June 5th, 2007

Salesforce for Google AdWords: Promoting human welfare?

Posted by Donna Bogatin @ 6:10 am

Categories: Culture, Google

Tags: Salesforce.com Inc., Google Inc., Google AdWords, Donna Bogatin

What is philanthropy?

Goodwill to fellowmen; active effort to promote human welfare (Merriam-Webster).

In Why Google is more dangerous than Microsoft last week, I dissect how Google.org, the “philanthropic arm of Google,” does not present as really being about do-good philanthropy at all.

Google does not accept funding requests, Google.org underscores. Why a “Google Grants” program then?

To “donate” AdWords, often in repsonse to a court order to do so.

Google, in conjunction with Salesforce.com, is now touting its “free online advertising” for “selected nonprofits” in the PR pitch for its new, very much for profit, AdWords distribution deal with Salesforce:

Another common thread that brought salesforce.com and Google together in their global alliance is their commitment to corporate philanthropy. In July of 2000, salesforce.com launched the Salesforce.com Foundation, which operates under the company’s innovative 1/1/1 Model — a commitment to deliver 1% Time, 1% Equity and 1% Product to nonprofit organizations and, most recently, to be “one” with the earth.

Since its launch, the Salesforce.com Foundation has donated their product to more than 2,000 nonprofits. Similarly, Google has also given free online advertising to selected nonprofits through its Google Grants program, supporting more than 2,500 nonprofit organizations in 16 countries to date. The Salesforce.com Foundation and Google are now teaming up to donate the new Salesforce Group Edition featuring Google AdWords to each other’s nonprofit grantees. These selected nonprofits will be able to gain access to the same integrated sales and marketing success (online software?) that is available to the private sector at no cost. Salesforce Group Edition featuring Google AdWords will also be made available to additional nonprofits within the next quarter.

Google defends the philanthtropic “ROI” of its no cost to Google “donation” of AdWords campaigns:

Room to Read, which educates children in Vietnam, Nepal, India and Cambodia, attracted a sponsor who clicked on its AdWords ad. He has donated funds to support the education of 25 girls for the next 10 years.

Salesforce has a philanthropic effort in place that combines the personal efforts of its employees with the Salesforce in-kind “donations” of its Web-based CRM service. Salesforce finds “meaningful activities for salesforce.com employees to use their six paid days off a year devoted to volunteerism, and promoting a culture of caring.”

Google’s $158 billion market cap is almost 30 times that of Salesforce. What’s more, Google’s supposedly do-good “mission” to “organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful” is driven by ”rocket scientists.”

Should Google not change its corporate culture tune from one of free lunches at the Googleplex and personal birthday masages for Googlers to a real corporate do-good philosophy?

Perhaps following in the Salesforce mold of supporting employees to really do something meaningful, for others, would be a good start.

SEE: Salesforce.com plays Google ad sales game: Big tease? Big letdown!

May 29th, 2007

Google Universal Search $25,000 query in Jeopardy

Posted by Donna Bogatin @ 5:53 am

Categories: Culture, Google, Google Software Applications, Social Web, TV, Television, User-Generated Content

Tags: Google Inc., Donna Bogatin

Marissa Mayer’s Universal Search assertions have a lot more riding on them now: $25,000!

Is Google Universal Search in Jeopardy?

“The best answer is still the best answer,” Mayer confidently proclaimed upon unleashing Universal Search to the world just two weeks ago. While Mayer always says the right Googley things, she does not always seem to be in synch with what is really going on, at Google.

Mayer proclaimed she has no more need for the “old model of search” to assure:

We want to help you find the very best answer, even if you don’t know where to look.

Mayer may be the Google VP Search Products & User Experience, but her VP Engineering colleagues are a bit more sanguine on the ability, or not, of Google to surface the “very best answer.”

I heard Adam Bosworth at the NYC Googleplex discuss how search at Google is in fact a “fuzzy problem,” as I report and analyze in Google on Search: ‘Natural Language works when it isn’t’

Imprecision is better than nothing and searchers ”don’t know if we are right,” Bosworth believes. We make educated guesses and people are pretty forgiving, he happily concluded.

REALLY? With $25,000 on the line, “people” will undoubtedly not be so “forgiving” if Google can not surface the “very best answer.”

