Google Cloud Platform News

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  Supporting our extended workforce through the COVID-19 outbreak
  • sorangutan  

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  As COVID-19 makes its way across the globe, we want to ensure that our workforce has the support they need.

  Last week we committed that members of our extended workforce who are affected by reduced office schedules (such as closed cafes resulting from offices moving to work-from-home arrangements) will be compensated for the time they would have worked. Today we’re making an additional commitment on sick leave.

  Most members of our extended workforce around the world (like the vendors who provide important campus services or the temporary staff who work on short-term projects) have sick leave benefits, whether through required government benefits or from their employers. 

  But this is not universal. For example, the United States does not have federal laws mandating paid sick leave. Last year we introduced new requirements for all companies that employ U.S. vendors and temporary staff assigned to Google, making it mandatory for them to provide their employees with paid sick leave (in addition to other minimum benefits required), in order to do business with Google. This is rolling out to their employees.

  As we’re in a transition period in the U.S.—and to cover any gaps elsewhere in the world—Google is establishing a COVID-19 fund that will enable all our temporary staff and vendors, globally, to take paid sick leave if they have potential symptoms of COVID-19, or can’t come into work because they’re quarantined. Working with our partners, this fund will mean that members of our extended workforce will be compensated for their normal working hours if they can’t come into work for these reasons. We are carefully monitoring the situation and will continue to assess any adjustments needed over the coming months.

  This fund will also cover last week’s commitment relating to reduced office schedules.

  We know it’s an uncertain time and everyone is navigating a lot of ambiguity right now. As we all do so, we want to help everyone in our workforce prioritize their health and the health of our communities.
  

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/inside-google/company-announcements/supporting-our-extended-workforce-through-covid-19-outbreak/
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  Project Stringer provides video coverage for U.S. elections
  • sorangutan  

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  Whether on TVs, phones, or social media feeds, many Americans are getting their news through videos. And with a national election dominating the U.S. news, many local publishers are struggling to meet the demand for engaging, on-the-ground political videos. Enter Project Stringer.

  The Google News Initiative partnered with Stringr—a video marketplace that allows publishers to source, edit and publish custom footage—to distribute daily video content about the 2020 elections to local newsrooms across the country. Initial participating publishers include The Boston Globe, FOX Television Stations, News Press & Gazette, Lee Enterprises, The Weather Group and Local Now, and Flood Communications with plans to expand to more newsrooms.

  Everyday, Stringr produces and distributes short video content from the campaign trails. Since the project launched in September 2019, more than 150 video packages and 3,000 raw video clips have been distributed to news publishers reaching more than 75 percent of U.S. households.

  Video packages range from candidate profiles and debate recaps to deep explainers about campaign and policy issues. Stringr employs its network of 100,000 freelance videographers, or “stringers,” to capture election moments—from stump speeches to meet-and-greets—around the country.

  For many local newsrooms, the availability of these videos may mean the difference between covering a political story or not. The 2020 election cycle has challenged the budgets of many U.S. newsrooms given the sheer number of candidates, debates, and events. But these newsrooms remain steadfast in their mission to provide high-quality, comprehensive coverage of the election. Mike Flood, founder of News Channel Nebraska, said the Project Stringer videos have helped his independent network source video and cover a nation from Nebraska, to the benefit of his viewers. 

  Project Stringer has helped newsrooms keep track of ongoing campaigns and gather information about the candidates’ whereabouts. For instance, The Boston Globe built a candidate database that incorporates Stringr video clips from speeches and appearances. The tool helps journalists quickly access transcribed footage from these events, making the reporting process a lot easier. 

  Matt Karolian, General Manager at Boston.com, said access to these videos has  also provided a business benefit, allowing publishers like him to show more ads across more content—something that is important when running a news organization in the year 2020 when the industry faces so many financial challenges. He said that without being able to lean on this technology, an organization of their size would not be able to cover the campaign in such a meaningful way for their audience.

  
  

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/outreach-initiatives/google-news-initiative/project-stringer-provides-video-coverage-us-elections/
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  Join us for the digital Google for Games Developer Summit
  • sorangutan  

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  Last month, Game Developers Conference (GDC) organizers made the difficult decision to postpone the conference. We understand this decision, as we have to prioritize the health and safety of our community. GDC is one of our most anticipated times of the year to connect with the gaming industry. Though we won’t be bringing the news in-person this year, we’re hosting the Google for Games Developer Summit, a free, digital-only experience where developers can watch the announcements and session content that was planned for GDC.  

  Google for Games Developer Summit

  The Developer Summit kicks off on March 23rd at 9:00AM PT with our broadcasted keynote. Immediately following, we’ll be releasing a full lineup of developer sessions with over 10 hours of content to help take your games to the next level. 

  Here are some types of sessions to expect:

  • Success stories from industry leaders on how they’ve conquered game testing, built backend infrastructure, and launched great games across all platforms. 
  • New announcements like Android development and profiling tools that can help deploy large APKs to devices faster, fine tune graphic performance, and analyze device memory more effectively.
  • Updates on products like Game Servers (currently in alpha)—a fully managed offering of Agones, letting developers easily deploy and manage containerized game servers around the globe.

  Sign up to stay informed at g.co/gamedevsummit. 

  Support for the game developer community

  We recognize every developer is impacted differently by this situation. We’re coordinating with the GDC Relief Fund to sponsor and assist developers who’ve invested in this moment to further grow their games.

  We also understand many developers were looking forward to sharing their content with peers. To help with this, developers can use YouTube to stream events from small to large using tools like Live Streaming andPremieres. 

  We can’t wait to share what we have in store for gaming. Discover the solutions our teams have been building to support the success of this community for years to come.

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/products/admob/join-us-digital-google-games-developer-summit/
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  Preparing students to learn from home with Chromebooks
  • sorangutan  

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  As educators and IT administrators prepare for potential school closures due to COVID-19, we’re offering free access to advanced Hangouts Meet features, as well as resources and tips for teaching classes remotely.

  School admins can quickly and securely prepare their school's Chromebooks to go home with students. Educators and IT administrators can also use our new resource hub to find materials, resources and training—and we'll continue adding to this as additional resources become available. 

  
  

  Sending Chromebooks home for distance learning

  Chromebooks are remotely managed through the Google Admin console, making it simple for schools and IT administrators to deploy and manage thousands of devices. There’s no need to manually install software or login to a device to apply settings—admins simply flip a switch online and every device updates its applications and settings automatically. These same capabilities make it just as easy to turn school-based Chromebooks into take-home devices for students to continue learning in times of need. For example:

  • Admins can restrict device access to managed student accounts or set “Off Hours” when students can sign in with their personal accounts.

  • Admins can use URL blacklists to set content restrictions and ensure that students are held to the same responsible-use policies off-campus as they are inside their classrooms.

  • Admins can enable and share applications for notetaking, podcasting, video editing, book publishing, drawing, screencasting, and other schoolwork—providing digital tools and resources to fill in for classroom supplies they might not have at home.

  For more information, please see our Help Center article on how to prepare Chromebooks for e-learning days at home.

  
  

  Using Chromebooks from home 

  Even if students don’t have WiFi access, they can access their Google Drive, and edit and save files offline. And they can take photos, record videos and screencasts while offline on Chromebooks.

  Sharing information with families

  Some parents and guardians might not be familiar with Chromebooks and how they differ from other computers. Admins might consider sending an email home to parents to explain how these devices work and how to assist students at home with our Guardian's Guide to Chromebooks. It’s important to share information with families about how to manage their child’s Chromebooks, including activity controls and which sites to allow. Schools might also consider sharing their distance learning plans with families so they might know how to support the transition.

