Google Reader is not a reader, but more of an aggregator or place to store articles to read. Google Sitemaps was transformed into Google Webmaster Tools. Google Chrome is a browser. Google Chrome OS is an operating system. Similar name, but Google Chrome OS is almost non-existent in the wild and is beginning to differentiate itself from Google Chrome, the browser, with the new aura interface, but Google Drive will make Chrome OS much more usable. Confused? Be confused no more. Google Docs is now Google Drive. There's a new homepage for Google Drive

For those who use Google Docs and are familiar with DropBox, then just think of Google Drive as the two combined with an awesome search over the top. For who are new to Google Docs and DropBox, let me explain. Here's a list of the Google Drive features is you want to dive in.

Google Docs allows you to create Google Spreadsheets, Google Docs, and Google Presentations or upload all your Word, Excel, and Powerpoint docs. Even better, upload anything. You can store it in Google Docs, now Google Drive. Google Docs also allows you to work together with others in an integrated fashion. Say goodbye to file contention on the network drive. It just works with Google Docs. In addition, you may print, export and convert documents using Google Docs, too.

With Google Drive, there is now a new sync tool that needs to be loaded on all your machines so files can be dropped then synced with your your drive account. When using Google services like Gmail and Google +, you can select your Google Drive account at the source of a file or files.

Don't let the 5 gig limit hold you back, since you can purchase more space as you need it. Google Docs administrators can purchase up to 16 TB terabytes of central storage on Google, for each user. Oh, but the price is $799 a month for 16TB.

Don't let large files prevent you from sending email. Gmail has a new attachment option so large files in your Google Drive account can be attached to email and downloaded by all your email recipients. Google Docs in your Google Drive account can be shared with anyone. You can offer view or edit capability. All changes are tracked, so don't worry if you can to track who make what changes. It's all there.

Google Drive has a new smart tagging feature which allows you to tag items to be stored. This is a great option to keep all your photos organized.

Need to access your Google Docs with your tablet or mobile phone. No problem. Just download the Google app, login with your Google credentials, and all your Google Docs are available.

Google Drive is a file viewer, too. It can open 30 types of files right in your browser, including HD Video, Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop files. Save files from Smartsheet, DocuSign, SlideRocket and other web apps directly to Google Drive.

Google is known for it's search. The best feature of Google Drive is how flexible and accurate the search is. The search will find keywords, filters for any filetype, and even search objects in images or text in scanned documents. Very powerful search that Mac OSX or Windows 7 cannot touch. This is one of the most powerful features of Google Drive in my opinion.

Google Docs Collections are gone. They are now called folders. That's what I thought they were from the beginning. Collections was a bad name from the beginning. Thank you for validating my naming argument, Google. Fusion Tables can now be created in Google Drive. Fusion Tables are large public or private data sets which can be stored, retrieved, and queried in many ways. Fusion Tables have only been available in Google Docs for about 8 months now, but the amount of examples are growing fast.

Lastly, Google Drive tracks all changes or versions of your document. Need to go back, or revert to an older version of your image or presentation. No problem, just look back at all your revisions and select the one you need. There are all available automatically for 30 days.

Thank you and welcome to the January 2012 KCSEM meeting on Google Trusted Stores. My name is Mike Kearns and Mark Jackson and Josh McCoy asked if I would speak about how Pro Athlete got started with Google’s new Trusted Store program. And here I am. A glutton for punishment.

Before we get started, I would like to thank Mark Jackson and Josh McCoy for hosting the event and all the other sponsors like Brett Burri and TooBaRoo Marketing, as well. Without someone to organize the event, communicate the message and get people to come out - we have nothing. Thank you - round of applause.

Thanks for coming out to listen to me speak. I’m hoping you find my presentation fun and exciting. I’m going to discuss my background and what I’m currently involved with. Go into some depth about the Google Trusted Store program as you would expect. Then talk about why Pro Athlete jumped at the opportunity to get Google Trusted Stores installed on our websites. I’ll go into more detail about how to implement Google Trusted Stores and what to look out for. I’ll cover the entire Google Trusted Store system moving parts. Present what I think is the future of Google Trusted Stores, and wrap-up with some Q & A.

