Google Cloud Platform News

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  Top news from the Google for Games Developer Summit
  • sorangutan  

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  This week, we hosted the Google for Games Developer Summit, a free digital event for developers, publishers and advertisers to discuss what’s new in games. And with over three billion global players across platforms, there was plenty of ground to cover. From Android Game Development Kit updates to the new Immersive Stream for Games, we shared the latest tools to help you build your next adventure, find new players and take your game to the next level.

  Missed the summit? Here’s a quick recap of the top announcements. For more details, catch the keynote and developer sessions available on demand.

  Reach more devices through new tools and platforms

  We’re committed to supporting developers of all sizes who are building high-quality Android games. Updates to the Android Game Development Kit simplify the development process, while new data insights in Play Console can help you make smarter business decisions. We’re also enabling games on new screens and devices, including the Google Play Games for PC Beta, so you can meet players wherever they are.

  Improve your game growth strategy with ads

  Advertisers can now improve target return on ad spend (tROAS) performance with App campaigns by integrating AdMob and third-party ad revenue data into Google Analytics for bid optimization. Publishers can get more visibility into return on investment with impression-level lifetime value in AdMob, also available for app attribution platforms Adjust, AppsFlyer and Singular. Learn more about these product announcements in our recent Google Ads blog post.

  Create safe, inclusive gaming experiences with Google Cloud

  In partnership with game creators and the open source community, we want to ensure games are social, enjoyable and inclusive for players everywhere. With Clean Chat, a new open source AI framework for games, studios can now proactively detect negative dialogue in both text and voice chat.

  Build a direct-to-consumer business with Immersive Stream for Games

  Developers and publishers interested in building a direct-to-consumer business can now deliver their titles directly to players with Immersive Stream for Games. Developed by the Stadia team in partnership with Google Cloud, Immersive Stream for Games combines advanced streaming technology with cheaper and easier game porting, powerful discovery features and analytics. Whether you want to offer game trials, full games, subscription bundles or even power an entire storefront, Immersive Stream for Games can help.

  Thanks for joining us at this year’s Google for Games Developer Summit — remember to check out the on-demand sessions, and stay tuned for more gaming updates soon. We’re here to help you keep building and innovating your games for players everywhere.

  
  
  https://blog.google/technology/developers/top-news-google-games-developer-summit/
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  Let’s get personal: Adaptive learning tech and education
  • sorangutan  

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  Twelve years ago, Shantanu Sinha left his job to join his long-time friend Sal Khan’s new venture. At the time, Sal was spending his days making educational YouTube videos. It was an unusual career choice for both of them. But they saw what was possible when students had more agency over their learning and how technology could play a role. Together they started the online education platform Khan Academy, and Shantanu worked there for five years.

  Today, Shantanu is the head of Google for Education. His team works to improve teaching and learning with technology, and one promising area is their work with adaptive learning technology. This emerging, AI-driven technology supports tailored learning experiences for students and helps amplify teacher instruction.

  To get a crash course on adaptive learning technology and what it means for students and teachers, we talked to Shantanu.

  What exactly is adaptive learning technology?

  The concept of adaptive learning has been around for decades. It refers to a type of learning where students are given customized resources and activities to address their unique learning needs. For example, if a student struggles with adding fractions, a teacher might offer 1:1 tutoring or additional practice problems. You can see the concept of adaptive learning play out in gaming. When I was a kid I remember playing Carmen Sandiego and noticing how the system was tailored to me and changed whenever I got something wrong.

  What’s new is applying recent AI advances to this concept, which opens up a whole new set of possibilities to transform the future of school into a personal learning experience.

  Can you share an example of what this might look like?

  Imagine you’re a student stuck on a math problem. With 25 other students in your class, you can't always get immediate help, leaving you frustrated and diminishing your confidence to complete future problems. Now imagine a different scenario. You’re stuck on a problem, but instead of growing frustrated, you receive a helpful hint or video that gives you exactly what you need to unblock you. You realize what you need to do differently, complete the math problem correctly and feel more confident in your ability to learn.

  Early attempts at adaptive learning worked only for very specific content and curricula. With recent AI advances in language models and video understanding, we can now apply adaptive learning technology to almost any type of class assignment or lesson at an unprecedented scale. When students receive individualized, in-the-moment support, the results can be magical.

  

  Tell us about the magic.

  We recently talked to an educator who is testing out a new adaptive learning feature that we’re developing called practice sets in Google Classroom. The feature allows teachers to create interactive assignments and provides students with real-time feedback. He said the instant feedback that kids received was like having a teaching assistant in the classroom at all times. The technology helped give students 1:1 attention and validation — so they knew right away whether they got a problem correct or incorrect — and drove students’ intrinsic motivation and engagement through the roof.

  I saw a similar phenomenon back when I was part of Khan Academy. Over time, students not only became more proficient with subject matter content, but also in their ability to learn new material. They learned how to learn.

  How does adaptive learning technology help teachers?

  Adaptive learning technology saves teachers time and provides data to help them understand students’ learning processes and patterns. For example, with practice sets, teachers can quickly see a student’s attempts at a given problem, so they know where a student got stuck and can identify areas for improvement. Since assignments are auto-graded, teachers can devote more time to making sure that each student gets the instruction and practice they need to succeed.

  So is the future of education more personal?

  Learning is inherently personal. Education should feel personal too, but there are time and resource constraints. As we build toward a more personal future for education, adaptive learning technology can help us get there faster. Our goal is to power the pursuit of personal potential — for both teachers and students — in and out of the classroom.

  Over these past two years, technology has influenced where people can learn, but has it changed the way people learn?

  When I look back to the start of my career and where the world is now, it’s clear that having immediate access to information has fundamentally transformed how, when and where we learn. Today, learning is a muscle we flex easily and often. At Google, we see this play out each day: 85% of U.S. YouTube viewers surveyed say they learn or improve their skills on the platform1 and more than a billion people turn to Search each day to discover something new.

  As we think about the evolution of learning, what role can Google play?

  We aim to be a learning company — for school, for work and for life. Last year, we launched a site all about our ongoing commitment to help everyone in the world learn anything in the world. Learning is personal. I’m excited to continue working with our partners to build toward a more personal future of education. When we apply the right technology to the process of teaching and learning, exciting things start to happen.

  
  
  https://blog.google/outreach-initiatives/education/adaptive-learning-technology/
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  Practice sets: a more personal path to learning
  • sorangutan  

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  Everyone learns in their own way — but we do share a few patterns in common. We all learn more effectively when we practice, and even more so when we get specific feedback.

  But with large classes of students at different skill levels, teachers can have trouble supporting individual journeys and learning styles. So we spoke with educators around the world to see how we could help them become more effective in the classroom. Time and again, they said they wanted to spend less time on tedious tasks like grading, and more time focused on their students’ unique needs.

  So today, we’re announcing an upcoming feature in Google Classroom to help them do just that. Practice sets will give teachers the time and tools to better support their students — from more interactive lessons to faster and more personal feedback.

  10:25

  Supercharge teaching content and get class insights

  With practice sets, educators can easily transform their own teaching content into interactive assignments and use the autograding tool to cut down on manual grading time. Practice sets also help teachers figure out which concepts need more instruction time and who could use extra support, giving them quick performance insights to shape future lesson plans.

  Boost student confidence and celebrate their progress

  Students get real-time feedback as they complete practice sets, so they know whether they’re on the right track. When they’re struggling to solve a problem, they can get hints through visual explainers and videos. And when they get an answer correct, practice sets will celebrate their success with fun animations and confetti.

  One fifth-grade teacher, who used practice sets in a recent trial, saw the benefits in action: “The kids were calling it ‘Google magic’ because of the hints, pop-ups and instant feedback they received. That’s what makes practice sets a real game changer for their learning experience.” They also liked the focused support: “Practice sets also helped meet students’ needs when I couldn’t meet with them at that moment.”

