Some of us have to wait for that torrent file to download a newly aired episode which would otherwise air on Australian TV weeks after.
But now Google might have a quicker solution to that 15kbps download on BitTorrent that we’re looking at. The answer is YouTube. Sure, you all have used it before, and it’s great for those few minute clips. But Google is now testing full-length programs on YouTube.
Why? The idea aims to bring in more users to the YouTube website. More so, it can also display more ads and hence more revenue possibilities.
Google is testing the system by placing 15 second ads before and after viewing each episode, as well as putting a message in between viewing. However, other options are also being tested, to be more appealing to both viewers and advertisers.
Google and YouTube did attempt to have the ads run before videos that are currently on YouTube. But who’s going to wait 15 seconds before watching a quick 2 min clip? Since that was not a sure way to gain viewer, perhaps we will be willing to make that sacrifice to watch a 30 or 60 min episode.
However, do not uninstall BitTorrent just yet – this feature will only be available in the US to start off with and through partnership with CBS, they will start with series of Dexter, Beverly Hills 90210, Star Trek, Californication and MacGyver.
Question now is, when will this come to Australia? And if it does, how good will it be? Would we all need to upgrade our connections to the “oh-so-super” 30mbps broadband from Telstra? Or wait for the video to load as we cook dinner?
Furthermore, how does this impact our local TV channels? Channel Ten, for example, airs the Californication episode about a week or two after the US does. If I can watch it online a day after it’s aired and not have as many ads as Ten does, then heck – I’d do it in a heartbeat.
I recently read an article on ZDNet’s blog – http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=10403
It talks about Gartner’s worst case for 2009 IT Budget and why it isn’t so bad given the current financial issues worldwide.
Towards the end of the article, there are 10 points about managing through an economic crisis… hmm somehow, I feel those points are all related to layoffs. Here goes:
1] Reduce headcount or freeze hiring
Freeze hiring, means anyone who leaves does not get replaced, and therefore more stress for other staff who eventually leave. And Reduce headcount, well that just means layoffs.
2] Renegotiate with technology and service providers
This would force your vendors to execute layoff to reduce their costs and still make profits from you.
3] Curtail data center expansion, virtualize assets and lease them back
i.e. consolidate your data center and layoff of your extra data center employees!
4] Consolidate systems
Now you can layoff of non-data centre employees!
5] Outsource commodity
Take it to India and get rid of your office staff.
6] Offshore outsource
Take everything overseas including your receptionist.
7] Investment shutdown
Can’t afford to pay your staff or support new projects? Layoff!
8] Prioritize projects
Do only the ones that make the most profit – cut the rest, including innovation!
9] Mothball businesses and projects
I guess, this is the MBA terminology to the above point
10] Change leadership and restructure IT teams
Take them all for a trip to the Hunter Valley, have a secret meeting with 2 cases of wine and who ever wasn’t invited to that “secret” meeting gets laid off.
I read a very interesting article at Royal Pingdom about why almost half of Google’s products are still in beta.
I’m assuming most of us reading this post have use at least 1 if not more of Google’s products. If you use Google search, then you’re one of those people.
But have you noticed how Orkut, Google Chrome, Google Docs, Google Finance and Google Video are all in beta? In fact, for those of us using Gmail, we are using a beta product.
A beta product is defined as one that is “nearly complete prototype of a product” (according to Merriam-Webster dictionary). It’s funny though, because in using these products so frequently we ignore the “beta” stamp on the logos.
When Royal Pingdom did it’s research, they found that out of 49 Google product offerings, 22 of them (45%) are still in beta. This does not include the products in Google Labs (since that section is assume to be an R&D section anyways). I didn’t even know Google had 49 products to offer.
Orkut has been online since January 2004 and are still in Beta. But have people found issues with Orkut? General feedback is that people like using it and think it’s a fully working product.
So the real question is – why still in BETA? Is Google playing safe? Are they unsure of their quality of product even after 4 years? Lack of testers at Google? =)
But here is the bit that tops it off. There are some sub-products or options in Gmail and Google Docs that people can pay for. So Google is in some way making money from these products even though they are still in Beta. So why pay for a beta product? In fact, can a company charge it’s clients to pay for a beta product?
The answer comes from a snippet of a Google reply to Networkworld.com asking them the same question:
“We have very high internal metrics our consumer products have to meet before coming out of beta. Our teams continue to work to improve these products and provide users with an even better experience. We believe beta has a different meaning when applied to applications on the Web, where people expect continual improvements in a product. On the Web, you don’t have to wait for the next version to be on the shelf or an update to become available. Improvements are rolled out as they’re developed. Rather than the packaged, stagnant software of decades past, we’re moving to a world of regular updates and constant feature refinement where applications live in the cloud.”
Therefore, does the above mean that Google isn’t refining or working on products that are no longer ‘Beta’?
Your thoughts would be interesting to read.