I have not spoke in public since 1998, one year after I started 5 Star Net with my Brother Brian. At the time, I was working at Cap Gemini America and built a call system simulator web application for Sprint Long Distance that was completely designed from the ground-up to train, track, and allow managerial review for all training calls. Through Cap Gemini America I was approached to speak at KC Connect about web applications programmed on the net so I talked about the Sprint app. The tricky part, was that Sprint knew about the speech, so I had to stay up all night and remove the Sprint logo from the application, supporting materials, videos, and ended up missing a logo. It showed up on the page for a half second during my demo and Sprint ended up calling Cap Gemini. You should have seen the scorn on their face. Thankfully, one of the awesome engagement managers at Cap Gemini stepped in a cleared our name.

While still working at Cap Gemini America, I setup 5 Star Net, my web design company. I had a strong feeling y2k work was going to mix things up. At the time I was working at the BMA tower on the 10th floor writing COBOL programs for group insurance calculations.

In 1999, I met Scott, my business partner at Pro Athlete, Inc. He was looking for a company to setup websites for his growing sporting goods company. We agreed and began working on our dream of building an online business. However, I was still working 45-50 hours at my client site for Cap Gemini, which was BMA then Farmland. But I worked nights and weekends to get the websites started for Pro Athlete.

In 2002, I was able to leave Cap Gemini and start working full-time as a consultant for Pro Athlete. I took a huge pay cut and became the Graphics designer, UX, DBA, Web Dev, QA, Project Manager, Requirements gatherer, Marketing guy, and change control person all at the same time. But hey. That’s what I wanted. In 2005, I enlisted some help on the programming side and now we have 12 IT/Development employees, and Pro Athlete has about 95 employees as of this presentation. We are now a mid-sized company. Overall, however, the team at Pro Athlete is happy I’m no longer the Graphics designer, UX, DBA, Web Dev, QA, Project Manager, Requirements gatherer, Marketing guy, and change control person.

What I feel is different and unique about Pro Athlete is that we are a customer-focused, data-driven, and a results-based company.

Here’s all our domains we maintain and manage from our Kansas City Location. My linkedin profile, twitter, and Google profile are all available here and at the end of the presentation.

I’m married to a beautiful woman - Mindy for 14 years. Blessed with two kids - Logan (6) and Allie (4).

For short, I’m going to referrer to Google Trusted Stores as GTS from now. GTS is a system with a few moving parts. In its bare form, there a badge that goes on your website, there’s some code that goes on your website, and there’s some shipping and order data you must send Google on a daily basis. Overall, It’s a new eCommerce KPI that is transparent and available for everyone to see which, I believe, will become a new measurement in brand value. Especially, online brands.

GTS is strategic. Why? No one has attempted to measure the time it takes to get a product out the door, and measure the time to the customer’s front porch. Lofty to say the least, but who can argue with the data Google captures? When ordering from a brand that offers GTS there’s a trust factor that you get from Google and from the brand. In the end, let’s not forget Google is an advertising company and selling ads is an important goal, but getting people to click on the them is even more important.

Google is measuring each merchant track record with regards to customer service and shipping metrics. There’s data Google is collecting on the website, when an order is placed, and when daily data feeds are sent. They also obtain shipping data from ups and fed ex. They collate the data and track delivery speed and order issues and tie the results to our domain.

Consumers who choose a GTS store opt in to $1,000 buyer protection in case the merchant fails to ship correct item, Item not in the promised condition, billed an incorrect amount, item was not shipped in a timely manner, or the merchant does not honor their return policies. As a merchant, when you opt in to GTS, Google can turn off GTS if you are careless and do not pay attention to your customers.

GTS provides merchant transparency for shipping and order issues. Pro Athlete is able to share it’s on time percentage with the world. Reminds me of the tweeting scale. Anyone heard of the wifi body scale? Keeps everyone honest.

The merchant transparency is displayed in the form of a badge the customers interact with which displays shipping and customer service report cards. This is illustrated on the next slide.

Here’s the JustBats.com homepage and you can see, in the bottom right corner, there’s a small GTS logo. When clicked, you can see to the right, there’s a lightbox that displays the merchant logo and rating. It shows the volume of transactions the merchant has completed with GTS, the A,B rating and % based rating for reliable shipping and excellent service. The merchant account can also be verified, customers can learn about the purchase protection plan, and more about GTS by clicking the links around the light box.

