FT.com / Services & tools / SearchFT.com / Services & tools / Search: "COMPANIES THE AMERICAS: Google acquires wiki pioneer JotSpot
By: By Richard Waters inSan Francisco, Financial Times
Published: Nov 01, 2006
Google's steady encroachment into the corporate software market continued yesterday as it announced the acquisition of JotSpot, a three-year-old private company that runs wikis, or communal web pages.
The acquisition also opens a new front in the competition between Google and Microsoft, further rounding out the internet company's package of 'productivity' and collaboration tools that are coming to resemble an online version of the Office desktop software.
Founded by Joe Kraus - whose earlier creation, the internet portal Excite, experienced one of the most dramatic rises and falls of the dotcom era - JotSpot is one of several 'Web 2.0' companies that have aimed their services mainly at corporate rather than individual users.
Wikis are web pages that can be written or edited by a group, making them a potentially useful tool for workers in different locations who are trying to collaborate.
As such, they reduce the need for large numbers of group emails and attachments, which have become the bane of many office workers' lives."
Friday, December 08, 2006
FT.com / Services & tools / SearchFT.com / Services & tools / Search
FT.com / Services & tools / SearchFT.com / Services & tools / Search: "Google to beat TV in race for ad revenues
By: By Carlos Grande and Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson in London and Richard Waters in San Francisco, FT.com site
Published: Nov 01, 2006
Google is poised to overtake Britain's main TV channels in the race for advertising revenue, underlining the internet's challenge to traditional media.
The internet search company's advertising revenue in the UK is expected this year to surpass Channel 4's anticipated 2006 take of �800m. Within 18 months, it is forecast to overtake ITV1, Britain's leading commercial TV channel and the country's biggest single recipient of advertising revenue, according to Mindshare and Initiative, two top media buying groups.
Carat, another media buyer, believes the milestone could be passed as early as next year.
ITV1 accounted for 90 per cent of the ITV group's �1.63bn total advertising revenues last year.
"
By: By Carlos Grande and Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson in London and Richard Waters in San Francisco, FT.com site
Published: Nov 01, 2006
Google is poised to overtake Britain's main TV channels in the race for advertising revenue, underlining the internet's challenge to traditional media.
The internet search company's advertising revenue in the UK is expected this year to surpass Channel 4's anticipated 2006 take of �800m. Within 18 months, it is forecast to overtake ITV1, Britain's leading commercial TV channel and the country's biggest single recipient of advertising revenue, according to Mindshare and Initiative, two top media buying groups.
Carat, another media buyer, believes the milestone could be passed as early as next year.
ITV1 accounted for 90 per cent of the ITV group's �1.63bn total advertising revenues last year.
"
FT.com / Companies / Telecoms - 3mobile to put Google searches on its handsets
FT.com / Companies / Telecoms - 3mobile to put Google searches on its handsets: "3mobile to put Google searches on its handsets
By Philip Stafford andAndrew Parker in London
Published: November 16 2006 02:00 | Last updated: November 16 2006 02:00
The 3mobile group yesterday announced a deal with Google, the internet group, to put its search function with its handset, in a move that 3mobile says is a key step to making the internet fully mobile.
The Google deal is expected to be among several partnerships with technology companies unveiled today by Hutchison Whampoa, owner of the 3mobile phone network.
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The Hong Kong-based group regards the partnerships as the most significant development for its third-generation mobile networks since their launch three years ago.
The deal will allow 3mobile customers to benefit from direct access to Google search and will be rolled out to individual markets in due course.
"
By Philip Stafford andAndrew Parker in London
Published: November 16 2006 02:00 | Last updated: November 16 2006 02:00
The 3mobile group yesterday announced a deal with Google, the internet group, to put its search function with its handset, in a move that 3mobile says is a key step to making the internet fully mobile.
The Google deal is expected to be among several partnerships with technology companies unveiled today by Hutchison Whampoa, owner of the 3mobile phone network.
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The Hong Kong-based group regards the partnerships as the most significant development for its third-generation mobile networks since their launch three years ago.
The deal will allow 3mobile customers to benefit from direct access to Google search and will be rolled out to individual markets in due course.
