SearchEngineUpdate with Vanessa Zamora - 05-14-2008 Part II
Abstract: 1. Google Trials Street View Face-blurring Technology, 2. Conversational Search Engine Firm Summize Debuts Local Search, 3. Imeem Tops Yahoo: Top U.S. Music-Streaming Site
Vanessa Zamora
Video Content Producer, SearchEngineWorld
9:54 pm on May 14, 2008 (utc 0)
Transcript
Wednesday May 14, 2008
Google Trials Street View Face-blurring Technology
In response to increasing privacy concerns over showing the faces of bystanders in its Google Street View maps service, Google is trialing a face blurring technology on the busy streets of Manhattan. The announcement comes as the Google Street View camera vehicle is reported to be seen on the streets of several European cities. The European Union has stricter privacy safeguards than the US, and Google has already declared that it will have to change the way Street View operates in order to comply. Google Street View Maps has also debuted new features, including photos, generated from user generated image service Panoramio and articles from online encyclopedia Wikipedia, related to map locations.
Conversational Search Engine Firm Summize Debuts Local Search
Conversational search engine firm Summize, that features real-time conversations on Twitter and participating blogs and reviews, provides users the ability to search for conversations by topic and most recently announced the launch of its local search capability, which enables users to select a location and a distance to return only the conversations related to a search in that location. The conversational search can also provide an on-the-fly translation service so users can check out the latest conversations in other countries. Apart from Twitter, Summize does not have access to other conversations on private services such as AIM, Google Chat, or Skype.
Social Network Web site Imeem has surpassed Yahoo as the number one streaming music site in the United States, according to figures for the month of March released by Web analytics company Compete. Imeem has forged deals with labels to allow it to offer on-demand music from all four major labels as well as Indies, and combines social networking and reaching out to blogs for growth. Despite Yahoo’s attempts to stay on top, including the acquisition of large music sites like Broadcast, Launch Media and Musicmatch, Imeem’s unique U.S. visitor count rose 58 percent over the previous March to 10.3 million, beating out Yahoo.
9:54 pm on May 14, 2008 (utc 0)