging apps, which brings the service back to being a viable option for virtual calling. Google never fails to surprise me.

See the original post here:  S&S Pro Blog

Inside Info About Tech Savvy Millennials

The millennial generation is the topic of many tech and economic discussions these days.  They are the group of young adults born between 1980 and the mid-2000s and many are in the prime of their lives and careers. Not only are they approximately 1/3 or the world’s population, but they are a very diverse group that grew up with the Internet as an intertwined part of their lives.

Because of this, millennials have technology wired into their DNA. They live and breathe for the latest gadget, and are especially fond of their smartphone. Most of these tech savvy millennials’ daily routine revolves around using their phone to schedule, email, search, consume news and video, and interact on social media.

Another interesting fact about this young generation is that when surveyed, many expressed an interest in starting their own business. This is in part due to the advances in technology and the fact that the cost of producing many digital products has fallen considerably, opening up a whole world of creativity and exploration. Millennials are also very socially-conscience individuals who want to make a difference in the world.

So, as business owners from an older generation, how do you think these young adults effect the economy? In a mind-blowing way! At this point, they have already lived through a recession in which jobs were scarce and attending college very expensive, putting them into debt to the point of living with their parents while searching for a job.

They also value creativity above other employment characteristics. As a business owner, when you hire a millennial you might have to step out of your comfort zone and realize that they have a lot to offer, but their way of thinking might distress you and the older employees. If bringing new ideas to the table scares you, don’t hire a millennial.

Another key point for baby boomer business owners (born 1946 – 1965) is how to focus your marketing campaign on these mobile shoppers that are constantly on the go. Mobile shopping-related searches increased by 120% in the last year, so it’s crucial to consider this as a huge part of a marketing push.  

In this article from Google Think, some great concepts are discussed to help move into the mobile age:

Recent Google search data and mounting third-party evidence has given us new insights into how marketers can engage shoppers in these micro-moments. Here’s what we’ve recently learned:

As location searches grow, are you there in the moments that matter?

1. Smartphone shopping has created a new “front door to the store.” That’s the phrase the retail giant Target now uses after learning that three-fourths of its guests start their shopping journey on mobile, and that one-third of guests who click on a mobile search ad take a trip to a Target store. Similarly, the telecommunications company Sprint discovered that one in four people who click on their mobile search ads end up in a Sprint retail store.
2. Consumers are hungrier than ever for local information. Google searches with “near me” have grown 2.4X year-over-year. In fact, according to research, 50% of consumers who conduct a local search on their smartphone visit a store within a day, and 18% of those searches lead to a purchase.
3. Ads that show local inventory drive shoppers into stores. One in four people who avoid stores say it’s because they don’t know if a product is in stock. If you’re an omni-channel retailer, showing shoppers the items you have in stock at nearby stores can be half the battle. After adopting Local Inventory Ads, which show actual store inventory to online searchers, Sears Hometown and Outlet Stores saw a 122% increase in store visits. Furthermore, Local Inventory Ads drove eight dollars of in-store sales for each dollar invested.
4. Smartphones are the new in-store research advisor. Eighty-two percent of shoppers say they consult their phones on purchases they’re about to make in a store. Amazingly, nearly one in four shoppers say they have changed their minds while in a checkout line after looking up details on a smartphone. The beauty and body-care retailer Sephora has been a leader in treating in-store mobile behavior as a major opportunity: They encourage in-store customers to scan products into Sephora’s mobile app to receive product ratings, reviews and other key information.
5. Omni-channel shoppers spend more. According to MasterCard, customers who shop both online and off with a specific retailer buy 250% more on average. Macy’s discovered that its omni-channel shoppers are 8X more valuable than those who shop in a single channel.

Read more here:  https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/articles/5-ways-consumers-connect-stores-mobile-shopping.html

Understanding the mind of a younger adult is obviously a huge part of gearing your marketing methods in favor of this interesting generation.  Having a conversation with someone in this age group might help you to better understand their point of view. Sitting down with your kids or grandkids and listening as they share their point of view on how they like to learn new things may very well be enlightening.

In an article clip from Fortune Magazine, data is showing millennials are less likely to own a car and instead use public transit.

Millennials are migrating to cities and driving the success of the shared economy

This generation is moving to cities after college, and they’re staying there indefinitely. For the first time since the 1920’s, U.S. cities are growing faster than everywhere else in the country combined. This trend is impacting transportation, housing, and home ownership across categories. Millennials are using public transit 40% more and cars 23% less. Plus, they are twice as likely to participate in the sharing economy – from ride-sharing to apartment rentals.