  • Student experience in practice sets, getting a hint from resources when they are stuck

    Students get real time feedback and hints when they get stuck, like video resources

  • Educator experience when creating a practice set

    Educators can use existing content or create a practice set from scratch

  • Educator view of insights dashboard in practice sets

    Educators can view automated insights of assignment performance trends in Classroom grader view

  Get ready for practice sets

  We’re actively testing practice sets with some schools in anticipation of our beta launch in the coming months. Practice sets will be available within Google Classroom for any educator using the Teaching and Learning Upgrade, or any institution using Google Workspace for Education Plus. If you’re interested in participating in the beta, get in touch with us.

  To learn more about adaptive learning technology and its potential impact on the future of education, read our latest blog post.

  
  
  https://blog.google/outreach-initiatives/education/introducing-practice-sets/
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  New tools for hotels to reconnect with travelers
  • sorangutan  

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  The travel industry has faced steep challenges since the pandemic began two years ago. But now, there are signs of real recovery. Search interest in “spring vacation” and “flights to hawaii,” for example, is close to what it was in 2019.

  As travel interest rebounds, businesses need easy ways to connect with potential customers. So today, we’re announcing new tools to help hoteliers find people who are ready to book their next trip.

  Drive more bookings on Google for free

  Launched last year on google.com/travel, free hotel booking links will now show up on the Search results page and Google Maps — helping travel partners extend their reach, and giving consumers a more comprehensive set of options. After clicking on these links, travelers can complete their booking directly on the partner’s website.

  Since the introduction of free booking links, partners of all kinds have seen the benefits of increased user engagement, from individual hotels to large online travel agencies. For example, the booking engine myhotelshop used free booking links to drive 30% incremental bookings for their hotel clients during the summer of 2021.

  

  Now, new click reporting in Hotel Center shows partners how many people clicked on their free booking links. We will expand the report to include other insights, like free booking link impressions and booking value, in the coming weeks.

  Hotels interested in using free booking links can visit our website for more information, including a list of our integration partners and how to extend your reach even further with Hotel Ads.

  

  Easily onboard to reach new customers

  We’re also making it easier for hoteliers to share their rates and availability on Google — without complex technical requirements. Beginning next month, individual hotels that meet eligibility requirements can manually input their rates through their Google Business Profile to participate in free hotel booking links.

  Complete our interest form if you'd like to learn more about adding your rates and availability directly to your Google Business Profile.

  

  Highlight your unique hotel offerings

  Health concerns, flexibility and availability are top of mind for today’s travelers. It’s important for hoteliers to pay attention to new signals and remain agile. Local Posts for Google Business Profile allow owners to share timely updates about their hotels, such as:

  • Changes due to COVID-19, including whether the hotel is open or closed, and updates made to amenities or policies
  • Descriptions of special features that are uniquely available at the hotel
  • Compelling images and videos

  

  The world looks different than it did a few years ago, but our mission to be a trusted source of travel information hasn’t changed. To learn more about our solutions for hotels and to keep up with our latest news, visit our website.

  
  
  https://blog.google/products/ads-commerce/new-tools-hotels-reconnect-travelers/
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  Prepare for the future with Google Analytics 4
  • sorangutan  

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  In today's measurement landscape, businesses need to navigate new challenges to understand the complex, multi-platform journeys of their customers — all while prioritizing user privacy.

  Two and a half years ago, we introduced Google Analytics 4 to address these evolving measurement standards and help businesses succeed. Google Analytics 4 has the flexibility to measure many different kinds of data, delivering a strong analytics experience that’s designed for the future. It allows businesses to see unified user journeys across their websites and apps, use Google’s machine learning technology to surface and predict new insights, and most importantly, it’s built to keep up with a changing ecosystem.

  Without a modern measurement solution, you leave essential insights on the table that can impact your business. So now is the time to make Google Analytics 4 your cross-platform Analytics solution. We will begin sunsetting Universal Analytics — the previous generation of Analytics — next year. All standard Universal Analytics properties will stop processing new hits on July 1, 2023. Given the new Analytics 360 experience was recently introduced, Universal Analytics 360 properties will receive an additional three months of new hit processing, ending on October 1, 2023.

  Moving on from Universal Analytics

  Universal Analytics was built for a generation of online measurement that was anchored in the desktop web, independent sessions and more easily observable data from cookies. This measurement methodology is quickly becoming obsolete. Meanwhile, Google Analytics 4 operates across platforms, does not rely exclusively on cookies and uses an event-based data model to deliver user-centric measurement.

  And though Universal Analytics offers a variety of privacy controls, Google Analytics 4 is designed with privacy at its core to provide a better experience for both our customers and their users. It helps businesses meet evolving needs and user expectations, with more comprehensive and granular controls for data collection and usage. Importantly, Google Analytics 4 will also no longer store IP addresses. These solutions and controls are especially necessary in today’s international data privacy landscape, where users are increasingly expecting more privacy protections and control over their data.

  Starting your measurement with Google Analytics 4

  Google Analytics 4 is designed with your key objectives in mind — like driving sales or app installs, generating leads or connecting online and offline customer engagement.

  Here are just a few ways Google Analytics 4 can support your business.

  Understand your customers across touchpoints
  Get a complete view of the customer lifecycle with an event-based measurement model that isn’t fragmented by platform or organized into independent sessions.

  For example, UK-based fitness apparel and accessories brand Gymshark used Google Analytics 4 to measure across its website and app, allowing the Gymshark team to better understand how users moved through the purchase funnel. As a result, they reduced user drop off by 9%, increased product page clickthroughs by 5% and cut down their own time spent on user journey analysis by 30%.

  Google Analytics 4 was the perfect choice in understanding and improving our new e-commerce app. Maxwell Petitjean
  Head of Product Insights, Gymshark

  Improve ROI with data-driven attribution
  Use data-driven attribution to analyze the full impact of your marketing across the customer journey. It assigns attribution credit to more than just the last click using your Analytics data, and helps you understand how your marketing activities collectively influence your conversions. You can export that analysis to Google Ads and Google Marketing Platform media tools to optimize campaigns.

  Measure engagement and conversions with business and compliance needs in mind
  With new country-level privacy controls, you can manage and minimize the collection of user-level data — like cookies and metadata — while preserving key measurement functionality.

  Get greater value from your data
  Machine learning generates sophisticated predictive insights about user behavior and conversions, creates new audiences of users likely to purchase or churn and automatically surfaces critical insights to improve your marketing.

  Easily activate your insights
  Expanded integrations with other Google products, like Google Ads, work across your combined web and app data, making it easy to use Analytics insights to optimize your campaigns.

  McDonald’s Hong Kong met its goal to grow mobile orders using a predictive audience of “likely seven-day purchasers” and exporting it to Google Ads — increasing app orders more than six times. The team saw a 2.3 times stronger ROI, a 5.6 times increase in revenue, and a 63% reduction in cost per action.

  “Google Analytics 4 has equipped us with a strong measurement foundation. We are able to get valuable insights from our first-party data with machine learning and utilize them in our marketing, driving impressive results to future-proof our business.”
  — Tina Chao, McDonald’s Hong Kong Chief Marketing and Digital Customer Experience Officer

  And now, Search Ads 360 and Display & Video 360 integrations are available for all customers. This means that any Google Analytics 4 property — standard or 360 — can activate its Analytics data, like conversions and audiences, in Google Marketing Platform buying tools to strengthen campaign performance.

  Address your enterprise measurement needs
  New sub and roll-up properties in Analytics 360 allow you to customize the structure of your Google Analytics 4 properties to meet data governance needs. This ensures that different teams or partners, like advertising agencies, can access the data they need in accordance with your policies.

  Analytics 360 also offers higher limits to meet increasing demand — up to 125 custom dimensions, 400 audiences and 50 conversion types per property. And you’ll have peace of mind with service legal agreements (SLAs) across most core functionality, including data collection, processing, reporting and attribution.

  "As a large enterprise business with a wide product portfolio, the new Analytics 360 has unlocked insights for our teams to make data-driven decisions, while providing the ability to meet our complex data governance needs with ease and flexibility.”
  — Rashi Kacker, Director of Marketing Technology Innovation, Constellation Brands

  What happens next?