"
FT.com / Home UK / UK - Google Earth spurs Bahraini equality drive
FT.com / Home UK / UK - Google Earth spurs Bahraini equality drive: "Google Earth spurs Bahraini equality drive
By William Wallis in Manama
Published: November 24 2006 21:29 | Last updated: November 24 2006 21:29
Since Bahrain’s government blocked the Google Earth website earlier this year for its intrusion into private homes and royal palaces, Googling their island kingdom has become a national pastime for many Bahrainis.
The site allows internet users to view satellite images of the world in varying degrees of detail. When Google updated its images of Bahrain to higher definition, cyber-activists seized on the view it gave of estates and private islands belonging to the ruling al-Khalifa family to highlight the inequity of land distribution in the tiny Gulf kingdom."
By William Wallis in Manama
Published: November 24 2006 21:29 | Last updated: November 24 2006 21:29
Since Bahrain’s government blocked the Google Earth website earlier this year for its intrusion into private homes and royal palaces, Googling their island kingdom has become a national pastime for many Bahrainis.
The site allows internet users to view satellite images of the world in varying degrees of detail. When Google updated its images of Bahrain to higher definition, cyber-activists seized on the view it gave of estates and private islands belonging to the ruling al-Khalifa family to highlight the inequity of land distribution in the tiny Gulf kingdom."
FT.com / Companies / Media & internet - Google to cancel Google Answers service
FT.com / Companies / Media & internet - Google to cancel Google Answers service: "Google to cancel Google Answers service
By Richard Waters in San Francisco
Published: November 29 2006 23:50 | Last updated: November 29 2006 23:50
Google said on Wednesday that it would end its Google Answers service, marking a rare decision by the search company to trim its rapidly-expanding portfolio of services as it shifts its product development focus to improving those considered to have the greatest potential.
The admission of defeat also points to an area where Yahoo, though widely seen as still lagging Google in search, has outstripped its arch-rival.
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Google Answers, launched four years ago, provides online answers to users’ questions by drawing on contributions by real people, rather than the algorithmic search results for which Google is better known.
According to ComScore, in June the service attracted just under 1m users in the US, compared to the 12.3m for the similar Yahoo Answers. Yahoo itself on Wednesday claimed 60m users worldwide for the"
By Richard Waters in San Francisco
Published: November 29 2006 23:50 | Last updated: November 29 2006 23:50
Google said on Wednesday that it would end its Google Answers service, marking a rare decision by the search company to trim its rapidly-expanding portfolio of services as it shifts its product development focus to improving those considered to have the greatest potential.
The admission of defeat also points to an area where Yahoo, though widely seen as still lagging Google in search, has outstripped its arch-rival.
ADVERTISEMENT
Google Answers, launched four years ago, provides online answers to users’ questions by drawing on contributions by real people, rather than the algorithmic search results for which Google is better known.
According to ComScore, in June the service attracted just under 1m users in the US, compared to the 12.3m for the similar Yahoo Answers. Yahoo itself on Wednesday claimed 60m users worldwide for the"
FT.com / Home UK / UK - Google and BSkyB move to take online ad model to TV
FT.com / Home UK / UK - Google and BSkyB move to take online ad model to TV: "Google and BSkyB move to take online ad model to TV
By Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson,Media Editor
Published: December 7 2006 02:00 | Last updated: December 7 2006 02:00
Google has taken its first step towards moving its online advertising model into television, launching a broad-ranging alliance with British Sky Broadcasting that the search group said could be its most lucrative deal.
The partnership will at first see Google provide its user-generated video, e-mail, search and targeted advertising tools to customers of BSkyB's five-month-old broadband internet service - the first licensing of the videotools Google bought when it acquired YouTube in October.
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The companies plan to extend the partnership to BSkyB's core television platform, however, by replacing traditional 30-second television adverts with targeted commercials stored on the hard drives in BSkyB's set-top boxes."
By Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson,Media Editor
Published: December 7 2006 02:00 | Last updated: December 7 2006 02:00
Google has taken its first step towards moving its online advertising model into television, launching a broad-ranging alliance with British Sky Broadcasting that the search group said could be its most lucrative deal.
