Visiting With Google

Yesterday, I had the opportunity of attending a local seminar run by Google.  Unfortunately, I was not able to attend the first day for which I am really sorry.  I won’t make that mistake again.

My main reason for going was to see what is being planned for the future, specifically as it relates to YouTube.

I must admit, that the Googlers here in South Africa are a friendly bunch and were quite happy to chat outside of the actual seminar, for which I was grateful as I needed to have a couple of questions answered.  Needless to say the questions were answered cheerfully and openly and I even came away with an email address in the event I wanted to ask more questions.  So a HUGE thank you to Ian.

Things that I learned, as well as answers to my questions:

• Plan your websites with “mobile” in mind.  Computers are becoming a lot more mobile i.e. notepads etc and mobile phones are becoming more computerized.  It wont be long before the two combine completely.  Just look at the Nexus.  It is awesome what they can do. I definitely want one.  If you have not yet optimized your site for mobile, then just have a look at the difference between yours and this site when viewing on a mobile.
• You are no longer restricted to just eight YouTube channels.  You can have one channel for every gmail account you open.  Use your keyword to create both your gmail account name and your YouTube Channel name, Other than that just use your personal information for address, telephone number etc.
• Still with YouTube, there are a lot of new things rolling out, but they are not all rolling out at the same time in different countries.  So what I see today, may not be what you see today.  Which reminds me, the facility to choose your own video thumbnail is available but only for YouTube Partners and you must have an Adsense account in order to become a partner.
• Although I have never been a great fan of social sites (too lazy to really do anything with them) I am definitely going to have to up my game where Google+ is concerned.  Gosh, even Cape Town’s bigwigs are hanging out over at Google+.  So, if you want to brand yourself or your website, I suggest you head over there.  The following two links should be enough to get you started:  http://www.google.com/+/business/  and http://www.google.com/+/learnmore/hangouts/

I am well aware, and so are they, that anything to do with Google is treated with deep suspicion, particularly because of the constant changing of algorithms which invariably affect decent websites  as well as “bad” websites, thus resulting in a loss of income.  There are also many marketers who have had adsense accounts closed down for “no good reason”, also resulting in the loss of  thousands of dollars.

Even as I am typing this, I am also having a conversation via Skype with a group of Video Marketers, who feel that I am crazy to believe anything that that anyone at Google tells me.  Actually, I don’t, but I do believe in the essential goodness of individual people and in their inherent decency and willingness to help if only you will give them the opportunity to do so.

Some years ago, (I used to  work as a medic on our local ambulance service)  I had to go to the home of a known and very bad young gangster.  His brother was dangerously ill.  There were a number of armed youth standing around many high on whatever drug they had taken. 

Because of the location of the bedroom, I was unable to use a stretcher to get the sick young man out to the ambulance.  I spoke to the “bad” brother, who immediately put his weapon down, picked up his brother (who was twice his size) and carried him out to the ambulance.  When I thanked him, his response was “he is my brother and I love him”.

I have had many experiences of that nature.  Even within the worst of us there remains a kernel of decency.

Google, like all of us is in the game to make money, as much as they possibly can.  Yes, they are going to work at getting rid of anybody who games the system and if they hurt some genuinely innocent marketers, then tough luck.  Obviously, I don’t have to like it and I don’t.

None-the-less, I continue to believe that if anyone within Google knows that an innocent marketer is being hurt, he or she will do their best to help in whatever small way they can.