Google is apologizing following what started as a minor incident at one of their data centers when a CO2 handler caught fire.
Google returned 404 errors (page not found) for over an hour in many locations around the world after a fire in one of their data centers, but not because of the fire. According Google, the fire started as only a small blaze caused by systems designed to reduce CO2 emissions. Ironically, the worst damage was caused by the fire suppression sprinklers and not the fire.
Although the sprinkler systems put out the fire and saved Google from significant losses of data and equipment, one of their routing systems was affected by the water and was unable to properly re-route the center’s web traffic to other appropriate alternative data centers. The way Google tells the story, as the replacement router was installed and powered up, the backup of traffic caused four other Google data centers to crash.
Google Fire Bad News for Advertisers
While data loss was minimized by Google’s swift reaction with a replacement router, there were reportedly many advertisers who were falsely charged for AdWords. Google expects it to take some time to determine the advertisers and the amount of lost ads.
UPDATE: Read additional coverage on Mobile Local Social “Google Data Center Fire Returns Worldwide 404 Errors” which reports “A fire at a Seattle data center, nicknamed The Googtopia has affected over 42,000 servers, bringing down search engine results pages across the globe.”
I have been thinking about the power and truth of live Internet. The power in the numbers is staggering. Today, we can all be journalists, and many of us clearly have a story to report. In fact, before I finish this article I will demonstrate the potential of social journalism with a live video stream from my cell phone, and have it posted to my Twitter, Facebook, FriendFeed, YouTube, and others as it happens … in real time. Speed of information delivery is a huge trend these days, as I pointed out in a recent article about social feeds in Google search results, and once you put it out there, it is not going away.
People love to tell their story, and it is even better if they tell it right when it happens. They often want to tell it before they have too much time to dwell on the details, forget about it, or in many cases even give thought to whether it should be told. If it is an important story, they may even find incentive of wide recognition for being the first on the scene.
This goes well beyond only social journalism. Entertainment has also taken on a whole new look. Earlier tonight my son came to me asking to watch some of our videos from a weekend visit to the zoo. He already had a Wii game on, so instead of showing him on the computer, I played them off my YouTube channel on the big screen television. Then I played some more videos off a laptop in the other room by accessing them through my X-Box 360. This all sounds so insane to me that my kids will never remember having to wait until Gilligan’s Island comes on at four o’clock. Who needs old school television these days, except for those who work for television?
If we did not each have a story to tell, there would not be over 35 million people (out of over 350 million active Facebook users) who update their Facebook status each day, and Twitter may only be a group of about 30 people reporting how the cookout at cousin Evan‘s place went. As it is, the world faces a turmoil of how this all works, and how can we best use all this information.
Where this is going and how it will change our society is a story that is being written each day. For some, it is a story of how drunk they got at a fraternity keg party and are sorry for the embarrassing photos they posted on their social networks. Others will apologize to customers for not being the company they portrayed when their media exposure was more one-way, and worked much slower. In extreme cases, nations will defend political scrutiny such as that of the Iran elections being lambasted on Twitter, and people will run scared from health issues like H1N1.
The threat of misinformation and lack of vetting is there, but the real time “get it now” reality creates an appeal to masses that cannot be overlooked. It opens a lot of questions on the value of real time social journalism. I discussed this with a high school journalism teacher just this evening, and we agreed on many things, but challenged others. Overall, I think our conclusions were inconclusive.
So where does it go, and how cool is it that I just coincided the release of this blog post by streaming the first comment from my cell phone? Now imagine doing that five years ago! I was ultra-high-tech in 2008 when I did a 6,000 mile nine day live mobile auto racing Webcast or my Tornado encounters on my storm chasing Webcast. Now all I need to show you my surroundings along with live GPS and live chat is a cell phone and a service like Qik or LiveCast.
On one hand, being live (or close to it) makes it easier to disclaim discrepancies simply for the fact the facts may not all be known. On the other hand, it can leave a door open to fast spread of misinformation and rumors. One known fact is that people are taking notice in great numbers.
The questions and considerations of social journalism are in no short supply, and I hope your comments are not either. Please tell me and others what you think. Let’s discuss it. Add your comments here, and of course, feel free to message me live with the Meebo chat on the left side of this page.
Do you see your Twitter updates or recent blog posts in Google? Well, of course you should. I would be pretty surprised to write a blog post and not see it show up in Google … at least at some point. However, it is taken up a notch with the near-real-time “Latest Results” section in Google search results.
What do I mean? Here is an example Google search for “murnahan“. Under the “Latest Results” it will show you what I sent on Twitter just a moment ago, instead of only a link to my Twitter account.
I heard it stated in a recent talk at Integrated Marketing Summit in St. Louis, that Google and Bing are the largest users of social media. It is true that when you break it down, their algorithms base results on community popularity. When something has a lot of incoming links, the ranking improves. The success of a site’s Bing or Google ranking is largely based on people voting it up by linking to it.
Social media really is a basis for search engine rankings, even when it is not as immediate or as conversational as you find with Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, and etcetera. It is still social media.
I have heard some people say they like this this, some said they do not, and others on the fence. In my opinion, it shows that Google is working very smart to keep up with the massive explosion of real-time social media, and doing a nice job of it. I think it may also help to remind people just how interconnected the many social media sites really are, and remind them to watch what they do with their social media presence.