We may very well soon find out: The Jeopardy Google Daily Challenge Sweepstakes debuts June 4:

The Jeopardy Google Daily Challenge Sweepstakes features an extra clue from one of the categories in that day’s Jeopardy. Visit Jeopardy online each day from June 4th to July 13th, to play a new clue and you’ll have a chance to win one of the daily $100 giveaways. By entering every day, you’ll increase your chances of winning $5,000, $10,000, or the $25,000 Grand Prize!

Remember, you must enter the correct response for your sweepstakes entry to be valid. Not sure what it is? That’s where the powerful Google Search engine comes in.

I heard Google CEO Eric Schmidt at the Personal Democracy Forum earlier this month on his vision for iGoogle to “understand” how people think, as I report and anlayze in How Google will get inside YOUR head:

With the personal version of Google, iGoogle, the computer will get to know you so well, it will say good morning, you are late this morning, but you are always late; It will almost understand how you think and mimic behavior.

With $25,000 riding on the iGoogle Jeopardy gadget, however, “people” will be hoping Google will know a lot more than simply what time to wake up in the morning.

SEE: Why Facebook is scarier than Google and
Beware: Google is NOT your privacy friend and
Why Google CEO is ‘harmless’

May 28th, 2007

Yahoo vs. Google on Memorial Day: No contest

Posted by Donna Bogatin @ 1:52 pm

Categories: Culture, Google, Yahoo

Tags: Google Inc., Yahoo! Inc., Donna Bogatin

I run regular holiday competitions pitting the logo artistry of Yahoo designers against those of Google:

Valentine’s Day, Google vs. Yahoo Valentine’s Day competition

Earth Day, Google vs. Yahoo: Earth Day

Thanksgiving, Google or Yahoo: You decide!

What about today, Memorial Day? There are no commemorative logos at either Yahoo.com or Google.com.

President George Bush:

Prayer for Peace, Memorial Day, 2007
A Proclamation by the President of the United States of America

On Memorial Day, Americans pause with solemn gratitude and deep respect for all our fallen service men and women who have given their lives for our country and our freedom.

Through the generations, the courageous and selfless patriots of our Armed Forces have secured our liberty and borne its great and precious cost. When it has mattered most, patriots from every corner of our Nation have taken up arms to uphold the ideals that make our country a beacon of hope and freedom for the entire world. By answering the call of duty with valor and unrelenting determination, they have set a standard of courage and idealism that inspires us all.

Ask.com has taken a stand for Memorial Day, perhaps in another effort to “battle” Google!

SEE Ask vs. Google: Can $100 million buy IAC search happiness? and
Google showdown: Can Barry Diller win IAC search advertising war?

WHERE ARE YAHOO AND GOOGLE?

Google found it important to commemorate a “fallen” Russian astronaut with front page Google logo special treatment, SEE Google gets Cosmonautic, undoubtedly to the great pleasure of Russia-born Google co-founder Sergey Brin.

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May 27th, 2007

CBS vs. NBC: The REAL Wall Street (Wallstrip) story!

Posted by Donna Bogatin @ 8:29 am

Categories: Culture, Video

Tags: NBC, CBS Broadcasting Inc., Donna Bogatin

In the Memorial Day battle of the “What is the REAL reason CBS “acquired” Wallstrip.com, diverse motivations abound:

Grab the talent,
Neutralize a potentially disruptive up and comer,
Acquire the technology,
Capture the brand,
Learn about Web video…

Digital Markets Blog has the REAL reason, though, REALLY!

Why is CBS absorbing a bare-bones Web video start-up backed by technology insiders?

TO COMPETE AGAINST RIVAL NBC!

YES, while Howard Lindzon spins a Cinderella tale, “one of the most exciting days of my life for sure,” in a not quite backed-up with quantifiable specifics story, “CBS acquires Wallstrip–You can make money from blogging!!!”:

Lot’s of people to thank. The biggest sacrifices have come from my wife Ellen and my sweet kids Rachel and Max. My dog Bagel is indifferent.

His REAL closing punch line was apparently lost by others in the shuffle.

Not surprisngly, though, because the Lindzon Wallstrip sale “anouncement” is reminiscent of Oscars thank-you self-absorbed soliloquies that end up being drowned out by smart wielders of the fatefull time to break for the commercial music.

Nevertheless, I did my journalistic duty and persevered to the end of Lindzon’s self-congratulatory ode, AND was handsomely rewarded with this REAL KEY to why CBS wants Wallstrip:

I believe CBS made a great acquisition and I can’t wait to help grow the Financial Vertical as part of the CBS family.