The partnership will at first see Google provide its user-generated video, e-mail, search and targeted advertising tools to customers of BSkyB's five-month-old broadband internet service - the first licensing of the videotools Google bought when it acquired YouTube in October.
ADVERTISEMENT
The companies plan to extend the partnership to BSkyB's core television platform, however, by replacing traditional 30-second television adverts with targeted commercials stored on the hard drives in BSkyB's set-top boxes."
FT.com / Companies / US & Canada - Google outlines BSkyB thinking
FT.com / Companies / US & Canada - Google outlines BSkyB thinking: "Google outlines BSkyB thinking
By Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnsonin London
Published: December 8 2006 02:00 | Last updated: December 8 2006 02:00
Can James Murdoch create a British YouTube? This week's British Sky Broadcasting alliance with Google covered many areas, from putting sky.com e-mail accounts on the Google Mail platform to exploring ways of taking Google's online ad model to TV viewers.
The partners' plan to collaborate on a Sky-branded user-generated video portal was the first such licensing of Google's technology, which has been greatly enhanced by its $1.65bn acquisition of the YouTube video sharing site in October. But it may also offer BSkyB new opportunities to exploit its premium content.
Plans to organise the portal, expected to be called Skycast, into themed areas will allow it to appeal to specific groups of sports and film fans, rather than the general audiences drawn to Google Video and YouTube.
"
By Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnsonin London
Published: December 8 2006 02:00 | Last updated: December 8 2006 02:00
Can James Murdoch create a British YouTube? This week's British Sky Broadcasting alliance with Google covered many areas, from putting sky.com e-mail accounts on the Google Mail platform to exploring ways of taking Google's online ad model to TV viewers.
The partners' plan to collaborate on a Sky-branded user-generated video portal was the first such licensing of Google's technology, which has been greatly enhanced by its $1.65bn acquisition of the YouTube video sharing site in October. But it may also offer BSkyB new opportunities to exploit its premium content.
Plans to organise the portal, expected to be called Skycast, into themed areas will allow it to appeal to specific groups of sports and film fans, rather than the general audiences drawn to Google Video and YouTube.
"
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
Retail Medicine - from an NGO's point of view
Health Care in the Express Lane: The Emergence of Retail Clinics - CHCF.org: "Health Care in the Express Lane: The Emergence of Retail Clinics
Mary Kate Scott
July 2006
With catchy slogans such as 'You're Sick, We're Quick,' and promises of affordability and convenience, a new wave of retail health clinics located in mini-malls and popular discount stores is making its mark on the health care landscape.
This report examines this innovation from a national and California perspective. It provides an overview of in-store clinics and converging trends in retail and health care, and explores the potential for these clinics to succeed as a viable business model.
Surveys indicate that retail-based clinics appeal most to higher-income consumers willing to pay for convenience, and uninsured consumers, who have few alternatives and limited flexibility. According to the report, national consumer reviews have been positive and retail clinic numbers are expected to skyrocket from less than 100 in mid-2006 to several thousand by the end of 2007.
In California, which has a relative handful of in-store clinics, the lure of a huge consumer market is irresistible. But health regulations and looming turf battles with physicians may limit profitability and scalability.
The complete report is available under Document Downloads at the link.
Mary Kate Scott
July 2006
With catchy slogans such as 'You're Sick, We're Quick,' and promises of affordability and convenience, a new wave of retail health clinics located in mini-malls and popular discount stores is making its mark on the health care landscape.
This report examines this innovation from a national and California perspective. It provides an overview of in-store clinics and converging trends in retail and health care, and explores the potential for these clinics to succeed as a viable business model.
Surveys indicate that retail-based clinics appeal most to higher-income consumers willing to pay for convenience, and uninsured consumers, who have few alternatives and limited flexibility. According to the report, national consumer reviews have been positive and retail clinic numbers are expected to skyrocket from less than 100 in mid-2006 to several thousand by the end of 2007.
In California, which has a relative handful of in-store clinics, the lure of a huge consumer market is irresistible. But health regulations and looming turf battles with physicians may limit profitability and scalability.
