Google Cloud Platform News

• 

  New malware protections for Advanced Protection users
  • sorangutan  

  1
  1
  Posts
  6
  Views

  

  Advanced Protection safeguards the personal or business Google Accounts of anyone at risk of targeted attacks—like political campaign teams, journalists, activists and business leaders. It’s Google's strongest security for those who need it most, and is available across desktops, laptops, smartphones and tablets. 

  One of the many benefits of Advanced Protection is that it constantly evolves to defend against emerging threats, automatically protecting your personal information from potential attackers. Today we're announcing new ways that Advanced Protection is defending you from malware on Android devices. 

  Play Protect app scanning is automatically turned on

  Google Play Protect is Google's built-in malware protection for Android. It scans and verifies 100 billion apps each day to keep your device, data and apps safe. Backed by Google's machine learning algorithms, it’s constantly evolving to match changing threats. To ensure that people enrolled in our Advanced Protection Program benefit from the added security that Google Play Protect provides, we’re now automatically turning it on for all devices with a Google Account enrolled in Advanced Protection and will require that it remain enabled. 

  Limiting apps from outside the Play Store

  Advanced Protection is committed to keeping harmful apps off of enrolled users’ devices. All apps on the Google Play Store undergo rigorous testing, but apps outside of Google Play can potentially pose a risk to users’ devices. As an added protection, we’re now blocking the majority of these non-Play apps from being installed on any devices with a Google Account enrolled in Advanced Protection. You can still install non-Play apps through app stores that were pre-installed by the device manufacturer and through Android Debug Bridge. Any apps that you’ve already installed from sources outside of Google Play will not be removed and can still be updated.

  G Suite users enrolled in the Advanced Protection Program will not get these new Android  protections for now; however, equivalent protections are available as part of endpoint management. See this help center article for a full list of Android device policies, specifically: “Verify apps,” which prevent users from turning off Google Play Protect, and “Unknown apps,” which prevent users from installing apps from outside the Play Store.

  When will these changes roll out?

  Starting today, these changes for Android will gradually roll out for Google Accounts that are enrolled in Advanced Protection. We’ll also be rolling out new malware protections for Chrome later this year, building upon the risky download protections we announced in 2019. 

  You can learn more about Advanced Protection on Android here, and to enroll in Google's Advanced Protection, visit g.co/advancedprotection.

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/products/android/new-malware-protections-advanced-protection-users/
• 

  Cultivating digital “oases” in the local news landscape
  • sorangutan  

  1
  1
  Posts
  8
  Views

  

  Editor’s Note: Susan Leath is the director of the Center for Innovation and Sustainability in Local Media at UNC Hussman School of Journalism.

  In my 30 years of working in journalism, I’ve seen first-hand the value of trusted news sources that help citizens connect and engage. As a local publisher for McClatchy, and later regional president with Gannett, I’ve also experienced the significant challenges facing local news in the wake of rapidly changing technology and consumer behavior. 

  At UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media’s Center for Innovation and Sustainability in Local Media (UNC CISLM), our mission is to help local news organizations retool for the digital age. We continuously hear from publishers that achieving long-term sustainability requires a fundamental mindset shift, and new types of resources to help them succeed.

  That’s why we’re partnering with the Google News Initiative (GNI), LION Publishers and Douglas K. Smith on Project Oasis: a research initiative focused on helping local news organizations navigate the complex choices they face in establishing and growing their digital business. The first step is to develop a database that maps the current landscape of digital native local news publishers in the U.S. and Canada. Then, through in-depth interviews with these local news site founders at key stages of growth, we will develop resources to help others grow, including a “Starter Pack” for aspiring entrepreneurs.

  This initiative responds to UNC’sNews Deserts Project, led by UNC Knight Professor of Journalism and Digital Media Economics Penny Abernathy, which highlighted the rise of rural and urban communities where residents have limited access to the credible and comprehensive news and information that feeds democracy at the grassroots level. 

  This research showed that by 2018, we had lost 1,800—nearly 25 percent—of local newspapers that had existed in 2004. In just two years since, that number has jumped to 2,100, while cost-cutting by many remaining newspapers has rendered them ghosts of their former selves.

  Despite these stark numbers, we’re starting to see the evidence that local news digital startups can thrive in communities and fill these gaps. Penny’s research has shown that a positive response to the loss of local newspapers has come from the several hundred digital news outlets that now span the country, most of them started in the past decade. Project Oasis will build on a range of programs at UNC CISLM to arm these local news publishers with sustainable practices to help strengthen their digital business models and strategies.

  For this project, LION will help us focus our research on the most pressing and relevant questions, and engage with the right news organizations. The GNI will bring digital expertise and inform our research with lessons from the GNI Local Experiments project, where they’re working with global partners to create new digital local news organizations. We’re also partnering with Doug Smith, the founder of Media Transformation Challenge and architect of Table Stakes, which has supported the growth of more than 150 local news organizations in the U.S. and Europe.

  This month, we will begin surveying digital native local news organizations in the U.S. and Canada to shine a light on the business strategies that have set some apart from others. If you run a digital native local news publication, we invite you to complete the survey, which we’re making available until the end of April 2020.

  I believe local news is an essential element of a strong democracy. These information outlets build trust, inspire civic engagement and bring communities together. Through new research and resources, we believe this project has the potential to help shape a bright future for local news.

