TheWhippinpost - 5:03 am on May 9, 2007 (gmt 0)

With respect, Adam, even with all the points raised here (including yours), they are just particular symptoms of an universe of effects.

Any large dominating entity existing within any ecosphere will necessarily impose a displacement upon the populace... however well-mannered and meaning.

You (as in Google) might not wish to deprive anyone of using the toilet, but if you're in the way, we somehow have to agree, when you won't be.... that's if you're even aware of being "in-the-way".

And that's the point (mine, anyway); this is larger than us, as webmasters, and you, as a Google department - Googles dominatiion is pervasive and its mere presence in this form has fostered an almost 'Robinson Crusoe and Man-Friday' relationship.

Through us, as webmasters, you get to our visitors (and all they reveal). We have to accept the blame for this and should, perhaps, even consider acting more responsibly in the interests of our visitors/members/subscribers etal, when we wantonly promote and/or use Google's properties and services on our sites.

Equally, a lot of us have found that we are now receiving the bulk of our visitors from Google - But it is traffic increasingly directed by Google built atop data originating from our sites, dating back to the first ever crawl, no doubt.

By feeding us this traffic, and changing (over time) the way it is directed, Google has changed everything from webmaster behaviour, to CMS source code... Why, "SEO-Friendly Design" is almost a website Standard in itself now, based on Google's "ethic"!

The Google machine, gives us the traffic which we, in turn, allow to be "sniffed", "sensed", classified", monetised, analysed, archived and whatever else goes on. On some sites, it'd be safe to say that Google never actually even lets go of its traffic.

... all the while, gathering more data upon which more services and products can be developed, which, assisted by the willing change-of-behaviours-to-comply from us, further solidifies control of the traffic.

... control over how the internet is woven.

... control over our websites and the users that frequent them.

But pointing fingers won't help, nor solve it - The issue is arguably so big now, it's difficult for either party to see the trees.

[edited by: TheWhippinpost at 5:06 am (utc) on May 9, 2007]