  More resources for distance learning

  As families support students learning at home, we’re here to help. You can find resources on our distance learning hub and watch our webinar on distance learning strategies. We’re inspired by the ideas and resources educational leaders are sharing with each other. To continue the conversation and share your own ideas, join us on Google Educator Groups, Twitter and Facebook. 

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/outreach-initiatives/education/covid19-chromebooks/
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  How a Local Guide helps women achieve financial freedom
  • sorangutan  

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  Three years ago, my world changed completely. Three different surgeries after a road accident left me bedridden and confined to one room for a year and a half. I wondered if I would ever fully recover. I wondered if my career would suffer. I wondered if I would be able to do what I loved—traveling, eating out, and meeting new people. I wondered if I would be happy again. 

  Thankfully, an optimistic friend planted an idea in my head: “Why don't you leave Google Maps reviews for places you have already visited?” I had no idea this was a possibility. I began to write Google Maps reviews without ever leaving my room in my hometown of Vapi, India—starting with a local restaurant I adore called Sam's Alive Again. I sensed my mood changing daily; I was helping people make better decisions about places to go and things to do. 

  Quickly, my numbers added up; I contributed more than 700 reviews and 2,000 photos that have been seen more than 3 million times. In 2018, I was selected to attend Google’s annual meet-up of Local Guides, where top Google Maps contributors from around the world come together in San Francisco. I made new friends and learned about the amazing things they do for their communities, like adding accessibility information on Google Maps to help people with disabilities and arranging volunteer events. I felt helpful and inspired for the first time in a long time.

  

  Being financially independent frees you from the opinions of others. Priyanka Upadhyay
  

  My growing involvement with Local Guides taught me that photos are powerful. Reviews can transform a business. And technology gives a voice to women. I’ve seen this firsthand. My cousin runs a cake shop called Baker's Love out of her home in Vapi. Now that I’ve added her to Google Maps, she receives orders from far away places online. (She makes the most amazing chocolate cake, by the way.) 

  And I loved teaching Urmila, the owner of Dimple Beauty Parlor, how to claim her business on Google Maps, maintain her photos, and respond to reviews. Urmila told me that she saw a jump in her weekly customers, and her business is doing fine. As Urmila says, “It’s essential to be able to stand on your own feet.”

  There are so many social and economic hurdles to start a business—and I believe these multiply when you’re a woman. Financial independence frees you from the opinions of others, and I get excited when a woman is motivated to do her own thing. Through Local Guides Connect, our online forum where Local Guides swap tips and network from around the world, I run a group called “Empowered Women of Vapi, India.” Together, we identify stories about women in Vapi; in 2020, we’re organizing 28 meet-ups in all 28 states of India (yes, all!). At each meet-up we will visit the state capital, gather women business owners, improve their Google Maps place pages, and forge connections between Local Guides.

  This is my way of encouraging women to keep going—no matter the obstacle. Women are strong, inspiring, and resilient. Today, I’m fully recovered, and looking back, I’m so grateful I didn’t allow my surgeries to stop me.

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/products/maps/how-a-local-guide-helps-women-achieve-financial-freedom/
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  Career development for journalists-turned-parents in Korea
  • sorangutan  

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  Managing work and home life is never an easy task, and parents around the world would agree that it doesn’t get any simpler with children. Now couple that with a career in journalism: if parenting is a full-time job, the news never stops either.

  
  

  For reporters in Korea, the pursuit of worabael, or "work-life balance," means making a difficult choice between advancing their careers and spending time with their families. Taking parental leave can be a major career setback—so parents working in the news industry either don’t take leave, or suffer the consequences when they do. It’s a situation that disproportionately affects women, even as thenumber of female reporters in Korean newsrooms grows. 

  
  

  To help overcome these barriers, the Google News Initiative (GNI) has partnered with the Journalists Association of Korea and HeyJoyce—Korea’s largest community for women—to create a leadership program that supports reporters’ career development while on parental leave, so they’re ready to return after a period away. The 10-week curriculum aims to develop the journalists’ understanding of newsroom operations and how to introduce new technologies and business models, with instruction and mentoring from senior editors and academics. 

  
  What’s different is that all the participants are invited to bring their children along. While the first cohort of 18 journalists attend sessions, they don’t have to worry about childcare. Professionals from JARANDA—a childcare-matching platform led by Seojung Chang, a member of Google’s 2017 Campus for Moms initiative in Seoul—look after the kids. And catering company Unor, founded by a mother-daughter team, provides the food.

  

  Korean startups provide child-minding and food for journalists taking part in the courses.

  

  The classes help new parents keep up their skills and learn how to lead through change in the news industry.

  The program aims to show a different, more positive approach to work-life balance in Korea. 

  
  

  Naree Lee, the CEO of HeyJoyce, knows how critical this kind of support for new parents can be. “I worked for 20 years as a journalist and experienced serious difficulties keeping up with work and caring for my children at the same time; I considered quitting every day. I was also anxious about falling behind my colleagues in such an intensely competitive environment,” she said. “Programs like these will help build concrete skills, so the participants won’t have to go through what I did.”

  
  

  

  “Throughout the decade I spent working at a newspaper, I had many concerns about the future of journalism,” said Sewon Yim, a reporter from the Seoul Economic Daily. “Through this program, we were able to express our worries and share possible solutions.”

  The pilot program in Korea will conclude this spring and, together with our partners, we plan to expand it to returning parents in newsrooms across Asia-Pacific.

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/around-the-globe/google-asia/career-development-journalists-turned-moms-korea/
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  Career development for journalists-turned-parents in Korea
  • sorangutan  

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  Managing work and home life is never an easy task, and parents around the world would agree that it doesn’t get any simpler with children. Now couple that with a career in journalism: if parenting is a full-time job, the news never stops either.

  
  

  For reporters in Korea, the pursuit of worabael, or "work-life balance," means making a difficult choice between advancing their careers and spending time with their families. Taking parental leave can be a major career setback—so parents working in the news industry either don’t take leave, or suffer the consequences when they do. It’s a situation that disproportionately affects women, even as thenumber of female reporters in Korean newsrooms grows. 

  
  

  To help overcome these barriers, the Google News Initiative (GNI) has partnered with the Journalists Association of Korea and HeyJoyce—Korea’s largest community for women—to create a leadership program that supports reporters’ career development while on parental leave, so they’re ready to return after a period away. The 10-week curriculum aims to develop the journalists’ understanding of newsroom operations and how to introduce new technologies and business models, with instruction and mentoring from senior editors and academics. 

  
  What’s different is that all the participants are invited to bring their children along. While the first cohort of 18 journalists attend sessions, they don’t have to worry about childcare. Professionals from JARANDA—a childcare-matching platform led by Seojung Chang, a member of Google’s 2017 Campus for Moms initiative in Seoul—look after the kids. And catering company Unor, founded by a mother-daughter team, provides the food.

  

  Korean startups provide child-minding and food for journalists taking part in the courses.

  

  The classes help new parents keep up their skills and learn how to lead through change in the news industry.

  The program aims to show a different, more positive approach to work-life balance in Korea. 

  
  

  Naree Lee, the CEO of HeyJoyce, knows how critical this kind of support for new parents can be. “I worked for 20 years as a journalist and experienced serious difficulties keeping up with work and caring for my children at the same time; I considered quitting every day. I was also anxious about falling behind my colleagues in such an intensely competitive environment,” she said. “Programs like these will help build concrete skills, so the participants won’t have to go through what I did.”

  
  

  

  “Throughout the decade I spent working at a newspaper, I had many concerns about the future of journalism,” said Sewon Yim, a reporter from the Seoul Economic Daily. “Through this program, we were able to express our worries and share possible solutions.”

