Ideas to Google (Part III) - Google CarPool Portal

This is the third part of my series of articles published with the intention of "selling" my ideas to Google and subsequently to be recruited by Google. By the way did anyone from Google notice my blog .... ?

My third idea is the Google CarPool Portal, my contribution to make our earth greener. I admit this idea is not new as there already many CarPool portals on the web. I visited some of portals, and have yet to come across a portal that I consider a successful one. Most of portals I visited have been inactive for a long time, and for those still consider active, I only see an average one or two posts of interested looking for carpool partner per week. In my opinions, some of the reasons why such portals fail.

1) Lack of big marketing push - Success of this kind of portal is pretty much depends on users participation, the more user participate, the better. Most of the portals I visited are run by personal or community, and usually only have limited funds for Marketing.

2) Poor Location Selection - Most of CarPool portal offers only limited origin/destination selection, and often limited to zip code selection, which in my opinion, it's not comprehensive and customizable enough.

3) Poor user interface - Due to budget problem, most portal offer very basic UI for user to locate CarPool Partner.

4) Lack of incentive to do so, let's admit that, people are motivated when awarded by something.


So how can Google help?
Well, if Google do roll out a CarPool Portal, we already iron out our first problem, and if Google adopt my second idea, we solve our fourth problems. Thus, we only needs to deliver a fairly easy to use CarPool Portal to solve problems 2 and 3.

Here's my vision of Google CarPool Portal:
1. Upon login to Google CarPool Portal, user could post one or many CarPool adv, specifying travel origin, and destination using Google Earth/Google Map, where user could specify the location up to street address, or select buildings (such as office building) from Google Earth/Map. User could also entered their prefer travel time slot (e.g From 7-7.30am), and repeat of the travel (e.g Everyday excepts Weekends, once only).

2. Google will attempt to find closer match per CarPool adv, and will present user a list of adv that matches user's CarPool criteria. User could sort the list by origin, destination and travel time slot. User will get notify via Gmail on every new match found when they are not online.

3. While browsing the CarPool match list, if the match adv owner is online, user could chat (via Google Chat) to the owner to seal the deal. Else, user will have to send a private message to the adv owner, and schedule a time to discuss the CarPool adv

4. User and adv owner identity are protected throughout the conversation. The only way for user to communicate with adv owner is via private messages, and online chat from CarPool portal. Is up to the user, and adv owner when is best time to reveal their identity.

5. Once both parties agree to seal to deal, the adv will close. User and adv owner have the option to claim Google Earth points from the Car portal. Also, for security reason, user could opt on telling the portal when the CarPool going to start, who is driving, the Car Plate number, identity of both parties. This is to protect user in case of any unwanted accidents.

6. There is a forum for users to post FAQ, success stories, experiences, and etc.

7. There is also a running counter from Google CarPool Portal main page showing how many Carpools adv being seals, how many petrol has been save, and most importantly, how many CO2 is save from emitted to the air.

So, what do u think? do share me your thoughts on the comments page, stay tune for my next idea.

PS: As always, if anyone (perhaps Yahoo Inc.) find these ideas interesting and wants to further build up those ideas, do drop me an email.

Introducing Mimi, my new Pug

I just realized that a lot of people are still not aware that we have brought back a new pug call Mimi few weeks ago. Mimi is a female black pug, which is rare in Malaysia, and like her brother, she is very naughty and always begging me to play with her.

Here is Mimi's Picture:



As always, we will constantly update Mimi's journal at , do drop by to visit Mimi and leave a comment.

Cheers.

Ideas to Google (Part II) - Saving Our Mother Earth

This is the second part of a series of articles to impress Google, if you are a Google employee and reading this could you please forward this to your Recruiter, thanks.

My second idea is to make our Mother Earth a better place to live. We can't deny that our environment has change dynamically in past few years, the temperature is increasingly hotter each year, CO2 is rising, and there is more frequent floods, typhoons and thunder storms almost everywhere. Seriously, if we don't do anything now, things will get worst, and our children may be victims to this global warming phenonmenal. We need to do something and should Google take the initiative to step in to help and create an awareness (I think they should ....)?

Here I would like to introduce Google Earth Points...

FAQ
1. What is Google Earth Points
Google Earth Points is a points reward system for individual who have take extra effort and making our earth greener, and help slowing down Global Warming effect, thus everyone has better place to live.

