Yesterday Google entered the realm of virtual worlds with the launch of Lively. While some bloggers and analysts were surprised by the move, Hitwise is taking the news as an opportunity to say “we told you so!”

The stat tracking company is toting the fact they predicted such a move back in January. They made that call based on clickstream data (i.e. – what categories people are clicking on in Google search), and have created a chart showing the top 20 categories and which properties Google owns within them:

In turn, it becomes pretty clear how Google is going about launching new products or acquiring others: analyzing the most popular topics within its search engine. Of course, Google then integrates as many of those products as it can into search results too: for example, maps, photos, and YouTube videos now appear for relevant queries, in turn creating more page views across Google properties.

So what might be next for Google based on this data? Autos, music, and government are the only categories where Google doesn’t have a presence in the top 20 according to Hitwise. An iTunes competitor from Google has been long-rumored, while an automotive search product is hardly a quantum leap. Both could easily be integrated into search results, and unlike some other Google products, have obvious business models attached to them (pay for music downloads, referral fees on auto leads).

What do you think Google will launch next? Leave your best guess in the comments so you can also say “I told you so” in a few months

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CBS and Dogster.com Partner for Summer TV Series

Posted: 09 Jul 2008 11:46 AM CDT

CBS is showing much love for four-legged hounds in advance of the premiere of a new television series for the summer season, “Greatest American Dog.” It has unleashed a blitz-level marketing campaign that spans virtually every facet of American life, including the online social networking realm.

The first episode of “Greatest American Dog” will be broadcast the evening of July 10 and the network is gearing to make it as big a hit as possible. How so? There are the advertisements delivered through cable TV, radio, and movie theaters. Print gets its share. Some supermarkets have video displays. So-called “dog walker street teams” in New York are commissioned to spread the word. Hot dog stands will be branded accordingly. Dogster.com is getting some attention, too.

Yes, the pooch-friendly social network, home to hundreds of thousands of users, will have “Greatest American Dog” fan club groups to complement the weekly shows, where network members can converse about the stars and the inevitably under-appreciated actors. Members can also see highlights as well as teasers of upcoming episodes. All that in addition to customary promotions shown via front page advertising and through the Dog Blog and newsletter.

Considering the popularity of live dog competitions on television, CBS’s summer series is likely to garner ample attention as well. Will the presence of “Greatest American Dog” on Dogster increase interest in the website? Perhaps. My sense is that any additional traffic will be brought on by the most devoted of pet owners around the nation, though, so growth would be relatively limited, given the extent to which Dogster has developed since its founding in 2004. That being said, the more the merrier, eh?

Dogster

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