YES, move over NBC’s Jim Cramer on CNBC!

After all, Why should NBC reap all the benefits from being a a “serious” financial news organization by promoting circus style financial reporting!

Lindzon, himself, is leading the fantastical Wall Street parade:

I am long CBS.

Check that…CBS is long Wallstrip . Yep, CBS has made the absolute genius decision to burn through a piece of their $1.8 billion in Cash Flow to buy/own Wallstip.

Obviously the rumors have leaked - just check the stock price the last few weeks as CBS has added a Bazillion in market Capitalization. It reminds me of the action surrounding Google buying YouTube .

Wallstrip the next YouTube? Not in the multi-billion dollar buyout arena, among many other things.

May 27th, 2007

Will Google meet GPS on the golf course?

Posted by Donna Bogatin @ 5:27 am

Categories: Culture, Google

Tags: Game, Google Inc., Course, GPS, Donna Bogatin

If Google really is serious about “organizing” all the world’s information, the “Universal” search engine needs to start searching for ways to help golfers “organize” all the information they need to successfully master the links.

Just days ago, I “reminded” Google CEO Eric Schmidt of his assertion one year ago that GPS fueled personalized car radio ads would be a next big Google thing.

SEE: Why Google CEO is ‘harmless’

While Google is most concerned on the radio advertising front these days with simply trying to launch a viable old school radio ad product, GPS is making the rounds of golf courses.

I inaugurated the golf season yesterday with a round in the majestic Catskill mountains in upstate New York.

I also spoke with the head golf pro at Tarry Brae Golf Course, PGA Professional Glenn Sonnenschein, to find out about new technologies golf courses are exploring in their search for the next big golf tech thing. He showed me the SkyGolf SkyCaddie, touted by the manufacturer as “the advantage of a tour caddie in the plam of your hand”:

Golf is more than a game of skill. It is also a game of strategy and course management. And the key to managing the course is your caddie – Your SkyCaddie! Unlike other rangefinders that depend on line-of-sight to calculate distances or use unreliable mapping, SkyCaddie combines state-of-the-art GPS technology with a network of precision-mapped golf courses to provide you with the information you need to play every hole like a PGA Tour professional. The SkyCaddie gives you the same information that a Pro would receive from a top PGA Tour Caddie — all in the palm of your hand.

Is it really that easy? Can a single, handheld commercial device actually mimic the live insights of experienced golf professionals?

According to SkyGolf:

No aiming, no missing. You don’t need a clear line of sight or reflective target with the SkyCaddie. Because the targets are pre-programmed, the SkyCaddie eliminates the need to aim through a lens, accidentally hitting the wrong target on a hole, or trying to hit a pin with a laser beam at 200 yards.

More time to focus on your game. Since distances are automatic with the SkyCaddie, you can quickly select the right club and think only about your swing.

Avoid hidden trouble. Get accurate measurements over hills, trees, and obstructions to any target. Play confidently and knock strokes off your game.

Measure the distance of your shots. Learn how far you hit your drive, 5-iron, 9-iron, or wedge with a touch of a button on the SkyCaddie.

Use it on any golf course. With a SkyPlayer membership, you can choose from thousands of available SkyCourses to download to your SkyCaddie. Or you can record the front, center, and back of each green on the courses you play using the built-in SkyCourse Setup module.

PLUS, SkyGolf ptches to golf courses that SkyCaddie will speed up course play, a perpetual wish of open to the public golf courses.

Sonnenschein has not been “sold” on the SkyCaddie, however, literally and figuratively. Moreover, who needs GPS on the golf course his experience may even suggest.

The device costs a hefty $300, with a membership subscription content upgrade. The product is not new to the market. TheSandTrap.com gave it a thumbs up when it first came out:

The SkyCaddie is easy to use and deadly accurate. It’s shaved strokes off my game and may pay for itself in bets won before the season is through. You can use the SkyCaddie on any course in the world so long as you’re willing to put in the center/back/front data yourself.

Why doesn’t Sonnenschein SkyCaddie enable his course then? Because at $300 an electronic caddie, a big upfront investment would be required and the institution of golfer rental fees to recoup the cost would be needed.

What’s more, Sonnenschein is not convinced that the technology would enhance the quality and speed of play.

As with all well run golf courses, Tarry Brae makes a considerable effort to equip the course with reliable course distance markers. By adding a piece of electonic equipment to golfers’ routines, the pace of game play could actually slow, rather than quicken.