  The pilot program in Korea will conclude this spring and, together with our partners, we plan to expand it to returning parents in newsrooms across Asia-Pacific.

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/around-the-globe/google-asia/career-development-journalists-turned-parents-korea/
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  (Her)story in the making: our International Women's Day Doodle
  • sorangutan  

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  Coming from a family of strong women, I grew up taking independence for granted. My grandmother always emphasized the power we had as women to take care of ourselves, pursue our dreams, and thrive. All three of her daughters went on to earn university degrees in subjects they were passionate about and then to work and become financially independent. One of them even chose not to get married, an act of defiance in 1950s Italy. 

  Needless to say, I grew up surrounded by strong women role models. It wasn’t until my business partner, Joyanne, and I started Makerie Studio that I saw firsthand the perceived difference between genders in society.  We realized how differently we were treated as young women, as people often assumed we worked for someone else, or commented on our appearance rather than our skills. More than once we were told that we “didn’t look like we’d know what we were doing,” despite having done our research, being professionally dressed, and clearly well prepared for our jobs.

  We were lucky enough to grow up in environments that fostered growth indiscriminately, with people who believe gender is not relevant to a person’s potential, and we have reaped the benefits of our mothers’ and grandmothers’ fights for independence. 

  But there is more that needs to change.

  This is nothing compared to the difficulties women have to go through in most parts of the world. Women are still fighting every day for the most basic of freedoms: the freedom to choose what to do with their minds and their bodies, the freedom to vote, the freedom to earn a living. The freedom to experience their menstrual cycles without being ostracized by families and communities. The freedom to pursue their dreams.

  International Women’s Day holds significance for everyone, regardless of gender. Today, we remember the freedoms we have enjoyed, but continue to stand up for women’s equality around the world.

  When designing this year’s Google Doodle for International Women’s Day, we chose to represent this concept as a mandala—a format reminiscent of the planet we all live on, and of the life cycles we all go through. We started at the center by depicting some of the women who instigated the women’s rights movement, which chronologically and exponentially grew to include more and more women, each generation standing on the shoulders of the incredible women before them. We included women from many different backgrounds, visually connecting them at the start and then gradually releasing them from each other, showing how our togetherness and strength as a group has, in turn, allowed us to be independent. 

  We believe that the outer layer of this mandala is not the end of the story—we still have so many more women to include and many more layers to add. 

  We have a long way to go, but my grandmother would have been so proud of how far we’ve come. Joyanne and I hope that when people around the world see today’s Doodle, they are, too.

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/inside-google/doodles/international-womens-day/
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  Coronavirus: Cómo estamos ayudando
  • sorangutan  

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  Lea esta entrada de blog en Ingles aqui.

  Tenga en cuenta: Lo siguiente se basa en una nota a todos los empleados que Sundar mando temprano hoy. 

  A medida que COVID-19 se abre paso en todo el mundo, está afectando a nuestras comunidades de diferentes maneras. Muchos en Europa y América empiezan a experimentar lo que las personas en Asia han estado enfrentando durante semanas.
  

  Hemos establecido un equipo de respuesta a incidentes las 24 horas para estar en sintonía con la Organización Mundial de la Salud, y los líderes de Google se reúnen diariamente para tomar decisiones críticas sobre nuestras oficinas a nivel mundial.
  

  Al hacerlo, sopesamos una serie de factores basados ​​en la ciencia, incluida la orientación de los departamentos de salud locales, las evaluaciones de transmisión comunitaria y nuestra capacidad para continuar el trabajo esencial y proveer los productos y servicios en los que las personas confían. También estamos creando resiliencia en nuestras operaciones, y en nuestros productos, probando nuestra propia capacidad para trabajar de forma remota. Y también es importante pensar en cómo podemos ayudar a nuestras comunidades locales a medida que hacemos estos cambios.
  

  En algunas zonas, nuestros empleados están trabajando desde sus hogares para garantizar la continuidad del negocio, mientras que otras de nuestras oficinas siguen funcionando normalmente. A medida que hacemos estos cambios, nos hemos asegurado de que nuestros proveedores de servicios de nuestra fuerza laboral extendida que se ven afectados por horarios de trabajo reducidos sean compensados ​​por el tiempo que habrían trabajado. 
  

  Este es un momento sin precedentes. Es importante que lo abordemos con un sentido de calma y responsabilidad, pues tenemos muchas personas que cuentan con nosotros.
  

  Todos los días, las personas recurren a los productos de Google para obtener ayuda: para acceder a información importante; mantenerse productivo mientras trabajan y aprenden de forma remota; mantenerse conectado con las personas cercanas en todas las geografías; o simplemente relajarse con un excelente video o música al final de un día largo.

  A continuación, quiero compartir algunos ejemplos de lo que estamos haciendo para ayudar. A medida que la situación del coronavirus continúa evolucionando, estaremos pensando en más formas en que podemos ser útiles para todos nuestros usuarios, socios, clientes y comunidades.

  Mientras tanto, continúen cuidándose a sí mismos y a los demás.
  

  Ayudando a las personas a encontrar información útil

  Las personas continúan acudiendo a Google para buscar información sobre vacunas, avisos de viajes y consejos de prevención (por ejemplo, las consultas de búsqueda para "consejos de limpieza de coronavirus" aumentaron más del 1,700 por ciento durante la última semana en los Estados Unidos). Nuestra Alerta SOS en Búsqueda conecta a las personas con las últimas noticias, además de consejos de seguridad y enlaces a información más autorizada de la Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS).

  Para las personas que buscan específicamente información sobre los síntomas, la prevención o los tratamientos, estamos trabajando para expandir nuestros paneles de conocimiento sobre condiciones de salud para incluir un panel COVID-19.

  En YouTube, usaremos la página de inicio para dirigir a los usuarios a la OMS u otras organizaciones autorizadas localmente relevantes y donaremos inventarios de anuncios a gobiernos y ONG en las regiones afectadas para uso de educación e información. Google Maps continúa mostrando información local útil y confiable.

  Proteger a las personas de la desinformación

  Nuestro equipo de Confianza y Seguridad ha estado trabajando durante todo el día y en todo el mundo para proteger a nuestros usuarios de phishing, teorías de conspiración, malware y desinformación, y estamos constantemente en busca de nuevas amenazas. En YouTube, estamos trabajando para eliminar rápidamente cualquier contenido que pretenda prevenir el coronavirus en lugar de buscar tratamiento médico. En Google Ads, estamos bloqueando todos los anuncios que se aprovechan del coronavirus, y hemos bloqueado decenas de miles de anuncios en las últimas seis semanas. También estamos ayudando a la OMS y las organizaciones gubernamentales a publicar anuncios de PSA. Google Play también prohíbe a los desarrolladores capitalizar eventos confidenciales, y nuestras pólizas de contenido prohíben estrictamente las aplicaciones que presentan contenido o funcionalidades médicas o relacionadas con la salud que son engañosas o potencialmente dañinas.

  Haciendo posible la productividad para trabajadores remotos y estudiantes

  Los empleados, educadores y estudiantes están utilizando productos como Gmail, Calendar, Drive, Classroom, Hangouts Meet y Hangouts Chat, así como G Suite for Education, para ser productivos mientras trabajan y aprenden de forma remota, incluidos cientos de miles de estudiantes en Hong Kong y Vietnam, donde las escuelas han sido cerradas. A partir de esta semana, implementamos acceso gratuito a nuestras capacidades avanzadas de videoconferencia de Hangouts Meet para todos los clientes de G Suite y G Suite for Education a nivel mundial hasta el 1 de julio de 2020. También estamos agregando recursos para poder apoyar una mayor demanda de transmisión pública en vivo en YouTube. Hemos visto un mayor interés en las regiones afectadas a medida que las personas buscan conectarse virtualmente con sus comunidades cuando no pueden hacerlo en persona.

