Posted by Mistique Cano, Policy Communications Manager

Updated with video from the event below.

Let's say you go to a documentary screening at the National Archives. After the screening your friend really wants gelato. You search for a place nearby on your phone. Along with your search results you see an ad for a gelato bar that, turns out, is only a block away. Your friend gets bourbon vanilla and you get pistachio. Everyone is happy. How did your phone know to serve you a gelato ad for a place around the corner instead of Georgetown? It's called geo-location advertising, and along with innovations like social advertising, interest-based advertising, and pay-per-click search ads, it's one of the biggest things in online advertising.

The U.S. online advertising economy is now $25 billion a year. But this growing space is little understood in Washington. Why are advertisers shifting money from TV and print to the web? How are ad prices set? Do those banner ads really work? Is geo-location a threat or new way to get discounts from your favorite stores? Will the iPad and tablet devices hurt newspapers or lead to their rebirth?

As part of our ongoing Google D.C. Talks series, and in conjunction with DC AdWeek, we'll discuss these questions and more with the Interactive Advertising Bureau's leader Randall Rothenberg and industry experts in search, display, and social advertising. The discussion will cover the basics of online advertising as well as emerging trends and interesting uses.

Google D.C. Talks Presents

10 Things You Don't Know About Online Advertising

Monday, September 20th

2:00 PM - 4:00 PM

Google DC

1101 New York Avenue, NW

2nd Floor

Washington, DC 20005Please

Click here to RSVP.

Updated with video from the event:

Posted by Mistique Cano, public policy communications

Liquid nitrogen. Deconstruction. Physics. Three terms not typically associated with cooking. Unless, of course, you’re talking about Chef José Andrés, of Jaleo, Oyamel, Zaytinya, Café Atlantico and Minibar fame.

Our next D.C. Talk is this coming Wednesday, July 14th, and we promise it will be memorable. Google’s Chief Internet Evangelist Vint Cerf will join Chef Andrés to ask you to re-imagine innovation and how it can transform the way we eat.

Driven by science and the desire to embody elements like air or light, food critic Ruth Reichl describes Chef Andrés’ culinary approach - known as molecular gastronomy - as “a kind of magic, it’s like a circus of the mouth.”

If you have burning questions for Chef Andrés, submit them and vote for other good questions via Google Moderator.

Google D.C. Talks presents

Chef José Andrés:

What does light taste like?

Wednesday, July 14th

5:30 PM - 7 PM ET

Google Washington Office

1101 New York Avenue, NW, Second Floor

Washington, D.C. 20005

Please RSVP

Posted by David Green, Global Communications and Public Affairs

Access to information about our home energy use can teach us all sorts of things about the appliances in our homes and how they interact with the electric grid. At an event we recently co-hosted with The Climate Group, the President’s most senior White House energy official, Carol Browner, told a story about how one of her colleagues did a home energy audit. During the audit, he discovered that one of his two stereos was using more than twice as much energy as the other. Both played music well, but it cost him twice as much to listen on one of the stereos.

We know that when people have access to their energy data, they tend to make simple behavioral decisions that save money and energy. For some that means smarter usage, like using the more efficient stereo. This is one of the small changes that can make a meaningful impact that was discussed at the event. If you’re interested in more about the technology and policies needed to drive innovation in home energy use, video from the half day program is available here.

Part #1: Tools & technologies that will empower people with information and control

Part #2: ET meets IT: Getting to Scale, A Fireside Chat with Charlene Begley, President and CEO, GE Home & Business Solutions

Part #3: Carol Browner, Assistant to the President for Energy and Climate Change

Part #4: How do we get there?

Posted by Adam Kovacevich, Senior Manager, Public Policy Communications

Our next Google D.C. Talk is coming up on October 9, and it should be a fun one.

