WebRev Blog

Remember the Google Buzz debacle? I've written about the privacy issues, and used as an example of why an online search engine perhaps shouldn't be in charge of storing our medical information?  Well, a bunch of users did more than make snarky comments on their blog; they filed a class action lawsuit, and won.  Here's part of the e-mail I received today:

...Shortly after its launch, we heard from a number of people who were concerned about privacy. In addition, we were sued by a group of Buzz users and recently reached a settlement in this case.

The settlement acknowledges that we quickly changed the service to address users' concerns. In addition, Google has committed $8.5 million to an independent fund, most of which will support organizations promoting privacy education and policy on the web. We will also do more to educate people about privacy controls specific to Buzz. The more people know about privacy online, the better their online experience will be.

Just to be clear, this is not a settlement in which people who use Gmail can file to receive compensation. Everyone in the U.S. who uses Gmail is included in the settlement, unless you personally decide to opt out before December 6, 2010. The Court will consider final approval of the agreement on January 31, 2011...

Here's a copy of the official notice (.pdf download), so you can find out if you are involved in the lawsuit.  According to the press release, here is a summary of your options, if you are a qualifying Buzz user:

• EXCLUDE YOURSELF - This is the only option that allows you to bring your own lawsuit, or be part of any other lawsuit against Google about the legal claims resolved in this Settlement. You must mail your request for exclusion so that it is received no later than December 6, 2010.

• OBJECT - Write to the Court about why you do not like the Settlement. Your objection must be received by January 10, 2011.

• GO TO A HEARING - Ask to speak in Court about the fairness of the Settlement. Send your Notice of Intent to Appear so that it is received no later than January 10, 2011.

• DO NOTHING - Give up your rights to sue Google about the legal claims in this case and thereby accept the terms of this Settlement.

For more information, visit BuzzClassAction.com

Jennifer Pointer (e-mail) is in Tulsa, OK. She promotes a simple, a low-tech approach to effective online profile management, search engine optimization and social networking. 
 

Are suffering from writer's block (or "blogger's block), and trying to find a topic?  One way to do this is to see what people are searching for on the search engines.  There are a number of ways to do this. 

Google Hot Trends

 

My favorite live search tool is Google Hot Trends (google.com/trends/hottrends).  At any given point in the day, it will tell you what the most popular searches were within that hour.  One this morning is "Chuck Norris Dead", because of an April Fools Day joke from yesterday.  It was not a very funny "joke," and fortunately not true - but if you want to read more about it, click HERE.  Another is Good Friday Quotes - for obvious reasons (today is Good Friday), as well as Passion of the Christ.

 

Yahoo! Buzz

 

Yahoo also has a great live search tool, Yahoo! Buzz (buzz.yahoo.com).  This morning, Yahoo! is still buzzing about all of the celebrity pranks for April Fools Day, the Health Care reform bill, and what to do for Easter.

 

AOL Hot Searches

 

AOL Hot Searches (hot.aol.com), as the name implies, displays the most popular searches from the previous day.  On AOL, some of the popular searches on April 1st were April Fool's Day (imagine that!), Trader Joe's (my favorite weird little store), and Spring Dresses (apparently AOL Users are a lot more fashion conscious than Google or Yahoo users?).

 

Search.com

 

Search.com, powered by CBS, has a great list of the top 250 searches (search.com/top)- updated live, from it's search engine.  Search.com users this morning are looking for information about George Tiller, the Clash of the Titans movie, mental health, and the IRS (plus 246 other things).

So, hopefully, that will give you a good starting point. for a writing topic. Happy blogging, and Happy Easter, everyone!

Jennifer Pointer (e-mail) is a trainer and tech writer in Tulsa, OK. She promotes a simple, a low-tech approach to effective online profile management, search engine optimization and social networking. Her weakness is the mocha frappuccino.