  Apoyar los esfuerzos de ayuda y las organizaciones gubernamentales

  Estamos proporcionando $25 millones en créditos publicitarios donados a la OMS y agencias gubernamentales, y proporcionaremos más si es necesario durante todo el año. Google.org y Googlers han donado más de $1 millón para apoyar los esfuerzos de ayuda, que se destinarán a organizaciones que trabajan para comprar suministros médicos, proporcionar alimentos y alojamiento a los trabajadores de primera línea, apoyar la construcción de hospitales temporales y ayudar con los esfuerzos de recuperación a largo plazo. Google Cloud continúa trabajando con los gobiernos federales, estatales y locales para ayudarlos a conectarse con los ciudadanos y los viajeros que regresan de las regiones afectadas. Por ejemplo, en Singapur, Google Cloud trabajó con el gobierno para implementar un bot de chat en su sitio web que ayuda a responder las preguntas más comunes de los ciudadanos. También estamos trabajando con gobiernos de todo el mundo para ayudarlos a promover información pública autorizada sobre COVID-19 a través de nuestro programa de ayuda en caso de crisis de Google Ad Grants.
  

  Avanzar en la investigación y la ciencia de la salud

  DeepMind utilizó la última versión de su sistema AlphaFold (basándose en el trabajo de plegamiento de proteínas que apareció en Nature en enero) para publicar predicciones de la estructura de varias proteínas asociadas con el SARS-CoV-2, el virus que causa COVID-19. Estas predicciones de estructura aún no se han verificado experimentalmente, pero la esperanza es que al acelerar su liberación puedan contribuir a la comprensión de la comunidad científica de cómo funciona el virus y al trabajo experimental en el desarrollo de futuros tratamientos. Verily está desarrollando un pequeño parche de temperatura en el cuerpo que transmite datos a una aplicación de teléfono para proporcionar una notificación oportuna de fiebre y respaldar el diagnóstico y el tratamiento tempranos de una infección viral como la gripe o el coronavirus. Esto podría ser especialmente útil en poblaciones de edad avanzada, donde las infecciones virales tienen tasas más altas de morbilidad y mortalidad.

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/inside-google/company-announcements/coronavirus-covid19-como-estamos-ayudando/
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  Coronavirus: How we’re helping
  • sorangutan  

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  Note: The following is based on an email to employees that Sundar sent earlier today.

  As COVID-19 makes its way across the globe, it’s affecting our communities in different ways. Many in Europe and the Americas are just now beginning to experience what people in Asia have been confronting for weeks. 

  We have set up a 24-hour incident response team to stay in sync with the World Health Organization, and Google’s leaders are meeting daily to make critical decisions about our offices globally. 

  In doing so, we weigh a number of factors grounded in science, including guidance from local health departments, community transmission assessments, and our ability to continue essential work and deliver the products and services people rely on. We’re also trying to build resilience into our operations—and our products—by testing our own capacity to work remotely. And it is also important to think about how we can help our local communities as we make these changes.

  Some of our offices have shifted to a work-from-home status ensuring business continuity, while others are still operating as normal. As we make these changes, we have been making sure that our hourly service vendor workers in our extended workforce who are affected by reduced work schedules are compensated for the time they would have worked. 

  This is an unprecedented moment. It’s important that we approach it with a sense of calm and responsibility—because we have many people counting on us.

  Every day people turn to Google products for help: to access important information; to stay productive while working and learning remotely; to stay connected to people you care about across geographies; or to simply relax with a great video or some music at the end of a long day.  

  I’ve shared some early examples of what we are doing to help below. As the coronavirus situation continues to evolve, we will be thinking of even more ways we can be helpful to all of our users, partners, customers and communities. 

  In the meantime, please continue to take care of yourselves and each other.

  Helping people find useful information

  People continue to come to Google to search for vaccine information, travel advisories and prevention tips (for example, search queries for "coronavirus cleaning advice" spiked over 1,700 percent over the last week in the U.S.). Our SOS Alert in Search connects people with the latest news plus safety tips and links to more authoritative information from the World Health Organization (WHO). 

  

  For people specifically looking for information about symptoms, prevention or treatments, we’re working to expand our Knowledge Panels for health conditions to include a COVID-19 panel.

  

  On YouTube, we’ll be using the homepage to direct users to the WHO or other locally relevant authoritative organizations and will donate ad inventory to governments and NGOs in impacted regions to use for education and information. Google Maps continues to surface helpful and reliable local information.

  

  Protecting people from misinformation

  Our Trust and Safety team has been working around the clock and across the globe to safeguard our users from phishing, conspiracy theories, malware and misinformation, and we are constantly on the lookout for new threats. On YouTube, we are working to quickly remove any content that claims to prevent the coronavirus in place of seeking medical treatment. On Google Ads we are blocking all ads capitalizing on the coronavirus, and we’ve blocked tens of thousands of ads over the last six weeks. We are also helping WHO and government organizations run PSA ads. Google Play also prohibits developers from capitalizing on sensitive events, and our long-standing content policies strictly prohibit apps that feature medical or health-related content or functionalities that are misleading or potentially harmful.

  Enabling productivity for remote workers and students

  Employees, educators and students are using products like Gmail, Calendar, Drive, Classroom, Hangouts Meet and Hangouts Chat, as well as G Suite for Education, to be productive while working and learning remotely, including hundreds of thousands of students in Hong Kong and Vietnam, where schools have been closed. Starting this week we rolled out free access to our advanced Hangouts Meet video-conferencing capabilities to all G Suite and G Suite for Education customers globally until July 1, 2020. We’re also adding resources to be able to support increased demand for public livestreaming on YouTube. We’ve seen increased interest in affected regions as people look to be able to connect virtually with their communities when they are unable to do so in person.

  

  Supporting relief efforts and government organizations

  We're providing $25 million in donated ad credit to the WHO and government agencies, and will provide more if there is a need throughout the year. Google.org and Googlers have donated over $1 million to support relief efforts, which will go towards organizations working to purchase medical supplies, provide frontline workers with food and lodging, support the construction of temporary hospitals, and help with long-term recovery efforts. Google Cloud continues to work with federal, state and local governments to help them connect with citizens and returning travelers from impacted regions. For example, in Singapore, Google Cloud worked with the government to implement a chat bot on their website that helps answer citizens’ most common questions. We’re also working with governments around the globe to help them promote authoritative public information about COVID-19 through our Google Ad Grants crisis relief program.

  Advancing health research and science

  DeepMind used the latest version of its AlphaFold system (building on the protein folding work that appeared in Nature in January) to release structure predictions of several proteins associated with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. These structure predictions have not yet been experimentally verified, but the hope is that by accelerating their release they may contribute to the scientific community’s understanding of how the virus functions and experimental work in developing future treatments. Verily is developing a small, body-worn temperature patch that transmits data to a phone application to provide timely notification of fever and support earlier diagnosis and treatment of a viral infection like the flu or coronavirus. This could be especially useful in elderly populations, where viral infections have higher rates of morbidity and mortality.
  
  https://www.blog.google/inside-google/company-announcements/coronavirus-covid19-response/
• 

  Math gave Lilian Rincon a voice, and led to her passion
  • sorangutan  

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  When Lilian Rincon was 9-years-old, her family moved from Venezuela to Vancouver, Canada. Lilian, who’s half Chinese and half Spanish, didn’t speak any English, and found herself as the only Spanish-speaking student in her ESL (English as a second language) class. “It was a very lonely time since I couldn’t speak with many people at school.” That struggle steered her toward a more welcoming environment: math. “Math is kind of a universal language, so it was the only subject I could keep progressing in without having to start from scratch because I couldn’t understand what people were saying,” Lilian explains. Her love of math led to a career in computer science, and today she works as a senior director of Google Assistant, where she runs the team that creates new features and functions for the product. 