Here’s the JustBallGloves order complete page which also shows the GTS badge.

When Scott, Brian and I set out to build the Pro Athlete websites in 1998-9, we didn’t like how most websites worked and felt like they ripped people off and gave the net a bad name. This was way back in the day when shipping was not free. There was no such thing as a guest checkout. Shipping was not guaranteed. Sounds like a lot of websites now-a-days.

We wanted to offer our customers the best customer service so we hired flexible employees in the beginning who could put away merchandise, box orders, take calls, clean the building, answer emails, order product, write content, etc. We wanted to set a high standard early on so people would recognize our brand. Now, we have grown to where each employee focuses on core tasks and executing systems in customer service, marketing, creative, information tech, development, distribution center, human resources, and operations.

We guarantee shipping times on our website up until 8 PM central. We work hard to get all the orders fulfilled that are placed even at 7:59 before our Fed Ex and UPS driver picks us up. We staff extra people just to help with the mad rush between 7:00 PM and 8:00 PM.

GTS was a great fit for Pro Athlete since we built the company on awesome customer service, free shipping, and fast delivery. Now, with GTS, we have a way to shout from the mountain-top, with Google’s help, about our customer service reliability and shipping accuracy with transparent metrics available for anyone to see.

Trust marks are an important aspect to converting customers on an eCommerce website. The GTS badge is implemented in a way where it shows on the page, in the bottom right-hand corner, no matter where the fold is. Most trust marks are in the footer, and if your customers are anything like mine, they don’t make it that far down on the page all the time, so it’s wise for Google to implement that badge in this way. When the badge first started to appear, it would fly-in from the bottom, now it flys-in from the right to left and has a fancy animated sheen. Google is trying to get more people to realize it’s there I presume.

GTS allows Pro Athlete to prove our shipping accuracy and customer service reliability and show customers our true, measured track record. What else does a customer what?

Last, but certainly not least, GTS allows us to build our relationship with Google. I know if you choose an agency to manage your PPC campaigns then Google will not talk to you, but we see an advantage working closely with Google since we manage everything internally. We’ve asked our Google reps to include us in beta programs. We have not opted in to all, but GTS was a perfect fit for the reasons I’ve just outlined.

To begin with GTS, you’ll need to fill-out a form and be qualified. Since it is in beta, Google is slower and may not communicate to you in a timely manner, so please be patient. The form for GTS is on the screen in a shortened url form or you can Google it.

Once you obtain approval from Google, there are a bunch of steps to completing the implementation. Basically, I’ll provide the short form. There’s some javascript code that must be placed on all pages or a master page, then there’s some order code that must be placed on the order complete page which enables buyer protection and sends order data to Google. Once the pages are decorated and are free from error, the data feeds need to be setup. GTS requires that a tab-delimeted order feed and order status feed be uploaded to Google daily. From the time GTS get the order from the order complete page to when they receive our daily data feeds, GTS measures the difference or how long it takes to get the product out the door. I don’t know about you, but I find it frustrating when an online retailer states 24-48 hours to ship product but will take my money immediately and it’s an item I can go buy down at Target.

Once the data feeds are setup and everything is working, there will be some waiting to do. Google calls this being dark. On a call with our Google team today, I asked about the biggest problem. They mentioned the data feeds are a huge hurdle for many retailers. I can only presume this is because they don’t have expertise on hand or it’s not available.

Once the customer service department takes escalation training in how to deal with Google when they call, and sign off on it, then you can go live. No sooner.

Once you go live, Google displays the badge for about half the users. Like an a/b test.

Like I said before since GTS is in beta, you cannot expect miracles. Be patient if you submit a request and also be realistic. Google is looking for specific candidates for the program that, I can only presume, will make it appealing to other online retailers. Later on in the presentation, there’s a small list of retailers who offer GTS. When the fine folks at GTS email, please be sure to respond quickly. That shows them you a willing and able partner. As of the development of this presentation, there is no Google Analytics integration for merchants to view the different a/b conversion results. I’m pushing for this. On the call today, I asked about this. I’ve also requested that Google share some data with the merchants about the success or failure of GTS, and they provided some in Dec 2011, but I cannot tell much from it other than Google sees an increase in conversion for split testing. There are no specific results for our brands, however.

