3 Feb 2009

I won't pay, I won't pay ya, no way now now


GigaOm's Mathew Ingram, wrote an excellent analysis, titled "Google Is Not Your Sugar Daddy". There is not much I can say, except that I think its brilliant...



On a funny note, the first thing that I started humming after I finished reading it, was Offspring's Why Don't You Get A Job...


My friend's got a girlfriend
((((and)))) he hates that bitch
He tells me every day
He says "man I really gotta lose my chick
In the worst kind of way"

She sits on her ass
He works his hands to the bone
To give her money every payday
But she wants more dinero just to stay at home

Well my friend
You gotta say:

I won't pay, I won't pay ya, no way now now
Why don't you get a job
Say no way, say no way ya, no way now now
Why don't you get a job

I guess all his money, well it isn't enough
To keep her bill collectors at bay

I guess all his money, well it isn't enough
Cause that girl's got expensive taste

I won't pay, I won't pay ya, no way
now now Why don't you get a job
Say no way, say no way ya, no way
now now Why don't you get a job

Well I guess it ain't easy doing nothing at all
oh yeah

But hey man free rides just don't come along every day


2 Feb 2009

45' hysteria...


You all must have heard by now, that Google suffered a small glitch during the weekend, which resulted in having all of its search results labeled with "This site may harm your computer"...

The panic lasted for almost 45 minutes, and the company immediately apologized for the glitch and explained what had happened...

Google Subnet, a Network World blog, had a post today regarding this incident. In this post, the author (sorry, no name there...) writes:


"...as this incident shows, Google is now in the same league as Windows. The textbook enterprise defense here is to diversify--standardize on Windows PCs, but also have a sprinkling of Mac and Linux around just in case. But is that realistic when it comes to Web search? Sure, there are some alternatives--Microsoft Live Search, Yahoo, Ask.com--but few everyday users even know where to find them, nevermind use them. If they can't use Google to search for an alternative, what then?"


Ridiculous statements...

Google is in the same league as Windows? WHAT? How?

Does Google charge for its search product? NO
Does Google charge for any updates in its products? NO
Does Google bundle its products? NO (at least not in the way M$ does... see IE)

M$ was essentially the first player in a huge market (heck, you could argue th
at they even created the market!), and it set the rules in a such a way, so no other entrant could fairly compete.... All the costs it ever had where directly passed on to its customers...

Google on the contrary, was definitely NOT the first player in the search market. However it was (and still is...) the first company that took search seriously and even managed to create a billion dollar market out of it... Its costs are NOT covered by its main customers (at least 99% of costs), but from advertisers who pay to get their - helpfully - related brand positioned next to our queries...


Microsoft Live Search, Yahoo, Ask.com--but few everyday users even know where to find them, nevermind use them. If they can't use Google to search for an alternative, what then?"


I don't know about you, but this is rather insulting. Maybe the author is really having problems typing "www.yahoo.com" or "www.live.com" in his address bar... but WE (and I think this includes you too!) certainly DON'T...

Oh, and as for "using them"? Well, its really not THAT hard... Just point the little pointy thing on your screen, to the box, next to the "Search" button... That would surely do the trick...



It all sums up in our CHOICE over the quality of search services. The best one is the one we choose to use, and that's why the world held its breath for 45 minutes...

6 Jan 2009

Slap in the face...


Owen did it again...

After totally blowing the Schmidt - Obama relationship recently, he now tries to portrait a bad profile for Marissa Mayer, Google's Vice President for Search Products & User Experience.

I was tempted to write something about his baloney, but Stephen Arnold of Beyond Search (I have to admit that I just discovered Beyond Search.. It is by far the best search related blog I now read) has already delivered a huge slap in Owen's face...


"One comment that stuck in my mind was this sentence: “Employees report that she’s famous for not preparing for meetings, making spur-of-the-moment decisions on products based on five-minute presentations.” After reading the article, I recalled the possibly apocryphal quote attributed to Abraham Lincoln. When a person called General Grant’s penchant for whiskey to President Lincoln’s attention, someone told me that Lincoln replied, “Find out what he’s drinking and send a case to my other generals.