Google Enhancing and Monetizing UGM: Blogger, Video, Map Coupons
A recent spate (last few days) of announcements from Google points to an increasing interest and appreciation in tools that enable the creation and monetization of UGM, or user generated media.

This post investigates changes at Blogger, in Google Video and the just-announced addition of coupons to Google maps.

Blogger: Giving Back to the Bloggers

Since the Pyra/blogspot purchase in early 2003, the only major change to blogger I've noticed is the addition of advertising via AdSense. This did wonders for indie media creators, oh and spammers too. Oh yeah and for Google's bottom line.

Now they're giving back a little to those who still use their now-antiquated platform (such as myself) with the following:

Reader Permissions - set your posts to viewable by Everyone or only by friends. Whose email addresses you add. These... friends... will now be related to you in a very interesting cluster that could possibly appear in its own section on your blog making it eerily reminiscent of... well... MySpace :)

Labels - For my amigos who, like me, are too lazy or who have too many legacy posts to fool with migration to another platform, now comes labels. Which are categories I presume. Which should make it easier to navigate Search Engine Lowdown without the Nav Hacks I added recently.

Subscribe to comment thread - Neat. Good. I like it.

This investment in the blogging community is much welcomed, and gives me a better feeling about being a blogger user. I may start wearing the blogger tshirt again that Dowdell hooked up for me.

Via Beal: Google Launching New Blogger Features

Google Video: Monetizing Passionate, No-Budget Videographers

First off Google Video adjusted its TOS recently to allow for the monetization of its uploaded video. This change connects video creators (and uploaders) with video advertisers along the ridiculously long tail of user created and submitted video. I can't wait til my checks start rolling in for my dance video ;)

Secondly, Google relegated the Froogle tab to a drop down on the Google homepage, and gave Google Video a prime-time position. Loren Baker writes at length about this change in the compelling and thought provoking Google Video is the Future of Google. Thanks for an amazing piece Loren!

Thirdly, investigate Google Video's move towards a social search, YouTube-styled video content navigation. Google's finally leveraging the fact that, sometimes, users really are the best judges of the qualities of a database item.

I wrote some time ago in Navigating YouTube: Video "Social Organization" Trumps Video Search that YouTube was kicking Google's butt.

Michael Arrington wrote in TechCrunch about his read of the Google Video interface. The MySpacing of YouTube, and Google's YouTubing of Google Video points to the power of social networks to deliver engagement.

This item, Fox Selling Video On Demand Via MySpace.com & FIM points more the jumble of interests that Google has ahead of it as it tries to tie in more tightly with MySpace.

Free Coupons in Google Maps: Hey Merchants Jump on This One!

The news that prompted me to write this whole post came this morning. Google Maps Adds Free Merchant Coupons. It hit me hard because I've been saying for some time that maps are the doorway to local.

And I felt fairly justified in saying so when Google changed its "Local" tab to "Maps" Google: Yes Garrett, Maps ARE the Doorway to Local.

The fact that the coupons are free convinces me that local merchants should jump on this in a jiffy.

Further, this points to what I've been saying will come for some time now - the ability for Google Map makers to monitize their efforts.

Coupons are free for now, as Google tests and learns what works well and what doesn't. When they go for-pay I think we'll see Google reach out to its map makers with a compelling financial incentive to create.

I'd be very curious to learn what Zixxo thinks of this development, and whether they see Google as a competitor here considering that Zixxo's offering has a great deal more time on the market and is far-better tuned to the coupon space.

Watch for Google coupons on mobile phones soon. And coupon updates, and subscriptions that could further crush the Sunday paper...

Resources:
Google Maps API2 + Local Search Marketing Checklist
Google Local: Your Image and Text On Google Maps; My Questions
Coupons will start to appear Wednesday on Google Maps
Garrett French - MarketSmart Interactive | permalink | +marktd |