2. What can one do with Google Earth Points
Well, a lot, Google earth points can be use to redeem any non free Google services, for example, we could redeem 100,000 Google Earth Points per 100 MB Gmail storage, or redeem 10,000 points to download a mobile application from Google partner, or increase photos upload limit, and etc.


3. How can one earn Google Earth Points
I have a lot of ideas how one can earn Google earth points but in general it could break down to the following categories:

By Personal Pledge
One will pledge how he/she is going to help to save our mother earth on Google Earth Portal (by submitting a youtube video), and the pledge must be verifiable by third party with upload video showings the promise be carry out. Google Earth Portal then will calculate Google earth points base on the pledge, and award points accordingly.

Here are some of the example:
-One could pledge to cycle to work at least one day a week to his office. His office is about 10KM away from his home, thus in a way, thus save X amount of CO2 emitted to the air, and Google Earth Points is the awarded base on X amount of CO2 emitted he save per week

-One family could pledge they will plants 4 trees at their backyard, now 4 trees will recycle X amount of CO2, and thus, they will get certain number of Google Earth Points.

-One lady pledge she will carpool with her friend.


By summiting cool ideas on saving Earth resources to Google Earth Portal
Anyone could summit cool ideas on how we could save our limited earth resources like how our electric, water, petrol usages to Google Earth Portal, a monthly competition will be carried out to all of us to vote the most coolest idea, and Google Earth Points will then be awarded base on the ranking.


From Consumer Product Vendor
Google could partner with any Consumer product vendor that produce "Greener" product (which needs to certify by some environmental control body, like organic vegetables, non chemical detergent, energy saver computer, and etc), and to give away a number Google Earth points when we purchase those product.

Why Google Earth Points
Most of time, average people (me included) do aware the environmental issue, and we do sometime put in our effort on making this earth a better place to live, but there is still more we could do..

For example, in my previous company, I know 3 of my colleague are staying nearby, but it never come to our mind of car pooling, even though the petrol price is expansive that time. I never planted a single tree in my life, I take my car out for breakfast even is just 5 minutes walk from where I stay..

Thus, with Google earth points, I am hoping this service will start cultivate people habit of doing their part on saving our mother earth.. including myself, as people love accumulate points, and get awarded, isn't it.


So, what do u think? do share me your thoughts on the comments page, stay tune for my next idea

PS: If anyone (perhaps Yahoo Inc.) finds these ideas interesting and wants to further build up those ideas, do drop me an email.

Google Please Hire Me (Ideas to Google)

I always wanted to work at Google so that I can bring my dog to work, enjoy yummy yummy meals and work with all the cool people at Google. Given my current status:
- A 35 years old bored software development manager and performing mostly boring management stuff.
- Technically strong but yet I believe I am not as good as most of Google staff.
- Does not hold any working permit for US/India/China

Thus, the chance Google granting me an interview is very, very slim, :-(

Thus, instead of going via the normal route of applying a job at Google (i.e upload my resume to Google jobs portal and throwing my CV into giant black hole), I will try another route.

Starting from today and for every two weeks, I will try to post some of my crazy ideas to Google in my Blog. Hopefully, Google HR will one day notice my creativity and call me for an interview. Wish me luck.

My first idea to Google is "Google Mobile Phone Address Book" service.


Summary:
Google mobile phone address book services comprise of the following modules:

1. A web portal for user to manage their contacts
2. A mobile application for user to upload and sync contacts to Google mobile phone address book portal

Why:

1. Each phone vendor uses native address book format so there isn't an easy way to migrate our address book from our vendor to another (When you are switching phone, or lost your phone).
2. It is difficult for user to backup their address book.

Propose Features:

1. The propose web portal will understand address book format from different vendor and provide data conversion service.
2. User could login to the web portal to manage their contact (insert, delete, update)
3. User could download a customzied mobile app from the web portal that allow them to sync/update their contact to the address book portal.
4. If user change to a new phone, he/she could download the mobile app for the new phone and request full address book download from the web portal. Web portal will automatically convert to address book data format
5. Integrated with Gmail, user could send SMS to his/her contact using gmail interface.

That's all for now. Stay tune for my next crazy idea.

PS: If anyone finds this interesting and wants to further build up those ideas, do drop me an email.