Where do you stand? I would like to hear your thoughts on Google’s addition of Twitter and other social media feeds in search results. Please add your comment here on my blog.
Today, Google and IBM will release a new plan for streaming medical data directly from your body to Google Health. The Google Health service allows for the storage and retrieval of important medical history on the Internet. The new plan between Google and IBM is aimed at providing real-time streaming of the medical data directly from Google enabled Wi-Fi radios in medical devices such as glucose meters, heart monitors, and others.
According to an article by Forbes.com titled “Letting Google Take Your Pulse”, Andy Greenberg wrote: “Hooking up those devices to the Web, IBM argues, will offer a new immediacy and granularity of health monitoring. A user can remotely track the blood pressure readings or glucose levels of a diabetic parent living alone, or stream his or her medical information like weight or heart rate directly to a doctor or physical trainer.”
Streaming Medical Data: The Advantages
Advantages to real-time streaming of medical data are obviously the immediacy in an emergency, and a potential to be proactive with treatment. When the data is acquired and analized sooner, there is clearly a much greater chance of mitigating health concerns. The advantages to patients could mean the difference between life and death. From a business perspective, there is a great potential for savings on the part of patients, insurance companies, and medicare.
Similar technology has been developed and used in Denmark and Canada, and it is now targeted to be used in the United States.
Streaming Medical Data to Google Health: Security Implications
The security implications of streaming medical data via Wi-Fi to Google are an obvious concern for many people. In the article by Forbes.com, it was compared to GM’s OnStar service, but for a patient. Like the commercials you see on television where the operator dispatches an ambulance after receiving an airbag alert, the technology would be sending health data alerts before a problem is too late to control. Personally, I own three GM vehicles with OnStar, and I am not fond of the fact that unnecessary people have access to where I go and what I do. I would feel far more invaded if my medical records were treated the same way.
There will always be a large segment of people reluctant to adopt new technologies, and when medicine is involved, there should be a reasonable level of caution. This is why acts of congress such as HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) have taken place. I have to imagine that a similar level of scrutiny and details to security are taken into account with the new technology of Wi-Fi streaming of health data. In any case, the the public’s security concerns will likely be a much greater obstacle to the Google Health and IBM efforts than the technology of medical data acquisition.
Building your referral business is probably not a new concept to you, but are you implementing it properly? Most people in business can understand the value of referrals and that referral business leads to greater customer satisfaction, which leads to more referral business. This is not limited to sales referrals. A good referral can be for a supplier, a lead for a new employee, a sales lead, or a referral of a good SEO (search engine optimization) professional.
The Value of Referral Business
If you put a pencil to the value of referral business, you will find that the value far exceeds the cost. The list of benefits is long, but here are just a few of the ways referrals can benefit your business.
Shorter sales cycle
Lower sales or recruiting cost
Greater customer satisfaction
Potential for more referrals
Increased market share
Improved image from the word of mouth
Improved trust
Referrals Go Both Ways
When we think about referrals, it is common to imagine somebody telling their friend about your product or service, saying that you will call the referral soon, and the deal will be a sure thing. This is a great business referral, but also consider the referral that you may be able to provide them. You may think that you do not know a lot of people who would be a great fit for their business need, but you may be surprised. Often, the referral of a potential employee who may work harder, or a supplier who may provide a better fit for them can be just as useful. It is important that you do not close your mind to opportunities to offer referrals, because when you give a referral, you are much closer to receiving referrals for your business.
Building Referral Business Using the Internet
Of course, because my blog is centered on improving Internet marketing and SEO, I want to point out the value of referral business as it applies to the Internet and your Website. Many people neglect or underestimate the value the referral business coming from people linking to your Website. Any search engine optimizer knows the importance of incoming links from other Websites, but do you? One of the top factors in the success of your Internet marketing is how many other Websites link to yours. Each link pointing to your Website is, as Google describes it, like a vote from that Website for yours. It is a primary factor in Google’s vaunted PageRank technology, which estimates the importance of a given Website. Although you may not look at this as a business referral, it is likely only because the referrals often come in without your even knowing it, thus, neglecting the value of these referrals is common. Perhaps if you truly understood the value, you would send a nice thank you note to the sites linking to your Website … wouldn’t that be a neat idea? It would probably take you less than an hour to thank each and every site owner or Webmaster with a link pointing to you. This brings me to another point on thanking those who give you referral business.
Give Thanks for Referral Business
If you are not giving great thanks for the referral business you receive, you are making a big mistake. I occasionally see an attitude that a referral is just something that the giver was not going to use anyway, so it is no skin off the giver’s back. The reality is that when you are given a referral, you should respect it as if they just gave you a family heirloom. After all, they not only gave you their confidence that you will be respectful and caring to the person they referred, but they also gave you something that you can measure in your success.
Asking for Referral Business
Asking for referral business should be a daily practice. It is not like asking for a birthday present. Although a referral is a highly treasured gift, referrals are often something that your clients and friends will be happy to give. This is especially true if they know the value you place on them.
What is your plan to ask for referrals? Are you sending letters requesting referrals? Are you asking for referrals by sending email to your existing client base? Are you blogging about it?
Referrals Welcome
Your referrals are welcomed by me. I understand the value of your referrals, and I will not only thank you very sincerely, I will write you a check of no less than 10 percent of the initial value of contracts I receive from your referral leading to a SEO (search engine optimization) project. As for Website link referrals, I will thank you kindly, and in many cases return the favor.
