Comments on: What would Google say?

By: Learning From Google « Tennant: Digitial Libraries

Learning From Google « Tennant: Digitial Libraries — Fri, 28 May 2010 05:56:38 +0000

[...] colleague (thanks Bob Robertson-Boyd!) pointed out this blog post to me the other day: "What Would Google Say?" by Jeff Jarvis, author of (natch) What Would Google Do? Mostly it seemed a total Google love-fest, [...]

By: Sandra

Sandra — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 21:31:46 +0000

Was inspired to get your book after hearing you on NY Public Radio with Larry. I find it very useful and am using it in my preparation to launch my business. Do remember to update your page on ‘About Me/Disclosure’ now that the book is out. Congrats!

By: Jeff Jarvis

Jeff Jarvis — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 20:39:19 +0000

Any more and you officially enter the land of trolls.

By: Jeff Jarvis

Jeff Jarvis — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 20:38:29 +0000

You can’t even dance away without firing shots over your shoulder. Enough, Eric, enough. I get it. Hey readers, Eric thinks you should never invite us to the same party. Get it?

Now, Eric, this is the point in the party when you shift away and find a conversation to which you can contribute.

By: Eric Gauvin

Eric Gauvin — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 16:04:13 +0000

Nope. Not “dancing away” at all. I think it’s a major exaggeration to say that he did any reverse engineering, but since my comments are starting to sound like letters from the zodiac killer, I decided to accept that he meant it very loosely in the context of his marketing blurb, which seems to be a strong point of Jarvis.

By: Andy Freeman

Andy Freeman — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 15:38:01 +0000

Hmm. Watch the goal posts move.

Gauvin complains about Jarvis’ usage of the term “reverse engineering”. When someone points out that said usage appears to be in the mainstream and asks Gauvin to support said complaint, Gauvin dances away.

If the “reverse engineering” criticism turns out to be unwarranted, man-up because that gives you some credibility going forward. If the reverse engineering criticism is warranted, defend it.

I find Gauvin’s replacement, “Jarvis didn’t write the book that I wanted”, to be somewhat odd. Very few books or articles are exactly what I want. Is Gauvin’s experience different?

By: Eric Gauvin

Eric Gauvin — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 04:05:15 +0000

@Andy Freeman
Sorry for being so critical of his marketing blurb. I still think it’s weird that he didn’t do a more direct analysis of google. Just my opinion but it seems like “reverse engineered google” is an exaggeration.

By: Andy Freeman

Andy Freeman — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 22:06:52 +0000

Jarvis’ usage (and description) of “reverse engineering” is consistent with the dominant usage. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reverse_engineering .

Perhaps Gauvin will tell us what he thinks the term means and (if different) what he thought Jarvis might have meant.

By: Jeff Jarvis

Jeff Jarvis — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 16:57:27 +0000

Eric:
Let’s stipulate that you don’t like me. It’s fairly fucking obvious. Now can we move on? Please discuss ideas and notions. Try leaving one comment without me as the subject or object. Have something to say on your own. This has become quite tiresome and I am finished with responding to your insults.

By: Eric Gauvin

Eric Gauvin — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 16:45:16 +0000

Okay, so “reverse-engineering” really means “trying to understand” so you can give your opinion. I don’t think it’s “quite obvious.” It sounds like just your imagination and opinion–nothing to do with what comes to mind at the thought of “reverse-engineering.”

By: Jeff Jarvis

Jeff Jarvis — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 15:42:39 +0000

Because you are always attacking me and rarely talking about the ideas, only looking for a way to zing.
What I mean is quite obvious, I think: trying to understand how Google – and Amazon, Facebook, craigslist, eBay, Flickr, and other companies that understand the changes in our economy and society – look at the world and what makes them succeed as a result.

By: Eric Gauvin

Eric Gauvin — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 14:35:04 +0000

Dear Jeff,

Please answer this, even though by now I think you must think I’m always just attacking you, but what specifically do you mean by “reverse-engineering” google?

By: Jeff Jarvis

Jeff Jarvis — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 03:37:00 +0000

I’ve made this clear and said often that this is not a book about Google but a book about the changes in our world, understood through the lens of Google’s success. That is the book I chose to write and my editor chose to buy.

By: Jorge A.

Jorge A. — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 03:17:12 +0000

So you write a book about google. A book about the psychology and corporate personality of the company itself. And today was the first time you have ever visited the company? Hmmmm…

By: Jeff Jarvis

Jeff Jarvis — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 19:18:45 +0000

It’s not up yet. That’s where they said it will go.

By: Sebastian

Sebastian — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 18:38:50 +0000

Hi!
Your Youtube-Link doesn’t work. Can you please update the link?
Thanks from Germany
Sebastian

By: Jon Kay

Jon Kay — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 22:53:45 +0000

Yup! You might’ve noticed – bizplans DO need a “make money” bit in them somewhere that actually does something. That big pivot does have a hefty rental charge, of course .

By: Jeff Jarvis

Jeff Jarvis — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 15:34:15 +0000

No. And the same is true for my editor. Google’s own story has been told often. I knew I would be admiring Google and I wanted to that admiration to come from a distance. I fear if I’d visited hq, I might have been even more fawning!

By: Kurt Opprecht

Kurt Opprecht — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 14:31:50 +0000

Jeff,

I worked at Google in NYC for half a year and had a similar experience to yours – the first day. A lot of things are wonderful about Google. But one big problem is that the employees are so gaga over Google that they lose all objectivity and skepticism. The ills of outdated corporate structure were just as bad there as anywhere else I’ve worked, (including groupthink, power plays, overworking and exploitation) but most of the “Googlers” had never worked anywhere else, so they assumed they were in paradise. After all, the lunch and massages were free.

Good thing you didn’t stay long enough to drink the Koolade.

By: Caroline Lowe

Caroline Lowe — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 14:18:48 +0000

Jeff,
Got an email from my son Michael this morning that he and his girlfriend Tina(who works at Google) made it to your lecture last night at the SF bookstore. Said they very much enjoyed listening to you.Michael is forwarding me a copy of your book which I will keep on my desk in newsroom for inspiration in these challenging times. They also sent some photos that I will send you if they okay.

Still think you should put MN on your list-we do have the country’s largest mall!
Caroline Lowe
PS-Any thoughts on Tim Armstrong and his PATCH plans for delivering local news? What role do you see for Google.

By: Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 10:23:09 +0000

Funny talk about a glorified ad agency.

By: Jon Kay

Jon Kay — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 09:19:04 +0000

They’ve created a class of super employees, that’s all they’ve done. I’d totally work there if they wanted me.

But seriously, is constant work really what life is all about?

We all truly live to serve, and are alot happier when we can, and missing something when we can’t. Google is a place where an amazingly big number of employees really can make the whole world better. Google is a place where they’ve mounted a fulcrum big enough to balance the Earth.

By: don loeb

don loeb — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 06:58:50 +0000

hey jeff, great to see you…and, listen to bob…maybe you should come work here

By: freakergrl

freakergrl — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 05:03:34 +0000

GOOG takes care of every employee’s needs so they need not venture forth into the real world or have a personal life with actual relationships with people outside the GOOG.
Yeah…laundry service, food service, even toilets that wash your privates…who ever needs to leave and learn to communicate with the outside world?
They’ve created a class of super employees, that’s all they’ve done.
I’d totally work there if they wanted me.
But seriously, is constant work really what life is all about?

By: Joey Baker

Joey Baker — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 04:36:46 +0000

@Jeff–

The question is raised then: do you regret not talking to Google while doing your book?