Google: Beyond the invisible hand

No, it’s not all good.

Years ago I wrote, : “Google is : not a utility. Or an agent of the state, or a thing that owes anyone anything except to the extent they pay for it. At least for now.”

Out of nowhere comes Google Buzz. : It’s social networking that just appeared in your mailbox! : As Adrian Dayton said earlier today, “I feel a little bit like I have been “spammed” into joining Google Buzz.”

Here’s a chat I had this morning with social media consultant (not “guru”!) Brian Wallace, who is entirely responsible for everything I have achieved with (and nothing I have abused via) social media, and he is not a happy camper, either:

[2/10/2010 7:08:41 PM] Brian Wallace – NowSourcing: hi
[2/10/2010 7:09:08 PM] Ron Coleman: hi — just logging off, catching train — talk later!
[2/10/2010 7:21:57 PM] Brian Wallace – NowSourcing: safe trip
[12:13:52 AM] Brian Wallace – NowSourcing: when you’re up and about – really would like to talk about google buzz with you
[9:29:00 AM] Ron Coleman: Good, I actually logged on because of my rude departure with you last night
[9:39:32 AM] Ron Coleman: OK yeah so I saw your initial take on this yesterday AM!
[9:39:51 AM] Ron Coleman: I was imagining you probably are thinking it’s bad enough they already know everything else about us…
[9:39:53 AM] Ron Coleman: That was my guess.
[9:42:04 AM] Brian Wallace – NowSourcing: hehe
[9:42:08 AM] Brian Wallace – NowSourcing: google buzz you mean
[9:42:16 AM] Brian Wallace – NowSourcing: it’s freaking awful
[9:42:27 AM] Ron Coleman: well that’s what you starrting the conversation with yeah
[9:42:29 AM] Ron Coleman: awful as in?
[9:42:32 AM] Brian Wallace – NowSourcing: as in
[9:42:49 AM] Brian Wallace – NowSourcing: raping our social network for their “search quality efforts”
[9:43:03 AM] Brian Wallace – NowSourcing: i’m just getting nervous about what they are in charge of and how it all connects
[9:43:11 AM] Ron Coleman: Well I saw this coming when they started returning results from “within your social network”
[9:43:18 AM] Ron Coleman: Whoa!
[9:43:19 AM] Brian Wallace – NowSourcing: yes agree
[9:43:24 AM] Brian Wallace – NowSourcing: whoa what
[9:43:30 AM] Brian Wallace – NowSourcing: oh the raping
[9:43:38 AM] Ron Coleman: I don’t think anything can stop them from owning us all but a law at this point

[9:43:47 AM] Brian Wallace – NowSourcing: right
[9:44:57 AM] Brian Wallace – NowSourcing: search + web history + analytics + transactions + mail (and reading it, mind you) + chat (and history) + our sites + trusted connections/connecting the dots + docs (and don’t forget, now they let u upload any docs, not just goog) + wave (comic relief?) + deals with real time search + etc
[9:46:00 AM] Ron Coleman: It’s ironic though because these are all services that do on their own merit greatly — albeit in varying degrees — really benefit the user.
[9:46:14 AM] Ron Coleman: I LOVE being able to read an attachment in Google docs without having to download it…
[9:46:29 AM] Ron Coleman: But between Google and FB …
[9:46:50 AM] Ron Coleman: I bet they could do a pretty good virtual mirror of all our hard drives without actually ever taking an image.
[9:47:50 AM] Brian Wallace – NowSourcing: correct
[9:47:59 AM] Brian Wallace – NowSourcing: maybe i should do a post like
[9:48:04 AM] Brian Wallace – NowSourcing: has google gone too far
[9:48:10 AM] Ron Coleman: Maybe I should do a post of
[9:48:14 AM] Ron Coleman: this IM exchange
[9:48:16 AM] Brian Wallace – NowSourcing: and suggest how you can exist w/o using goog
[9:48:20 AM] Brian Wallace – NowSourcing: sure
[9:48:33 AM] Ron Coleman: Well maybe we can exist without it
[9:48:42 AM] Ron Coleman: but isn’t it too late anyway?
[9:48:47 AM] Ron Coleman: They’ve got “everything they need”
[9:49:12 AM] Brian Wallace – NowSourcing: we can exist without it
[9:49:23 AM] Ron Coleman: I never thought I’d be the one yammering “there oughtta be a law” over a mere private enterprise thing like this
[9:49:25 AM] Brian Wallace – NowSourcing: google is hurting from social, real time search etc
[9:49:34 AM] Ron Coleman: but I guess there oughtta be a law
[9:49:38 AM] Brian Wallace – NowSourcing: google does not have enough regulation
[9:49:41 AM] Ron Coleman: Not regulation per se though
[9:49:53 AM] Ron Coleman: I want across the board requirement as to deletion of data
[9:49:55 AM] Ron Coleman: say 60 days
[9:49:57 AM] Brian Wallace – NowSourcing: mostly because lawmakers don’t know the nuts and bolts likely
[9:49:57 AM] Brian Wallace – NowSourcing: ok
[9:50:04 AM] Ron Coleman: Once a user deletes something
[9:50:08 AM] Ron Coleman: it is DELETED
[9:50:09 AM] Brian Wallace – NowSourcing: right
[9:50:19 AM] Brian Wallace – NowSourcing: try that with facebook haha
[9:50:22 AM] Ron Coleman: Plus much more opt in on what they do
[9:50:22 AM] Brian Wallace – NowSourcing: we’re all for sale

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