  We recently had the chance to talk to Lilian about her personal time management tips, how her team cultivates creativity within a productivity tool and even heard about some of her favorite Assistant Easter Eggs—right in time for International Women’s Day. 

  What’s the most challenging part of your job?

  Google Assistant is so complex; it’s the hardest product I’ve ever worked on, many people on the team feel the same way—but we are excited by that, too. For me, the thing that’s most challenging is prioritizing what I need to work on and how I need to be available to support my team on the projects they are working on—I'm proud that I can lean on them. And I’ve also realized that for me to be the best I can be it’s about making time for myself, whether that’s reserving 30 minutes in the morning for a workout or taking a quick walk in the afternoon. I can recharge, get a fresh perspective and set the example that we all need to have breaks and focus on ourselves. 

  What’s the most rewarding part? 

  Seeing how many people Assistant is helping and how much impact we're having is so rewarding. 500 million people worldwide use Assistant every day; in some places, it’s even available to people without internet access. It’s also been incredible to see how Assistant is helping the world become more accessible to everyone. 

  What’s something people would be surprised to learn about you?

  I started playing volleyball when we moved to Canada when I was nine. Although I could barely speak the language, I was able to figure out what to do. It became a lifeline in helping me make friends. I played through high school, earned a college scholarship and became the captain of my university’s team. 

  Was it difficult to manage your time as a college athlete?

  When you play on a varsity team, you’re getting up early to train in the morning, you go to class, then after class there’s more training. I didn’t have a lot of time to do homework or go to the library. I'm proud I kept my academic scholarship the whole time. When I switched majors from biochemistry to computer science, I ended up taking a year longer to graduate. During my fifth year when I was finishing up my major, I wasn't playing volleyball, and it was actually the most challenging year! More time wasn’t necessarily the thing I needed, it was focused time. 

  Do you have any advice for women entering the technology field?

  Look inward, figure out what you’re passionate about and what you want. You need to identify these things, and then tell your colleagues and your managers. If you don’t tell them, it’s hard for them to help you. When you communicate your goals and passions, people will step in to help you. 

  How has productivity changed for you as your career has progressed?

  Earlier in my career, I focused on execution and the day-to-day management of making sure the right tasks were being done and the right opportunities were identified. As I’ve become more senior, it’s more about being thoughtful about my time and making sure I’m focused on the important things that matter to my team and for the product. It’s really easy to get into a mode where you’re spending the entire day in meetings reacting to things, but it becomes much more important to be more proactive and less reactive. 

  Do you have any favorite Google Assistant Easter Eggs?

  Yes! Too many of them, to be honest. I love the simple ones like “Hey Google, can you beat box?” or “Hey Google, can you rap?” But then we have some really cool temporal ones, too. For International Women’s Day, we have some amazing stories from Google Assistant if you say,  “Hey Google, Happy International Women’s Day” or “Hey Google, tell me about an inspiring woman.” 

  Has there been a feature that people were more excited about than you thought they would be?

  Yes, interpreter mode, our real-time language translation feature. This was something we announced at CES 2019, and rolled out on phones at the end of last year. I was in New York showing press, and we were overwhelmed—in a good way—at their reactions. People were like, “wow this is incredible!” 

  For me, it was important to bring translation features to Assistant because I went through a point in my life where I really couldn’t communicate, where I couldn’t be heard.  I couldn’t be understood by others and I also couldn’t understand what they were saying—which felt crippling. For me, it’s a personal thing. 

  
  

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/inside-google/googlers/lilian-rincon-google-assistant/
• 

  Cloud Covered: What was new with Google Cloud in February
  • sorangutan  

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  In Google Cloud last month, we felt the love with new cloud classes, an addition to our cloud family, and a brand-new cloud region. Read on for those and other top stories from February.
  
  

  Meet us in the cloud.

  We are transforming our annual gathering of cloud professionals to Google Cloud Next ’20: Digital Connect, a free, global, digital-first, multi-day event connecting our attendees to Next ’20 content and each other through streamed keynotes, breakout sessions, interactive learning and digital “ask an expert” sessions with Google teams. Stay tuned to the Next ‘20 site for more details on sessions and registration info.
  
  

  A new cloud data center opens in Utah.

  We announced the opening of a Google Cloud Platform region in Salt Lake City last month, making it our third western U.S. region, sixth nationally, and 22nd globally. Though cloud may seem like an ephemeral concept, it’s actually made up of many physical computers, stacked together and run very efficiently in these large data centers, called regions. For a company based in Utah, this new region can speed up access to their data and services run with Google Cloud.
  
  

  Cloud school is in session.

  We added more content to our online set of courses for people looking for deeper training and skills in an evolving discipline of cloud computing. The Data Engineering on Google Cloud learning path is newly updated, and includes introductions to relevant Google Cloud products, plus hands-on labs for experimenting. The courses all combine to cover the primary responsibilities of a data engineer.
  
  

  Work smarter and more efficiently.

  Check out these essential tips from our G Suite team on combating the information overload many of us experience at work every day. Those emails and chat messages will keep coming, but you can find some ways to use your time wisely and get more done. For example, you can try the snooze and mute features in Gmail or Hangouts Chat to avoid interruptions when you want to focus on finishing a task or meeting a deadline.
  
  

  Computers of the past join the present.

  The computers of olden days, called mainframes, were the huge systems that powered the first businesses using technology. Plenty of mainframe systems are still running these days, but they can hold developers back from using new technologies. Google Cloud acquired Cornerstone Technology last month to better help customers migrate the software that’s running on mainframes. Cornerstone’s experience and capabilities can make the mainframe-to-Google Cloud move easier.

  That’s a wrap for February. Keep up to date on our blog anytime.
  
  https://www.blog.google/products/google-cloud/cloud-covered-what-was-new-with-google-cloud-february-2020/
• 

  Hey Google, tell me about an inspiring woman
  • sorangutan  

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  Honoring the bold, brave and brilliant women who have influenced our lives is not limited to a single month—it’s a daily endeavor. But for Women’s History Month, Google Assistant and Google Arts & Culture are doing something special. 

  
  

  When you wish your Assistant "Happy International Women's Day," you’ll learn about one of twelve extraordinary women like Dolores Huerta (an American labor rights activist), Savitribai Phule (often called the mother of Indian feminism), Rachel Carson (an American marine biologist, conservationist and author) and Dr. Kakenya Ntaiya (an activist empowering girls to access education in Kenya). For additional stories about female trailblazers, visit g.co/womeninculture.

  
  

  Celebrate with your Google Assistant all month long by asking your smart speaker, Smart Display (like Nest Hub Max) or phone (Android and iOS):

  • “Hey Google, Happy International Women’s Day”

  • “Hey Google, tell me about an inspiring woman” 

  • “Hey Google, tell me quotes from inspiring women”

  

  And if you’re looking for ways to connect with the women in your life (or treat yourself!), get a little help by asking your Assistant:

  • “Hey Google, play a podcast about inspirational women”

  • "Hey Google, talk like Issa" to get Issa Rae’s cameo voice.

