for and from the curious – web 2.0, social media and cause marketing explored

Google – is the sky really the limit?

Rumor already had it: Google swallowed YouTube for $1.65 billion. They bought 5% of AOL and have a long term agreement in place with MySpace where Google provides the advertising.
Google is spinning a very tight net around many (if not all) social marketing websites. Their war-chest is still well filled and they could easily afford a few more takeovers. The only problem is: Soon there might be no one left to take over.

True, you have the worlds of Yahoo and Microsoft including their social websites like flickr etc… But they are starting to look like dwarfs compared to what Google is creating.

We were all concerned a few years ago with Microsoft’s share of the operating system (&browser) market. Google’s grip on our PCs could be much tighter (providing email, the Google toolbar and many other tools that let Google see and Analyze your behavior and patterns).

Google is very secretive about the use of all the data they gather (and what it really is they are up to). But it appears to me that they could one day offer us an award for letting them plant a little chip on our brains that let’s them control which movie we are going to see next or which party we might vote for. I know I am drawing a George Orwell like Horror scenario right here.

My question is: How can we as individuals react to this trend?
It is a little bit like Wal-Mart coming into town: Each of us get to save a few pennies by shopping there but the community as a whole takes a huge hit. No more local shops, diversity, family tradition, but a Giant that is stronger than the community itself and can muscle them either way.

The Internet as a level marketplace that offers opportunities for individuals or small groups to make an impact might take a huge hit. In my eyes, Google’s mega-platform is beginning to suck the mark out of the Internet’s bones.

Let’s not even think about them providing personal information to the Government (Google would never do that, right?). But maybe you are starting a new rock band and would like to post a few clips on a video sharing website to do a little self promotion. For some reason you ended up on Google’s “no-fly-list”. Google doesn’t like you and locks you out. Maybe you used some indecent words that got you flagged on one of your Google emails. Now try to get someone on the phone and have them change their mind. I suggest dialing 1-800-too-baad.

So since this didn’t work you might want to start something on MySpace. Ouch, Google already told them about you and that won’t work either. This is most probably only a very poor example but you can see where that is possibly going.

The analogy between Wal-Mart and the independent Toy store or bakery is most probably correct in many ways.

Google doesn’t tell us what they really want, so they keep us guessing. They haven’t given me any reason on the last few years to make me believe they still want to make a positive contribution to the world (Their priorities seemed to have changed a while before they went public).

So what is next in building the empire?
Additional services and new acquisitions of course. Google could, for a service fee, highlight the government about any potential illegal immigrant who made it across or underneath our soon-to come fence and that emails home: I made it!

• As for acquisitions I would wait until Starbucks has grown from 12,000 to 40,000 stores (let them do the work) and then take over. That would be a nice start for a Google Internet café at every corner of the world.
• I am sure they would like to own Ebay & PayPal as well. For now it is down to a limited strategic alliance.
• TV Stations? Not interesting enough.
• Video Games? That should be a must for them. Playstation and Xbox are two of the greatest ways to get into young people’s mind. There should either be a GoogleBox or they should simply buy the Playstation from ailing Sony.

You might have guessed it already: I do not shop at Wal-Mart. Never did. Never will.
I hope I get proved wrong with my anticipations, but for now I’ll stay very friendly towards new and independent platforms that are actually going to stay independent and can resist getting sucked in.

Oh, and don’t think that I am like the weirdo Mel Gibson played in “Conspiracy” and have my coffee in locked containers in the fridge. I am just looking at the signs at the wall. They are a little too big to be ignored.