On the accuracy front, Sonnenschein shared stories with me about the inadequacy of in-golf-cart GPS positioning systems. In one round, two GPS enabled carts were positioned virtually on the same spot, but showed significantly different stats . On courses that Sonnenschein knows like the palm of his hand, GPS technology has been off the mark.

Sonnenschein recounted the not on the mark story of one golf course that had installed GPS within the roofs of their golf carts, only to have the weight of the systems lead to the roofs caving in.

Is it time for a Googley solution? Can Google really “organize” all the world’s information, of all the world’s golfers?

Will iGoogle get into the golf game? SEE:  Google plays mind games with personal search

Google already has a Googley Golf Umbrella!

Not all links are hyper. Hit the back nine, rain or shine, with this handsome golf umbrella. Boasting a 58″ arc, 16mm wooden shaft, fiberglass ribs, and wooden handle, this umbrella features navy and white alternating panels with a full color Google logo.

MORE ON GOOGLE’S LOGO “STRATEGY”! SEE:
MICROSOFT VS. GOOGLE: WAR OF THE TEE-SHIRTS?

May 26th, 2007

YouTube on Memorial Day? Forget the ketchup

Posted by Donna Bogatin @ 4:07 am

Categories: Advertising, Culture, Video, YouTube

Tags: Advertisement, Brand, YouTube Inc., H.J. Heinz Co., Donna Bogatin

Picnic ideas for Memorial Day? Who needs ketchup!

So suggests ABC in Chicago in a handy Dos & Don’ts for the holiday celebration:

“Since burgers and hot dogs don’t travel well and you won’t be bringing them, you don’t need all the condiments like ketchup, mustard, pickles, onions, etc.”

That won’t be Memorial Day music to H.J. Heinz, ketchup that is. As the company is finding out as well, who needs user-generated ads, for ketchup?

“The High Price of Creating Ads,” New York Times:

“From an advertiser’s perspective, it sounds so easy: invite the public to create commercials for your brand, hold a contest to pick the best one and sit back while average Americans do the creative work.

But look at the videos H. J. Heinz is getting on YouTube.”

What is the problem?

“Companies have found that inviting consumers to create their advertising is often more stressful, costly and time-consuming than just rolling up their sleeves and doing the work themselves. Many entries are mediocre, if not downright bad, and sifting through them requires full-time attention. And even the most well-known brands often spend millions of dollars upfront to get the word out to consumers.”

So, users are NOT really in control, after all? Moreover, who really wants them to be!

I have been documenting and analyzing the user-generated ads movement, but I call it “User Involved Content,” because, at the end of the Web 2.0 day, multi-billion dollar brands MUST remain firmly in control! SEE:

Super Bowl 2007: Social media kickoff

MySpace, Facebook, NBC: Brands rule, not users

Can Web 2.0 make taxes sexy?

Intuit: Bad with YouTube, REALLY bad with IRS

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY!

ALSO: Why YouTube is a losing video proposition

May 25th, 2007

Google has a (big) people problem

Posted by Donna Bogatin @ 5:33 am

Categories: Business Models, Culture, Google, Wall Street

Tags: Donna Bogatin

UPDATE: I heard Google CEO Eric Schmidt last week at the Personal Democracy Forum tout the superiority of his merry band of “rocket scientist” Googlers once again.

BUT, is that really a good thing? Last month (see my ”Google Risk” story below) I underscored the new risk Google faces in retaining its super-duper human capital.

Robert Cringely concurrs with my thesis in a piece this week.

Moreover, Google is hard-pressed to satisfy the net growth in staffing it needs to fuel the ”blizzard” of product development it seeks, as its top engineer, Alan Eustace, acknowledged yesterday:

We have very big potential revenue opportunities that we’re not able to execute on because we just plain don’t have the people to do it.

THE NEW GOOGLE RISK: GOOGLERS

APRIL 5, 2007: As Google Inc. closes in on the ten year anniversary of its founding, top Googlers are finding they may be able to parlay their Google resume into greater fame and/or fortune, outside of the Googleplex.

“We are in a wonderful situation that we are able to now in fact increase the standards by which we select and hire new people into the company,” so touted Google CEO Eric Schmidt at the 2Q 2006 earnings call:

Currently we’ve raised the hiring bar. Even with that, we’ve been able to continue our expansion in headcount, especially internationally and outside the United States.