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/outreach-initiatives/google-news-initiative/cultivating-digital-oases-in-the-local-news-landscape/
• 

  Works With Chromebook helps you find Chromebook accessories
  • sorangutan  

  1
  1
  Posts
  8
  Views

  

  A charger that gives you power when you need it, cables that ensure you can make important connections, a mouse that helps you work more efficiently—these accessories make it easier to work and play on your Chromebook. To help you find your next accessory, look for the Works With Chromebook logo on products in stores and online.

  

  You’ll begin to see the Works With Chromebook badge on certified accessories in the U.S., Canada and Japan. We’ve tested these accessories to ensure they comply with Chromebook’s compatibility standards. Once you see the badge, you can be sure the product works seamlessly with your Chromebook.

  Works With Chromebook certified accessories come from leading brands—including AbleNet, Anker, Belkin, Brydge, Cable Matters, Elecom, Hyper, Kensington, Logitech, Plugable, Satechi, StarTech, and Targus. Find Works With Chromebook accessories at Amazon.com, Best Buy (U.S. and Canada), Walmart.com, and Bic Camera (Japan), with other retailers and countries coming soon.

  For more information about Works With Chromebook, check out the Chromebook website.

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/products/chromebooks/works-with-chromebook-find-chromebook-accessories/
• 

  Now you can transcribe speech with Google Translate
  • sorangutan  

  1
  1
  Posts
  9
  Views

  

  Recently, I was at my friend’s family gathering, where her grandmother told a story from her childhood. I could see that she was excited to share it with everyone but there was a problem—she told the story in Spanish, a language that I don’t understand. I pulled out Google Translate to transcribe the speech as it was happening. As she was telling the story, the English translation appeared on my phone so that I could follow along—it fostered a moment of understanding that would have otherwise been lost. And now anyone can do this—starting today, you can use the Google Translate Android app to transcribe foreign language speech as it’s happening.

  Transcribe will be rolling out in the next few days with support for any combination of the following eight languages: English, French, German, Hindi, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish and Thai. 

  

  
  

  To try the transcribe feature, go to your Translate app on Android, and make sure you have the latest updates from the Play store. Tap on the “Transcribe” icon from the home screen and select the source and target languages from the language dropdown at the top. You can pause or restart transcription by tapping on the mic icon. You also can see the original transcript, change the text size or choose a dark theme in the settings menu. 

  

  On the left: redesigned home screen. On the right: how to change the settings for a comfortable read.

  We’ll continue to make speech translations available in a variety of situations. Right now, the transcribe feature will work best in a quiet environment with one person speaking at a time. In other situations, the app will still do its best to provide the gist of what's being said. Conversation mode in the app will continue to help you to have a back and forth translated conversation with someone.  

  Try it out and give us feedback on how we can be better. 

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/products/translate/transcribe-speech/
• 

  Get into "Focus mode" at work with help from Android
  • sorangutan  

  1
  1
  Posts
  6
  Views

  

  Holding your focus and attention at work can sometimes be a challenge, but Android offers helpful tools so that you can reduce distractions and get work done on your own terms. Whether it’s news alerts, social media, or other apps you find distracting, Focus mode lets you pause apps that could keep you from tackling those important tasks. The work profile also clearly labels work apps in a separate tab, so you can quickly access the important ones you need to get your job done.
  
  

  Get in the zone with Focus mode

  Use Focus mode to pause apps in your personal profile that you find distracting.

  

  Pause selected apps with Focus mode.

  Once you turn on Focus mode, the apps you chose will be grayed out on your screen and their notifications will be hidden. Also, any notifications from those apps are put on hold until Focus mode is turned off.

  

  With one tap, turn on Focus mode and quiet any potential distractions.

  To suit your work hours, you can create a daily schedule with Focus mode so it launches automatically during the time period you specify. If you’re on a lunch break or need to check any of the paused apps, you can take a break from Focus mode to use those apps for a short period.  When the break’s over, Focus mode resumes automatically so those apps won’t bother you.

  

  Take a break for a while, then Focus mode will turn back on.

  Work profile organizes the apps you need

  On personally enabled devices, the work profile helps you quickly get to the apps you need. When it’s time to step away from work, you can pause the work profile—work apps will be unavailable and won’t send you any notifications until they’re back on.

  

  Pause work profile to snooze notifications and apps.

  Focus mode and work profile are among the many ways that Android works the way you want. Learn more about what Android can do for you at work.

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/products/android-enterprise/focus-mode/
• 

  Actions to reduce the need for people to come into our offices
  • sorangutan  

  1
  1
  Posts
  8
  Views

  

  During the unprecedented COVID-19 situation, many companies are closing their offices and directing their employees to work from home (WFH), schools are moving to online classes and people are quickly adopting social distancing measures. Our priority is to take care of people who work in our offices—including employees, vendors and temporary staff—and the communities they work in. So we’ve been taking action to reduce the need for people to come into our offices, particularly in locations where local COVID-19 conditions merit increased precaution.

  At the same time, we know that people rely on Google’s products and services, so a limited proportion of employees, temporary staff and vendors continue to work in our offices, because some important jobs can only be done onsite—like those who need to access the most sensitive content or account data for user and customer safety and security. (For example, the people who help you if your account gets hacked.)

  Here’s how we’re reducing the need for people to come into our offices while ensuring that our products continue to operate under these unique circumstances. 