The complete report is available under Document Downloads at the link.
In the GME, it's about time
FT.com / Business Life - Pioneers of retail therapy:
"When a truck arrives to deliver a new CheckUps clinic, its contents have been packed so that they can be unloaded in a precise order for assembly. The walls come first, with finished interiors in rich cherry and maple woods. All the wiring is pre-installed. Laboratory equipment, including an X-ray machine, is rolled out, followed by the finishing touches of furniture, computers, medical supplies, doors and decorations.
It takes the company only about nine days from being granted building permission to transform a 800 sq ft space inside the retailer into a low-cost, walk-in medical clinic.
A nurse can then begin to see customers for minor illnesses such as sore throats or preventive measures such as vaccines. Clinics offer routine healthcare with prices of between $30-$50 a visit – significantly less than patients would pay to see a doctor.
Such clinics are not only appearing in supermarkets. Companies such as RediClinic are now setting up operations in city-centre drugstores across the US.
Operators hope that as well as delivering care, their well-appointed clinics will send customers an important message: access to healthcare can be inexpensive, but it does not have to look cheap.
Watch Wall Mart and the Health Business
FT.com / Business Life - Pioneers of retail therapy:
In the Google Mart Economy, you can get a pretty good idea of what's going to happen, by watching what Google and Wall Mart are doing.
"to push the cause of the electronic age, Mr Barrett has formed a coalition of at least 10 large companies, including Intel and Wal-Mart. It aims to establish a standard for employees’ electronic medical records, with the data stored at an independent repository.
In the Google Mart Economy, you can get a pretty good idea of what's going to happen, by watching what Google and Wall Mart are doing.
Retail Medicine
FT.com / Business Life - Pioneers of retail therapy:
"Advocates say they could fundamentally change how healthcare is managed in the US by providing the infrastructure for a nationally accessible system of electronic medical records."
"Advocates say they could fundamentally change how healthcare is managed in the US by providing the infrastructure for a nationally accessible system of electronic medical records."
Will it be different this time?
A standard narrative of the post war economy, is that when America sneezes the rest of the world catches a cold.
Now some are arguing that has changed. But they have argued that before.
Only time will tell.
FT.com / Comment & analysis / Analysis - Europe bets on weathering a US downturn:
"Europe bets on weathering a US downturn
By Chris Giles and Ralph Atkins,
Published: December 4 2006 18:45 | Last updated: December 4 2006 18:45
Currency traders have become convinced over the past two weeks that something big is afoot in the global economy. They are not convinced by the sanguine noises coming from the Federal Reserve and think the risks of a “hard landing” in the US economy have risen. But, in a departure from the old wisdom, they do not seem worried about the effects of a US downturn on European economies – rejecting the old adage that “when the US sneezes the rest of the world catches a cold”.
They appear to be trading on the belief that, while US interest rates will fall in an effort to counter a slowdown, European rates will continue to rise – and, by implication, that Europe’s economic upswing has some way to go. This has led to steep declines in the dollar, which tumbled to a 20-month low against the euro and to a 14-year trough against sterling."
Now some are arguing that has changed. But they have argued that before.
Only time will tell.
FT.com / Comment & analysis / Analysis - Europe bets on weathering a US downturn:
"Europe bets on weathering a US downturn
By Chris Giles and Ralph Atkins,
Published: December 4 2006 18:45 | Last updated: December 4 2006 18:45
Currency traders have become convinced over the past two weeks that something big is afoot in the global economy. They are not convinced by the sanguine noises coming from the Federal Reserve and think the risks of a “hard landing” in the US economy have risen. But, in a departure from the old wisdom, they do not seem worried about the effects of a US downturn on European economies – rejecting the old adage that “when the US sneezes the rest of the world catches a cold”.
They appear to be trading on the belief that, while US interest rates will fall in an effort to counter a slowdown, European rates will continue to rise – and, by implication, that Europe’s economic upswing has some way to go. This has led to steep declines in the dollar, which tumbled to a 20-month low against the euro and to a 14-year trough against sterling."
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