Google Groups is a free groups and mailing list service from Google. Using Google Groups, one can find groups related to their interests and participate in threaded conversations. Besides posting to the group through the Google Groups web interface, users also can post to a group by sending an e-mail to the group's e-mail address. They can also create their own groups and access Usenet newsgroups dating back to 1981.

History

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In February 2001, Google acquired Deja.com, which provided a search engine to access an archive of Usenet newsgroup articles."Google Acquires Usenet Discussion Service and Significant Assets from Deja.com", Google, 12 February 2001 Users were then able to access these Usenet newsgroups through the new Google Groups interface. By the end of 2001 the archive was completed with messages dating back to 11 May 1981. "20 Year Archive on Google Groups", Google, 11 December 2001"Full Usenet archive now available", pandia, 29 April 2001"Digital history saved", BBC, 14 December 2001 Shortly after, Google released a new version, which allowed users to create their own (non-Usenet) groups.

In February 2006, Google added several features to Google Groups. These features include an enhanced interface, profiles and rating posts.

More on [ Google Groups ]

Googling Google

First images of Google-powered HTC Dream
Garett Rogers Thu, 28 Aug 2008 14:00:46 -0000
It was rumored that the HTC G1 (Dream) would be the first Google powered phone on the market, and if everything pans out, those rumors will end up being true with a launch date sooner than later. Android Guys have the first mock-up drawings of the Dream, and it’s clearly Google powered — the [...]
Google Suggest goes live, will people like it?
Garett Rogers Tue, 26 Aug 2008 23:42:47 -0000
Google Suggest is a feature that gives you automatic recommendations when you begin to search for something — it’s eluded the official Google homepage for several years, but today it has finally found it’s way there. The question now, as Philipp Lenssen puts it, is weather it will be useful or annoying in the [...]
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Tue, 26 Aug 2008 23:42:47 -0000
Google finally ready to launch Jaiku on their platform
Garett Rogers Sun, 24 Aug 2008 03:24:13 -0000
Jaiku is down, and according to jaikuinvites, it’s because they have finally moved their system to the Google App Engine platform. There’s no official word from Google about what’s happening, but their website describes it as “server maintenance”. If you’re wondering what Jaiku is, you can basically think of it as Twitter, but owned and [...]
Google gains share again, should Microsoft give up?
Garett Rogers Fri, 22 Aug 2008 01:12:33 -0000
Google has been gaining market share consistently since they day they opened up shop, and it doesn’t appear it will be slowing down any time soon — in July they were up to 62%. Yahoo and Microsoft have been trying their hardest, spending hundreds of millions of dollars each year to try and change [...]
New Android SDK finally given to developers
Garett Rogers Wed, 20 Aug 2008 04:56:19 -0000
It’s been a long time since a new Android SDK has been publicly released to developers — the last one was made available only to contest winners which made some developers feel less than appreciated. This comes right after the FCC approved the first Android handset expected to be released very soon by HTC. The [...]
Want to know what key political players are reading?
Garett Rogers Mon, 18 Aug 2008 19:06:04 -0000
This is an interesting idea — Google’s now sharing with the world what is catching attention from presidential candidates and political commentators. Political news isn’t hard to find online — it’s basically everywhere. Popular news featured on Google News is often political in nature, and there is certainly no shortage of political bloggers [...]
Google feeds publishers with new AdSense option
Garett Rogers Sun, 17 Aug 2008 02:30:40 -0000
When most publishers use RSS feeds to syndicate their content, most are hoping readers click through to the original content, and then they can monetize it from there — unfortunately, consumers of this feed data are often just looking for a quick fix, and not really that interested in the actual source of the information. [...]
First Android phone on September 17th?
Garett Rogers Fri, 15 Aug 2008 05:26:11 -0000
The Android project has been filled with rumor and speculation — and it continues. It sounds like the first handsets featuring Google Android will be available on September 17th for existing T-Mobile customers. There is no official word that confirms or denies this, but apparently the sources are credible. The first “Android phone” exists. It’s [...]

