Metcalfe’s law describes such effects by stipulating that the aggregate value of networks increases with approximately the square number of adopters. This results in first-mover advantages and lock-in effects, due to high switching costs once a network technology dominates the market.

[via The geospatial web – blending physical and virtual spaces]

Not embeddable, but check out the ‘Small Team, Big Impact: The People Behind Photos’ video. More Facebook promo videos on their Facebook Fan Page.

Why do I blog this? Interesting to see the dimension of the problems they have to face, storing billions of photos is not easy and cheap… It’s all about scalability.

9. You can be serious without a suit.

Google’s founders have often stated that the company is not serious about anything but search. They built a company around the idea that work should be challenging and the challenge should be fun. To that end, Google’s culture is unlike any in corporate America, and it’s not because of the ubiquitous lava lamps and large rubber balls, or the fact that the company’s chef used to cook for the Grateful Dead. In the same way Google puts users first when it comes to our online service, Google Inc. puts employees first when it comes to daily life in our Googleplex headquarters. There is an emphasis on team achievements and pride in individual accomplishments that contribute to the company’s overall success. Ideas are traded, tested and put into practice with an alacrity that can be dizzying. Meetings that would take hours elsewhere are frequently little more than a conversation in line for lunch and few walls separate those who write the code from those who write the checks. This highly communicative environment fosters a productivity and camaraderie fueled by the realization that millions of people rely on Google results. Give the proper tools to a group of people who like to make a difference, and they will.

[Source: Google - Our Philosophy]