Author Archives: Jason

About Jason

Jason R. Koepke is Founder and Data Strategist at GNT LLC, a risk-analysis and data strategy firm that provides analytical and technical services to the public and private sectors. His work and research has been featured in the academic, financial, and technical industries.

The Google (and GIM and GMail)

Given the attention Google receives, including from techies, investors, and media-types, it is surprising to see how little attention and analysis there has been regarding Google’s integration of Google Talk (or GIM) with GMail.

In general, Google uses sophisticated models and data-mining techniques to deliver more relevant advertising to users. Increasingly, however, the company is microscoping those techniques down to a user-specific level. The bait to tie advertising to a specific user (e.g., me), rather than a general type of user (e.g., people who perform a search for “glass + composer + ‘tour dates'”), was/is GMail. To use the service, people log in and have a specific account. In its initial form, e-mails were scanned and relevant advertising provided.

But that crude method, which was and to some degree remains the standard method, only provides a one-dimensional (i.e., e-mail) information/revenue stream. Steadily, Google has increased the number of services/revenue streams that improve/adjust when a user is logged into what was his or her GMail account and is now more generally referred to as a Google account. These includes News.Google, Base.Google, Images.Google, Groups.Google, and (Search.)Google.

While the Google (nee GMail) account was, and remains, the bait for attracting users to create trackable/information-creating accounts, GIM’s incorporation into GMail–which is done adequately, although not impressively, well–is the hook that keeps users logged in, trackable, and able to be advertised to in a personal (rather than customizable or typed) manner. That’s because GIM requires you to be logged in constantly and because there are people who only access their e-mail account when checking for new messages (as opposed to running it continuously and being notified when there is e-mail). The combination of the two is a significant barrier to Google’s efforts to collect user-specific data, but a barrier that is overcome because of GIM’s always-logged-in character. Important to remember is that once a user remains logged in the other personalizable Google services are activated, thereby generating not just the GIM and GMail information/revenue streams, but also a number of others (e.g., News.Google). That one GIM/GMail door opens up many worlds of new information gathering and advertising potential.

In fact, GIM’s integration with GMail may be one of the most important new products/developments the company has rolled out, and yet it met with little discussion and fanfare from the tech and investment community.

Need A Microwave or Coffee Maker, Want CDs?

I have a smallish Samsung microwave, which used to be JB’s, that I do not need and am happy to give away. Let me know if you are interested.

I also have a Mr. Coffee 12-cup coffee maker up for grabs. Works fine, except for the fact that the carafe’s handle is broken. You will need a new carafe. Let me know if you are interested.

I am also selling some CDs. Let me know if you are interested and I will get you a list.

Online Shopping Safer Than Brick-And-Mortor?

I just ordered shoes from Shoes.com (where else?). In checking out, they included this reassuring note:

Using your credit card at Shoes.com is safer than using it in a store. All information is encrypted and transmitted without risk using a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protocol.

First, it is funny I am posting this, about 10 Internet years after this discussion was first had. Second, I do not understand how it is safer than visiting a store, unless the store being visited is doing something blatantly wrong. At best, I see online shopping as secure as adventuring into the real world.