The Official Google Blog

Introducing the winners of the Android Developer Challenge I
A Googler Fri, 29 Aug 2008 00:27:00 -0000
Less than a year ago, we announced the Android Developer Challenge, a two-part contest for developers to design engaging, innovative mobile applications for Android to the tune of $10 million total in awards. Since the kickoff of the first part of the contest (ADC I) last November, we've been eagerly waiting to see what these brilliant minds would come up with. The first round of ADC I closed earlier this year, awarding the top 50 entrants with $25,000 each. Today marks the closing of the second and final round of ADC I, in which 10 winners will receive $275,000 and 10 semi-finalists will be awarded $100,000. We'd like to wish a hearty congrats to all the award recipients!Visit the Android Developers blog to read more about the finalists' projects, and check back for updates on ADC II.Posted by Eric Chu, Android Mobile Platform
Empowering users to map their worlds
Karen Thu, 28 Aug 2008 14:37:00 -0000
In countries like India, great maps and comprehensive local data are hard to come by. And traditional mapping approaches are stretched to the limit in such environments, where infrastructure and local businesses are evolving at a furious pace.This need inspired us in Google India to design and build Google Map Maker, which enables users everywhere over to create rich, deep maps and fresh local data. People can mark their favorite spots in their cities and hometowns, add features such as roads, parks, and buildings, tag small businesses to help users find them, and collaborate to map neighborhoods of interest. This product is motivated by the spirit of information democracy, where people can create information that are moderated and consumed by their peers.Today, we are bringing home this innovation by launching Google Map Maker in India, which has already been deployed in 57 other countries.We hope Google Map Maker will result in rich local data which will benefit Google users both on the web and on mobile. The creation of base maps where there were previously none will encourage many mashups, mapplets and other cool applications that make use of this data. We're also excited to see Google Map Maker create a new breed of local map experts who bring their passion for their neighborhoods and communities into the online world, adding to local commerce, tourism and investment.I will leave you with a map of IIT Bombay, the alma mater to many of us in Google India. When I spent a few hours mapping IIT Bombay -- the place I lived in, the school I went to, and the streets I played on, it turned out to be a surprisingly satisfying experience that reconnected me to a place that is home to many of my memories. We hope you will find the Google Map Maker experience as fun and fulfilling as we do.Posted by Lalitesh Katragadda, Software Engineer and creator, Google Map Maker
Non-profit gives itself a Google makeover
Karen Thu, 28 Aug 2008 14:21:00 -0000
Back in May, we introduced a site called Google for Non-Profits, to showcase the tools organizations can use to raise funds and collaborate easily and efficiently. These tools, we hoped, would enable non-profits to focus less on creaky email systems or lost documents -- and more on their missions.For at least one non-profit, this was old news. Months before we unveiled our non-profit site, Marianne Clauw, who chairs CASA Washtenaw, an organization pairing volunteers with children in the local court system -- learned about Google products through an employee in our Ann Arbor office. With a website that she now compares to a "dusty storefront" and data sitting in a "scarily unsecure, un-backed up" state, she remembers, "I could see right away that we needed to switch to Google services."Clauw and her colleague Ferlie Yruma used Google Page Creator (now Google Sites) to develop a shiny new website, complete with a YouTube video, a Google Calendar that reflects real-time updates, and a Checkout button allowing users to donate with a few clicks of a mouse. They applied and earned a Google Grant to run free AdWords advertising. As volunteer applications and donations trickled in, they began using Gmail and Docs to streamline the way they worked internally.Here's what they have to say about the experience:"Non-profits are not competitive by nature,” observes Clauw. “But we live in a competitive landscape: for donors, for volunteers, for grants. What we've done with Google is a major step in being competitive.”When CASA Washtenaw competes at a high level, Washtenaw County kids win. And for this non-profit, that's the biggest prize of all.Posted by Eileen Duffy, AdWords Associate
Strengthening the study of computer science
Karen Wed, 27 Aug 2008 18:46:00 -0000