  All standard Universal Analytics properties will stop processing new hits on July 1, 2023, and 360 Universal Analytics properties will stop processing new hits on October 1, 2023. After that, you’ll be able to access your previously processed data in Universal Analytics for at least six months. Learn more about what to expect.

  Make the move over to Google Analytics 4 as soon as possible to build the necessary historical data before Universal Analytics stops processing new hits. For guidance, check out our Help Center resources.

  
  
  https://blog.google/products/marketingplatform/analytics/prepare-for-future-with-google-analytics-4/
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  Helping Africans create their own opportunities
  • sorangutan  

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  With African entrepreneurs raising more than $4 billion in funding in 2021, more than double the $1.5 billion raised in 2020, it’s clear investors around the globe are waking up to the continent’s potential. For some, like philanthropist Tony Elumelu, this growth is the validation of a long track record of backing African entrepreneurship.

  Through the Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF), he has helped empower African entrepreneurs from across the continent. To date, TEF has distributed more than $85 million in grants for seed capital, and supported more than 1.5 million entrepreneurs from all 54 African countries through its proprietary digital platform, TEFConnect.net. Google is similarly enthusiastic about African startups and has supported them with funding, mentorship and skills development, among other things. That’s what makes it so exciting that TEF and Google’s paths are once again converging in 2022.

  Last year, Google.org committed $3 million to the TEF to support an additional 500 female entrepreneurs across the continent. To further support the effort, this year, nine Google employees from Africa and Europe will devote six months of their time and expertise to TEF as part of the first Google.org Fellowship in Sub-Saharan Africa. Composed of engineers, user experience (UX) specialists and business and marketing managers, these Googlers will work with TEF full-time, pro bono, to build a new TEFConnect platform, equipped with new tools to help entrepreneurs access the resources they need to succeed.

  We hope to support TEF in reaching one million more African entrepreneurs through the new TEFConnect, expected to launch later this year. The improved, more mobile-friendly TEFConnect platform will give those entrepreneurs access to a catalog of more curated educational resources, and more avenues for funding.

  Additionally, as the world kicks off a month of celebration for International Women's Day, Google.org and The Tony Elumelu Foundation want to mark the occasion. As part of these collective celebrations, we will convene policymakers, private sector and entrepreneurs to engage in a discussion about entrepreneurship on the continent. We will hear from female entrepreneurs who have benefited from the Tony Elumelu Foundation’s support, as well as from notable leaders.

  As the year 2022 progresses, we want to play a larger role in supporting the world's next generation of entrepreneurs. Africa's citizenry is youthful, optimistic and enterprising. There is so much to be gained by leveling the digital playing field and creating possibilities that will raise the ceiling for the continent’s population.

  By bringing together people from the private and public sector and supporting entrepreneurs in areas that will make the most difference, we can go a long way to helping Africa’s entrepreneurs reach their full potential.

  
  
  https://blog.google/around-the-globe/google-africa/helping-africans-create-their-own-opportunities/
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  The Google.org grantee using AI to detect bushfire risks
  • sorangutan  

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  From predicting floods to improving waste management, organizations and researchers across Asia Pacific are using technology to respond to the impact of climate change.

  Supporting this important work is a priority for Google.org. At today’s Southeast Asia Development Symposium, we announced a $6 million Sustainability Seed Fund to help organizations dedicated to addressing some of the region’s most difficult sustainability challenges. We look forward to sharing more in the coming weeks, including how nonprofits can apply.

  The new fund builds on the support Google.org has already provided — through grants, technology and Googlers’ time — for sustainability-focused organizations and researchers across Asia-Pacific over recent years. I recently had the chance to talk to one of those existing grantees, Professor Hamish McGrowan from the University of Queensland in Australia, who received $1 million in Google.org support in 2021. Professor McGrowan and his team are working on a world-first hazard detection system for bushfires. It’s a powerful example of technology’s potential to protect communities in the short term and inform planning over the long term. It's also part of Google’s Digital Future Initiative to propel Australian innovation and help Australians solve pressing problems.

  Here’s what I learned from our conversation.

  We know that bushfires have been a persistent issue in Australia. Could you give us a sense of the environmental challenges you're seeing and how big this issue is?

  Tackling bushfires is a nationwide issue. The Australian landscape has always been subject to fire, including what we may term nowadays as catastrophic fires. For example, many of Australia's plants have evolved to require fire to germinate.

  However, as the climate has changed in response to both natural and anthropogenic causes — and as urban areas expand into bushland — fire incidence has increased and arguably the scale and intensity of fires have too. One of the great challenges is managing and mitigating risk from bushfires in response to climate and land-use change and pollution pressures.

  

  Professor Hamish testing out the solution

  Could you share more about the solution you and your team have created to address the bushfires?

  Over the past few years, my graduate students and I have developed a mobile weather radar capability with the support of generous industry organizations, including Google. Initially, the radar was used to study severe thunderstorms in southeast Queensland. We then tested the radar's ability to observe bushfires and their interactions with the atmosphere. With the assistance of the radar's manufacturer, Furuno Electric Co from Japan, we have now developed the capability to use the radar to identify and monitor meteorological hazards associated with severe bushfires — such as extreme winds, vortices, or burning embers. We are now developing this capacity further by applying artificial intelligence (AI) to near-real-time analysis of the radar data — so we can produce nowcasts of bushfire-related hazards.

  I'm glad that through Google.org, we've been able to support the University of Queensland along the way. What do you hope to achieve with the new solution?

  Our work ultimately aims to provide increased accuracy in forecasting bushfire movements and alerting community members and emergency responders before they spread. The $1 million grant from Google.org will enable our researchers to work on a new capability to identify and forewarn people in locations up to 30 kilometers downwind from the fire front that may come under attack from embers – sometimes in areas previously perceived as safe. Right now, we're in the process of preparing for our first season of data collection using the mobile radar and have appointed new staff to the project.

  From your perspective, how important are partnerships and support from governments, businesses, and communities in developing technology solutions?

  Extremely important! We’ve long worked closely with local governments and various other organizations in areas of research and development. There are plenty of opportunities for collaboration and it’s wonderful to hear that Google.org is launching a new fund to support this kind of work across Asia Pacific.

  What do you aspire to achieve with this solution in the next 10 years?

  We hope to have a new bushfire warning capability that can be applied globally to save lives, businesses, and the environment from the perils of extreme bushfires and their interactions with the atmosphere.

  
  
  https://blog.google/around-the-globe/google-asia/ai-detect-bushfire-risks/
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  Nyamekye is breaking ground for Black women in STEM
  • sorangutan  

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  A self-described “marketer by day, women’s advocate by night,” Nyamekye Nti has built her career around storytelling for good. “I craft stories and narratives about Google products, and those skills help me craft stories to advocate for women,” she says.

  When she’s not marketing Google Cloud products, Nyamekye is running Yielding Accomplished African Women (YaaW), a nonprofit dedicated to building the largest online career community of Black college women in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). Since its launch in 2018, YaaW has trained more than 1,000 women in 12 African countries and certified more than 750 African women through accelerator programs, STEM “sororities” and groundbreaking conferences sponsored by Google and others. And while originally focused on Africa, YaaW is quickly going global.

  Fresh off her win as Africa Tech Festival’s 2021 Female Innovator of the Year, we spoke with Nyamekye about her passion for representation in STEM and what advice she has for fellow entrepreneurs.

  How would you describe your job at Google to someone who doesn’t work in tech?

  I’m a marketing strategist at Google, meaning I find ways to explain to Fortune 500 companies how Google Cloud can help them. I do that through customer testimonials, stories, blogs and events.

  What inspired you to get involved in STEM representation?

  I’m an alumni of several leadership development programs. They inspired me to believe and bet on myself, and that really catapulted my entire college and corporate career. I was able to work at the best of the best companies, because these programs gave me the skills, attitude and connections to succeed. I knew I had to bring this specifically to Black women. Because as much as I loved those experiences, I still felt there were gender-specific gaps in skill-development training. Those gaps led me to start Yielding Accomplished African Women (YaaW).

