Google Tech Stew

by delos

Google is stopping support for some older browser versions on August 1st. That means some Google Apps like calendar or docs may not work correctly.

Google is also starting to charge for directions. This doesn’t apply to the typical user but rather the business owner who has locations enabled for their Google Ads. It’s just another cost that businesses will have to choose to accept or turn off the option.

You should also know that Google is now the biggest seller of online ads.

Google and Facebook lost their court battle. It turns out that another company had patented a method of creating mobile websites, which Facebook and Google used without permission or recompense.

The News Frontier

by delos

The latest Google update is still being talked about. People are seeing that every industry is touched by changes like this and even newspapers have to find their online niche.

The news industry is in another non-obvious crisis, too. The speed of technology and the way that it all works means that the first to break a news story gets most of the online attention. There is a rush to publish which can compromise the fact checking and measured analysis of news items.

It can be very telling when you compare the same news items across different news providers. Surely you can remember certain big news events where the news reporter is just standing there basically saying “look at that!” No commentary or analysis, just endless talk about how vexing the situation is. You deserve better from your news.