Google Base Launches

[Eadz]

Almost to the second that they get their previous launch ( analytics ) working, they launch google base.

Google Base: http://base.google.com/base/

Announcement on the Google Blog http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2005/11/first-base.html

From the google base about page

Originally Posted by Google Base

What is Google Base?

Google Base is a place where you can easily submit all types of online and offline content that we'll host and make searchable online. You can describe any item you post with attributes, which will help people find it when they search Google Base. In fact, based on the relevance of your items, they may also be included in the main Google search index and other Google products like Froogle, Google Base and Google Local.

Quick Facts about Google Base

• Cost: Free
• Item types accepted: All types of online and offline information and images
• Languages: You can submit your information in many languages; the Google Base interface, however, including the Help Content, is currently available only in English, English UK and German.
• Reach: Items you submit to Google Base can be found on Google Base and, depending on their relevance, may also appear on Google properties like Google, Froogle and Google Local.

How it's different: Google Base enables you to add attributes that better describe your content so that users can easily find it. The more popular specific attributes become, the more often we'll suggest them when others post the same items. Similarly, items that become more popular will show up as suggested item types in the Choose an existing item type drop down menu.

It does look like it has taken at least one thing from craigslist - the anon email addresses e.g. anon-pjw36xxxxxxxxx *at* base.google.com

Also note that you can submit a URL for the item to redirect to.

What are you going to put in the google base?

[Olney]

I'm going to put in all our relevent info on the IDN market....

redirected to our site of course...

[spring]

All your google base are belong to us

[onedollar]

From google base terms of services (emphasis mine)

We may update the Terms of Service without notice to you, and you are responsible for checking the most current version of the Terms of Service at http://base.google.com/base/terms_of_service.html and our product policies at http://base.google.com/base/base_policies.html.

[onedollar]

attributes - another name for tagging ?

[Eadz]

Originally Posted by onedollar

attributes - another name for tagging ?

no, they are more like custom database fields, which are sortable and searchable.

[fryman]

I have read the description 5 times, but still have no idea of what this thing is meant for... any clues?

[jlawrence]

Join the club Fryman, I thought it was just me.
I just don't get it. What's the point ?
hmmm, wonder if we can use it for creating backlinks directly from a google url ?

[Liminal]

Originally Posted by fryman

I have read the description 5 times, but still have no idea of what this thing is meant for... any clues?

If you are a webmaster you can drive traffic to your site by posting content with a backlink. If your content changes frequently, the service is a good way to make it findable immediately.

The average Joe can post all kinds of classifieds or share anything else

[aeiouy]

Somehow I doubt Google is going to allow it to be used as a backlink factory...

So there must be some other intended use in mind.

I must join the club of saying what is this good for..

Of course after looking at it, it seems exactly like what is going to happen.. Seems like a big giant directory.

[Liminal]

Well, postings expire after a maximum of 31 days. So it's not backlink the way we know it but sure can drive traffic and help your links get crawled within the time period the posting is active. There is no "nofollow".

Plus, I imagine Google will take a note of sites that frequently share content via the Google Base and give them somewhat higher rank.

[jestep]

I just posted a classified ad for the tickets that I am selling. I doubt that google base will generate much traffic if any yet. I imagine that it will take a while for people to start using it.

[aeiouy]

Yeah but you don't even share content.. All you give them is keywords and description... So they are not even hosting the actual content. Like I said, it seems like a giant directory. Of course maybe I am not understanding it. I guess they want people to dump all their content in the description field.

Edit: double edit:

What keeps me from just providing teaser descriptions to links back to my site for all my content?

The whole idea of googlebase makes my head spin... I envision billions of pages of duplicate content with no real purpose... Why did they make this? It even accepts datafeeds.... ARGH

[Dekker]

Woo, more ad space for google! I think they're going to extend this in to their 'ebay' program.

[mopacfan]

Just posted my car for sale out there. It's free, heck, so lets see what happens.

[jestep]

Originally Posted by aeiouy

The whole idea of googlebase makes my head spin... I envision billions of pages of duplicate content with no real purpose... Why did they make this? It even accepts datafeeds.... ARGH

I agree.

Just after making one post and browsing through the few posts that have been made so far, the whole system seems to be a confusing mess. There isn't any real organization to the whole thing, and t looks like it is going to spur a whole new 'optimize for google base' rush. Browsing isn't particularly easy, and unlike ebay there isn't a simple graphical way to sift through all of the listings.

I searched for paintball, and I got a bunch of ads relating to things other than paintball. Maybe it will take some time for it to populate and make more sense, but I cant imagine a rush of people leaving ebay for this. It offers potential for sellers in that its free, but getting the buyers to switch is going to be more complicated.

[ResaleBroker]

Originally Posted by Liminal

Well, postings expire after a maximum of 31 days.

I published a couple submissions this morning and it appears that the ads do not expire after a certain period of time.

In the "Active items in Google Base" page under "Expires" it shows "Item does not expire".

Maybe it depends on the type of ad?

[clickhandbags]

I recently uploaded the same .txt file I use for Froogle, one hour later, it's there and appears to be fine. I'm getting traffic already, for totally unrelated keyword searches, but it is Beta. Actually, so is Froogle!

---(One minute later.) Edit that,

Here comes some traffic for related.

[Infiniterb]

Product ads seem to have a max of 31 days of life while data/articles last forever.

[obiztek]

It seems to be interesting .Let us use it to see it gravity