Important Information about Google Buzz Class Action Settlement

Google rarely contacts Gmail users via email, but we are making an exception to let you know that we've reached a settlement in a lawsuit regarding Google Buzz (http://buzz.google.com), a service we launched within Gmail in February of this year.

Shortly after its launch, we heard from a number of people who were concerned about privacy. In addition, we were sued by a group of Buzz users and recently reached a settlement in this case.

The settlement acknowledges that we quickly changed the service to address users' concerns. In addition, Google has committed $8.5 million to an independent fund, most of which will support organizations promoting privacy education and policy on the web. We will also do more to educate people about privacy controls specific to Buzz. The more people know about privacy online, the better their online experience will be.

Just to be clear, this is not a settlement in which people who use Gmail can file to receive compensation. Everyone in the U.S. who uses Gmail is included in the settlement, unless you personally decide to opt out before December 6, 2010. The Court will consider final approval of the agreement on January 31, 2011. This email is a summary of the settlement, and more detailed information and instructions approved by the court, including instructions about how to opt out, object, or comment, are available at http://www.BuzzClassAction.com

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This mandatory announcement was sent to all Gmail users in the United States as part of a legal settlement and was authorized by the United States District Court for the Northern District of California.

Google Inc. | 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway | Mountain View, CA 94043

An Easier Way to Upload Google Video Content to YouTube

Dear Google Video User,

Last week we sent an email letting you know we would be ending playbacks of Google Videos on April 29 and providing instructions on how to download videos currently hosted on the platform. Since then we’ve received feedback from you about making the migration off of Google Video easier. We work every day to make sure you have a great user experience and should have done better. Based on your feedback, here’s what we’re doing to fix things.

Google Video users can rest assured that they won't be losing any of their content and we are eliminating the April 29 deadline. We will be working to automatically migrate your Google Videos to YouTube. In the meantime, your videos hosted on Google Video will remain accessible on the web and existing links to Google Videos will remain accessible. If you want to migrate to YouTube now, here’s how you do it:

• We’ve created an “Upload Videos to YouTube” option on the Google Video status page. To do this, you’ll need to have a YouTube account associated with your Google Video account (you can create one here). Before doing this you should read YouTube’s Terms of Use and Copyright Policies. If you choose this option, we’ll do our best to ensure your existing Google Video links continue to function.

If you’d prefer to download your videos from Google Video, that option is still available.

As we said nearly two years ago, the team is now focused on tackling the tough challenge of video search. We want to thank the millions of people around the world who have taken the time to create and share videos on Google Video. We hope today's improvements will help ease your transition to another video hosting service.

Thank you for being a Google Video user.

Sincerely,

Mark Dochtermann Google Video Team

Tell us about your experience with our customized suggestions

Many of you have opted in to receive our customized suggestions about
your AdSense implementation. When publishers opt in to this
communication, we regularly send them best practice tips that are
relevant to their specific site, to help them optimize and earn more
with Google AdSense.

Take a look at how publisher Johnny Hayes now earns 51% more with
AdSense on his site, funcheapsf.com, as a result of implementing one of
the tips we sent him. You can also learn how publisher Eric Bort’s

AdSense revenue increased by more than 200% on his site
surgerysquad.com by making a change we recommended via email.

How do you sign up to receive personalized performance suggestions?
Step 1. Go to your account settings, and in the Personal settings
section, click "edit"
Step 2. Check the box next to "Customized help and Suggestions"
Step 3. Click "Save"

For the publishers who’ve already opted in:
We'd love to hear your story as well. Tell us about your experiences
with the tips we’ve sent you and the increase in AdSense revenue you’ve
seen. Also, let us know any feedback you might have regarding our
customized suggestions, so we can keep improving how we provide you
with tips and advice.

If you haven't yet opted in, don’t miss out on additional earnings -
opt in today! Make sure to check that the contact information in your
account is up-to-date, so we'll be sure to reach you.

Posted by Nathaniel Kolenberg - Inside AdSense Team

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Posted By Inside AdSense Team to Inside AdSense at 5/16/2011 09:10:00 AM