The tie for extra preliminary qualifying is between Ascot United and Wembley and takes place on Friday evening. It seems as though the streaming will be a test for bigger and better things to come and it may well be that more live sporting events, particularly football fixtures, will harness both the sheer audience size and viral capabilities of Facebook to draw in bigger crowds, even if they are online.

What better way to test the functionality and uptake by users than on a game between two lower league clubs? The home side will be hoping for a much bigger audience through Facebook, particularly as they usually achieve crowds of around 90 spectators. Both clubs will receive a nominal broadcast fee for the game.

This could certainly be the start of something big for Facebook and brand pages too. Watch this space…

Source: BBC

According to a recent experiment by Razvan Antonescu Google has started including “Plus box” video results in organic search results.

Google has recently done the same with Finance and Maps and we certainly think its a great way of showing richer search results with minimal page clutter.
We couldn’t get the same thing to happen for us, but we are sure it will pop up again!

“In November, we officially closed our acquisition of YouTube, and since then we’ve received a number of questions about what will happen next. The summary is that Google Video and YouTube will continue to play to their respective strengths. But here’s a bit more detail:Google’s strength — and its history — is grounded in search and in innovating technologies to make more information more available and accessible. YouTube, meanwhile, excels at being a leading content destination with a dynamic community of users who create, watch and share videos worldwide.Google search results already include links to content that’s hosted on YouTube. Starting today, YouTube video results will appear in the Google Video search index: when you click on YouTube thumbnails, you will be taken to YouTube.com to experience the videos. Over time, Google Video will become even more comprehensive as it evolves into a service where you can search for the world’s online video content, irrespective of where it may be hosted.This is part of Google’s overall goal to give you the highest quality search results possible. For example, some users who do a Google search for Martin Luther King, Jr. may want to find websites about him. Others may want to see images of him. And others may want to watch video footage…YouTube, as we’ve stated previously, will remain an independent subsidiary of Google, and will continue to operate separately. Google will support YouTube by providing access to search and monetization platforms and, when/where YouTube launches internationally, to international resources. YouTube co-founders Chad Hurley and Steve Chen and the rest of the YouTube team will continue to innovate exciting new ways for people to “broadcast themselves.”Earlier this week, we announced one example of innovation in monetization and distribution with a new AdSense video test. We’ll be working with a wide set of content providers, grouping together high quality video content from providers with high quality ads and offering them as playlists which publishers can select from and display on their AdSense sites. (There’s more about the test on the AdSense blog.)Today represents just the first step in our plan to bring you a comprehensive video search and content platform. We’ll provide ongoing updates as they unfold.”

• Google’s full Statement>>

]]> http://www.clicky.co.uk/2007/01/google-explain-their-gvideoyoutube-stance/feed/ 0 http://www.clicky.co.uk/2007/01/google-video-youtube-begin-to-merge/ http://www.clicky.co.uk/2007/01/google-video-youtube-begin-to-merge/#comments Thu, 25 Jan 2007 16:42:18 +0000 Oliver Yeates http://www.clicky.co.uk/blog/2007/01/25/google-video-youtube-begin-to-merge/ Google’s acquisition of YouTube last year prompted everyone to assume the two would merge in the form of Google Video – none of it Google said:

[YouTube] will remain an independent subsidiary of Google, and will continue to operate separately. Google will support YouTube by providing access to search and monetization platforms and, where/when YouTube launches internationally, to international resources.

Low and behold Google Video searches are now showing results from You Tube try searching for “Michael Jordan” – when these are clicked on you are taken to You Tube to view them – confusing aye? Surely we can all deal with the two services merging without shedding a tear for YouTube and the good old days?!!?

Come on Google bite the bullet.