DISQUS

brlewis · 1 year ago

Letting other photo sites create buttons for the Picasa desktop client is another example of Google demonstrating a belief in a level playing field.

Uncle Harry · 1 year ago

You must be nuts. Google is the Standard Oil of our generation and everyone is just to scared to take them on.

GOOG is anticompeteitive is much like Microsoft who owned the Operating System they inappropriately packaged products and services their own products on their OS which made it unfair.

GOOG now owns the internet or the overwhelming majority of the starting point for the internet i.e.the new OS – and they are also unfairly using that advantage to quash competition for example igoogle.

Where it is unfair is when in search they bundle another web product or web service in a nutshell – people have come to trust them as being the no evil impartial entry point to the internet; however they now very partially sell their own products and services throughout their own chanel to the detriment of everyone else.

And all that aside their ultimate evil is the sponsored links which are very ambiguously and deceptively placed paid advertising at the top of search which I can assure you the overwhelming majority of consumers are unaware of – but that’s another tirade.

Take a stand thought leaders, the brown stuff is now covering your face.

Robert Seidman · 1 year ago

There are many ways to look at Google. Personally, I do not see it as good or evil, or impartial. I see it as a business entity trying to make as much cash as possible, largely on the back of providing the best search engine around. Does Google have a defacto Monopoly position in search? Realistically, yes, but it's not like Microsoft and Yahoo haven't thrown a lot of cash at trying to gain share. They just haven't competed and that's not due to unfair practices on Google's part.

While I completely agree there are inherent risks with monopolies, even de facto monopolies like Google, for now I look at it through a non-conspiracy theory lens: does Google enable us or disable us? We have more than 2 million page views we wouldn't have gotten without the search engines and almost all of that was via Google. From that lens, it looks enabling and fair rather than disabling and unfair.

liv · 1 year ago

If only I purchased a few dozen fortune 500 domain names back in 95' then things would be really good.

ChangeForge | Ken Stewart · 1 year ago

Great read as always, Robert. I can really dig the line between hard work and having your voice heard - even though sometimes it doesn't feel proportional in the least. But, hey ... I didn't ask for this on a silver platter either!

Louis is running a great blog, and between you, Louis, Cyndy, Hutch, and Mark - I get a great read throughout the week.