But what about inside the United States? Google’s staffing concerns do not just concern staffing up anymore.

Google is maturing in age and with that comes a new business risk: defections by key staff.

(After all, it’s no fun watching GOOG on the way down, even thought there always is the free lunch!)

Not only are top tier Google execs leaving the Googleplex, they are leaving with a seeming ability to profit off of their insider Google knowledge, regardless of any potentially negative impact on Google’s business model objectives.

Recent examples:

Patrick Keane left his has position of Head of Advertising Sales Strategy at Google to move to CBS Interactive, as Executive Vice President, Chief Marketing Officer, responsible for helping CBS “monetize new inventory generated by next-generation platforms,” such as Google’s YouTube.

(see “Google, CBS drama takes new video turn”)

Adam Goldberg started the first Google inside sales team in 2003 and helped build it to a $500 million dollar a year organization. Goldberg left his position at Google to found his own company, ClearSaleing, dedicated to offering “desperately needed technology and processes to address limitations and client frustrations” regarding search engine marketing programs, such as Google AdWords.

(see “Google clients ‘frustrated’ by unprofitable AdWords buys”)

Google famously has prospective new hires “sign pretty hefty NDAs, non-disclosure agreements” before interviewing.

But is it fully protected on the non-compete front when full-fledged Googlers go elsewhere to seek greater ROI from their personal investments in Google?

In its required SEC reporting of risk factors impacting its business, Google states:

Competition in our industry for qualified employees is intense, and we are aware that certain of our competitors have directly targeted our employees.

If we are unable to retain or motivate key personnel, we may not be able to grow effectively.

Google also warns:

The historical rise in our stock price has created disparities in wealth among Google employees, which may adversely impact relations among employees and our corporate culture in general.

SEE: Why Google CEO is ‘harmless’

May 23rd, 2007

Google's Brin: I love you, and your biotech start-up

Posted by Donna Bogatin @ 12:07 pm

Categories: Culture, Google

Tags: Biotechnology, Google Inc., Ms., Sergey Brin, Google, Donna Bogatin

THIS JUST IN: In Silicon Valley’s version of “The Bachelor,” Anne Wojcicki not only landed one of America’s richest men, Sergey Brin, a co-founder of Google, but she also got her husband’s company to finance her start-up.

Google said Tuesday that it invested $3.9 million this month in 23andMe, the biotech company co-founded last year by Ms. Wojcicki, a former health care industry analyst.

Google’s investment was disclosed in a regulatory filing, which also officially confirmed that Mr. Brin, 33, and Ms. Wojcicki are married, so reports The New York Times.

SO WHAT? 

Did George H not begat George W? Did Bill not spawn Hillary?

“Our audit committee requested that we disclose this in order to be completely transparent with our investors about the facts underlying this investment,” said Jon Murchinson, a Google spokesman.

Transparent, really? Anne is following in Sergey’s non-transparent Google footsteps:

The company had declined to comment on the couple’s relationship.

Reached by telephone, Ms. Wojcicki declined to comment further.

The total amount of the Series A financing was not disclosed.

All is fair in love and war, AND BIG BUSINESS?

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

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ALSO: Silicon Valley move over? NYC bullish on next Internet wave

May 18th, 2007

Google CEO Schmidt on 'Personal Democracy': Up For Sale

Posted by Donna Bogatin @ 8:25 am

Categories: Culture, Google, User Generated Politics

Tags: Google Inc., Donna Bogatin

Can the CEO of the world’s most powerful Internet company corporate underwrite an “open” conference touting “Personal Democracy,” acquire keynote rights to address attendees on the importance of “communication” and “transparency,” AND then take questions from the audience, EXCEPT for questions from those in attendance who also happen to be members of the press, AND keep a straight face all the while?

NO, in fact. The facts did just transpire as I report straight from the Personal Democracy Forum underway in downtown Manhattan, BUT Schmidt was unable to keep a straight face. I know, I was in the first row, directly in front of the Google CEO, and I believe he may just have had a subtle Googley wink in my direction.

Irony of ironies: The question I had hoped to pose to Schmidt concerned just such a Google communications hypocricy in progress at the NYC Goolgeplex!

In his keynote, Schmidt pushed all the “right” politically correct buttons:

Do not shut down communication, Enable democratic expression
18 months ago we made a decision to be more transparent,
We use YouTube to document what we are doing,
Criticism is healthy.