  Tell us more about why you started YaaW.

  Forty percent of Black college students switch out of STEM majors because they don’t believe they can actually finish these degrees. They don’t have the support they need. And many times, even when they do complete it, they don’t have access to recruiters and companies to set them up for career success. As a Black woman who studied STEM and went into finance, I understand this fight. And what we want to do at YaaW is ensure that the path is easy for anyone.

  In 2019, YaaW hosted the Women in Machine Learning Conferencein Ghana. What was that experience like?

  This was the first machine learning conference in Africa specifically for women. It was a three-day event filled with sisterhood, personal development, professional development and a lot of heavy training. We even brought in three women machine learning engineers from Google.

  You founded YaaW at just 21 years old. What advice do you have for other young women who want to start their own businesses?

  Research. But go beyond just your business model and quantitative analysis. What in history can give you secrets for the future? When I was in college, I was just gleaning from history — from philosophers and sociologists who wrote things hundreds of years ago that we still stand on today. If you’re building something, research who’s done it extremely well. You’d be surprised by how much you can learn from them.

  Who’s an inspirational woman in your own life?

  My grandmother. She was illiterate, never went to school and worked on a farm all her life. She made a choice to make sure all of her children were educated — and this was in the 60s, in Ghana, as a poor woman. Now we have doctors and lawyers — and people giving interviews like this! — in the family. This year, YaaW is establishing a million-dollar scholarship program for Black college women in her name.

  
  
  https://blog.google/inside-google/googlers/nyamekye-breaking-ground-black-women-stem/
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  Find your online home with Google Domains, now out of beta
  • sorangutan  

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  Building your online presence starts with a domain. It’s your online address, your home on the web, and it should be simple to get started. That’s why we launched Google Domains in beta in 2015: to be the easiest place to find, buy and manage a domain. Since then, millions of customers have trusted us with their online home, and we’ve added more tools and features to bring Google’s ease of use, reliability and value to finding and using a domain name.

  Today, we’re moving Google Domains out of beta and into general availability in 26 countries. With millions of active registrations, we know how valuable domain names are to customers, and we take seriously the responsibility to provide a service that’s often at the very heart of a business, brand or passion.

  As we move out of beta, from now until April 15, we’re offering new and returning users 20% off any single domain registration or transfer-in to Google Domains using the code DOMAINS20 (see discount Terms and Conditions). And if you’re new here, read on to get to know us a bit better.

  Here’s what you get when you register with Google Domains.

  Tools to build your online presence with Google. With more than 300 domain endings available, you can find a name that's right for your business. Google tools can spread your brand further: Turn people who find you on Google Search and Maps into new customers with a free Business Profile and add custom email and collaboration tools with Workspace. Without coding, create a professional-looking website or online store for free using Google Sites or with premium partners like Wix, Shopify, Squarespace, Weebly and Bluehost. And there are simple integrations with tools like Google Ads and Search Console, so you can reach customers across the web, and track where your visitors are coming from.

  The reliability you need. Google Domains provides stable and reliable service. We give you access to high performance DNS, meaning your domain name is easy to access regardless of where your visitors are located. It’s the same infrastructure used by Google. Plus we offer around-the-clock customer support from real people.

  Added value with no added cost. Privacy and security features should be standard when you’re creating your online home. Features like 2-Step Verification and one-click DNSSEC bring an added layer of security to your Google Domains account at no additional cost. If you want to keep your information private, we also cover the cost of privacy protection.

  Whether they're promoting passion projects, working on a side hustle or dedicating their lives to a cause, our millions of customers have chosen Google Domains because it's good for their businesses — and good for the internet.

  
  
  https://blog.google/outreach-initiatives/entrepreneurs/register-a-domain-google-domains/
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  Watch With Me on Google TV: Chloé Zhao’s watchlist
  • sorangutan  

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  Movies and TV can make us laugh, cry and even shape who we are. Our watchlists can be surprisingly revealing. We’re teaming up with entertainers, artists and cultural icons on a newWatch With Meseries on Google TV to share their top picks and give you a behind-the-scenes look at the TV and movies that inspired them.

  Awards season is here, making it the perfect time to chat with director Chloé Zhao, who took home the golden trophy in 2021. Her film “Nomadland” won best picture and best director, and is a perfect example of Chloe’s unique ability to deliver incredibly human, universal experiences. “As a storyteller, it’s important to have empathy,” she says. “You don’t necessarily have to have gone through what your character went through, but it is important to be vulnerable and open enough to let those characters guide you through it.”

  We sat down with her to learn more about her filmmaking and the directors who inspire her. “I would say I'm not your typical cinephile. You know, I haven't seen everything, but there are a handful of directors who I worship and I’ll watch their films over and over again.”

  

  Before we brushed up on her list of influential films and TV, we asked Chloé a few questions to learn more about her — and get a peek at her watchlist.

  What does your watchlist say about you?

  Chloé Zhao:My watchlist says that I’m someone who is very inconsistent, has a wide range of interests and can be a bit strange. I’m attracted to interesting stories and characters who can be perceived as a bit messed up.

  What did you grow up watching?

  Chloé Zhao: Mangas, Anime and Wuxia dramas — especially the ones starring Tony Leung! — were a huge part of my childhood. I constantly draw influence from these mythical and magical stories in how I approach filmmaking.

  Who do you typically watch TV and movies with?

  Chloé Zhao:I always watch TV with my dogs — I don’t have a choice! They have to sit next to me, one on each side.

  Is it acceptable to talk during a movie?

  Chloé Zhao: It’s not easy to make a movie, so as a filmmaker, I prefer people to not talk or check their phones during them. There’s incredible content on phones these days, so we have to force people to turn them off!

  What’s one show you love to watch?

  Chloé Zhao:I love “The Office.” Greatest show ever. I especially like watching the love-hate relationship between Dwight and Jim!

  Dive into Chloé’s watchlist and learn more about the directors that inspire her on Google TV, rolling out over the next few days. Tell us your favorites using #WatchWithMe!

  
  
  https://blog.google/products/google-tv/watchwithme-chloezhao/
• 

  Level up your gaming business with new ad features
  • sorangutan  

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  With more people playing games on their mobile devices than ever before, developers have a huge opportunity to grow their gaming business. This week at Google for Games Developer Summit, we’re announcing new ways to help you reach more players and increase your app revenue for the long term.

  Attract valuable players quickly and effectively

  Finding players is critical when you launch a game — and you only get one shot at a strong first impression. An effective user acquisition strategy can help boost your game's success.

  With App campaigns for pre-registration, you can attract players and build excitement for your game early. Previously, you had to wait for your app to launch before creating App campaigns for installs. In the next few months, you’ll be able to set up App campaigns for apps that are in pre-registration state in the Google Play store — helping you prepare your app for a smooth launch.

  You’ll then need to engage your high-value players and develop a monetization strategy. Last year, we introduced target return on ad spend (tROAS) for ad revenue, which allows you to earn more from ads shown in-app. Soon, you can improve your tROAS campaign performance by sending all AdMob revenue, including mediated revenue, to Google Analytics for bidding — with just a click of a button in the AdMob user interface. Third-party ad revenue in Google Analytics also allows you to import revenue from any monetization platform into Google Analytics for tROAS bidding. tROAS for ad revenue is currently in closed beta.

  Earn more from your games

  Players are spending more time in-game — in fact, our recent study shows that existing players increased their playtime by 42% in 2021. AdMob’s monetization solutions can help you make the most of this surge.

  Most publishers aren’t able to fully measure user revenue from their ads strategy without building their own internal systems. With AdMob’s impression-level lifetime value (LTV), you can estimate the average LTV of user segments and identify user acquisition strategies with the highest return on investment (ROI). To make this even easier to activate, impression-level LTV has been integrated into top app attribution platforms Adjust, AppsFlyer and Singular.