  Remote access

  In most parts of the world, we’ve recommended that everyone who can work from home should do so. We’re also increasing the ability for employees, temporary staff and vendors to work from home by rolling out remote access and equipment, like secure laptops, where feasible. We’re working closely with our partners to provide the right equipment and guidance as fast as possible.

  Prioritizing workflows

  To reduce the need for support staff to come into the office, where possible we’re prioritizing support work that is critical—like account recovery, security, and certain advertising-related reviews (such as preventing COVID-19 scams, or inappropriate ad placements). 

  Increasing automation 

  We’ve always used a combination of humans and machines to review content on our platforms, like YouTube. We will temporarily be increasing our reliance on automated systems given this unique situation, to reduce the need for people to come into the office. Our goal is to continue to act quickly to remove content that violates our community guidelines and policies. 

  Adjusting shifts

  To promote social distancing and reduce the number of people in the office at a given time, in some locations, we’ll change the timing of shifts, the timing between shifts, and the number of people on a given shift based on the work required.

  Temporary implications for support times
  

  We know that right now, people around the world need information, communication and computation more than ever. We’re deeply committed to helping. All our products remain fully operational. The changes we’re making to our operations won’t impact their availability. 

  However, given the steps we need to take due to these unprecedented times, there may be some temporary limitations and delays in support in some cases:
  
  

  • Some users, advertisers, developers and publishers may experience delays in some support response times for non-critical services, which will now be supported primarily through our chat, email, and self-service channels. 

  • Our goal on YouTube is to ensure we are removing content that violates our policies. We've invested significantly in automated systems for content review but they are not always as accurate or granular in their analysis of content as human reviewers. These systems are configured deliberately to identify content that may violate our policies. So on YouTube there may be an increase in content classified for removal during this time—including some content that does not violate our policies. Turnaround times for appeals against these decisions may be slower. You can read more on the YouTube blog. 

  • For other Google products, our automated systems may not always accurately classify content for removal, and human review of these decisions may be slower.

  We will provide updates if there are additional delays in support over time.

  Covering our workforce

  As we temporarily reduce the need for people to come into the office, we’ve committed that during this time, members of our extended workforce who are affected by reduced schedules will be compensated for the time they would have worked. We also established a COVID-19 fund so that members of our extended workforce who would not otherwise be paid will be compensated for their normal working hours if they can’t come into work because they have potential symptoms of COVID-19 or if they’re quarantined. For those coming to the office, we have significantly enhanced our hygiene and cleaning operations, are increasing spacing between people, and in some locations have instituted temperature checks.

  We thank you for your support and understanding during this challenging period, and we think this is the right thing to do for the people who work here, and the community at large.

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/inside-google/company-announcements/update-extended-workforce-covid-19/
• 

  COVID-19: How we’re continuing to help
  • sorangutan  

  1
  1
  Posts
  87
  Views

  

  For 21 years, Google’s mission has been to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful. Helping people get the right information to stay healthy is more important than ever in the face of a global pandemic like COVID-19. Since my last update, we’ve accelerated our work to help people stay safe, informed and connected. Here are the latest developments in our ongoing global response.
  

  Helping people find useful information

  We’re partnering with the U.S. government in developing a website dedicated to COVID-19 education, prevention, and local resources nationwide. This includes best practices on prevention, links to authoritative information from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and helpful tips and tools from Google for individuals, teachers and businesses. We’ll be rolling out an initial version of the website late Monday, March 16, and we’ll continue to enhance and update it with more resources on an ongoing basis.

  
  We also continue to help people find timely and useful information through our products, including Search, Maps and YouTube. Right now on the Google homepage we’re promoting the “Do the Five” campaign to raise awareness of simple measures people can take to slow the spread of the disease, according to the WHO. In the first 24 hours, these tips have already been seen by millions in the U.S. We’ve added more useful information to our COVID-19 SOS Alerts, including links to national health authority sites and a map of affected areas from the WHO.

  “Do the Five” raises awareness of simple measures people can take to slow the spread of the disease, according to the World Health Organization.

  On YouTube, we’re using the homepage to direct users to videos from the CDC or other locally relevant public health agencies. We’re highlighting content from authoritative sources when people search for COVID-19, and inserting information panels to provide additional context from high-quality sources.

  
  

  With so many disruptions to daily life, people are looking for more information about school or business closures. Based on data from governments and other authoritative sources, Google Search and Maps will now display if a place, like a school or local business, is temporarily closed. In the coming days, we’ll make it possible for businesses to easily mark themselves as “temporarily closed” using Google My Business. We’re also using our artificial intelligence (AI) technology Duplex where possible to contact businesses to confirm their updated business hours, so we can reflect them accurately when people are looking on Search and Maps. 

  
  For travelers looking for which airlines are offering flexible cancellation policies and change fees, we’re helping to direct users of Google Flights to a special webpage with the information they need. This page is currently offered in English, with more languages coming soon.

  Protecting people from misinformation

  Promoting helpful information is only one part of our responsibility. We’re also removing COVID-19 misinformation on YouTube, Google Maps, our developer platforms like Play, and across ads. On YouTube, we’ve taken down thousands of videos related to dangerous or misleading coronavirus information, and we continue to remove videos that promote medically unproven methods to prevent coronavirus in place of seeking medical treatment. On Google Maps, our automated and manual review systems continue to take down false and harmful content such as fake reviews and misleading information about healthcare locations. 