Right out of Schmidt’s Q & A gate, however, the stage was set so that “only paid attendees” would be given a microphone!

(Not so shy Jeff Jarvis, however, was not to be deterred.)

Immediately prior to Schmidt’s keynote, Larry Lessig happily opened up a Q & A to attendees, ALL attendees, paid or unpaid, press or amateur, citizen or not.

What were Schmidt’s undemocratic motivations at the Personal Democracy Forum that hails the banner “Sponsored by Google.” Why did the Google CEO instruct conference organizers to muzzle communication?

If Google REALLY only wanted to allow questions from “paid,” as opposed to “unpaid” attendees, then personal democratic communication is in fact for sale, to those that “buy” the right via a conference “paid” admission.

BUT, the real truth behind the unfortunately typical Google double speak is that Google’s Schmidt did not want questions from the PRESS!

Media, of course, conveniently for the Google spin, do not “pay” for the privilege of being able to attend such conferences in order to to do their jobs. If Schmidt had asserted no questions from the press, he at least would have been honest about his intentions.

But no, Schmidt racked up two communication hypocrisies “for the price of one.”

Earlier this week, Google also demonstrated its communications hypocricy in NYC, at the Goolgeplex.

Readers of this Digital Markets Blog know I have been a regular attendee at Google’s NYC Speaker Series, begun this year. The first event featured a talk by Vice President Adam Bosworth, and was open to all, with no restrictions what so ever. 

See my coverage: Google’s Adam Bosworth to NYC technologists: Speed rules.

I enjoyed the opportunity to chat personally with Bosworth, as our photo from the event, at the end of this post, clearly illustrates.

I also attended the second installment in the series, a talk by Luiz Barroso, as I report in Google challenges NYC software engineers. At the Barroso event, the Google organizers expressed their appreciation to me for my reporting of their inaugural event, the Bosworth presentation.

In Google goes Down Under: G’day Google! I commend Google for its reach out efforts. I wrote:

Google is always a gracious host at its engineering open houses. I have enjoyed the Google engineering hospitality at the NYC Googleplex.

Such Google hospitality, however, is a thing of the past, big time.

The third NYC Speaker Series Google event was scheduled for this past Wednesday and I received an email invitation direct from Google to attend and hear Chris DiBono talk about Open Source at Google.

Upon receipt of the Google invitation, I clicked on the RSVP link and was taken to a standard RSVP form which also included the phrase “Press RSVP Here.”

When I dutifully clicked on the “Press RSVP”, Google responded to the ”Event RSVP” they requested from me by saying to the effect, “Thanks for getting in touch, press no longer welcome.”

WILL GOOGLE EVER SAY WHAT IT MEANS AND MEAN WHAT IT SAYS, ABOUT ANYTHING?

WILL GOOGLE CEO ERIC SCHMIDT EVER PRACTICE THE PERSONAL DEMOCRACY FORUM THAT HE PREACHED WITH HIS CORPORATION’S BILLIONS?

UPDATE: Google sweet talks its way to political power

May 16th, 2007

Why Google Search will NOT rule the Universe!

Posted by Donna Bogatin @ 5:24 pm

Categories: AdWords, Advertising, Culture, Google, Search, Search Advertising

Tags: Google Inc., Advertisement, Search Engine, Coca-Cola Co., Google Search, Sergey Brin, Donna Bogatin

Today may very well be looked back upon as the first day that marked the beginning of the end of Google’s upward ascent.

How so? Google aims for Universal Search domination in its just announced  proclamation that no need to go anywhere else but Google.com for anything and everything: Images, Maps, Books, Video, and News…

But, Google may find itself facing universal unease with the perhaps soon to be unrecognizable ”everyone’s favorite garge band.”

As is the Google standard, the sweeping makeover of the entire Google $150 billion market cap search machine is presented by Google as purely in the “user’s” best interest. The cheeriest Google ambassador of all, Marissa Meyers, had the announcement honors, and she acknowledged herself!:

Back in 2001, Eric asked for a brainstorm of a few “splashy” ideas in search. A designer and product manager at the time, I made a few mockups — one of which was for ‘universal search.’ It was a sample search results page for Britney Spears that, in addition to web results, also had news, images, and groups results right on the same page.

