Everyone’s havig a chuckle or two about some of the fun images that are showing up on Google’s new 3D mapping tool but there’s something slightly ominous about it.

We all know we’re being watched all the time, not news. But there is a certain expectation of privacy that seems to be in violation and will, I’m sure, be tested over time.

There are more extreme examples, but imagine for a moment a young woman, any young woman coming out of an abortion clinic. And let’s not even talk about her specifically.

Recent data has Canadians state that they’re becoming more and more impatient when it comes to waiting.

Put on your site

How far does this go? Well, to avoid the shopping mall during holiday season, a place wrought with waiting lines, 6% of Canadians rather get punched in the nose…

Put on your site

31% think the Internet is the best line-up busting invention and for example 38% expect to do some to all of their holiday shopping online.

The number one request when it comes to online application is offline access.

It seems counterintuitive but yes, people want to be able to prepare email, read feeds, compose documents, offline and then, once online, have those actions translate back into the online application.

It is what has set hosted applications and locally ran software apart. Google Docs & Speadsheets is for online, Microsoft Office if for offline.

Not any more.

With Google Gears an online application, any online application, can be made to run offline as well.

Barry Schwartz has a look at Google Reader offline.

Peter Fleisch, Google’s global privacy counsel, while defending Google’s privacy policies, has admitted to the BBC that Google’s privacy policy is vague at at least two points.

“The general principle is that we are going to maintain the privacy of our users; that is pretty fundamental.

We will never transfer to third parties, including advertisers, any personally identifiable information about our users.

Our goal is to be as transparent as possible with our users when it comes to privacy. That transparency builds trust and we will succeed or fail on whether our users trust us.
– Peter Fleisch

Wow, what a difference 24 hours makes.

Suddenly 3 and 4d is all the rage. From the CAVEman above, to Google, Microsoft and Everyscape all releasing 3D mapping.

To Microsoft’s new table top computer.

Talk about a change in perspective.

Have a good one.

~The (SEP) Guy

Quand il s’agit de canadiens, Il n’y a pas de meilleure fa殮 de d謯ntrer votre appr袩ation �os clients qu’en fournissant un solide service. Les canadiens sont vingt fois plus enclin �tre heureux avec un bon service �a client童 que si vous leur pr诡riez une f鳥-surprise!

Cette exp豩ence, cette interaction avec vous et votre site : on ne peut assez en souligner l’importance. 84% des canadiens affirment qu’une seule exp豩ence en tant que client peut faire ou d襡ire (briser) les relations avec la compagnie.

Prenez un instant pour r襬袨ir sur cette information avant d’ouvrir votre navigateur et essayez d’utiliser votre site comme si c’賡it la premi籥 fois.

When it comes to Canadians there’s nothing you can do to better show your appreciation for the client than by providing solid service. Canadians are more than 20 times likely to be happy with good customer service than if you were to throw them a party.

That experience, that interaction with you and your site cannot be stretched enough. 84% of Canadians state that just one customer experience can make or break the relation with a company.

Let that sink in for a moment before you open a browser and try to use your site as if it was the first time.

Red Herring today features a story on Everyscape, a photo based 3D Search company.

It’s an intriguing proposition.

A virtual walk-through of a neighbourhood you’re considering moving to. A walk-through by day might differ from a walk-through might differ dramatically from a walk-through by night. A 3D tour of the restaurant you’re thinking of going to? The food may look particularly good, but other factors also begin to enter the equation… by example are there any people actually in the restaurant.

While still in beta mode, Everyscape is compelling inasmuch as it quite literally adds depth to search. Talk about geotargeting.

Well, week 1 of the SEO Lyrics Contest has been a resounding success. We’ve received 19 entries to date, which is suprising given it takes time to put pen to paper and construct a song. Voting has been brisk also. Most surprising however, is the quality of the lyrics being submitted … nothing less than spectacular! Any number of these submissions could be classified as an industry anthem.

Something we would like to see yet are some submissions by the search engines or social media themselves. While many of us in the SEM community write about rankings, I’m certain the other perspective would sing a different song so to speak.

Encore et encore nous avan殮s le m鬥 argument dans nos conversations e-commerciales : ” …parce que les canadiens sont loyaux. “

Tout de m鬥, cela nous a pris par surprise de savoir que les canadiens sont deux fois plus enclin �hanger la couleur de leurs cheveux (45%) que de changer leur compte courriel Hotmail (23 %).

Des p豩odes extr鬥ment longues de fid諩t矤es utilisateurs en sont le r貵ltat, sans doute aid褳 en ceci par les processus n衵leux d袯ulant du transfert de Hotmail tout en amenant toute l’information avec eux. Pas si facile que 柠pour le consommateur moyen!

62% des usagers Hotmail canadiens sont avec Hotmail depuis plus de 5 ans.