  
  When it comes to advertising on our platforms, we have strict policies to govern the types of ads we allow. This includes a sensitive events policy which prohibits advertising that may try to capitalize on tragic events such as a natural disaster, conflict or death. Since January we’ve blocked hundreds of thousands of ads attempting to capitalize on the coronavirus pandemic, and last week we announced a temporary ban on all ads for medical masks and respirators.

  Enabling productivity for remote users and students

  As more employers have asked workers to stay at home to help slow the spread of COVID-19, we’re seeing more people using the premium features of Meet, our video conferencing app, which we made available to all G Suite customers at no cost until July 1, 2020. We’ve also shared tips and resources for remote workers of all kinds.

  
  For educators around the globe, we’ve created new distance learning resources, including a collection of training materials, a new YouTube Learning Hub, and a series of blog posts and webinars. We're working with Google Educator Groups around the world, for example in Hong Kong, Japan and Taiwan, to provide local content from teachers for teachers. In Italy, in partnership with the Ministry of Education, we’re helping schools quickly get set up with G Suite for Education and are working to provide additional technical support through partners. We’ll continue working with educators to see what more we can do to help as they navigate the transition to distance learning.

  For educators and schools facing closures, distance learning tools can help keep students engaged.

  Supporting relief efforts and government organizations

  Through our philanthropic arm Google.org, we are committing $50 million to the global COVID-19 response, focusing on health and science, access to educational resources and small business support. 

  
  

  We have been working in close collaboration directly with the WHO. As part of that collaboration, on Friday we announced we’ll bematching up to $5 million in donations to the WHO’s new COVID-19Solidarity Response Fund. The fund will help the WHO track and understand the spread of the virus and help frontline workers with essential supplies and information. We also made a $500,000 grant to a team of researchers, epidemiologists and software developers at Boston Children's Hospital working onHealthMap, a website that provides up-to-date trends of emerging public health threats and outbreaks. Our grant and technical expertise will support development of their infrastructure to inform COVID-19 response and epidemiological modeling.

  
  

  In the coming weeks, we’ll launch a Distance Learning Fund to help learning continue around the globe, as well as support for small businesses, including resources and access to capital. 

  
  

  Another way we’re supporting governments and relief organizations is through our $25 million Google Ad Grants crisis relief program. To date, COVID-19 public service announcements are live in more than 15 countries.

  Advancing health research and science

  Alphabet’s Verily, which is focused on health and life sciences, is working in collaboration with California state, local and federal health authorities to help establish testing sites in the San Francisco Bay Area, and on an online tool to increase risk screening and testing for people at high risk of COVID-19. Californians will be able to take an online COVID-19 screener survey through Verily’s Project Baseline, and those who meet eligibility and requirements for testing will be directed to mobile testing sites based on capacity. While Verily is in the early stages of this pilot program, the plan is to expand to other locations over time.

  
  As previously shared, DeepMind released predictions that could help scientists better understand the coronavirus protein structure in order to develop future treatments.

  Taking care of our global community

  Across all of this work, we’re focused on the impact the disease is having on our communities. That includes our own workforce. Last week, we established a COVID-19 fund, which will allow 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. We’ll continue to make sure our workforce is supported as this crisis evolves. 

  
  

  In this unprecedented moment, we feel a great responsibility to help. We’ll keep doing everything we can to deliver on our mission, and help people take care of themselves and their communities. 

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/inside-google/company-announcements/covid-19-how-were-continuing-to-help/
• 

  Even without internet at home, students can keep learning
  • sorangutan  

  1
  1
  Posts
  13
  Views

  

  If your school is operating virtually as a result of COVID-19, you may be wondering how to continue teaching students who don’t have access to the internet at home, or who only have low-bandwidth access. Fortunately, there are many ways to keep Chromebooks and G Suite up and running even when online access is slow or unavailable. We’ve pulled together ideas for educators and school IT teams who want to encourage all students to keep learning, regardless of their online access. 

  For edtech and IT teams: The basics of enabling offline access

  Using Chromebooks and G Suite without Wi-Fi or low connectivity is relatively easy, but you may want to enlist your EdTech and IT teams to set up offline access for everyone. Here are the key steps in the process, along with useful Google support links. 

  Keep in mind that people need to go through this process while they still have online access. Consider taking a few minutes to guide students and staff through the process while they’re on school Wi-Fi networks.

  Step 1: To help students, teachers and staff work in G Suite offline, the first step is to enable offline access for all users. Your IT or EdTech team can do this from G Suite’s admin console using these instructions for managed devices; in the Features and Applications section of the Admin console, administrators can click “Allow users to enable offline access.” 

  Step 2: G Suite users also need to download the Google Docs Offline extension for Chrome Browser, which will allow them to use Google Docs, Sheets, Drive and Slides without online access. 

  Step 3: Finally, people should turn on offline access for the G Suite applications they’d like to use before they go offline. Share these instructions for opening G Suite files offline. It’s a good idea to ask students to test that offline access is working properly; help them turn off W-iFi access and try to access a G Suite file. Students can download notes from Slides, Docs, and more, and download the lectures from Classroom and Drive to watch later if they do not have internet at home.

  For teachers: Things to do offline

  Remind students that even if they don’t have Wi-Fi access away from school, there’s a lot that they can do with their Chromebooks:

  • Read and respond to emails. Once the IT administrator enables offline access, they can read and write emails. The emails are sent as soon as students get back online. 

