Google Gives Traditional Media a Triumph
September 15, 2009
The Roman triumph celebrated certain military leaders. Google has appropriated the method and is showering content creators with technology, not flowers. In my opinion, the approbation is a political move to get publishers to work with Google (what I call “surfing on Google”), instead of fighting Google. I scanned a number of write ups about Fast Flip, Google’s new reading service. I found the Channel Web story — “Google Fast Flip: A Quick Browse through the News” – clear and concise. Will it work? Google is just as late in the building bridges business as the publishers are in the understanding Google business.
My view is that micropayments, AdWords type of administrative controls for a publisher’s content, and this type of reader technology were needed years ago. Both sides in this content dust up have made errors. Neither Google management nor the leaders of the publishing industry are likely to be mistaken for Mother Theresa. One example warrants a comment. As the rose petals and olive branches were being tossed, Google introduced another data management function that is going to have significant implications for those in the data and statistics business. “Liberate Your Data!” Yep, but from whom? Publishing and other commercial organizations. Google is a tactical player. It is a good idea to know what the game is, however.
Stephen Arnold, September 14, 2009
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