As mentioned in previous posts, I am preparing to take the new Google Certification program tests to obtain my Google Individually Qualified (GIQ) status.
In their new program, Google has cleverly transposed the status term that used to be known as “Qualified Individual” into “Individually Qualified” which in turn produced their new G – “IQ” acronym.
After spending some time inside their program since its migration to the new Google Adwords Interface, navigation to different sections within the Pro Center often seems difficult.
I think a lot of this has to do with the fact that the Google Adwords Certification Program Learning Center is on a secure site which requires logging in over and over again to get in and out of pages.
To obtain Adwords certification, individuals must pass at least two exams.
There are four exams planned while three are available to take at this time.
The available exams are the Advertising Fundamentals Exam, the Search Advertising Advanced Exam and the Reporting and Analysis Advanced Exam.
Available Google Exams
Google plans to offer the Display Advertising Advanced Exam at some point in the future.
I had not drilled down into my Google Adsense account in quite some time and was surprised to see some of the new distribution options Adsense now offers.
Google Adsense Options
Obviously Google Adsense for Content and Search have been available since the AdSense program’s inception, while Adsense for Mobile Content, and the latest AdSense for Mobile Applications are both relatively new.
I wasn’t aware of Adsense for Domains.
Adsense for domains effectively lets domain owners park their own pages at a registrar while also directly earning Adsense income as opposed to the registrar profiting off a domain owner’s parked pages.
More about Adsense for Domains from Google:
AdSense for domains allows publishers with unused domains to help users reach relevant information by presenting content on the domains.
Users often type domains into their address bar or follow expired links leading to sites with no content. Instead of an “under construction” page or 404 error, AdSense for domains provides links, search results, advertisements and other content. To do this, we use semantic technology targeted to the domain name. You earn revenue when users interact with the ads on your site.
Domains owners profiting directly from Google ads on their own domains while parked at a registrar is innovative and empowering.
I noticed in one of my Google account’s today the following announcement from Google for their new App Engine for Business.
Google App Engine for Business
Although I haven’t yet tried the new App Engine for Business, Google has apparently been deluged by more new users than they originally anticipated.
From a June 3, 2010 PC World report:
Two weeks after announcing a business version of its Google App Engine application building and hosting service, Google is acknowledging that the performance of the product’s datastore has been chronically deficient for weeks.
To make up for the recent string of outages, slowdowns and errors, Google is waiving datastore CPU costs retroactively effective to the May 31 bill and until further notice.
The datastore problems, which have rippled out to other App Engine components, have been caused by the platform’s growth, which has outpaced server capacity, Google said in a blog post on Wednesday.
“There are a lot of different reasons for the problems over the last few weeks, but at the root of all of them is ultimately growing pains. Our service has grown 25 percent every two months for the past six months,” the blog post reads.
As one of the largest computer server manufacturers in the world and most assuredly the web’s largest legitimate cloud operator, you’d think Google would have anticipated the types of resources they’d need to service rapid growth.
The parallels between how light is used to produced holographic images like the one below that Google featured on its homepage yesterday and how Google uses the properties of light to produce results for advertisers are not too far removed.
Adam Shlachter, Director of Digital Investment, MEC summarizes the future of commerce as succinctly as anyone I have yet heard describe it: Shop anywhere, anytime for anything.
This of course is being preceded by everyone being able to connect with anyone, anytime anywhere.
More Americans Still Use their Browser versus Applications
Nearly 73 million mobile users accessed their browser in April, an increase of 31 percent from the previous year. Mirroring application category growth, Social Networking ranked as the fastest-growing category accessed via browser, growing 90 percent from the previous year to reach almost 30 million users, followed by Bank Accounts (69 percent to 13.2 million users). Online Retail sites also experienced a significant increase in audience usage via browser, increasing 47 percent to 7.3 million users, as Americans continued to show adoption of the mobile retail channel.
Donovan continued, “Social networking is by far the fastest-growing mobile activity right now. With 20 percent of mobile users now accessing social networking sites via their phone, we expect to see both application and browser usage continuing to drive future consumption of social media.”
Fastest Growing Content Categories
Imagine that – phones owners using their phones to socialize.
Search Marketing Communications 
You must be logged in to post a comment.