  • Take, view and edit photos and videos. 

  • Take notes in the Google Keep app. 

  • Work on Google Docs, Sheets, and Drive files. 

  For edtech and IT teams: Chrome extensions that work offline

  Encourage students to use Chrome extensions that help them do classwork while offline--and ask your edtech or IT team to push out the extensions to all G Suite and Chromebook users. Search theChromebook App Hub or the Chrome Web Store using the “runs offline” option to find useful extensions, or start with Screencastify for recording and editing videos and Soundtrap for recording and saving audio files. 

  Tips from teachers

  Teachers are already brainstorming creative ways to help students without home online access continue their studies:

  Create a “file upload” feature in Google Forms:Eric Lawson, director of technology at Maine’s York School Department, shared that you can create a Google Form directly from Google Classroom. One of the question options in Google Forms is to create a “file upload.” This allows for students to work on podcasts, videos, journals, infographics, etc. and simply submit them to their teacher through a form. On a day where students may not have internet access, they can still work on their project offline on their Chromebooks at home and then submit the file when they have access.

  Offer mobile hotspot access:At Grain Valley Schools in Missouri, Kyle Pace, director of technology, plans to remind students that they can check out mobile hotspot devices from the school’s libraries--just as they’d check out books.

  If you use Google Classroom and want to make sure students can view assignments offline, follow this YouTube tutorial from Stewart Lee, technology integration coordinator with Anderson School District 3 in South Carolina.
  

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

  8 tips for getting it done when working from home
  • sorangutan  

  1
  1
  Posts
  6
  Views

  

  With many businesses considering how best to keep teams connected when not everyone can be in the same location, we’ve been asked by a number of our customers for recommendations for staying productive and on task. Here are some best practices for fostering collaboration when your teams find themselves working remotely.
  
  

  Set up your team for remote work

  Make sure your team has the right tools and processes set up before you transition from working at the office to working from home. Once they’re set up, here are a few extra steps you can take in advance: 

  1. Create a team alias to easily stay in touch. An email list that includes all your team members lets you quickly share information, and a chat room can be used for faster-moving discussions. 
  

  2. Check sharing permissions on important documents so collaborators can edit and comment as needed. You might even consider creating a shared drive where your team can store, search, and access files from any device. 
  

  3. Schedule meetings now so you can stay in contact later. Set up calendar invites, create an agenda ahead of time, and attach relevant docs to the invite. It’s also a good idea to make sure everyone is familiar with video conferencing. 
  

  Keep your team connected and organized each day

  Now that your team is set up and everyone’s ready to work from home, it’s important to keep everyone on the same page. Now that your team is set up and ready to work from home, here are some ways to keep everyone on the same page.

  1. Hold daily meetings to stay connected with your co-workers. Working at home can be isolating for some, and video conferencing is a great way to keep people engaged. Try to be visible on camera when appropriate, present relevant content, and ask questions to spark conversations. When time zones prevent everyone from joining a meeting, record it—after making sure that participants feel comfortable being recorded!

  2. Share goals and updates regularly. Whether it’s through a chat group or in a shared document that everyone updates,  a record of what’s being accomplished is a great way to feel connected, keep everyone up to date, and follow-up on action items. You can also set up an internal site to consolidate important information and resources into a central hub for your team, or to share information with your organization more broadly.

  3. Continue to practice good workplace etiquette. Just because your team isn’t at the office doesn’t mean they’re not busy. Check calendars before scheduling meetings, and when you reach out via chat, start by asking if it’s a good time to talk. You can also proactively inform your co-workers of your own availability by setting up working hours in Calendar. That way, if a team member tries to schedule a meeting with you outside of your working hours, they’ll receive a warning notification.
  
  

  Getting your work done on the Wi-Fi at home

  Sharing space—and an internet connection—at home means you might need to be mindful of the needs of others in your household. Here are a few tips.

  1. Don’t spend all day on video. There are many tools at your disposal for staying in touch with your team, whether it's a chat room, a shared document, a short survey, or a quick conference call. Pick what works best—especially if you’re sharing an internet connection.

  2. Find the right set-up for you. You might need to try a few different configurations before you discover how to stay focused and not distract others. Here are six tips for better video calls including how to turn on live captioning so you can read a transcript of the meeting in real time. 

  These are just a few of the ways the G Suite team is thinking about staying focused and collaborative. For more information, watch these videos with tips on working from home, and check out the latest updates in our Learning Center article on tips for working remotely.
  
  https://www.blog.google/products/g-suite/8-tips-for-working-from-home/
• 

  Highlights from the first year of .dev
  • sorangutan  

  1
  1
  Posts
  10
  Views

  

  A year ago, our Google Registry team launched .dev—a top-level domain (TLD) for developers, designers, technical writers, and technology enthusiasts. This new TLD gave people the chance to register memorable domain names that can be hard to find on older domains, with a descriptive ending that’s especially relevant to them.

  The .dev TLD is on the HSTS preload list, which means it’s secure for both website owners and their visitors. Placement on the HSTS preload list ensures HTTPS encryption for your entire website, which helps protect visitors against ad malware, tracking injection from ISPs, and potential spying when using open Wi-Fi networks. With so much built-in security, .dev has become the natural place for technology makers to share resources, showcase great work, and foster community.