Well six years and undoubtedly millions in Google stock dividends later, Marissa got to show Eric what she is made of, big time:

That mockup and early observations were the motivation behind the universal search effort we announced earlier today. And while that Britney Spears mockup was the start of Google’s universal search vision, it was instantly obvious that this would be one of the biggest architectural, ranking, and interface challenges we would face at Google. Over several years, with the help of more than 100 people, we’ve built the infrastructure, search algorithms, and presentation mechanisms to provide what we see as just the first step in the evolution toward universal search. Today, we’re making that first step available on google.com by launching the new architecture and using it to blend content from Images, Maps, Books, Video, and News into our web results.

For public facing Marissa, all is in the name of the vaunted user experience:

This proliferation of tools, while useful, has outgrown the old model of search. We want to help you find the very best answer, even if you don’t know where to look.

Google co-founder Sergey Brin, however, is more sanguine. My how things have changed since Brin’s happy go lucky, student days at Stanford University.

Brin then: Struggling, bachelor researcher in training with a noble search cause.

Brin now: Mega rich, newlywed high flying corporate exec with a mercenary search ambition.

Google has its origins in an academic prototype built by Brin, in collaboration with fellow student Larry Page.

The goal of Brin and Page at the time was to build a large scale search engine WITH NO ADVERTISING!:

The predominant business model for commercial search engines is advertising. The goals of the advertising business model do not always correspond to providing quality search to users.

We expect that advertising funded search engines will be inherently biased towards the advertisers and away from the needs of the consumers.

Brin and Page warned “Since it is very difficult even for experts to evaluate search engines, search engine bias is particularly insidious”:

It could be argued from the consumer point of view that the better the search engine is, the fewer advertisements will be needed for the consumer to find what they want. This of course erodes the advertising supported business model of the existing search engines. We believe the issue of advertising causes enough mixed incentives that it is crucial to have a competitive search engine that is transparent and in the academic realm.

Brin and Page have certainly not lived up to their promise of search engine transparency: Google is the biggest, blackest box of them all.

Brin and Page have also conveniently forgotten their disdain for an advertising fueled search model. In fact, with Universal Search, advertising gets even more universal!

This is the first major revamp of the site and its underlying architecture in several years, said Google co-founder Sergey Brin. The work began about two years ago and more than half of the company’s search efforts were devoted to it, he told reporters after the event, adding that the site will continue to evolve. The changes will expose to more people some “underutilized” Google services, such as Book Search and Video search, and they will help boost Google’s already huge market share, Brin said.

“Our data says we not only are the best (search engine) but we’re widening the gap,” Brin said.

Marissa chimed in with three cheers for (more) advertising:

Google eventually will have ads featuring more than just text: some will include video and display, Mayer said in remarks to reporters afterward. “That door has always been open,” she said. “We don’t have a particular timeline in place.”

No matter the timetable, from out of the Universal Search gate, Google has lost its pristine groundings at Google.com.

PREDICTION: The new Universal Search Google will meet the fate of the now infamous company-threatening New Coke fiasco.

Just as Coca-Cola used millions of dollars worth of market research to justify turning its back on the 100 year old strong secret Coca Cola formula for success and ended up back peddling and drowning in New Coke tears, the new Google.com will regret it ever fiddled with the magic that was the unadorned, unimaginative Google.com.

Wikipedia: New Coke was the unofficial name of the sweeter formulation introduced in 1985 by The Coca-Cola Company to replace its flagship soft drink, Coca-Cola or Coke. Properly speaking, it had no separate name of its own, but was simply the new version of Coke, until 1992 when it was renamed Coca-Cola II.Public reaction to the change was devastating, and the new cola quickly entered the pantheon of major marketing flops.

The new Google.com will flop as well, as least in the grand scheme of Brin and company for worldwide search domination.

Already, the new Google.com requires users to unnaturally reverse trained behaviors in vertical navigation by placing the tabbed options in the awkward very upper left, seemingly hoping that the users will ignore them and retrain themselves for the ultimate one box of the world: Google.com pure.

First page search results are a hodge podge of differing formats retrieved from diverse data sets, long gone is the founding principal guaranteeing the “ten most relevant pages of the World Wide Web.”

Once the new flashy advertising kicks in, fugetaboutit, as Om Malik is fond of saying!

Today may very well be looked back upon as the first day that marked the beginning of the end of Google’s upward ascent.

Will we see a downward spiral in Google’s fortunes? NO.

But, contrary to the universal bows to the believed Google Universal Search power, Google has finally met its competition, the original Google.com.

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Google Search: Big, bad multi-billion dollar sandbox