When it all started, Google was the brave start-up heading its way to the sun cause it deserved it – it was just the best search engine. Then it got bigger. And bigger. Not only a search engine anymore, is it…
In 2000, Google began selling advertisements associated with search keywords. Since 2001, Google has acquired several small start-up companies, often consisting of innovative teams and products (Blogger, a weblog publishing platform; Upstartle, a company responsible for a technology then used by Google to eventually create Google Docs & Spreadsheets; Measure Map, a weblog statistics application; online video site YouTube, JotSpot, a developer of wiki technology for collaborative Web sites…). Besides, it’s ceaselessly releasing new killer apps that soon become vital to users – Gmail, iGoogle, Google Calendar, widgets for your blog or wiki…
It’s getting so hegemonic that the New York Times once titled ” Relax, Bill Gates; It’s Google’s Turn as the Villain.” and that Microsoft does fear the new giant, as shown by the recent symbolic move toward Facebook (cf previous post).
But what about the user? you and me? Is this sucess and proliferation good or bad?
One problem might be the enormous amounts of private information about people Google is able to amass through all its services. Another more intrusive advertising. Or a kind of “hubris” that would make the company forget about its users and play with the powerfull instead (like the chinese government).
But the strenght of Google as any internet company is in its users. And users are there cause they want to, cause it’s the best place. Google services spread for the same reason Google search engine won: they’re good, useful, and free. So why shouldwe mind if there’re more of them?