  In the last year, over 150,000 .dev domains have been registered, and we’ve seen many creative uses of the TLD. Here are just a few of the exciting examples we’ve seen.

  .dev 1 year anniversary

  A video with three .dev tips

  Atlassian
  

  Atlassian launched both software.dev and cicd.dev to share insights into today’s software development landscape and how software and IT professionals use CI/CD tools. Using .dev domains helped them market both sites, which have sparked conversations on social media among the developer community.

  Cloudflare

  Cloudflare launched workers.dev to help developers build serverless websites and applications that deploy directly onto subdomains of workers.dev. The TLD made it possible for Cloudflare to use a domain name that’s both descriptive and easy to remember. And over the last year, they’ve seen developers create handy apps like this “lazy invoice” tool.

  Salesforce

  Salesforce used lwc.dev to launch a site dedicated to Lightning Web Components (their open source project) where professional developers can find online documentation, copy source code for various recipes, and engage with the Lightning Web Components community.

  Google Developer Relations

  The Google Developer Relations team launched google.dev for developers to explore and learn about all the technologies Google has to offer. You can sign up for the waitlist for the beta version of google.dev, which lets developers create profiles and earn badges by passing technical challenges. The team sends out new invites regularly, so be sure to sign up.

  Go Programming Language

  Our Go Language team launched go.dev on the 10th anniversary of the open source programming language to provide Go developers a hub where they can find learning resources, including featured use cases and customer stories of other companies using Go.

  Build your own .dev experience

  From the start, we envisioned .dev as a home for developers and technology makers, and it’s been wonderful to see all the amazing work showcased in this domain. To celebrate .dev’s first birthday, we created a short video of some of our favorite .dev users sharing their tips for building great websites. We hope you’ll find it useful as you begin your next project, and we hope it inspires you to create your own .dev experience. Visit get.dev to learn more and get started.
  
  https://www.blog.google/technology/developers/highlights-first-year-dev/
• 

  Go beyond the page with Google Lens and NYT Magazine
  • sorangutan  

  1
  1
  Posts
  9
  Views

  

  When you read an article online—including this one—videos, GIFs, photo galleries and links to related articles can help you get a better sense of the story. But in print, you’re limited by what can fit on the page. So how do you go beyond what’s on the physical page for more? 

  Throughout the first half of this year, we’re working with The New York Times so that readers of the print edition of The New York Times Magazine can use Google Lens to unlock more information by simply pointing their smartphone camera at the pages. On Sunday, when The Times Magazine’s annual Music Issue hits newsstands, readers can use Lens to access videos, animations and in-depth digital content that help you go beyond what’s included in print. Readers will also be able to access a playlist of all the music on the magazine’s list of “25 Songs That Matter Now” using Lens.

  Point Lens at the cover of the magazine to learn about how it was designed. And as you're reading the magazine, you'll be able to get more information related to the articles that pique your curiosity and digitally save or share them by simply pointing Lens at the page. In addition to the cover and articles, we're excited to work with The New York Times and other brands to bring interactive elements to print ads in the magazine through Lens.

  Using Lens, you can already find out what kind of flower you’re looking at, see what’s popular on the menu at a restaurant, translate text into another language or figure out where to get a pair of shoes like the ones you just saw. Now, Lens can help you go deeper into the stories you care about in The New York Times Magazine. 

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/products/google-lens/go-beyond-page-google-lens-and-nyt-magazine/
• 

  How one Googler is raising awareness around ALS
  • sorangutan  

  1
  1
  Posts
  14
  Views

  

  When you’re young, life is filled with a chorus of well-intentioned advice: “Work hard.” “Be brave.” “Follow your dreams.” 

  And of course: “Be the hero of your own life.” 

  When it comes to “heroes” I’ve found that even if you’re really lucky, then the person staring back at you in the mirror won’t make your top five. Heroes are those unexpected people who step into your life long enough to teach you something about grace, courage and persistence. 

  For me, one of those people is a woman named Stacy Title.

  A personal connection to ALS

  I met Stacy after competing with her husband, Jonathan Penner, on season 13 of Survivor: Cook Islands. My friendship with Jonathan is one of the things I treasure most from that experience. In time, I befriended his brilliant and lovely wife, Stacy, and their two children, Cooper and Ava.  

  

  Yul with Stacy in 2019

  Two years ago, Stacy was diagnosed with familial ALS, a devastating neurodegenerative disease that slowly robs a person of all muscle control. Her thoughts immediately turned to her children. Beyond the diagnosis, the real horror was knowing that each of her children has a 50 percent chance of inheriting the genetic abnormality that causes this disease. She was determined to fight and somehow spare her children this diagnosis—but she didn’t know how. No one did. 

  As Stacy’s disease progressed, ALS took away her ability to move her arms, hug her children, and even to speak. She lost the ability to communicate except by using her eyes to slowly spell out words using eye-tracking technology, which would then be read out loud by an electronic voice.
  

  ALS left my friend's mind intact but otherwise cut her off from the world, and it left a family cut off from a wife and mother—so I asked her if we could try something. 
  

  

  Stacy, Jonathan and their children Cooper and Ava in San Diego in 2006. Jonathan had recently returned from competing with Yul on Survivor: Cook Islands.

  A newfound sense of autonomy and connectedness

  Last spring, I went to Stacy’s home and set her up with a Nest Hub Max smart display and several Google Home Mini speakers. I also got her a subscription for Google Play Music and a gift card for Google Play Books. I didn’t know if any of these would actually be helpful to her. But as it turned out, they changed her life.  