  

  BlackLight Games boosts ROI with AdMob iLTV feature

  For example, BlackLight Studio Games, the creator behind the popular strategy board game Ludo SuperStar, wanted to expand into new markets and boost their ROI. The team used AdMob’s impression-level LTV to measure ads revenue and identify markets with the highest ROI based on user acquisition cost. The team then increased App campaign spend in select markets and achieved a 45% increase in overall revenue.

  In addition to AdMob’s impression-level LTV, we’re announcing even more features to help you grow your app revenue for the long term:

  • Firebase Remote Config personalization (beta): Using machine learning, automatically find the optimal experience for each user. Learn how Halfbrick used personalization to increase revenue by 16%.
  • AdMob rewarded optimizations: Benefit from more impressions and revenue with display ads in rewarded ads. Display ads will run alongside videos or other playables for a lightweight user experience.
  • More demand sources with AdMob: Get access to a diverse range of more than 200 demand sources available for real-time bidding, with Vungle and Snap in beta and more onboarding soon.

  To hear more about how these solutions can help you drive growth for your games business, watch the Google for Games Developer Summit keynote and check out other sessions.

  
  
  https://blog.google/products/ads-commerce/level-up-game-with-new-ad-features/
• 

  Extending Care Studio with a new healthcare partnership
  • sorangutan  

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  Today at the HIMSS Conference in Orlando, Florida, we’re introducing a collaboration between Google Health and MEDITECH to jointly work on an integrated clinical solution. This partnership aims to combine our data harmonization, search and summarization capabilities from Google Health’s Care Studio product suite and integrate them into their electronic health record (EHR), MEDITECH Expanse.

  Health information is complex — it’s often siloed or stored across different information systems and in different formats. As a result, it can be challenging for clinicians to find the information they need all in one place and quickly make sense of it to care for their patients.

  Google Health’s Care Studio technology is designed to make it easier for clinicians to find critical patient information when they need it most. Built to adhere to strict privacy controls, Care Studio works alongside electronic health records (EHRs) to enhance existing workflows. Since we launched Care Studio, we’ve continued to hone our search capabilities for medical data, notes and scanned documents, and are using AI to help make sense of clinical information. We recently introduced our Conditions feature which summarizes a patient’s conditions and uses natural language processing to link to related information — like medications or lab results — so clinicians have the context they need to understand and assess a condition.

  We’re proud of what we built with Care Studio thus far, and we know that partnering is fundamental to improving health outcomes at scale — no one product or company can overcome these obstacles alone.

  Collaboration with the healthcare industry

  MEDITECH has made significant commitments to advancing interoperability — a commitment we share. To best support clinicians, we need to fit into the way they work now. Collaborations with EHRs, like MEDITECH, will help us seamlessly integrate Google Health tools into existing clinical workflows, so we can help remove friction for clinicians.

  With MEDITECH, we’re working on a deeply integrated solution to bring some of our data harmonization, search and summarization capabilities to their web-based EHR, MEDITECH Expanse. Using Google Health’s tools, MEDITECH will form a longitudinal health data layer, bringing together data from different sources into a standard format and offering clinicians a full view of patient records. And with Google Health’s search functionality embedded into their EHR, clinicians can find salient information faster for a more frictionless experience, and the intelligent summarization can highlight critical information directly in the Expanse workflow. This will help advance healthcare data interoperability, building on MEDITECH’s vision for a more connected ecosystem. Our collaboration expands on the partnership between MEDITECH and Google Cloud and will utilize Google Cloud’s infrastructure.

  The healthcare industry is at an inflection point when it comes to interoperability. As COVID accelerated the need for interoperable systems, more organizations were eager to embrace Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) as the standard format for healthcare data. We’re using FHIR to support our data harmonization, yet there is more to be done before FHIR is widely adopted and systems can effectively exchange information. We’re hopeful that collaborative approaches, much like what we’re working on with MEDITECH, will help create more interoperable solutions and facilitate an open ecosystem of data interoperability that benefits everyone.

  Upholding our privacy commitments

  As we deepen our partnerships across the healthcare industry, privacy and security remain our top priorities. As with all our Google Health Care Studio partners, Google does not own or ever sell patient data, and patient data cannot be used for advertising. Our tools are designed to adhere to industry best practices and regulations, including HIPAA. Patient data is encrypted and isolated in a controlled access environment, separate from other Google customer data and consumer data.

  Industry collaboration is a critical path to overcoming pervasive data fragmentation challenges. While we’re in the early stages with MEDITECH, this new collaboration marks an exciting step forward in creating a more open healthcare ecosystem and improving health outcomes.

  Join us at HIMSS at 3:00 p.m. EST today, in room WF3 to learn more.

  
  
  https://blog.google/technology/health/extending-care-studio-new-healthcare-partnership/
• 

  The journey to build a news product is far from linear
  • sorangutan  

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  Editor’s note from Ludovic Blecher, Head of Google News Initiative Innovation: The GNI Innovation Challengeprogram, is designed to stimulate forward-thinking ideas for the news industry. The story below by Dina Aboughazala, founder of the journalism marketplace Egab, is part of an innovator seriessharing inspiring stories and lessons from funded projects. The third Middle East, Turkey and Africa Innovation Challengeis now open for applications.

  

  When I spoke to people in my home country of Egypt, they were actively avoiding the news. Many young people in their 20s and 30s wanted to leave because it was full of problems. As someone with an editorial, journalistic background, I was annoyed and felt moved to act. I wanted to show people that there were solutions, we just don’t hear about them.

  I joined a startup accelerator to learn about business and tech for news, and explained my idea. One of the mentors stopped me and said, “So you are fixing a problem for yourself?”

  At this point I realized I was basing my idea on what I wanted rather than what the users or the audience needed, a common mistake that many journalists who want to start their own media ventures fall into.

  It was then that I remembered the dozens of messages I received on Twitter and LinkedIn from young aspiring journalists about how to join the BBC – my former employer – or how to get published there.

  I finally understood that, instead of launching yet another media outlet, Egab could be a platform to support young and budding journalists to pitch solutions journalism stories and get published in international media. At the same time, the platform would act as a marketplace for international media editors to be able to select from the pitches, giving them access to unique content.

  

  But one main question remained: Would people pay to have this need fulfilled? I was able to find out the answer and more, thanks to support from the Google News Initiative, as a recipient of the second Middle East, Turkey and Africa Innovation Challenge.

  From the start, I envisioned Egab to be a for-profit business. I’ve read about several promising media initiatives that ceased to exist because of the lack of funding. I didn’t want that to happen to Egab if I were to solely rely on grants, which are neither sustainable nor guaranteed.

  So, I went on to answer two more questions: Are my targeted users already paying money or exerting a lot of effort to fulfill this need? And what’s the difference between what’s available now and my offering?

  At this point I wasn’t ready to build Egab’s platform. The last thing I needed was to put a lot of money into building something that may not be used. So we started with a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) to test the concept in the simplest form.

  

  We started with a landing page and a Google Workspace account. This is how Egab has been operating for a year and a half. We receive journalists' pitches via email; we organize Egab’s team’s work processes using Google Drive. We review pitches and prepare feedback, and when a pitch is ready, we circulate it to editors via email.

  Through this very simple process, we were able to gather a lot of useful information. We were able to track our processes against our sales and adjust to become more efficient. We were able to understand our users better – both journalists and media outlets – and understand their needs, as well as the challenges to our model.

  The process has not been a straight line. I’ve learned building a product is all about experimenting; testing, gathering data, adjusting and repeating. We now have close to 120 journalists from across 24 countries in the Middle East and Africa using our platform and 13 media outlets using our service. The number of media outlets grows by one new media outlet every month but it’s not all about the numbers.

  The quality of the stories we facilitate is very important to us, and we are glad that many of our stories are being well received. As an example, one of our stories from Libya published on The National News was the first story to be added from the country to the Solution Journalism Network's story tracker.The story was also featured in SJN's best stories of 2021.

  A year and a half into this experience, we are still testing and experimenting like day one, and I don’t think we will ever stop.