  • “Hey Google, call Mom”

  • “Hey Google, text Lisa ‘Happy International Women’s Day’”

  • “Hey Google, who runs the world?”

  • “Hey Google, compliment me”

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/products/assistant/hey-google-tell-me-about-inspiring-woman/
• 

  8 things to learn from the Apps, Games, & Insights podcast
  • sorangutan  

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  Our new Apps, Games & Insights podcast is for app and game enthusiasts—whether you play them or build them. We’ll talk to experts from across the industry about topics ranging from privacy and accessibility, to responsible growth and player engagement. Here are eight things you’ll learn from the series:
  

  1. Diversity creates better games

  In episode 1, we hear from Sarah Fuchs, VP, Covet Fashion and Judy Chen, Director of PM at Crowdstar on why it’s important for the diversity of their company to reflect their players. The team who designs one of their games, Design Home, is 60 percent women. In their words, “If you want to create an environment that will attract women or attract probably more diversity, you need to create an environment and model the behavior that it's OK to have a life. And if you have a life and you enjoy your life, you will be better at your job.”
  

  2. Mergers and acquisitions are like a marriage

  Zynga has deployed more than $1 billion in mergers and acquisitions over the last 10 years, including the acquisitions of Gram Games and Small Giant Games. In episode 2, we’ll hear from Chris Petrovic, SVP at Zynga, who says that it’s about building a partnership that brings together the best of both businesses. 

  3. Streaming sports wasn’t easy until now

  When planning the launch of their service and mobile app, DAZN gave themselves just a year to get all the technology in place. This was challenging because it was unthinkable to miss the start of the football season. In episode 3, hear how DAZN brought together some of the best players in subscription management and payment solutions, and how they’ve grown the business.

  4. Investors take sustainable businesses and products seriously

  When venture capitalists look at a business, it’s not just about whether the business has a hot product or service, it’s as much about the founders, their team, and their business processes. Venture capitalists are always looking for a solid foundation on which to build—learn more in episode 4 of the podcast.

  5. Privacy matters more than ever 

  As more countries and territories introduce strict laws on consumer privacy, episode 5 explores why it’s increasingly important to ensure that apps and games are privacy-friendly for businesses and consumers. It’s not just about staying on the right side of the law—one security breach can easily destroy trust in your app, and winning back that trust isn’t easy. 

  6. The best games put players first 

  According to Jagex Games Studio, over 270 million people have played one of their RuneScape games. In episode 6, Ben Clarke, Senior Global Marketing Director at Jagex, talks about their approach to launching and testing, and keeping players engaged every day. For example, when adding a new feature, they open a polling booth within the game where players vote on the feature.

  7. Accessibility debt is a real thing, and it matters

  According to the World Bank, there are over 1 billion people worldwide with a disability. As a public broadcaster, a central part of the mission at the BBC is to be accessible and inclusive. This mission is as much a priority for their apps, such as iPlayer and Sounds, as it is within their traditional broadcast channels. In episode 7, find out how the BBC tracks this by what they call “accessibility debt,” and why it should be important to everyone.

  8. Mobile games aren’t always on mobile

  Many of your favorite Android games are now available on more devices than just your smartphone. Mobile game developers want you to have every opportunity to play your favorite game, regardless of the gaming platform. Gameloft has embraced a multi-platform approach. In episode 8, listen to Maximiliano Rodriguez, Platforms Operations Director at Gameloft, talk about how Gameloft considers games for ChromeOS and Android TV platforms as soon as they start developing a game for mobile.

  
  

  Join us for all eight episodes to find out more about these topics and the apps and games industry. Listen to the latest episodes on your favorite podcast channel including Spotify, Apple, and Google Podcasts. 

  
  

  Also, keep an eye out on @GooglePlayDev and @AndroidDev on Twitter where we will be announcing the launch of a new episode each week.

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/products/android/apps-games-insights-podcast/
• 

  Words of wisdom from three women in nonprofits
  • sorangutan  

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  Every day, I work with incredible women. I feel fortunate because it hasn’t always been this way. I’ve been the only woman in meetings before, and I’ve definitely felt like the odd woman out. When I started working with Google for Nonprofits, I was excited to discover a community of women who deserve as much attention as the nonprofits they power. For International Women’s Day coming up on March 8, I asked three of them to share their stories, inspiration and advice.

  Kimberlin Bolton, Executive Director, re:imagine/ATL

  

  On inspiring others

  The best way to inspire others is by being the example. People—especially women—need to see that you did it even though you were afraid, vulnerable, imperfect and constantly learning. I try to live and speak as authentically as possible so that my staff, students, and the greater community can say, “If she can do it, then I can definitely do it!” 

  On gender equality in nonprofits

  While it appears that there is still a lack of women leadership at larger organizations, I think the bigger concern is the lack of support for young, emerging leaders of color. How can we build systems that foster an inclusive ecosystem for emerging women in the nonprofit sector?

  On setting boundaries

  This is “heart work” and if you’re not careful, you can overdraft your mental and emotional bank accounts. There is so much burnout in this industry and it’s because women are natural nurturers. We constantly feel the need to save everyone. I quickly had to learn the importance of boundaries in order to be more effective.

  Rochelle Byrne, Executive Director, A Greener Future

  

  On taking chances

  When I first started out, I gathered my courage and reached out to someone I thought might have answers I was seeking. I didn’t expect to get much more than a quick telephone chat. To my surprise a chat turned into tea, and then lunch, and now it’s one of the most valuable relationships I have. Taking chances is so important. I wouldn’t be where I am now if I didn’t do things that scare me.

  On reaching goals

  I enjoy setting a goal and trying to figure out all the steps it will take to work backward to where I am now. When I look back to where A Greener Future started it’s unbelievable to me how far it’s come and I know it’s simply from achieving one small goal at a time.

  On connecting with others

  Communicating in an effective and charismatic way will ensure more doors open. Be fearless when asking for what you really want. Have meaningful conversations and get to know people. Building relationships is the key to moving forward and making more connections. 

  Taking chances is so important. I wouldn’t be where I am now if I didn’t do things that scare me.

  Dr. Annise Mabry, CEO, Dr. Annise Mabry Foundation

  

  On career planning

  My mentor once told me, “When you find what you love, you will do it for the impact not the income.” Working with homeless LGBTQ youth, sex trafficking survivors, and high school dropouts is what I love. They are my career plan. 

  On the power of saying no

  Women have a tendency to always say, “Yes, I will,” and then they go insane trying to figure it out. I usually say “no” first. By saying “no,” it gives me time to really think—not “Can I do this?” but “Do I want to do this?” Do what you want to do not what you feel obligated to do. 

  On letting go

  One skill I feel women have to develop to be successful in the nonprofit world is stop allowing passion to become possession. I see this a lot when women have had to fight to earn their place in an organization. They hold on to everything—from projects to committees. They end up crushing the very thing they loved the most. If you have a team, let go and let your team step up. 

  For more inspiration, visit Google for Nonprofits’ success stories.
  
  https://www.blog.google/outreach-initiatives/nonprofits/words-wisdom-international-womens-day/
• 

  News Brief: February Updates from the Google News Initiative
  • sorangutan  

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  February brought flowers and chocolate, but we had heart eyes for new journalist tools and events across the globe. Read on for more updates from the last month.  

  Supporting the future of news in Europe

  190+ participants attended the first GNI EMEA summit, where we announced the expansion of the GNI Subscriptions Lab to Europe, as well as additional training commitments and funding for the Reuters Institute Digital News Report.

  

  In partnership with journalists and fact checkers, the Google News Initiative supported company, Debunk.eu uses AI to help identify disinformation and reduce its harmful impact on society.