At a time when more and more digital technologies are becoming indispensable to millions of people, the field of computer science (CS) is in trouble. Enrollment and retention of CS students, particularly those historically underrepresented in the field (women, African-Americans, Native-Americans, and Hispanics) has declined sharply. According to the Computing Research Association, CS enrollment in the U.S. was at its peak in 2000, with 15,958 undergrads. By 2006, enrollment declined by roughly half: 7,798 undergrads. And enrollment among already-underrepresented groups has dropped even more sharply.We hope to address this problem (and potential shortage) with a variety of programs beyond our scholarship initiatives. Recently, our educational outreach group, University Programs, and Diversity and Talent Inclusion teams joined forces to create the Computer Science Summer Institute (CSSI). This special institute included an interactive and collaborative CS curriculum, as well as a living-learning residential experience for student networking. We chose 17 college sophomores, all aspiring computer scientists, to attend the all-expenses-paid CSSI in Mountain View from August 3–15.Our goals for the institute:To enrich the skills of students early in their CS studies (or at risk of leaving the major) in an effort to increase the pipeline into the CS major and boost retentionTo provide a social and professional network for underrepresented (women, Hispanic, African-American, and/or Native-American) technology students To empower students, giving them the tools, motivation and confidence to continue with CS studiesTo show students daily life at Google and the amazing applications of CS that occur hereThe CSSI faculty was comprised of Google engineers and our educational outreach group. We paired students with Google "buddies" - engineers with whom they can develop a long-term advising relationship. Students heard from professionals from across the technology industry and academia about the many things they can do with a CS degree.Students worked in teams to build a completely interactive Web 2.0 website, keeping in mind both practical programming skills and the theory behind it.We plan to keep in touch with these students across their college careers, and to encourage future participants to complete their CS work and join the community of computer scientists.Posted by Rebecca Selvenis, University Programs Specialist
Making money on YouTube with Content ID
Karen Wed, 27 Aug 2008 15:00:00 -0000
Late last year, we introduced our newest tool for YouTube's content identification and management system, Video ID. While we have long provided copyright owners with similar content policies and tools, Video ID was revolutionary because it provided real choice and control to content owners by combining a sophisticated policy engine with cutting-edge video matching technology. With the other tools in our content ID system, Video ID helps content owners decide exactly what they want done with their videos, whether to block, promote, or even—if a copyright holder chooses to license their content to appear on the site—monetize them.We've been curious to see what copyright holders would choose. Would the vast majority of partners block user-uploaded videos? Or would they embrace Video ID as an opportunity to generate revenue and exposure for their content online?As it turns out, our partners are choosing the latter, monetizing 90% of all claims created through Video ID. This has led directly to a similarly significant increase in monetizable partner inventory, as our Video ID partners are seeing claimed content more than double their number of views, against which we can run ads. This means that if a partner has, say, 10,000 views of its content, leaving up videos claimed by our system will lead to an average additional 10,000 views of that same content. We call this "partner uplift," and for some partners we've seen uplift as high as 9000%.Access to our copyright management tools is open to all rights owners, regardless of whether they choose to license their content to YouTube. But it's clear to our 300+ Video ID partners that our technology has created a framework that allows copyright holders to sanction the creativity of their biggest fans. These partners now have a new way to successfully distribute and market their content online, and with the help of our users, they are finding Video ID critical to discovering such opportunities.You can learn more about our content identification and management system on its new home page.Posted by David King, YouTube Product Manager
Search experiments, large and small
Karen Tue, 26 Aug 2008 18:23:00 -0000
In my previous post, I described the components of your web search experience and the principles behind creating a great search experience. There are complex algorithms underlying simple features such as spelling correction and the two line snippets that describe each search result. We figure out what works by running experiments - tiny tests for a small number of users which help us determine whether that feature helps or hurts. Experimentation is a very powerful tool, and we use it very widely to test potential changes to search. At any given time, we run anywhere from 50 to 200 experiments on Google sites all over the world. I'll start by describing experimental changes so small that you can barely tell the difference after staring at the page, and end with a couple of much more visually obvious experiments that we have run. There are a lot of people dedicated