Now, let’s switch gears, for an overview of the GTS system.

For those that are familiar with the Google Merchant website, this will look familiar. Here’s the console that shows data feed status and other details. There are two feeds, an orders feed and an order status feed. We have two brands setup, so you will see four rows. The console allows editing frequency of product catalog change, and viewing history of uploads. Files can be uploaded manually, hosted on your website, or uploaded via ftp. After a feed is manually uploaded, then you can see validity of the file upload. At first, doing it manually was okay, but ultimately, we setup an automated ftp process since that was best for us. Getting the files perfected did take some work, so again, be patient. Like I mentioned earlier, that’s a problem for some retailers trying to get setup.

The measured performance standards are the key to the whole process. It’s a whole new eCommerce KPI. No one that I know of is going to the level Google has with GTS to ensure accuracy. Merchants must maintain a high level of on-time shipments. Merchants must get the product out the door, fast. Customer service must resolve high level of customer issues quickly. Also, customer service must maintain low number of issues with customers, overall.

While the standards are rather vague and don’t specify exact numbers, Google does have more detailed metric specifications for the GTS merchant standards that you get once you become a trusted store. I cannot share the exact numbers, but I can share with you the categories of metrics used within GTS. I had to clear this presentation with Google and this was a sticky point, but they agreed that I could show categories.

So here they are. Real fast - move to the next slide.

As you can see, Google is tracking ten items. On-time shipping must be within a certain percentage. Avg time to shipment must be below or equal to a number of days. Transaction volume must be over a certain number. The primary escalation response time includes 100% of all responses and must be within a certain number of business days. The secondary escalation rate can not exceed a small percentage of customers. 100% of all refunds must be processed within a certain about of business days. Refunds must be resolved so that reimbursement from Google is less than a very small percentage. A good percentage of packages you ship are trackable. The cancel rate is less than a small percentage. Finally, the pre-order or backorder rate is less than a small percentage of all orders.

GTS will help grow Adwords. Google is an advertising company first. If they can get more people to click an ad based on a badge, then that’s extra money in their pocket. Is that evil? Or smart? When I sent the presentation to Google, they were sensitive to my speculation about GTS, so I had to remove 3 slides from the presentation.

Here’s what I can talk about. GTS and AdWords and Google’s future in commerce.

There’s already a buyers protection badge I’ve seen floating around in our Google PPC ads. The folks over at Google who run GTS have assured us they are constantly measuring results and improving the system. That means they are trying new stuff and things will come and go. What works will stick, of course. Google is very much data-driven in that sense.

I can see Google setting up a shipping guarantee badge or augmented ppc ad in some way if a searcher enters keywords about the product and shipping. That would alert Google that the searcher is not confident, and out pops GTS.

The same thing could be done with a customer service badge.

Look for the circle logo with the trademark google colors and checkmark in the middle for new GTS placements in PPC ads.

Google is investing a ton in commerce. Mainly, mobile commerce. Look at Google Offers for example, it’s a groupon clone that’s trying to be better integrated with mobile devices than Groupon. Then, there’s Google checkout, cough, I mean Google Wallet. Google is investing in near field communication NFC to make it easier for consumers to use their phone to buy stuff. Google shopper is another app Google has created which taps into Google Product search data and allows customers to price shop brick and mortar storefronts, then potentially go somewhere else, possibly online, to order the product. Most of this is happening due to the iPhone, but android has been very disruptive for Google and for Apple. Steve Jobs claimed Google was stealing all his employees over Android, so I know there were concerns. Android is very important to the future of Google.

Results of all this infrastructure/tools/platforms is complete disruption. However, did Amazon just beat Google at their own game by forking android? Food for thought.

Here's a list of other companies who use GTS.

Split-up SXSW Tracks - The show had 19,000 paid attendees in 2011 and if you were there, you could feel the pressure at times.  The second floor was roped off for the Movie folks, which included a private sushi bar.  Opening the second floor to traffic and sushi customers could have relieved the long lines in other areas.  Another question - Why are the movie seminars even held during this time?