In the same article, it discusses the way millennials absorb media. I’m sure you would find very few individuals in this age group that have a landline phone, let alone purchase cable or satellite television.  Putting yourself into the shoes of this generation would go a long way in figuring out what advertising will work now and in the future.

They’re leading the shift in media consumption habits

The media landscape has drastically changed and will continue to do so. Millennials can access content anywhere, anytime and on any device, which has huge implications for traditional TV and cable. It also shouldn’t be surprising that with the rejection of traditional formats comes the rejection of traditional advertising. Indeed, 70% of people under 30 use ad blockers, and traditional TV commercials are increasingly irrelevant.

Read more here:  http://fortune.com/2015/05/27/7-facts-every-business-should-know-about-millennials

See the original post on S&S Pro Blog

How To Get AMP’ed Up With Accelerated Mobile Pages

Some of the biggest names in the online world (i.e. Google, Twitter, and WordPress) got together in October of 2015 and came up with a pretty cool plan of attack.  It’s called Accelerated Mobile Pages or AMP, and it is due to the way smart phones and tablets are transforming digital search.  So what exactly does it mean to have an accelerated mobile page?

Pretty much just what it sounds like.   It is a concept to improve the mobile experience with faster loading pages.  At some time or another, we have all clicked off of a page that is loading to slowly, eliminating the chance for an online user to even see what a webpage has to offer.

How will being AMP’ed up affect the way Google shows the keyword phrase that is typed into search?  Well, it would make sense that pages that have the accelerated capability will be given a higher favor in the search engines. After all, Google is all about giving the user the best experience with the most relevant search results.

In Google’s own words, “We want webpages with rich content like video, animations and graphics to work alongside smart ads, and to load instantaneously. We also want the same code to work across multiple platforms and devices so that content can appear everywhere in an instant—no matter what type of phone, tablet or mobile device you’re using.”

Below is a Google Demo for how the AMP’ed mobile pages will look:

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Check Out The Original Post Here:  https://googleblog.blogspot.com/2015/10/introducing-accelerated-mobile-pages.html

The process for getting your website on the accelerated track is to use a new open framework built entirely out of existing web technologies, called AMP HTML. This article from SEO authority searchengineland.com explains how to obtain AMP for your website.

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How Will You AMP Your Site?

Paul Shapiro on February 24, 2016

For starters, you will have to maintain at least two versions of any article page: The original version of your article page that users will typically see, and the AMP version of that page.

Since AMP doesn’t permit things such as form elements and third-party JavaScript, you likely will not be able to have lead forms, on-page comments and some other elements you may be used to having on your page in a standard implementation. (Although there is currently a hack using iframes that provides a solution to this. Thanks to Conrad O’Connell for helping me verify the hack.)

It is also likely that you will have to rewrite your site template to accommodate the restrictions. For example, all CSS in AMP must be in-line and be less than 50KB. Due to loading-intensiveness of custom fonts, they must be loaded using a special amp-font extension, in order to better control that loading.

Multimedia must be handled specially. For example, images need to utilize the custom amp-img element and must include an explicit width and height. (When converting a legacy website to an AMP template, this can be a major pain if the width and height attributes aren’t already being used). Additionally, if your images are animated GIFs, you need to use the separate amp-anim extended component.

Like images, there is a custom tag that must be used to embed locally hosted videos via HTML5, called amp-video. For embedding YouTube video, however — which the majority of web videos are — there is a separate extended component, amp-youtube.

There is also support for things such as slideshows via amp-carousel and image lightboxes via amp-image-lightbox, as well social media embeds for Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and Vine via their own extended components.

Original Article Posted Here:  http://searchengineland.com/get-started-accelerated-mobile-pages-amp-240688

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Are you wondering just how fast an AMP’ed page is? It is said to load 4 times faster than before.  In aCopyblogger article written by Demian Farnworth, it describes it like this:

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Jon Parise, software engineer at Pinterest, said, “Accelerated Mobile Pages load four times faster and use eight times less data than traditional mobile-optimized pages.”

Four times faster is good! But what does that mean for you, our friendly subway commuter trying to download a web page on his mobile phone?

According to NiemanLab, an AMP optimized New York Times article fully downloaded on mobile in 2.99 seconds. For a comparison, in a test in Chrome on a fast iMac, the desktop version of that page took 3.82 seconds (the mobile version was faster).

In other words, blink your eye twice and you, our subway commuter, can start reading the useful part of the content almost instantly, thanks to AMP.

Read the Whole Post Here: http://goo.gl/AWWbQa

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With all of the constant updates on Google, it is probably a pretty critical factor to get your site AMP ready. Any top online marketing agency should be able to help you with this. If you’re curious, you can check out our site on a mobile device to see that S&S Pro Services’ website is AMP equipped. 

Originally Post on S&S Pro Blog