to detecting everything Google changes - and occasionally, things imagined that we did not do! - and they do latch on to a lot of our more prominent experiments. But the experiments with smaller changes are almost never noticed. For example, can you tell the difference between the two pages below? Choice 1: Choice 2: I'm pretty sure I would not be able to tell the difference if I were to see each of them on their own. But apparently you can! At least in the aggregate, there is a measurable difference with a change like this. In case you can't tell after staring, the white space around the first search result has changed, which makes the first result in Picture 2 slightly more visually prominent. This visual prominence conveys the fact that according to our ranking signals, the first result is a substantially better match than the next result. On the plus side, it helps you focus on the first result. But if you were looking for one of the other results, it can disrupt your scanning of the page. An experiment helps us determine which effect is more prominent, and whether a change would help you search faster. Another change, almost as minimal visually, is between these two results: In this case, the difference in user interaction is so clear and marked we could tell extremely quickly which one worked better: the difference is in the thickness of the plus box next to the stock quote. Now, coming to the conclusion that one is "better" is tricky, and there's many a possible slip on the way there. Does more interaction with the plus box mean that it is better? How about if users then miss good results because they are distracted by the more prominent plus box? Keep watching Google to see which version won! If we've done our job right, almost without your noticing, things will work just that little bit better for you. The world will seem rosier. Birds will sing. Or maybe not - but at least you will have the best-designed plus box we can come up with :) Okay, so not all of our experiments are insane eye tests. My main point in highlighting the above experiments is that we test almost everything, even things that you would think are so small that we could not possibly care (nor could they possibly matter). In fact, small changes do matter, and we do care. Another class of experiments have to do with changes that are not purely visual, but rather involve changes to the underlying presentation algorithms. For instance, the algorithm that is responsible for the titles and snippets of result pages now highlights stems and some synonyms of the original query term. For the query [hp printer drivers] we will also return results that include and highlight the word "driver".This sort of "stemming," as it's called, is generally a good idea, because it helps you better identify results that match your query, but not always. Experiments of this sort help us verify (or, occasionally, overturn) our assumptions regarding changes in these algorithms. There is a further class of experiments - the kind that are hard to miss - which introduces fairly prominent features. Even with these larger features, the goal of experimentation always remains the same: are we adding something that really helps people, or is this just another distraction? Google does not really come with a user manual (actually, there are some nicely-written help pages, but we're pretty sure most of you don't bother to read them!). So features need to stand on their own feet, without the help of a careful explanation. Part of the goal of an experiment is to understand just how a feature will be used, which might be quite different from what we initially intended. Here's an example of an experiment that lets you comment on search results and move them around on the result page: At this point, I can't say what we expect from this feature; we're just curious to see how it will be used. These are a small sample of the kinds of experiments we run as we test everything from the barely visible to the glaringly obvious. So the next time you use Google and it seems a little different - well, maybe it is. Just for you! Posted by Ben Gomes, Distinguished Engineer
At a loss for words?
Karen Tue, 26 Aug 2008 00:05:00 -0000
Have you ever been stumped in finding the right words to search for? Back when I was planning my wedding, I had a list of wedding songs in mind, but the problem was that I couldn't remember any of the artist names or song titles. So I started typing into the Google search box parts of the lyrics that I did remember -- and like magic, I saw suggestions with the artist name and song titles that I wanted! (I was opted-in to the keyword suggestions Google Labs experiment at the time). At that moment, I was so proud to be working on Google Suggest, a search feature that provides real-time suggestions while you search.Today we're excited because Google Suggest will be "graduating" from Labs and available by default on the Google.com homepage. Over the next week, we'll be rolling this out so that more and more of you will start seeing a list of query suggestions when you start typing into the search box.We find that by providing suggestions upfront, we