  Google Assistant on the Nest Hub Max understood Stacy’s electronic voice perfectly. Suddenly she could play her favorite songs, listen to the news or audiobooks, watch YouTube videos, and ask questions whenever she wanted. Using Google Assistant’s broadcast feature, she could call people in other rooms for help through the Mini speakers. Jonathan could also check on her easily from his phone using the Hub Max’s built-in Nest Cam. 

  

  Jonathan with Stacy in 2020

  Jonathan, Cooper and Ava then installed Google Photos on their phones so that any photos they took were automatically uploaded to a live album and streamed to Stacy’s Hub Max. For the first time in over a year, she could keep up with what her kids were doing, and be present in their lives outside the confines of her bed or chair.

  While far from a cure, these products brought back a sense of autonomy, connectedness, and enjoyment she had lost, not because of the tools themselves, but because of the moments these tools allowed her to experience. This was when it really hit home for me how much technology can help people.

  Today, Stacy knows it’s only a matter of time. She endures the discomforting intervention of a ventilator and other systems, and lives for one urgent purpose: raising awareness of ALS so that her children will have a chance of escaping her fate.  

  Raising awareness for ALS with Survivor

  Last year, I received an unexpected invitation to compete in Survivor: Winners at War. This 40th season, now running on CBS, brings together past winners for the ultimate showdown. Though I was initially unsure about returning, I saw it as an opportunity to bring attention to Stacy’s story, and raise funds in a way that I wouldn't be able to do otherwise. So I returned to the South Pacific, and pledged that whatever money I earn from the show will go toward supporting ALS research and other ALS charities.

  I’m grateful to Google for building technology that helps people everywhere. I’m grateful to CBS for sharing Stacy’s story and creating a fundraising page to support her family and thousands of other families in need. And most of all, I’m grateful to Stacy for showing me how someone can face the impossible each day with more bravery, persistence, and love than I could ever imagine. Because she reminded me that what’s important isn’t finding hope for her. It’s finding hope for Ava and Cooper and countless others who can still be spared this terrible disease. 

  In the end, I think that’s the best way we can honor the people who inspire us: by helping build the future they imagined. I hope we can build Stacy’s future together.

  
  
  
  https://www.blog.google/inside-google/googlers/raising-awareness-als/
• 

  Anna Vainer knows what makes her remarkable
  • sorangutan  

  1
  1
  Posts
  7
  Views

  

  Even as a teenager, Anna Vainer knew what she wanted. “I remember, at 14, telling my sister ‘I’m going to be working in marketing,’” she says, smiling. “I don’t know how I knew that.” She was right: Anna is the head of B2B Growth Marketing for Google in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), and runs the regional team for Think with Google, a destination for marketing trends and insights. Anna says she’s truly driven by working with people, and it’s her other role as the co-founder of #IamRemarkable where she truly gets to flex this skill. 

  #IamRemarkable is an initiative that empowers women and underrepresented groups to celebrate their achievements in the workplace and beyond. The goal is to challenge the social perception that surrounds self promotion, an issue that not only affects individuals, but also hinders progress when it comes to diversity, equity and inclusion. 

  #IamRemarkable also has a workshop component, which to date has reached more than 100,000 participants in more than 100 countries with the help of 5,000 facilitators; many participants credit the workshop with helping them make real, positive career and personal growth. 

  The idea for #IamRemarkable came to Anna during a training that asked women to write down and read lists of their accomplishments. She was shocked by her own reaction. “I remember sitting there, looking at the women reading their achievements and I was thinking to myself, ‘wow, why do they brag? Why do they have to show off?’” she says. “And then it started to hit me that there was something wrong with this feeling. They were asked to stand in front of the room and talk about their achievements; that was the exercise.” Today, Anna helps others learn to acknowledge and announce what makes them great—while also making sure to practice what she preaches. 

  What was your career path to Google?

  At university, I studied economics and management and then I kind of rolled into doing an internship at a pharmaceutical company working as an economist. I told myself, “you know what, I studied economics, let’s see what it means to be an actual economist,” but soon enough I realized this was not going to be my preferable field of professional engagement. Shortly after that, I applied for an internship at Google and got it, and that was it. I’ve been at Google for nearly 10 years. 

  In a parallel universe, what’s a different career you would have pursued? 

  I would love to run a boutique hotel in the countryside of Israel, where I grew up. I think about my grandparent's summer house in Minsk, Belarus and the amazing summers we spent as a family in the countryside every summer until we moved to Israel. And running a hotel means I could create this experience for travellers from all over the world in one place. 

  How did #IamRemarkable first get started?

  After that training where I felt like the women reading their achievements out loud were bragging, I talked to a colleague of mine, Anna Zapesochini, who had the same feeling when she took the course. She told me we should make a video about the process people go through during this exercise. I went to my previous manager, Riki Drori, and said, “I need to make this video, we have a really great idea to help women overcome their confidence gaps and their modesty gaps.” She said, “I’m going to give you the budget for the video, but if this is as important as you say it is, how are you actually going to bring it to every woman on the planet?” That question led to so many ideas. Soon after that conversation, Anna [Zapesochini] and I, with a ton of support from my managers Janusz Moneta and Yonca Dervişoğlu, founded the #IamRemarkable initiative, at the heart of which lies a 90-minute workshop aimed at empowering women and underrepresented groups to celebrate their achievements and break modesty norms and glass ceilings. 