  
  
  https://blog.google/outreach-initiatives/google-news-initiative/journey-build-news-product-far-linear/
• 

  An anthology of insights, for a more inclusive internet
  • sorangutan  

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  Between 2015 and 2022, nearly 3 billion people worldwide got online for the first time — and changed the internet in the process. These novice internet users experience the web differently from those who came online before. Almost all of them connect on their phones, they speak over 7,000 languages, and they often prefer to interact with the internet using video or their voice. For Google, understanding their needs has helped us build better products — for novice users, and for everyone else.

  In 2015, we launched our Next Billion Users (NBU) initiative, with a focus on making technology helpful, relevant and inclusive for people new to the internet. Since then, our NBU teams have used deep research and product development to improve our existing products (creating offline versions of Maps, for example) and create new ones, like Files (a storage cleaning and offline file sharing app). With Android (Go edition), we’ve adapted our mobile operating system for entry-level devices, and we built Google Pay to advance financial inclusion in India.

  Today, building a better internet is more important than ever. We’re committed to playing our part in nurturing a more inclusive global digital economy. But we also want to share the lessons we’ve learned over the past seven years to support the wider industry— which is why we’re releasing an anthology of our key NBU insights to date.

  

  This compilation reflects one of the core principles of our NBU work: when we build with the next billion users, we make progress towards an internet that works better for everyone. In the anthology, our insights are listed across 26 topics from A to Z in the Roman alphabet (A for access, F for financial inclusion and Y for youth, and so on).

  We’re launching our anthology this month to celebrate the invention of the World Wide Web, one of the most significant technologies in modern history. To mark the occasion, we want to highlight three topics in particular — Women, Ecosystem and Building Inclusive Products — or WEB.

  Women

  Women make up the majority of the next billion users, and it will take a sustained, coordinated effort from the technology industry, governments and nonprofit organizations to make the internet more gender-equitable. Our research has found that women often face higher barriers to internet access than men, as well as threats to their safety and privacy online. Yet a rising female population could have a profoundly positive impact on the internet economy — as studies in Africa have shown. Together with our partners, we run global programs like Women Techmakers, which provide visibility, community, and resources for women in technology.

  Ecosystem

  No one organization can build a more inclusive internet alone. In all our NBU efforts, we’ve prioritized sharing our research openly and forming partnerships with others who are working towards the same goals. One example is our work with India’s Jio to create the JioPhone Next, an affordable, made-for-India smartphone that’s enabling millions of people across the country to experience the internet. We also welcome and support the growing role that governments are playing in developing nationwide and regional strategies to increase digital inclusion. That includes Google’s own partnerships with governments to advance Africa’s digital transformation.

  Building inclusive products

  We’ve learned that to build better products, we have to challenge our own intuition and assumptions as technology-makers. That starts with deep, immersive research — spending time in communities to understand the environment, concerns and aspirations of the people we’re building for. We see the impact we want when we build with new users, not just for them, as with the brainstorming and design process for Motorcycle Mode in Maps. And we’ve learned that there’s no such thing as a typical user. For example, many families in NBU countries share their mobile devices with one another — yet device privacy and account settings are still mostly built on the principle of “one person, one account”.

  

  Our work with novice internet users goes to the heart of Google's founding mission — to make the world’s information universally accessible — and together we will shape a more equitable, inclusive internet. We designed this anthology of NBU insights to inspire others to join us in building for everyone, everywhere.

  
  
  https://blog.google/technology/next-billion-users/anthology-insights-more-inclusive-internet/
• 

  True or false? Busting sleep myths for World Sleep Day
  • sorangutan  

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  “You need to sleep on your back.”

  “No, on your side.”

  “Actually, what really matters is your mattress.”

  “I thought it was your pillow?”

  “Sleeping in short bursts will make you feel more refreshed.”

  Everyone has a hot take on how to get the best rest — and Dr. Logan Schneider, M.D., and Dr. Conor Heneghan, PhD, have heard them all. “We all sleep, and we’ve all experienced good sleep and bad sleep — and because of that, most everyone has dabbled in a bit of sleep-related ‘citizen science,’ which has created both reasonable and outlandish theories,” says Logan. Both are part of the Google team that examines how technology can help improve sleep — from tracking how much you’re getting each night to understanding your sleep quality and how to potentially improve it — across Nest and Fitbit.

  Read Article

  Sleeping on the job: How we built the new Nest Hub

  Take a look inside Google Health's sleep lab, Forty Winks, and learn about everything that went into testing and building the new Nest Hub.

  Read Article

  Since we’re celebrating World Sleep Day later this week, we decided to play a sleep myth-busting edition of true or false with Logan and Conor.
  

  True or False: You need eight hours of sleep.

  False. Everyone’s body and sleep needs are different, Logan says. “Basically, you need as much sleep as it takes to not feel…well, sleepy…over the course of your day.” While many recommendations suggest getting at least seven hours of sleep, this is based on what people report — which is often an overestimation of actual sleep. “When looking at objective measures of typical sleep, we tend to see that the actual amount of sleep humans get is around six and a half hours,” Logan says. Ask yourself: Am I waking refreshed? Am I alert without the assistance of caffeine or napping? Am I generally able to perform well mentally and physically? If the answers are “yes,” you’re likely getting enough sleep.”

  If you can avoid it, try not to make too large of a difference between your weekday and weekend schedules. Dr. Conor Heneghan
  

  True or False: Sleeping in on weekends can actually make you feel less rested.

  True. Sleep sets your body’s internal “clocks” that determine when you should be alert and when you should be asleep. “The main way this clock gets set is by light exposure around the time you wake up,” Logan says. “So, if you’re sleeping well past the time you usually wake up, you’re confusing your body, telling it to adjust to a later time zone.” And this might not feel great when you go back to your normal schedule.

  “While tempting to sleep in on the weekends, in general, your body responds best to a consistent bedtime and wake-up time. If you can avoid it, try not to make too large of a difference between your weekday and weekend schedules,” Conor adds.
  

  True or False: Power naps are highly effective.

  False…ish. “Various studies have explored the relationship of health and napping, and there have been lots of different results,” says Logan. “But the National Sleep Foundation found that polyphasic, or multi-period sleeping — aka, naps versus sleeping all night — isn’t ideal for most.” Trading naps for nightly sleep won’t benefit most people. That said, napping is a way to avoid hazardous situations when you’re sleepy. “If you need a nap to make it through the day, shorter naps, something like 10 to 20 minutes, tend to be the most restorative without causing consequences for the next primary sleep period.”

  Each time your alarm goes off, you’re disrupting your sleep, so any ‘sleep’ you get after hitting snooze isn’t restorative. Dr. Logan Schneider
  

  True or False: My exercise routine and diet impact how well I sleep.

  True. “Regular exercise is one of the best things you can do to improve your sleep. Studies have shown that moving during the day can support better sleep quality and minimize anxiety, too,” Conor says.

  Sleep can also be impacted by your diet, especially when it comes to alcohol. “While we all enjoy an occasional drink in the evening, on the whole, data shows alcohol too close to bedtime has a negative effect on your sleep. Alcohol might make you fall asleep a little faster, but you’re more likely to get restless throughout the night because it can disrupt your REM sleep, a restorative stage when you're deep in your dreams. If REM is interrupted, it’s common to feel drowsy the next day,” Conor says.
  

  True or False: The snooze button is your friend.

  False. It’s best to allow yourself to sleep in until you need to wake up rather than setting an early alarm and snoozing. “Each time your alarm goes off, you’re disrupting your sleep, so any ‘sleep’ you get after hitting snooze isn’t restorative,” Logan says. “It takes a while for your brain to fall back to sleep. By snoozing, you’re breaking up the natural cycles of sleep and keeping your brain in more alert and resulting in lighter sleep, which won’t actually help you feel rested.”

  “Consistency is what’s best for sleep,” Conor says. “And hitting snooze can disrupt that consistency, so you won’t feel refreshed.”

