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.

Look I will be the first to admit today is a very slow news day.

That’s why we are sharing this bit of data from Yelp which obviously is trying to let people know that it’s more than just a restaurant review site.

This kind of “re-imagining” of a brand is something that is difficult in the Internet age. Yelp has allowed its users to define it and many have decided that Yelp is their home for reviewing restaurants. In order for the company to grow though it will need to have a broader reach.

How do you use Yelp? Is it a place where you review everything or has it been painted into a corner by being only for a certain segment of your life?

It’s a full time job just keeping up with and understanding the reason behind all the changes that Google makes regularly. The latest is and addition to maps that allows you to see the places you have reviewed on a map along with some Google suggestions. The more I read about these changes the more I realize just how little I go out (don’t feel sorry for me because I actually like it that way).

But as with any marketing update in the online space, how I use it doesn’t matter a bit. In a post from the Google Lat Long blog comes an explanation of this newest maps feature.

While there is plenty of conversation surrounding the new “Fresh” update from Google regarding search and even some early solutions being offered there is another change happening in the SERP’s as well. It’s around local results and local SEO”s are going to need to pay close attention.

We reported about expanded local search results for branded searches the other day. The new look of a search for a specific place or business now places Google Place Page data on the search result page itself thus alleviating the need for the searcher to click through to place page which, in the past, was not always well done from a user’s perspective.