Google Buzz takes us farther in invading our privacy than the free market can handle.

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Google: Beyond the invisible hand

Written By : Ron Coleman

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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