Thursday a German data protection official threatened search powerhouse Google with “unspecified sanctions” should the company not conform with the country’s strict privacy laws regarding the use of Google Street View.

German data protection regulator for the city of Hamburg, Johannes Caspar, relayed that officials were leaning toward using force to pursue unspecified sanctions unless Google provided written guarantees agreeing to alterations before 10 a.m. local time on Wednesday.  Google’s German headquarters is located in Hamburg.

It seems the two entities are of differing opinion when it comes to 12 points involving the operation of Google’s Street View.  One example is that in Germany, there are privacy laws in place that forbid distribution of pictures taken of individuals on their property without their consent.

Currently, Google is posting the captured data and removing it when a subject/property owner makes a complaint.  Some are concerned about Google’s handling of the data it records that has been removed.  In Germany, private citizens may also sue Google in German court for unauthorized filming.

In the city of Kiel on the Baltic Sea, residents placed stickers on their doors last year warning Google not to film their property on Google Street View.  Google has been diligently compiling photos of France, Italy, Spain, Britain, the Netherlands and more in Europe since 2008 for its new Street View feature.  Thus far, approximately 300 people in Germany have voiced complaints to officials regarding the filming.

Google has not yet determined a date for introducing Street View into Germany, which is the largest of the European economy.  Both sides are working to resolve the impasse.  Relayed by Deep Blue Interactive, South Florida web design and online marketing firm.

It all boils down to who is going to make the money, publishers or Google.  With technology changing the news industry, publishers are now at odds with Google, and want a piece of the profits Google is receiving from its online news distribution.  Newspapers are citing unfair use of content.  A major point in question is whether Google’s use of headlines, snippets and news stories in Google News is to be considered “fair use” under copyright law, or a misappropriation of newspaper content.

 Google’s chief executive Eric E. Schmidt spoke Tuesday at a convention of newspaper executives, a move that surprised many considering the distraught position newspapers are in, and the finger they are pointing toward Google.  Newspapers are accusing Google of succeeding at their expense.  Google pointed out that the heavy traffic they get from search and news services drives a huge amount of traffic directly to newspaper web sites, where the publishers monetize.  It is appropriate to note that no newspaper at this point has opted to keep its content off Google and Google news, a technologically simple task.

Despite the controversy, all parties remained professional and polite during the exchange. Newspaper companies have been unwilling to test the issue in court, where Google’s fair-use arguments could prevail.   The issue remains a balancing act, with both sides poised to reverberate.  The newspapers enjoy the traffic and revenue provided by Google, and does not want to pay for that traffic, but also wants to charge them for marketing their content?  It is interesting how technology is positively affecting aging business models like newspapers and record labels.  Brought to you by Deep Blue Interactive, your Fort Lauderdale online marketing and web design source.

Online marketing is a highly competitive field with an endless scope of options and advancements.  The world of search has begun to lead the marketing industry, and for this reason, companies are investing more into their website-and they are seeing the financial gains.

Businesses are becoming savvier to the fact that the world has changed, and that people searching for products and services online has become the standard method.  In order to reach these potential customers, it is not enough to simply have a website.  Reaching customers online requires a website that is not only attractively designed, but also optimized to rank high in search engine results-creating online visibility that lets customers find you at the point of purchase.

The top three search engines are Google, Yahoo and MSN.  When a user enters a search query into an engine, the keywords they enter indicate if they are at the point of purchase, or perhaps shopping around.  An example of this is a user entering the keyword “smartphones” into a search box-it is likely that this user is shopping around for a smartphone.  In contrast, a user who enters the keyword “Blackberry Storm” into the search box is likely at the point of purchase, having decided which model they want. 

Capturing users at the point of purchase requires search engine optimization and SEO friendly web design strategies, available through a qualified and experienced interactive marketing and web design company.  An interactive marketing company works full time to ensure that your website is highly visible within search results, functioning as a marketing powerhouse. Contact Deep Blue Interactive today to discover how your website can become a source of revenue for you!

When Google unleashed its Oceans feature for Google Earth, the rumor mill began to center on an area of odd grid-like markings on the seafloor.  Many were speculating that the maze-like markings were that of the legendary lost city of Atlantis, thinking that the markings looked like the outlines of a sunken city.

In efforts to respond to the excitement generated by the markings, Google invited two of the scientists who gathered the data for Google Earth to answer inquiries.  If the area were in fact Atlantis, some of its city blocks were over eight miles long, highly unlikely for a city layout. 

Google went on to explain that the marks are likely “ship tracks”, caused by methods used to measure the sea levels while generating information for Google Oceans. The process of echosounding maps strips of sea floor directly beneath the ship, generating lines in its wake.  While this explanation is not as newsworthy and exotic as the possibility of discovering the lost city of Atlantis, it is important and responsible to remain scientific and accurate while mapping out our oceans. Brought to you by Deep Blue Interactive, your Fort Lauderdale web design and online marketing solution.

Facebook masses an incredible 120 million members worldwide, making it the largest social networking site on the World Wide Web.  The latest feature venture by the company is causing quite the stir; its name is Facebook Connect.  Through Facebook Connect, Facebook will allow users to log onto other websites using their Facebook ID, and to view the activities of their friends on those sites.

For example, the feature allows Facebook users to alert their friends that they are visiting a certain website, so that their friends may follow them there and watch a video or read a news clip and comment on it.   In the near future a number of other websites will also be including a similar service in their sites, including big names like the Discovery Channel and Digg.  Myspace, Yahoo and Google have announced similar feature plans to entice their users.

This new trend comes in contrast to previous online trends, which were designed to hoard user information rather than to share it.  This reinforces the projections of the web becoming smaller and smaller, where a user can interact in increasingly personalized ways.  The web is becoming more like a single account for users, rather than a mass of separate URLs, where non-social sites are becoming socialized.

With online networking and advertising constantly evolving, it is vital to stay abreast technological trends and have the best in interactive marketing hard at work for you!  Word of mouth advertising is starting to occur online!  Contact Deep Blue Interactive, your Fort Lauderdale interactive marketing solution today to discover how your website can become an online marketing powerhouse!