  During the GNI EMEA Summit, Debunk.eu showed us how they brought journalists, fact-checkers and AI specialists together to curb the spread of disinformation. Partners and Digital News Innovation Fund recipients shared insights about the latest products and innovations in news, the role of machine learning in publishing and new ways to grow reader revenue.

  GNI Lab programs help publishers grow their business

  The GNI Labs are cohort-based programs that group individual publishers together to tackle a shared challenge. For instance, the GNI Subscriptions Lab is designed to help participants to grow their digital business. Since starting the program, The Buffalo News was able to grow their digital subscribers by 49 percent.

  Participants in the GNI Data Lab worked together to understand how data can drive business growth. Six local media companies used data to understand their audience, increase sales, and improve their systems and tools, releasing a full report of their learnings. 

  The GNI Ads Lab works with local publishers to identify opportunities for revenue growth. Through the Lab, the Long Beach Post increased their website traffic for breaking news stories, leading to significant advertising revenue growth.

  After learning from other Labs, the first GNI Startup Lab is launching in Brazil for entrepreneurs committed to the development of news products that offer quality journalism. The Lab will support early-stage news startups through funding and a 13-week immersion program at the Google for Startups Campus in São Paolo.

  
  

  Using insights to grow audience engagement

  The GNI Audience Lab works with digital publishers to tackle audience growth. The Lab recently created newsletter assessments to help the first cohort of publishers influence loyalty among their readers.  

  We recently partnered with Adswerve, a leading Google Marketing Platform and Cloud partner, to create new playbooks on using data to grow audience engagement. While the guides are primarily geared toward publishers and media members, they're applicable to any business that wants to discover new ways to engage with prospects and customers. 

  Tackling the spread of misinformation with regional workshops and new tools

  Over 500 French citizens and journalists attended full-day workshops at Google Digital Garage spaces in Rennes, Montpellier, Nancy, and Saint-Etienne ahead of the March 15th municipal elections. The content focused on preventing misinformation, including fact-checking workshops and media literacy trainings.

  
  

  We worked with Storyful, a beneficiary of the GNI Cloud Program, to build the Source app, which helps detect manipulated images and counter misinformation. Powered by Google’s machine learning technology, the app enables journalists to discover the origins and trustworthiness of photos and memes.

  That’s a wrap for February. Check back next month, and keep up with the Google News Initiative through our newsletter and social.

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/outreach-initiatives/google-news-initiative/news-brief-february-updates-google-news-initiative/
• 

  Earn more from your ads
  • sorangutan  

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  In today's environment, managing a digital ads business is complex. You have different types of content, deals, auction rules, even technology solutions. To extract the most value from your sites and apps, you need to be able to take all of these things into account at the same time. So when a user clicks on an article, presses play on a video, or opens your app, they’ll be served the ad that generates top dollar for you, while receiving a first-rate user experience. 

  With Google Ad Manager, partners can manage and optimize their direct deals and auctions across all of their inventory, including inventory sold with third-party advertising technologies, from one powerful platform. Our yield management solutions are designed to help publishers streamline their processes, so managing a variety of demand sources is not just simpler, but additive.
  

  Let’s take a look at some of our direct, indirect, and yield management features that can help you make the most revenue from your inventory.

  
  

  Perfecting the direct deal

  Direct deals are an important aspect of nearly every publisher's ad business, so Ad Manager allows partners to strike them in a variety of ways. While we’ve long had the capability to help publishers facilitate traditional reservations, we are seeing strong adoption of our Programmatic Direct deal types, particularly Programmatic Guaranteed.

  Programmatic Guaranteed

  In 2019, 85 of Ad Manager’s top 100 global publishers transacted Programmatic Guaranteed deals. And according to internal Google data from 2018 through 2019, the number of Programmatic Guaranteed deal orders placed increased by over 65 percent. 

  The Programmatic Guaranteed deal type simplifies the reservations workflow by combining the precision and control of direct deals with an automated media buying process, helping secure inventory for advertisers and revenue for publishers. The deal workflow also helps eliminate cumbersome and manual processes, such as exchanging tags, troubleshooting discrepancies, overseeing billing and reconciliation, as well as delivers performance benefits for advertisers.

  According to a recent Google sponsored white paper from Harvard Business Review, top publishers embracing automated reservations like Programmatic Guaranteed have freed their direct sales teams to develop more strategic client relationships with their advertisers while offering a wider variety of deal types across their entire portfolio. 

  
  

  A better environment for indirect demand 

  After fulfilling your most premium campaigns through reservations, Ad Manager can help you earn more with solutions to manage all your programmatic demand sources. When it comes to ad auctions, a lot of things need to happen in a short amount of time. Subtle differences in how you connect your demand sources, configure your auctions, and deliver ads across your sites, apps, or channels can have a meaningful impact on how much revenue you’ll earn. Below are a few solutions that we’ve developed to ensure that you make optimal revenue, while also delivering first-class experiences for your users. 

  Open Bidding (formerly known as Exchange Bidding)

  Open Bidding allows you to invite multiple third-party exchanges and ad networks to compete for your ad inventory in a unified, real-time first price auction. This solution reduces operational complexity and minimizes latency helping you achieve a higher yield on your ad inventory without sacrificing your user experience. 

  Open Bidding works across all your inventory, including web and app, display and video. It also provides customized tools, unified reporting, simplified billing, and complete auction transparency.

  App Mediation

  App Mediation, also referred to as mediation, increases mobile app revenue by calling a series of third-party ad networks in order of highest expected yield, based on static prices set by partners, or pulled from third-party ad networks periodically, to fill an ad request. It maximizes yield and fill rates by passing the request along in sequence. So if one ad network doesn’t fill the request, the next ad network in the sequence gains an opportunity.

  For mobile app, we’ve designed mediation and Open Bidding to work well together. Ad Manager first selects the highest paying bid from Authorized Buyers and Open Bidding buyers and inserts the winning price in order into the mediation chain. This way app partners get a unified mediation chain, that’s optimized for yield and inclusive of real-time bids.  

  Smarter Ad Breaks for video and advanced TV

  We’ve brought our extensive experience with video to bear to develop the Smarter Ad Breaks feature suite for video and advanced TV partners. The suite helps maximize the value of commercial breaks by combining the control of linear TV selling with the addressability of digital advertising. You can customize each individual ad slot to build a personalized commercial break, known as an Optimized Pod. You set the pod length and Ad Manager will look across open auction, sponsorships, direct deals, and Programmatic Guaranteed deals to slot in ads yielding the highest possible revenue. 

  Using the Smarter Ad Breaks feature suite provides higher monetization through enhanced yield management, time savings through seamless workflow efficiencies, greater user experience through lower ad load latency, and brand safety protections like unified competitive exclusions. 

  
  

  Bring it all together, with comprehensive yield management

  The most difficult task when trying to make the most from your inventory is knowing the best buyer to sell your inventory to. That’s why harmonizing your direct and indirect demand in a single, powerful auction is important. Ad Manager offers a suite of yield management solutions designed to help you find the best model for monetizing inventory across all of your advertising partners.

  We start by maximizing your yield with a single, unified first price auction that reconciles all of your guaranteed campaigns and non-guaranteed advertising sources—including real-time bidding partners (such as Authorized Buyers and Open Bidding partners) and non-guaranteed line items (including those used in header bidding implementations). This all happens in a transparent and fair marketplace to help you manage your inventory as efficiently and effectively as possible. 

  In addition to increasing yield through competition, we’ve also developed automated and machine learning features like Dynamic Allocation, First Look, Optimized Competition, and Target CPM to help you make the most revenue possible without having to do anything. In fact, in 2018 we made nearly 50 optimizations aimed at improving publisher revenue, that generated 15% more revenue on mobile web and 9% more revenue in total for publishers using Google Ad Manager.