  Plus, Logan says, you’re tricking your brain into thinking that snoozing feels good, when, in fact, you’re not actually getting more of what you need — refreshing sleep.

  
  
  https://blog.google/products/google-nest/true-or-false-sleep-myths-world-sleep-day/
• 

  The women behind some of Google’s most impactful products
  • sorangutan  

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  In celebration of Women’s History Month, we talked to two women who have shaped the history of some of Google’s most impactful products. From building Google Search crisis hotlines to improving Street View and Photos, these Googlers share more about their jobs, career advice and the responsibility they feel to help others.

  From seeing patients in the ER to building crisis hotlines

  How does being a woman impact the features you build?

  As an ER doctor, I cared for women struggling with personal crises like suicide, sexual assault and domestic violence. As a mom of two girls, I empathize with the real-world challenges these women face, like keeping their children safe and finding time to get the help they need. Listening to their stories has challenged me to identify blind spots in our design process and make sure the features we build have real-world impact. For example, we know that timely access to different communication modes is essential, so we prioritized the simplicity and visibility of phone, chat and text services when designing our hotline features.

  How do the skills you learned in ER translate to your current job?

  In the emergency room — much like with crisis hotlines — you never know who will walk through the door or what their situation will be. In this environment — where time is of the essence — the ability to solve problems outside of your comfort zone, work together as a team, and be agile can save lives. Bringing these skills to my role has helped me be a more effective leader and drive greater impact across our features.

  Google has an opportunity to empower people to take the next steps in their journey to find help. We can pave the path from helping people find information to connecting them with timely, life-saving resources and compassionate support.

  What inspired you to leave the ER and work on personal crisis hotlines at Google?

  I love helping people in a moment of need — or as my mentor, Dr. Brian J. Zink, says “Anyone, Anything, Anytime.” Becoming a product manager at Google challenges me to provide support on a global scale. In urgent situations, like personal crises, Google has an opportunity to empower people to take the next steps in their journey to find help. We can pave the path from helping people find information to connecting them with timely, life-saving resources and compassionate support.

  Helping others see the world in Street View

  What do you love most about building products and features at Google?

  Part of my personal mission is to make people happier, healthier and more productive in their day-to-day lives. When people say “this product makes life much easier" or "this feature is a great improvement,” it’s really rewarding. It makes the world feel a little smaller when someone from a completely different background experiences the same joy as I do for something I’ve built.

  Feelings are just another data point, and if you pay attention they can reveal a lot.

  Woman to woman, what’s the best career advice you’ve gotten?

  Women in tech often avoid talking about feelings for fear of coming across as “too emotional.” So, I really appreciated it when a female mentor helped me flip that narrative. Feelings are just another data point, and if you pay attention they can reveal a lot. Feelings alone don’t give you much information, but if you take the time to ask yourself, “Why am I feeling funny about this?” you can figure out if something going on is not aligned with your values, priorities or goals. Then you can then shift from the feelings space to the logic space to figure out what to do about it.

  What impactful things are you working on with Street View?

  Street View is immensely valuable for getting a sense of a new place before you visit — whether for vibe, navigation or safety. Understanding what to expect when you go somewhere new can give anyone more comfort as they get things done. Right now, I’m working with my team to improve how everyone can contribute to Street View so people can get even more information about a place before they go there.

  
  
  https://blog.google/products/search/the-women-behind-some-of-googles-most-impactful-products/
• 

  CEO Hilda Moraa’s plan to empower Africa’s entrepreneurs
  • sorangutan  

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  Every morning, Hilda Moraa rises at 4 a.m for an early morning meditation and yoga routine, after which she’ll lose herself in a business podcast. “Discipline, structure and routine are very important to me as a founder,” she says.

  She brings that same dedication to her work. Hilda is the founder of Pezesha, which is based in Kenya and an alumni of Google for Startups Accelerator Africa. Before the accelerator, Hilda was a part of the Google LaunchPad Programme, where she says Google’s resources and expertise enabled Pezesha to scale in new markets and ultimately experience 30% growth.

  Before all of that, though, Pezesha was just an idea — one that Hilda was extremely motivated by. Poverty in Africa, and particularly in her home country of Kenya, is prevalent, and she wanted to be a part of changing it. “We launched Pezesha as a digital lending platform and we had this hugely ambitious idea of addressing unemployment and poverty in Africa.”

  Pezesha’s lending infrastructure has three core services: KYC & identity, credit scoring and embedded finance

  “By resolving the issue of small and medium enterprises securing working capital and gaining a credit score, I believe we can equip business owners with assets so they can compete and trade on a national scale.” Hilda hopes that empowering business owners will improve the economy as a whole. “There's much more of a ripple effect achieved so if you financially empower a business owner to meet their business goals, they can feed their family, employ people and ultimately support the wider community.”

  Her ultimate goal is that Pezesha’s digital financial platform can address the $328 billion financing gap that exists for small and medium-sized businesses in Sub Saharan Africa — and that this, in turn, will create millions of job opportunities for African youths. At the moment, she’s still savoring the smaller wins. “My proudest moment to date would be helping more than 30,000 mid- and small business owners get a credit score and find affordable financing -- and these businesses have generated more than 10,000 jobs combined and our credit has propelled their business and prosperity to the next level”

  “I am so inspired by my customers. They are the real-life heroes bringing their amazing visions to life — it’s so fulfilling to see the impact Pezesha has had on them.”

  Hilda isn’t only excited to see her own company succeed; she sees her founder story as part of a new era for African businesses. “It’s truly a joy to see African entrepreneurs building successful businesses changing the narrative of Africa,” Hilda says. “ I am confident that we will continue to see a wave of unicorns emerge from Africa’s vibrant tech scene as we have continued to see Africa rise in the midst of the pandemic with more investments and success stories that show our future is here.”

  
  
  https://blog.google/around-the-globe/google-africa/ceo-hilda-moraas-plan-to-empower-africas-entrepreneurs/
• 

  A Google engineer’s tips for thriving amid change
  • sorangutan  

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  When Chaitali Narla was in her 20s, she left her childhood home in India to fly across the world and study computer science in the U.S. “As a first-generation immigrant, this was a big moment for me personally,” says Chaitali. “Not only was I learning a new culture, lifestyle and vocabulary, but I was adjusting to a style of academia and work focused on exploration — all while also learning how to open potato chip bags the ‘American way,’” she laughs. (Which, FYI, means pull apart the top versus poking a hole in the bag.)

  This monumental shift in her life motivated Chaitali to come up with a system to cope with major changes — and it’s become something she’s used throughout her life and career. “I’ve become willing to tackle major challenges and complex problems with the belief that you can conquer anything as long as you organize your life with a productive mindset.”

  While finishing grad school in 2010, she took an internship as a software engineer with the Google Talk Video team (a precursor to Google Meet). “I was most excited to work for a company making a difference in so many people’s lives. I love making things more productive and delivering magical moments, and Google gave me the opportunity to do just that.”

  More than a decade later, Chaitali continues tackling new, big challenges. “I’ve worked in Google+, Cloud, Chrome, Workspace…you name it.” Today, she leads the engineering productivity organization for Google’s real-time communication products such as Google Meet, Duo, Dialer, Messages and Google Voice. Along the way, she’s learned a thing or two not only about productivity tools, but how to thrive on change, instead of fearing it. Here are a few things she shared with us:

  1. Set your own boundaries.
     For Chaitali, taking charge of her mental health means setting a clear work-life balance and sticking to it. “When it’s family time, I switch off the flood of emails and calendar notifications to be present with my husband and daughter,” she says. “Work-life balance is what you make of it. Changing habits can be difficult, but it’s important to disconnect. Work will always be there when I’m ready to work.”

  

  Chaitali Narla with her husband Vamsi Narla at Gas Works Park in Seattle, Washington.

