Google has a new, 360-degree privacy policy. Take that, Facebook. The consolidation of data that creates a unified customer profile across very nearly all of Google's products and services creates a view of the customer that's very, very Facebook in nature. Funny that with all the attention directed to the Facebook IPO lately, so few commentators have made this observation. It's a good idea that has, understandably, creeped users out. The reality and the perception of privacy are miles … [Read more...]
Wanted: Your opinion on book titles (Part 2)
October 27, 2009 By 7 Comments
Previously, I asked for help in naming the book, and we're done to the wire in terms of finalists. I'm hoping you can take two minutes to complete a very short survey on our title possibilities. I realize that asking an audience of people who are pre-disposed to being open is probably not the most scientific way to do this! So taking a page from Tim Ferris, I'm also running the title possibilities against specific search keywords to see which ones get the most clickthroughs. I'll post the … [Read more...]
Microsoft Bing’s focus on decisions is smart — but not a Google killer
May 29, 2009 By 7 Comments
Apologies for the long title, but I wanted to get one thing across before diving into my review of Microsoft's new search engine Bing. (The site was announced on Thursday at the All Things Digital conference and will be available June 3rd. I was given a pre-launch briefing and have had access to a preview site.) Bing is not a Google killer. But that isn't necessarily a bad thing, and in fact, I think Microsoft is taking a pretty darn smart move by focusing on being a "decision engine". Here's … [Read more...]
Google’s malware goof – a personal experience and perspective
February 2, 2009 By 6 Comments
Over the weekend, Google Search was rendered useless for about an hour on Saturday thanks to human error where every Web page was considered dangerous malware (Information Week has an excellent overview of what happened). Google posted on its search blog about the error. Marissa Mayer, VP of Search Products at Google, wrote: "If you did a Google search between 6:30 a.m. PST and 7:25 a.m. PST this morning, you likely saw that the message "This site may harm your computer" accompanied each and … [Read more...]
