Marketing Pilgrim

So I finally got my invite to Google Wave! I must say that it is rather impressive. I like it a lot and I think it will probably redefine the way that we collaborate in the future. One of the more impressive features is its “real time” chat interface. Which basically means that as a user types the other participants can read the text as it is typed, letter by letter. The feature is kinda overkill, but cool to play with. Wave also gives you the ability to share documents and 3rd party content directly in the interface. So all in all Wave is a sophisticated chat interface that allows you the ability to index and save your conversations the same way you might save an email.

Real time search is hot (theoretically), but Google is struggling to deliver results. They’ve started some real-time stuff in Gmail, though, with interactive widgets within emails. And now they’re branching out to real time on YouTube.

At first glance, real time video sounds even harder than real time search—and yeah, YouTube’s popular, but shouldn’t the Goog focus on what they do best/actually make money on?

Do not despair, however! It’s not real-time video they’re using on YouTube: it’s real-time search—in the comments. I know, just what you waited your whole life for.

As RWW puts it, YouTube comments are “notoriously useless.” Unless your job has to do with reading empty abuse or praise. That’s a pretty crappy job.

In case you’ve missed it, the FTC has finally finalized its new blogging guidelines—including an up-to-$11,000 fine for not disclosing free products or other remuneration given for product reviews (or maybe not). Naturally, this has caused an uproar in the blogosphere—and now the president and CEO of the Interactive Advertising Bureau, Randall Rothenberg, has written an open letter to the FTC objecting to the new guidelines (via).

He reports that he nearly tweeted about a delicious bass halibut he cooked this weekend—until he remembered he’d received the cookbook for free review 13 years ago. But the real issue isn’t restricting his free fish speech. It’s

the implication that online social media represent a separate class of communications channels with less Constitutional protection than corporate-owned newspapers, radio stations, or cable television networks is of particularly grave concern.

Now this is the kind of news I need to hear! Eric Schmidt, Google’s Chief Googler, has told folks during the third quarter earnings call yesterday that Android is set to further the world domination plan that Founding Father’s Sergey and Larry set in place back in the year 1 AG (After Google) which is the year 1998 AD (for those who need to know the conversion).

Why am I excited? Well, it’s because I am not an AT&T customer and won’t be for the foreseeable future. So what? Then that means I won’t have an iPhone to replace my red-headed stepchild, 15th cousin twice removed, black sheep of the touch screen smart phone family BlackBerry Storm. As a pure stop-gap measure to being included in Apple’s app-mania I have purchased a new iPod Touch. Are you following here?

Forrester continues to examine the intersection of mobile phones and social networking. One startling–or maybe not–statistic: 10% of us access social networks from our cell phones, double the number at the beginning of the year!

Two new reports look at how mobile phones are a becoming a big component of our socially networked lives.

If Google is any litmus test for the state of the US economy, the worst recession in 70+ years is now firmly behind us.

The search giant reported a stellar third quarter, beating all Wall Street Estimates.

…net income in the quarter ended Sept. 30 rose to $1.64 billion, or $5.13 a share, from $1.29 billion, or $4.06 a share, in the same period last year. Net revenue rose to $4.38 billion from $4.04 billion. Excluding special items, the company said earnings for the quarter were $5.89 a share.

While the numbers are impressive, it’s the words from Google’s CEO and CFO that give us a glimpse of a light at the end of the tunnel. Their statements include:

“We’re very, very happy…”