  2. Unpack your peak experiences.
  “I encourage my teams to reflect on their ‘peak experiences’ — magical moments when you’re thriving, in flow, using all your learned and innate skills and abilities,” she says. “These peak experiences can help guide your personal and professional growth.”
  One of Chaitali's peak experiences was mentoring recent college grads. “Reflecting on this taught me that I wanted to be a manager, which is the career path I took.”
  3. Find sponsorship.
  “Early in my career at Google, I didn’t even know what a sponsor was, but now I know the importance of people having your back for moments big and small,” she says. Sponsorship is more than just giving advice (like a mentor usually does). Sponsors actively support you and champion your cause.

  To find a sponsor, Chaitali’s advice is simple: Just ask. “Speaking up and asking can be uncomfortable, but a skill I can’t recommend enough. Also, it’s OK to hear ‘no’ — but know that people want to help if your request is reasonable.”

  4. Delegate.
  At work, Chaitali doesn’t try to do it all herself. “Trusting your team matters,” she says. “Letting go not only helps you, but it helps the team and the company. Next time you have a project, instead of doing it yourself, consider how you can use this moment to teach, trust and empower others.”

  5. Stay curious.
  Chaitali says she first started nurturing her curiosity until she began grad school. “In India, we learn by practice and memorization while in the U.S., we’re encouraged to ask questions and explore. I’ve grown so much by embracing this growth mindset. At Google, I’m using my curiosity to not only find answers but to find the questions that haven’t been asked.”

  Chaitali also stays curious through papercrafting, which she found while looking for a device-free hobby.

  

  “From creating Rangoli designs for festivals in India to making cards occasionally for friends and family, I always enjoyed creating ever since I can remember,” she says. “Papercrafting is my ‘me time’ where I can take risks and experiment. It’s not simply a hobby but a tool to help me look at my work in new, interesting ways to better engage my team and make connections in new ways.”

  
  
  https://blog.google/inside-google/googlers/a-google-engineers-tips-for-thriving-amid-change/
• 

  Stadia Savepoint: February updates
  • sorangutan  

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  It’s time for another round of our Savepoint series, recapping the new games, features and updates on Stadia.

  Last month, the Stadia store added new titles to purchase, including MotoGP™21 and MY HERO ONE'S JUSTICE 2. With the global launch of DYNASTY WARRIORS 9 Empires, players faced action-packed battlefields and strategic decisions. They also jumped into the long-awaited Season of the Risen, The Witch Queen expansion for Destiny 2, which introduced new raids and items to claim.

  Plus, two new demos arrived on the Stadia store for recently launched titles. Anyone on Stadia can now play Chorus and RAINBOW SIX EXTRACTION with no strings attached.

  

  Every Stadia player can try a demo of Chorus, a space combat game on the Stadia store.

  In February, the Stadia Pro library hit 50 titles for existing subscribers and new Stadia players to claim and explore. That included seven games newly added to the library on February 1, including Life Is Strange Remastered, Life Is Strange: Before The Storm Remastered, Cosmic Star Heroine, Nanotale - Typing Chronicles, Merek’s Market, One Hand Clapping and PHOGS!.

  It’s easy to try out a new game in the Pro library — especially since all new Stadia users receive a one-month trial to Stadia Pro. Two Free Play Days events in February for Pro subscribers also unlocked games like The Jackbox Party Pack 7 and Assassin’s Creed Valhalla.

  Stadia Pro updates

  • Seven new games were added to the Stadia Pro library in February.
  • Today, there are 51 games to explore in Stadia Pro: Crayta, HITMAN, Darksiders Genesis, République, Journey to the Savage Planet, PixelJunk Raiders, Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of DANA, Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince, The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III, Moonlighter, Terraria, Darkwood, The Darkside Detective, PAW Patrol Mighty Pups: Save Adventure Bay, It Came From Space And Ate Our Brains, Epistory - Typing Chronicles, Killer Queen Black, GRIME, ARK: Survival Evolved, Floor Kids, Blue Fire, Wave Break, Legend of Keepers: Career of a Dungeon Manager, DreamWorks Spirit Lucky’s Big Adventure, Hello Engineer, Cake Bash, Control Ultimate Edition, Saints Row IV: Re-Elected, Kemono Heroes, Hundred Days - Winemaking Simulator, Wavetale, Destroy All Humans!, Wreckfest, The Falconeer: Warrior Edition, Transformers: Battlegrounds, FORECLOSED, Unto The End, Darksiders III, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, Shantae: Risky’s Revenge, The Darkside Detective: A Fumble in the Dark, DreamWorks Dragons: Dawn of New Riders, Life Is Strange Remastered, Life Is Strange: Before The Storm Remastered, Nanotale - Typing Chronicles, Merek’s Market, One Hand Clapping, PHOGS!, Dawn of the Monsters, Adam Wolfe and Race with Ryan Road Trip Deluxe Edition.
  • There are ongoing discounts for Pro subscribers — check out the web or mobile Stadia store for the latest.

  February content launches on Stadia:

  • Destiny 2 - The Witch Queen
  • DYNASTY WARRIORS 9 Empires
  • Far Cry 6 – Joseph: Collapse
  • Life Is Strange Remastered
  • Life Is Strange: Before The Storm Remastered
  • MotoGP™21
  • MY HERO ONE'S JUSTICE 2

  Stadia announcements in February:

  • Calico
  • Lake
  • Phoenix Point – Kaos Engines
  • The Elder Scrolls Online Collection – High Isle

  As always, we’ll be back next month to share another recap. In the meantime, keep an eye on the Stadia Community Blog, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter for the latest on new games, features and updates.

  
  
  https://blog.google/products/stadia/savepoint-february-2022-updates/
• 

  Get into gear with vehicle ads on Google
  • sorangutan  

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  More people are turning to the web to find their next car. In fact, 89% of new car buyers researched their new vehicle online.[7fb54a]And shoppers aren't just looking up information online — they’re purchasing there, too. In 2021, 16% of new car buyers purchased their car online, up from only 1% three years prior.[ea5e48]

  Shoppers today expect an easy and helpful experience when they search for what to buy. It’s important for auto advertisers to get in front of car shoppers with the right information and inventory.

  Introducing vehicle ads

  Today at the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) Show we are announcing vehicle ads, a new ad format on Search that shows nearby cars for sale. Currently available in the U.S. and coming to more countries soon, vehicle ads can help you easily reach customers looking for a new ride.

  For example, if someone searches for a 2019 SUV, they’ll see several vehicle options they can either purchase nearby or get delivered — along with pictures and inventory information like location, make, model, price and mileage. Once they select a car, the ad will direct them to the vehicle description page on your website where they can fill out a lead form or get your dealership’s contact information. You can then select which actions you’d like to measure, like leads and store visits, and assign a value to them.

  

  New vehicle ads on Search spotlight available cars to shoppers.

  To get started, you’ll need to create a vehicle inventory data feed and connect it to Google Merchant Center. This feed contains all the details about your vehicle inventory, like make, model, price, mileage and condition. Google uses those details to match shoppers with the most relevant cars as they’re searching. Plus, by using Merchant Center, you can keep track of key inventory and ad performance insights.

  Advertisers who complemented their existing Search campaigns with vehicle ads saw a +25% average increase in conversions during beta testing.[83f78c]Let’s take a closer look at some businesses who recently gave vehicle ads a spin.

  The results from the pilot far exceeded our expectations. With vehicle ads, we can help customers by bringing them right to the car they’re interested in. This helps us maximize traffic and conversions to vehicle pages and increase efficiency. Miran Maric, CMO and SVP, Strategy and Innovation
  Asbury Automotive Group

  Our main goal is to drive customers to view our inventory. Vehicle ads allow us to get our inventory in front of customers with better efficiency. They also drove more store visits than other campaign types. Nathan Sato, Director of Digital Marketing
  Ken Garff

  Want to try vehicle ads yourself? Check out more information and get started today.

  To learn more about auto retail trends and vehicle ads, register for Google’s “Auto On Air: Delighting Customers in a Digital World” session on Wednesday, March 30 at 10:00 a.m. PT / 1:00 p.m. ET.

  
  
  https://blog.google/products/ads-commerce/introducing-vehicle-ads/