Google (GOOG) just officially announced its SketchUp blog (though the blog has actually been around since the beginning of June). SketchUp, Google’s product for creating 3D models, fits neatly into its suite of three products for the architecture and drafting crowd. Its companions include Google Earth and 3D Warehouse, which is, as one might guess, an online location where people can keep 3D items they’ve created.
The SketchUp blog is a decidedly Google-like combination of geekiness and whimsy. On the one hand, there are instructions for adding color to Google Earth snapshots and notes about a plug-in for Adobe Systems’s (ADBE) Photoshop 3 Extended product that allows 3D modelers to view and share items in 3D Warehouse. On the other hand, there are pictures of the mustaches of the SketchUp crew. (As the blog got closer to its public launch, however, it does seem to have gotten more serious.)
By my count, this brings the number of official Google blogs to 71 (including the different language versions), just about all of them connected to product user communities. Looks like Google is putting a lot of effort into keeping its marketing folks and engineers in touch with the user community. The best list of Google blogs I could find:
Google Code (Featured Projects)
Google Health Advertising Blog
Official Google blog – Australia
Official Google blog – Česká republika