Two years ago, the blog I Can Has Cheezburger introduced Internet surfers to LOLcats — cute kitten photos with misspelled captions — and a user-generated phenomenon was born. Since then, the entrepreneur who owns the site, Ben Huh, has started more than 20 other user-generated sites, including FAIL blog (photos of flops), GraphJam (life's inanities captured in graphs and pie charts), This Is Photobomb (photo interlopers), and Totally Looks Like (funny doppelgangers).

Beyond capturing the zeitgeist and making people laugh, Huh has turned these sites into a profitable business attracting more than 10 million visitors a month. But what can policymakers learn from the success of user-submitted content? On October 9, Huh will explain how "making the world happy for 5 minutes a day" is a viable business model; what motivates people to create and remix their own content for others to enjoy; what the rise of LOLcats means for our culture; and how the copyright laws impact the spread of user-generated content.

Google D.C. Talks Presents:
LOLcats, Cheezburgers, and FAILs:
Building an Online Media Empire by Making People Happy
A Conversation with Ben Huh, CEO, Cheezburger Network
Friday, October 9, 2009
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Google D.C. Office
1101 New York Avenue, NW, 2nd Floor
Washington, DC

RSVP here

Have a question for Ben? Visit www.googledctalks.com to submit it through Google Moderator.

Posted by Adam Kovacevich, Senior Manager, Global Communications and Public Affairs

There's been no shortage of discussion over Chris Anderson's new book Free, in which he makes the controversial claim that the future of business will be to give away content, products, and services. During his Google D.C. Talk earlier this week, Chris explained how new business models like freemium and other approaches to advertising will change the face of global commerce.

Check out video of the event on YouTube:



And as you might expect, Free is free -- at least online. Check it out on Google Books:

Posted by Harry Wingo, Policy Counsel

To help spark ideas and stimulate discussion following the release of the President's cyberspace policy review, last Friday we teamed up with the Center for a New American Security to bring together a panel of experts representing government, military, and industry for a Google D.C. Talk, "Developing a National Cybersecurity Strategy."

Included in the President's action plan is the goal of developing a "strategy to expand and train the workforce, including attracting and retaining cybersecurity expertise in the Federal government" -- a key point we discussed during Friday's event. Philip Reitinger of the Department of Homeland Security noted that we need to expand the talent pool, which will likely require getting young people excited about the possibilities of working in IT.

I'm convinced that there should be a long-term focus on educating and cultivating future computer scientists (including putting cybersecurity in the curriculum at every step). Students are introduced to foreign languages as early as grammar school -- why not also introduce them to the basics of code?

Beyond K-12, we should expand programs like the National Science Foundation's Scholarship For Service, which provides support to undergraduate and graduate students focusing on information assurance. Thoughtful investments in programs that support computer science education today will help us to build a strong pipeline for the next generation of cybersecurity professionals.

The panel also discussed the Cybersecurity Act of 2009, which some had argued would give the President the authority to shut down the Internet. Ellen Doneski, Chief of Staff for the Senate Commerce Committee, addressed these concerns head-on and explained that the language in the bill will be rewritten with input from stakeholders.

Check out video from the event to see what our panelists had to say:

Posted by Adam Kovacevich, Senior Manager, Global Communications and Public Affairs

At our next Google D.C. Talk on Tuesday, July 7, Wired editor Chris Anderson will talk about the power of a price: $0.00.

In his new book, Free: The Future of a Radical Price, Anderson makes the provocative case that in many instances businesses can profit more from giving things away than they can by charging for them.

But if the product is free, where's the revenue? And how do you compete when your competitors are giving away what you're trying to sell? We'll ask Chris those questions and more.

Google D.C. Talks presents
A Conversation with Chris Anderson,
Free: The Future of a Radical Price
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
10:00 AM - 11:30 AM ET
Google Washington Office
1101 New York Avenue, NW, Second Floor
Washington, D.C.
Click here to RSVP

Got a question for Chris, but can't wait to the event? Submit your question now through Google Moderator or vote on the questions that others submit -- and we'll ask the top-rated questions at the talk.