Keep Like Tracks Nearby - There were free shuttles and there were Chevy Cruze vehicles to drive you around when you needed a ride to and from different buildings that hosted seminars.  The Chevy folks were friendly enough to let you know about all the features the Cruze has.  They even offered a virtual watering hole recharging zone to help your low-battery woes get charged away.  However, it was a pain trying to get around with the influx of people and having like tracks in one areas while simplify the need to move around.

Use Technology To Solve Overflow - Lanyrd.com shows all attendees who have logged in via twitter.  While it's not a perfect number, it could provide SXSW Management some indicator as to the number of attendees who are willing to participate in each seminar.  If potential overflow is detected, the seminar is re-routed to another room before the event even begins.  Maybe even the XOMO app that is used by SXSW could have this feature next year?

Quality of Service - Clearly there was WIFI overload at SXSW 2011.  At times it worked, but most of the time, it was spotty.  At tech conferences, I expect technology to be showcased and displayed.  WIFI at these events never overwhelms me.  I have a suggestion.  What about a SXSW generated security key login, which is part of the lanyard, that tracks usage.  Bandwidth hogs get lower priority.  Especially, in an area there there is a sudden surge in traffic.  Packets are prioritized based on usage, so the lowest usage person gets first priority.  It was also give the SXSW folks some interesting data to crunch.

Fluid Registration Process - I entered the registration room to see a snaky, long-ass-line.  All the SXSW associates were at the end of the line directing people to a tape mark on the ground.  After they determined if they had to take your photo with a old-crappy webcam or if you have uploaded your data, you then had to drop back eight feet and stand behind another solid-tape line until your name was yelled out.  Offering a second line for those who followed instructions and uploaded their photo and added personal information in advance, would have streamlined the process quite well.  This information could have been gathered while we were waiting and transferred electronically to the back room so a magical thing called a print job would start.  Step up the tech SXSW.

iPad 2 Release - I walked down to the Apple Store around 4:45PM and saw the massive line.  Here's my friend Jake in front of the store.  



Our local Holiday Inn Hotel lacked WIFI (i know) and having a Macbook Air, I needed an ethernet cable in order to connect. Apple sells a USB to Ethernet cable for a modest $29.  We walked up to the entrance where people had been waiting for hours and talked to a Apple Associate about our dilemma.  He said come on in.  Little did I know, but the first guy in line to buy the iPad 2 was right behind me and was being interviewed by TechCrunch.  I raised my hands trying to gesture my brother, who went in after the ethernet adaptor, to do the same as me so he would totally look like a fan boy.  See the video.



Now for the good stuff.

Twitter Hash Tag Questions - Several sessions I really enjoyed included starting the sessions with all the questions that were posted with the specific hash tag for that session and the hash tag #SXSW.  This provided the speakers with the level of understanding in the audience so they could immediately be relevant.

Level of Energy - People were going all day and night.  I've never been to an event with so much energy that transpired from the sessions to the parties at night.  Maybe it was the addition of the gaming section this year which drew-in so many gamers.

Awesome People - I met some really cool people at SXSW.  Solid leaders with proven experience.  Chris Messina, who is instrumental in a number of things like bar camp and hash tags, but is also known for micro format adoption at his, Open-Source Advocate position at Google.   Jason Calicanis - need I saw more.   He said hello, but quickly rushed off after his fireside chat with Tim O'Reilly.  Jeff Jarvis of TWIG.  I got a signed copy of his book, What Would Google Do.  There were so many other famous speakers and people in the crowd.

Other Observations About SXSW 2011 - Many had multiple devices to communicate - iPads, iPod touchs, iPhones, Android devices, Blackberrys, and a host of the devices.   The most used laptop was clearly the mac.  I had to work to find a PC.  They were there, but small in numbers.  Men should not wear capris under any circumstances.  Flash mob folks should try and get more exercise than flash mobbing.  After a flash mob event on Saturday afternoon, complete with glow sticks, I could hear many gasping for air as they walked off like nothing had happened.

Unless the conference is separated into different groups, I cannot see my coming back.