I like Google. For the most part I tend to side with them on most issues like free market concerns and so on. I usually don’t have any issue with the privacy stuff either mainly because it’s my choice whether I want to be “tracked” by Google or not. As you may have noticed I said usually.

What made me think a bit more today was something that most would find completely innocuous which is an update to Google Maps that saves your directions. I read the post at the Google Lat Long blog and was intrigued, wondering how that might apply to me (since I am not much of a traveler the answer is ‘not so much’). After reading through the explanation of the new feature I came to this sentence

If you can step back for enough time to see some of the other things that Google does you would maybe see less of the evil, greedy Google that seems to be the popular point of view these days and see places where they actually help people. They do this even without taking your data and “forcing” you to use their Google+ service which is simply their front for world domination.

Take the new Public Alerts feature in Google Maps. It’s pretty cool and it makes good sense. Whether you are traveling into an area where an alert might be in effect or you have concerns right near your home you can now check a map to get the information you want.

Coming in February, Google Maps will be offering a 3D game using WebGL that will come to Google+ Games.

Of course, once the release is made official there will be grave concern that Google will be trying to corner the online game market. I have also heard that there is concern that Google is trying to corner the world’s toilets supply because they have some in their headquarters. Don’t say we didn’t warn you.

Enjoy the video giving you a look at “Play Your World”

Dear Google Places Team,

Google Places has the potential to truly help businesses of all sizes since virtually every business be they large or small, has a place page for its location as well as its satellites. That’s very cool. We as regular folks using the Internet like the potential.

I use the word potential only because while there can be great benefit to a business with regard to Place Pages and now with the added Google+ brand pages (why aren’t these two integrated in some way anyway but that’s for another letter, I guess?) yet you still don’t seem to understand some simple concepts.

So much that happens in the online space is dependent upon measurement. The ability to measure results also greatly influences the ability to forecast, predict or prognosticate about where all of this is going. It sounds very clean cut and very exact doesn’t it? Well, it’s not and it is extremely important to understand that before you make any marketing decisions based on ANY data whatsoever.

A recent study from eMarketer called “Local Online Advertising: Digital Trends, Challenges and Opportunities” (buy the study here as an eMarktere subscriber only; MP has no financial arrangement with eMarketer) looks at one very active discussion area of the online space which is local and finds that how local is defined will greatly impact any predictions about its future growth.