Posted by Dan Martin, Global Communications and Public Affairs

An explosion in Web 2.0 tools over the past decade has changed the way the U.S. military and intelligence community operate. Soldiers use Web-based, collaborative technologies to aid combat operations in Iraq, and tens of thousands of individuals from the 16 intelligence agencies regularly turn to Intellipedia, a classified wiki aimed at helping analysts share information.

Join us next week for a Google D.C. Talk that will look at how and why these communities are using web-based tools to organize and share information. We'll also discuss the technical and cultural challenges to adapting Web 2.0 technologies to the national security realm.

The event will take place on Friday, June 12 at Google's Washington office:

Google D.C. Talks presents
"From the Bottom Up: National Security and Web 2.0"
Friday, June 12, 2009
10:00 AM - 11:15 AM ET
Google Washington Office
1101 New York Avenue, NW, Second Floor
Washington, DC 20005
Click here to RSVP

Until then, don't forget to submit your questions for our panelists -- Lt. Col. Patrick Michaelis of the U.S. Army, Sean Dennehy of the CIA, and Dr. Calvin Andrus of the CIA -- via Google Moderator. Hope to see you there.

Posted by Adam Kovacevich, Senior Manager, Global Communications and Public Affairs

For those of you in D.C., we hope you'll join us this Friday for our next Google D.C. Talk with author Jeff Jarvis.

In his new book What Would Google Do?, Jeff reverse-engineers Google to discern its core practices, strategies and attitudes. Among his recommendations: make mistakes well, manage abundance, trust the people, and be transparent.

Ultimately, the book isn't really about Google, though. It's a candid assessment of where today’s companies are failing as well as a survival guide for succeeding – in fields as diverse as automobiles, power plants, media companies, and health care.

Google's Bob Boorstin will be talking with Jeff about the book -- and Jeff will be taking questions from you too. We hope you can make it.

Google D.C. Talks presents

A Conversation with Jeff Jarvis, What Would Google Do?

Friday, April 3, 2009

10:00 AM - 11:00 AM ET

Google DC

1101 New York Avenue NW

2nd Floor

Entrance on Eye Street

Washington, DC

RSVP here

Posted by Dorothy Chou, Global Communications and Public Affairs

Recently, there's been a lot of talk about the possibilities of web-based services in "the cloud," a new evolution in computing that gives individual users the power to access and deploy applications and services through the Internet.

Tomorrow morning, we'll be hosting a discussion on the future of cloud computing and technology policy at the Newseum in D.C.

Jeffrey Rayport, principal at the Marketspace consulting group and one of the nation's leading experts on digital strategy and marketing, and Andrew Heyward, former President of CBS News, will present the findings of their new study. They will assess the possibilities, risks and returns of cloud computing; the next steps in moving forward; and potential implications for technology policy.

Bernard Golden (CEO of HyperStratus) will offer commentary and Chris Dorobek (co-anchor of The Daily Debrief on Federal News Radio 1500 AM, managing editor of FederalNewsRadio.com, and editor in chief of the DorobekInsider.com blog) will moderate the discussion.

Google D.C. Talks presents
"Envisioning the Cloud: The Next Computing Paradigm
and its Implications for Technology Policy"
Friday, March 20, 2008
10:00 AM - 11:30 AM ET
The Newseum
555 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Seventh Floor
Washington, D.C. 20001
RSVP Here or e-mail Dorothy Chou at [email protected]

We hope you can join us tomorrow. All are invited to submit questions in advance via Google Moderator.

Posted by Galen Panger, Global Communications and Public Affairs

We have an incredible group of panelists lined up for Friday's Google D.C. Talk on open and participatory government, and many have already weighed in with their questions and votes.

Have you? This is, after all, about open and participatory government.

Make sure your voice is heard. Submit and vote on questions for our panelists and, of course, don't forget to RSVP. We'll see you here in our office at 10 a.m.

