Salon article?

Anybody else notice it?

[GoogleGuy]

Hey, Salon has an article pointing to WebmasterWorld--congrats Brett. :) To read the article, I needed to watch an Ultramercial for Microsoft, and the ads had search boxes for Ask Jeeves, but it was an enjoyable read. I'd be curious what people thought about it..

---

link: [salon.com...] (-bt)

[edited by: Brett_Tabke at 3:26 pm (utc) on June 25, 2003]
[edit reason] added link [/edit]

[GoogleGuy]

Xoc, I thought that was pretty funny too. Google doesn't name our indices; Brett and his trusted naming council here at WebmasterWorld do that. :)

I also enjoyed that the article asked if we were going to pay more attention to revenue than quality/search. Just FYI, I mentioned a new beta of Toolbar 2.0 over in the Google Toolbar forum. People may want to check out some of the neat things that we put into the new toolbar version for users. :)

[europeforvisitors]

Google is becoming nearly monopolistic in the search engine field...

"Nearly monopolistic" is like "nearly pregnant" or "nearly dead." It's a meaningless phrase. Either a company is a monopoly or it isn't. Google has never come close to meeting the legal definition of "monopoly," and it's less likely than ever to become a monopoly with Inktomi being owned by Yahoo, AltaVista being owned by Overture, and Microsoft determined to become a player in the search market in one way or another.

Side note: Google's timing in launching its AdSense network couldn't be better. If Yahoo does replace Google search results with Inktomi SERPs later this year, Google's revenue from AdSense banners on content sites will help to cushion any financial impact. And Google must take pleasure in knowing that users being referred to Web content sites by Inktomi, AltaVista, etc. will--in many cases--be adding to Google's AdWords revenue. :-)

[super_seo]

had to install it GG :)
The popup blocker feature is real cool though, easy and simple works like a charm! Does this spell the end? For the average Joe, lets hope so;)

[Dolemite]

efv,

"Nearly pregnant" and "nearly dead" seem to happen a lot. If you conservatively figure G's market share at 80%, thats pretty close to where IE sits in my log files. You don't find too many industries where one company is able to control 80% of the market. I agree, that may not be the case for long with Yahoo/Ink and MS on the horizon, but that's where we're at now.

[philipp]

I read Google news everyday for my Google Blogoscoped. Though there was nothing really new in the Salon article, I found it to be the most detailed, balanced, and insightful article on Google since I started my blog. Well, that's for "mainstream news", anyway. Most "news" items basically say that Google came up with this revolutionary way of ranking websites which is called PageRank or something and that people use "Google" as a verb and the trademark issues coming with it (hmm, I wonder why they never quote the Google Inc. co-founder right on google.com saying "happy googling" to the newsletter readers.)

Yeah, the slip with attributing Dominic to Google itself stood out, but I guess we're making the same error when we say "Google" for "Google Inc." when we criticize the company, right. Brin, Page, GoogleBot, Google and Google Inc., PageRank and Success meld into one blur. I guess the author got confused. Unless GoogleGuy is the one who came up with Dominic et al...

On a sidenote, I wonder how Salon.com is making money. I'd rather sit through 15-seconds of "Big Brother infotainment" than pay (or maybe I should be more idealistic). Then again, if I'd have the choice between not reading the article, and paying, I also wouldn't have paid... hey, I gotta spend my online money on Google AdWords.

[mil2k]

Can someone sticky me the article, somehow the firewall at work is preventing me from accessing it even after trying to watch that Microsoft commercial three times.

ROFLMAO :) Pretty Desperate eh? ;)

[loanuniverse]

ROFLMAO :) Pretty Desperate eh? ;)

Well, I figure it would be a pretty good read :D I have to admit that watching 45 seconds of Microsoft drivel is more than a fair price.

[bakedjake]

On a sidenote, I wonder how Salon.com is making money.

Last time I checked, they weren't.

[Jenstar]

Ironically, the first time I went to view the article and had to watch that microsoft commercial, that commercial caused my internet explorer to crash. That was the one time I really wanted to hit that "send error report" button ;)

[vibgyor79]

From Salon article -

It works on a system that's independent of the cost

Whoops! Did I say that? My mistake I guess.

From Salon article again -

In Google the listing of the ad depends on the price you pay and on the click-through rates

Ah.. that's better!

[vincevincevince]

Google doesn't name our indices; Brett and his trusted naming council here at WebmasterWorld do that. :)

Googleguy, if you read this - I'd love to know if the WW names for the indices are used within the googleplex?

[anallawalla]

Overall, a good article. I noticed at the end:

Editor's note: This story was updated since it was first published to include the information that Jeremy Zawodny, who is quoted criticizing Google, works for Yahoo.

So you can expect Salon's lurker to find out how the update cycles are really named and fix that error.

- Ash

[Beachboy]

I thought the article was largely accurate and very perceptive. Well done.

[tyrojds]

GoogleGuy,

Was that you who posed for the picture that accompanies the Salon article?

My take on the Google-power thing reflects a crystal-clear, straight-forward ambivalence. I am in awe of what Google does, however, at the same time I've developed a fairly severe case of Googlephobia. In the wake of the baffling (and for me withering) last update, I may need to seek professional treatment for my PGSD (Post Google Stress Disorder). And that is, of course, on top of my myriad pre existing conditions :) Oh, the humanity!