Cultural differences between Google and Facebook

A very interesting link about the differences between Google and Facebook. following the links will lead to further understanding of this issue specially because Sandberg worked in both of them.
http://thenextweb.com/facebook/2011/11/09/sheryl-sandberg-on-how-facebooks-culture-differs-from-googles-shes-worked-at-both/

Seamless Connectivity

I'm not your average consumer of technology, I'm neither Mac, PC, Linux, or Tablet. I'm all of them. I love my HP PC, my MacBook Pro, and my Ubuntu Server. I love my Windows Phone, and my iPod Touch. I love my Xbox 360, and my Wii. I love my friends' iPads, and I cannot wait for my own Kindle Fire to arrive.

My only wish is to connect all my technology seamlessly.

My Xbox, Windows PC, and Windows Phone, all interconnect.
My iPod and MacBook Pro are seamlessly intergrated.

The only current interconnectivity is through Amazon: My Kindle, Kindle Fire, and Kindle Apps (on iPod, Windows Phone, and all laptops) are all interconnected. I can read my books anywhere.

I will offer a conjecture that the tech company that can seamlessly integrate across all screensizes, formats, and user experiences will thrive in the volatile technology market. Using Amazon's WhisperSync to connect all my reading material can only be the first step, I would like interconnect every instance of my Angry Birds, Microsoft Word, and my financial analysis apps. (finviz, BofA, Charles Schwab, etc.)

Google Ponders Pay-TV Business

And so it begins...

The Wall Street Journal reported this morning that Google is looking to crash the cable TV party, which the Digital Media and Entertainment group predicted in our view of the 2016 landscape for the sector, that software companies such as Google would soon become a force in the home video market. While Google has launched (rather unsuccessfully) the Google TV platform, they lacked the deals with major distribution companies like Walt Disney (ABC), CBS, NBC Universal (owned by Comcast), Time Warner, and others, to really compete in the offering of traditional TV service to consumers. This move would certainly address those concerns. What's interesting in this story is that Google recently hired a former cable-TV executive (Jeremy Stern) in September to hold talks with media companies on possible distribution deals. By relying on an insider, Google is clearly serious about entering this business, even though they continue to downplay their efforts.

As reported in the article, it will be interesting to see how Google fits this move into its YouTube strategy of offering free, ad-supported online channels, which it is currently rolling out with deals with celebrities and production companies. Could YouTube be their platform for delivering traditional TV content?

I also think their choice of Kansas City as the test market for this service is very intriguing. This market is reportedly serviced by Time Warner Cable, Dish Network, and DirecTV. Comcast doesn't appear to have a foothold in this market, so Google looks to have chosen a region where the nation's leading cable provider cannot put up much of a fight.

Discover Financial Services

Discover Financial Services is a direct banking and payment services company. Discover offers consumers personal and student loans, savings products and of course credit cards, debit cards and even prepaid cards.

Discover launched as a Sears subsidiary offering cash back on purchases. It was later spun off from Sears merged with Morgan Stanley and finally went public as Discover Financial Services in 2007.


The following video will take you through Discover's current financial position relative to its peers, Visa, Mastercard and American Express and delve into Discover's network.



As you saw in the video Discover is lagging behind its competitors both financially and in network size. Its most recent acquisitions and partnerships seem designed to reverse this. Partnerships with large payment processing companies in asia and the acquisition of Diners Club International have moved Discover from a strictly U.S. company into a major global presence. Its acquisition of The Student Loan Corporation is an attempt to diversify its holdings to blunt the impact of the economic downturn. Here is a picture of Discover's current relationships which highlights Discover's emphasis on building its merchant network.



While Discover was once a technological innovator, witness the first of its kind key chain card,


it lagged behind the technological revolution overtaking the payment processing industry in the 2000's.
Discover recently entered this century with its partnership with Isis creating the NFC powered Discover Zip network.


In addition to the nascent Discover Zip Network, Discover cards will soon be added to the Google Wallet,


A much safer bet for Discover since we have already seen how well they can build a network 1/12 the size of Mastercard and Visa