  

  The original #IamRemarkable video that Anna requested the budget to make.

  What’s your favorite part of the workshop?

  After we ask people to fill out a whole page with statements about what makes them remarkable, we ask them to read it out loud. And the moment you ask them to read it out loud you hear “hhhuuuuhhh!”—like the air is sucked out of the room. That’s definitely my favorite part. 
  

  Have any of them in particular really stuck with you? 

  One of the most memorable ones was in the past year at Web Summit in Lisbon. It was my first week back from maternity leave and we ran a workshop for 250 people. The room was packed, people were sitting on the floor. After we asked people to read their lists of what makes them remarkable in their small groups, we invited 10 brave people to stand on stage and read one of their statements out loud, and everybody wept. It was such a high level of intimacy for such a large room, I was astonished. 
  

  My baby and husband were actually at that workshop, which was so great. It made me think of the future generation and how I want the workplace to be for my daughter, and I think we’ve made really good steps in the past couple of years. #IamRemarkable is creating really great tools for people. 

  
  

  • 2020-03-10 (2).jpg

    Anna and her daughter in Lisbon. 

  • Anna Vainer Web Summit

    Anna's husband and daughter attending the #IamRemarkable workshop at Web Summit in Lisbon. 

  • 2020-03-10 (4).jpg

    Anna with her daughter after the event. 

  • 2020-03-10 (3).jpg

  Without putting you on the spot, what are some things that make you remarkable?

  Professionally, there are a few achievements I’m proud of. The first is that I created #IamRemarkable; another is that I started a campaign similar to Black Friday in Israel to drive e-commerce in the country. And personally, I’m remarkable because I was part of the Israeli national synchronized swimming team. You won’t see me in the pool with a nose clip now, but I did that for seven years. 
  

  What’s one piece of advice you have for women who struggle with self-promotion? 

  The piece of homework we give to people after the workshop is write down your three top achievements from the past month or past period, and practice saying them in front of the mirror. Then practice saying them to a friend or colleague who you trust. Then, put down time down with your manager to go through that list. 

  

  With today’s overload of data—whether it’s email, ads, whatever—you can’t assume people see and understand what you’ve worked on. The ability to talk about your personal contribution is critical, and many times, women specifically use team-based language; “we” as opposed to “I.” Learning to use self-promoting language is important as well. Practice, practice, practice. It’s like flexing a muscle; it’s going to feel awkward the first time, and even maybe the third time—but the tenth time, it will feel natural. 

  Was there a time in your life when you could have benefit from these skills? 

  To be honest, to this day I still have those moments where I need to practice those skills. I don’t think it’s that you just learn it and then you’re amazing at it. But it definitely would have benefit me earlier in my career, and during school as well. It’s really important to learn from a young age to talk about achievements in an objective way. You see this in the workshop, where people look at their full page and see their lives unfold, all of their achievements on the page, and suddenly it fills them up with so much pride; it gives you this sense of ability and confidence that you can achieve anything. The original video we made with that scrappy budget ends with a woman saying, “I wonder what else I can do.” I think that’s a pretty important feeling to have at any stage of your life. 
  

  
  

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/inside-google/googlers/anna-vainer-i-am-remarkable/
• 

  Get helpful health info from the NHS, right in Search
  • sorangutan  

  1
  1
  Posts
  8
  Views

  

  People come to Search for all types of information to navigate their lives and look after themselves and their families. When it comes to important topics like health, high-quality information is critical, and we aim to connect people with the most reliable sources on the web as quickly as possible.

  Now, we’re making it even easier for people in the U.K. to find trusted information from the National Health Service (NHS). Beginning this week, when you search for health conditions like  chickenpox, back pain, or the common cold, you can find Knowledge Panels with information from the NHS website that help you understand more about common causes, treatments and more. 

  

  These Knowledge Panels aim to give people authoritative, locally trusted health information, based on open source content. The NHS has formatted their content so that it’s easy to find on the web and available publicly to anyone via the NHS website—Google is one of more than 2,000 organizations using NHS website content to provide trusted information to people looking for it. 

  To start, these Knowledge Panels will be available for more than 250 health conditions. Of course, they’re not intended to provide medical advice, and we encourage anyone searching for health information to seek guidance from a doctor if they have a medical concern or, in an emergency, call local emergency services immediately. But we hope this feature will help people find reliable information and have more informed conversations with medical professionals to improve their care.

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/products/search/helpful-health-info-nhs/
• 

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

  1
  1
  Posts
  11
  Views

  

  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/
• 

  Project Stringer provides video coverage for U.S. elections
  • sorangutan  

  1
  1
  Posts
  5
  Views

  

  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/
• 

  Join us for the digital Google for Games Developer Summit
  • sorangutan  

  1
  1
  Posts
  19
  Views

  

  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/
• 

  Preparing students to learn from home with Chromebooks
  • sorangutan  

  1
  1
  Posts
  9
  Views

  

  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/
• 

  How a Local Guide helps women achieve financial freedom
  • sorangutan  

  1
  1
  Posts
  5
  Views

  

  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/
• 

  Career development for journalists-turned-parents in Korea
  • sorangutan  

  1
  1
  Posts
  11
  Views

  

  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/