Posted by Galen Panger, Global Communications and Public Affairs

This past election brought more people than ever into the political dialogue -- as observers, commentators, voters, volunteers and contributors. Now how will that energy be transferred to the realm of governing?

We'll explore that question next Friday, December 12, at the second of three Google D.C. Talks focused on a policy agenda for the Obama Administration and 111th Congress. Open government advocates in two panels will share their ideas about how technology can help government become more accountable, transparent and participatory.

And to make sure we're walking the participatory walk, we invite you to submit and vote on questions for our panelists ahead of time via Google Moderator.

Google D.C. Talks presents the second in a three-part series
"Tech Agenda 2009: Creating New Opportunities
for Open & Participatory Government"
Friday, December 12, 2008
10:00 AM - 11:45 AM ET
Google Washington Office
1101 New York Avenue, NW, Second Floor
Washington, DC 20005
Click here for more details and to RSVP

Posted by Dan Martin, Global Communications and Public Affairs

As we told you last week, tomorrow we're hosting the first in a series of town-halls, "Tech Agenda 2009: Building an Infrastructure for a 21st Century Economy."

We're trying something new for this event. For the first time, we're encouraging folks to use Google Moderator, a new application that allows audiences to submit questions and vote on the ones they'd like to hear answered. As more and more questions and votes are submitted, the cream rises to the top. So submit a question, and you just might hear it asked tomorrow morning.

Posted by Dan Martin, Global Communications and Public Affairs

Earlier this week we announced that Google CEO Eric Schmidt will be in Washington next Tuesday to deliver a speech on the intersection between technology and the economy.

Two days after Eric's speech, Google's Washington office will be hosting the first in a three-part series of "Google D.C. Talks" on the technology policy agenda for the incoming Congress and Administration.

The event will examine the crucial role of technology in driving economic growth, with a special focus on the infrastructure needed to foster innovation: an open Internet, broadband access, and a smart energy grid.

Panelists include Gigi Sohn (President, Public Knowledge), Jennifer Canty (CEO, Dyscern), Ben Scott (Policy Director, Free Press), Stephen Ezell (Senior Analyst, ITIF), Harry Wingo (Policy Counsel, Google), and Michael Oldak (Senior Director, Edison Electric Institute).

Google D.C. Talks presents the first in a three-part series
"Tech Agenda 2009: Building an Infrastructure for a 21st Century Economy"
Thursday, November 20, 2008
10:00 AM - 11:15 AM ET
Google Washington Office
1101 New York Avenue, NW, Second Floor
Washington, D.C. 20005
RSVP Here

We hope you can join us on Thursday. All are invited to submit questions in advance via Google Moderator.

Watch this space for more information on upcoming "Tech Agenda 2009" talks on transparency in government and the Internet's role in promoting freedom of expression around the world.

Posted by Dan Martin, D.C. Public Affairs Team

Earlier this year we launched a series of "Google D.C. Talks" in our new Washington office, with the goal of informing the D.C. community -- congressional staff, Administration officials, think tank and trade association reps, and journalists -- about Internet policy issues (see the photo at right of our last talk, on the "state of the Internet economy").

This Friday, September 12, we invite you to join our next talk, which looks at "cloud computing" -- the movement of computer applications and data storage from the desktop to remote servers -- and issues for policymakers to consider.

Google D.C. Talks Presents
"Cloud Computing: Navigating the next frontier"
Friday, September 12, 2008
10:00 AM - 11:30 AM ET
Google Washington Office
1101 New York Avenue, NW, Second Floor
Washington, D.C. 20005
RSVP Here

As part of the talk, the Pew Internet & American Life Project will present a new research report on the "Use of Cloud Computing Applications and Services," examining consumer attitudes and experiences with cloud computing. Experts from Salesforce.com, Georgetown University, and the Center for Democracy and Technology will respond to the new report and share their own views on this new computing model.

D.C. denizens -- we hope you can join us this Friday.