can help people search more efficiently and conveniently. Below are some great ways Google Suggest can help simplify your searching.Help formulate queries: Instead of just typing [hotels in washington] - did you want [hotels in washington dc] or [hotels in washington state]? Don't remember that song title or person's name? Let Google help you search (and yes, I ended up choosing "From This Moment" as our wedding song).Reduce spelling errors: Since suggestions are spell-corrected using the same "Did you mean?" feature that offers alternative spellings for your query after you search, misspellings and typos can be corrected ahead of time. Instead of wasting your time with a misspelled query like [new yrok times] or [tomorow never dies], search the first time with the correctly-spelled query.Saves keystrokes: Who wants to spend their time typing [san francisco chronicle] when you can just type in "san f..." and choose the suggestion right away?The Google Suggest feature originally started as a 20% project in 2004, and has since expanded to Google Labs, Toolbar, Firefox search box, Maps and Web Search for select countries, the iPhone and BlackBerry, YouTube, and now Google.com. Special thanks to my teammates Miki Herscovici (Tech Lead) and the rest of the engineering team in Haifa for their hard work in making this happen.So what are you waiting for? Give it a try. Start typing in a query on Google.com to see Google Suggest in action!Update: Corrected team mention.Posted by Jennifer Liu, Product Manager
Election season in high gear
Karen Mon, 25 Aug 2008 16:04:00 -0000
As many of you know, the 2008 U.S. political conventions--two weeks of party business that begins for the Democrats in Denver today, and for the Republicans in Minneapolis next week--marks the beginning of the general election season. To help you stay informed and engaged in the upcoming election, we're launching a one-stop shop for political information: www.google.com/2008election.Can't make it to Denver or Minneapolis? Go to our conventions site to view the latest news, videos, photos and blog posts. See what the candidates are saying about the issues that concern you by using Elections Video Search, which lets you search across all of the candidate speeches and videos by word. If you want to see what the Obama or McCain campaigns and other political journalists are reading, check out Power Readers in Politics and subscribe to get daily snippets. You can also interact with a wide variety of political mash-ups in the Google Maps Elections Gallery. If you're a teacher, inform your students about the political process with our Election Toolkit for Teachers. If you happen to be running for office yourself, or are blogging about various campaigns, go to our Campaign Toolkit to find out how you can use online tools to raise money, follow the campaign trail or spread your influence.And as election day grows closer, we're working on ways for you to find local voter registration sites or polling places on demand -- stay tuned for more details on that.We're excited to be a part of this exciting election season, where technology is playing a groundbreaking role in connecting candidates and voters.Posted by Rick Klau and Brittany Bohnet, Google Elections Team
Bring the political process to life in your classroom
Karen Tue, 19 Aug 2008 17:37:00 -0000
It's back-to-school season in the U.S. and social studies teachers everywhere are excited about the November elections and all of the ways that politics has evolved since even just four years ago. Technology is advancing. Internet fundraising has brought all kinds of new small donors into the political process, social networking is helping campaigns and citizens organize themselves in new ways, and YouTube, which didn't even exist four years ago, has swept the political dialogue.With technology producing such dramatic changes in American politics, we want to make sure it's easy for teachers to bring some of the best Internet tools into the classroom to help students get engaged. Working with the National Student/Parent Mock Election, we've pulled together a site called Elections Tools for Teachers where you can find descriptions and suggested learning activities for tools like YouTube, Google Maps, Elections Video Search and Power Readers, which we announced here yesterday.We want students to walk away from their engagement in this election with a sense of excitement about our democratic process and with the belief that their voices matter. As Gloria Kirshner, president of the Mock Election has said, "In the classrooms of today are the Presidents, Senators, Congress members and, most important, the voters of tomorrow. Whether we are sending these children to the White House or to the polls, we hope to send them with a deep understanding of 'government of the people, by the people, and for the people.'"Please let us know if you find Elections Tools for Teachers helpful in your teaching, and we hope you'll enroll your students in this year's National Mock Election on October 30th.Posted by Galen Panger & Cristin Frodella, Google Educators Team

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