  To learn more about how Ad Manager can help you manage your digital advertising business, read the complete blog series here or visit our new feature brief archive in the resources section of our website. And stay tuned for our next post on, Safeguard your advertising business.

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/products/admanager/earn-more-from-your-ads/
• 

  With school closures, teachers can keep their lessons going remotely
  • sorangutan  

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  I spent more than a decade working in schools as a teacher and administrator. Whenever there was an event that caused the school to close, I found a way to ensure that students didn’t lose valuable learning time. We call this “distance learning” and many teachers, whether they work in a virtual school or are faced with a unique event, are exploring how to make it work. Currently, we’re facing such an event. Concerns over the transmission of COVID-19 are closing schools across the globe, and millions of students are unable to physically attend school. 

  To help with this, we recently announced that advanced Hangouts Meet features are available for free to anyone who uses G Suite around the world. This means you’ll be able to put up to 250 people on a Hangouts Meet call—an entire class or group of classes can join a lesson simultaneously. You’ll get live-streaming for up to 100,000 viewers within your domain, so that you can do a virtual school assembly or stream a lecture. Plus, you can record meetings and save them to Google Drive. When students can’t join the lesson, they’ll be able to access the content later.

  For educators preparing for potential school closures—or currently facing them—here are a few other ways to handle distance learning.

  Keep students engaged while they’re at home

  Virtual learning can be isolating and disengaging for students. Sitting in front of a screen for hours watching videos may compel a student to fast forward or even skip a lesson altogether. To keep them engaged, open up virtual discussions about what they’re learning. In a lesson exploring the water cycle, challenge students to pause the video and join a discussion in Google Classroom (using the Stream) about the last time they experienced a thunderstorm. You can also use comments in Google Docs and Classroom to have a two-way discussion with students as you give feedback on their work—another great strategy to engage when you can’t see them in person.

  Animated video showing Google Classroom

  Frequently assess student learning

  Formative assessments help you make sure students are continuing to progress while away from school. Check for understanding during group instruction by asking a poll question in the middle of a lesson and showing the results in real time. This can also help you “take attendance” in a virtual setting. Quizzes in Google Forms offer auto-grading features, allow you to embed videos, images, and as many answer choices as you want. You can also assign graded discussions in Google Classroom, and students can demonstrate their knowledge through project-based learning assignments using Slide presentations, Docs or Sites. 

  Continue to connect with Hangouts Meet

  When students’ routines are disrupted, many realize how much they actually miss the structure of school, and learning with their teacher. It’s important to maintain that feeling of comfort and safety during a time of uncertainty.

  If your students have Wi-Fi access, you can see them virtually on Hangouts Meet. You can also use this platform to create video discussion sections for students to engage with one another and support their peers who might be struggling with concepts. Turn on live captions to help students focus, and so that students who are deaf or hard of hearing can read spoken language during the call.

  Scheduling is another challenge that may arise. Using Calendar Appointment Slots, students who need extra help can sign up to meet 1:1 or in small groups with you. Due to intermittent or lack of Wi-Fi access, or shifting childcare solutions, not all students may be able to join a virtual classroom at the same time. Your instruction will likely be a mixture of live video and sharing recordings of your lessons for students who couldn’t make it. Thankfully, advanced features in Hangouts Meet allow you to record your lessons to share with students. 

  

  Check in with how your students are feeling

  Social Emotional Learning can continue in a distance learning setting as well. Just as you can use Hangouts Meet to “be” there for your students and maintain your classroom culture, you can provide other ways for students to share and process their emotions while away from school. Using Google Forms, create mood check-ins for students to share their emotional state on a daily basis. Within the Form, students can request a conference with the teacher if they need extra support. You can also set up a private blog for students to reflect on the experience by journaling or recording video reflections. 

  Think beyond the clock

  With distance learning, you don’t have to worry about time constraints of the normal school day: rushing students into the classroom or hurrying to finish your lesson before the bell rings. Students can take more time on some activities and breeze through lessons that come naturally to them. Take advantage of this opportunity and design your lessons to include more “choose your own adventure” activities rather than a fixed schedule of lectures and lessons.

  Explore more approaches to distance learning

  As educators and administrators set up contingency plans and consider making classrooms fully virtual, we’re here to help. We’ve seen educational leaders reaching out to one another, sharing ideas and providing support through Google Educator Groups, and other social networks, including Twitter and Facebook. Check out this webinar on distance learning strategies, find resources in the Teacher Center, and continue to share ways you support remote learners.

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/outreach-initiatives/education/distancelearning-covid19/
• 

  Our new Stadia Games and Entertainment Studio in Playa Vista
  • sorangutan  

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  Stadia Games and Entertainment is setting out to change the way we play, enjoy and create video games. With Stadia, the creative possibilities are limitless. But we can’t build those experiences without a talented team of game designers, artists and storytellers. We started that journey with the opening of Stadia’s first original games studio in Montreal late last year. Today, we’re adding a new Stadia Games and Entertainment studio in Playa Vista, California, which will be led by an industry veteran, Shannon Studstill.

  The new Playa Vista studio will focus on delivering exclusive games, using new gameplay mechanics, creative ways to play together and unique interaction models that we’re just starting to explore. While we’re not ready to share specific game plans yet, rest assured we are listening to what gamers want and adding our own Stadia twists to create new IP and experiences.

  I’ve been a fan of Shannon’s for a long time, and have admired her award-winning work leading Sony’s Santa Monica Studio and the industry defining franchises like God of War that have won fans all over the world. She has an extensive background in product development and creative leadership, but most importantly, she’s a visionary who, as the Studio Director, will lead and inspire the Playa Vista teams. We’re thrilled to welcome her to the Stadia family!

  Stadia is designed to be the one destination for all the ways we play. It’s key to bring on talent that not only has success in delivering the industry’s best content, but also has creative ideas around how to embrace this new and unique way to create. 

  Building a world-class studio piece-by-piece is a unique opportunity that you don't often get in the game industry.And we want to do it with you. 

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/products/stadia/games-entertainment-studio-playa-vista/
• 

  Easier access to web pages: Ask Google Assistant to read it aloud
  • sorangutan  

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  Think about how much you read on your phone every day: catching up on the news, scanning a new blog, finally reading the article that everyone is talking about. This may require reading a lot of text, which can be a barrier for people with visual or reading difficulties, or who simply need a little help getting through meatier articles.

  With Google Assistant, your browser can now read web articles out loud. Whenever a web article is displayed on your browser in your Android phone, you can say, “Hey Google, read it” or “Hey Google, read this page” it will immediately read aloud the content of the web page. To help you follow along, your browser will automatically scroll the page and highlight words as they're read aloud. You can also alter the reading speed and choose from multiple voices. Speaking of which, the web pages are read aloud in expressive and natural voices, aiming to use the same intonation and rhythm that you'd use if you were reading it aloud yourself. 

  

  If the original content isn’t in your native language, Google Assistant can trigger your browser to read aloud in 42 languages. You can use the translation menu to select the desired language, and all pages will be automatically translated and read out in that language.

  Websites don't need to do anything special to enable this functionality. Webmasters that prefer not to use this feature can  use the nopagereadaloud tag. If you’re a developer, you can add the ability for Google Assistant to read aloud content in your mobile app using Actions on Google.

  With this new experience, we hope to remove language barriers and help a wide variety of people access information from the web more easily. 

  
  

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/products/assistant/easier-access-web-pages-let-assistant-read-it-aloud/