The Article Writer

I’m feeling pain migrating through my stomach this morning. No, it isn’t indigestion — at least of the food kind — rather, it is all of the articles I have been taking in these past few days which are discussing Google and their massive PageRank penalty pogrom.

Some of the articles are informative and I can sympathize with those bloggers/webmasters who have been hit for no apparent reason. I am not defending Google, obviously some sort of explanation by Matt Cutts would be helpful when the smoke clears (i.e., when a full export to the Google toolbar of PageRank takes place).

PageRank Doesn’t Matter — Or Does It?

What bothers me is that there is a segment of the SEO world who is crying foul when they clearly have no reason for them to do so. After all, these are the same people who have told us over and over again that PageRank doesn’t matter. Really?! Then why are you objecting so strongly now? Have you had a change of heart?

My thinking is that we would all be better served if we were to take a step back and look at certain facts and respond intelligently to what has taken place:

Fact: Google is a public company and they can do what they want. Google answers to shareholders and they are in business to make money. As a customer, you are free to go elsewhere.

Fact: We have known for months that this day was coming. Google warned us and we talked about the upcoming changes. Sure, no one saw things unfolding the way that they have, but here we are. Now what will you do?

Fact: Google doesn’t own the internet. Yes, their influence easily outstrips the influence of any other company, but they do not own the world wide web. If Google offends you that much, then find other products to use (just like when you rejected Microsoft). Maybe it was a big mistake for you to build your business model on Google’s back in the first place.

Fact: The rise and fall of so many companies over time proves that Google’s popularity can easily be eclipsed by an unknown, future start up. Bill Gates thought that he was king way back when and a few years back Facebook was just a fun project for a Harvard student. The internet is in constant flux.

Fact: Google’s actions will make you a better business person. You knew that putting all of your eggs in one basket was dangerous, but you took the risk and are now paying for it. Let this be a lesson to you: businesses are built on the foundation of mistakes made and the lessons learned from those mistakes. If you are unable to learn from this experience, then perhaps being in business isn’t right for you.

Okay, this rant is officially over. Can we get on with what we were doing and find a way to do what we were doing better?

Please hear me out. Firefox isn’t going around asking people to contribute funds to their current marketing campaign. At least not directly. What the upstart web browser wants people to do is to order a 3.5 foot long Firefox fathead sticker and paste it in a very public place. Specifically, if you have room on the side of a building that you own, then Firefox would love for you to hang it there. Or, you can place their ad in some other “can’t miss” location.

They also want you to fork over $69.50 to purchase the sticker.

Introducing Operation Firefox

I first learned about the campaign when I logged on this morning. My usual double-click on the Firefox icon always brings me to a landing page where the Google search bar sits prominently in the middle of the screen. Today, I noticed just below the search area the following statement:

Mozilla is recruiting for Firefox. Do you have what it takes?

Of course, I clicked on the link which took me to Operation Firefox, the recruiting campaign website where I learned the particulars for a contest. Only 50 banners will be placed and the contest is open to residents of five countries: the US, Canada, China, New Zealand, and Japan. In addition, the following conditions must be met:

1. Interested teams have to submit a proposal on what they intend to do by November 9.
2. 50 teams will be selected based on proposal completeness, execution logistics, sticker exposure, and originality. Selected teams will receive the giant sticker for free.
3. The selected teams will place the sticker and document the process. The documentation will then be submitted to Mozilla.
4. First prize is a Mac Book Pro and one of three Nintendo Wiis for the runners up.

Apparently, the campaign’s website and other Mozilla sites are being overwhelmed today as I can no longer access them to to snag a photo or reverify certain information. Their contest rules clearly mention that the 50 teams will receive their banners for free, so I guess the $69.50 fee is for people not participating in the contest.

Will I participate in this viral campaign? I already am by writing this post. Sorry, I don’t have a place where the giant sticker can be placed, therefore this blog will have to do.

Today is Google’s 9th birthday (or anniversary), the date when the search engine was introduced to the worldwide web. Of course, the company was incorporated a few weeks earlier, but today is the date that the search engine went live.

Search Was Different Before Google

I remember life before Google quite well. When it arrived, Yahoo! was my favorite search engine, with AltaVista, Microsoft, and a couple of other smaller ones catching my attention. It didn’t take long for me to make the switch to Google, especially when I could find a lot more targeted information through its search engine than with the others.

Of course, Google has morphed well beyond being just a search engine. A business juggernaut, the company has the midas touch, but with a twist: everything they buy seems to add value to the company.

Serge, Larry, and a Host of Capable Employees

Without founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Google wouldn’t exist. Naturally, putting together the best team of people possible has worked to its advantage. That team has been instrumental in helping Google acquire dozen of companies expanding Google’s presence well beyond search.

10 Notable Google Acquisitions

For the fun of it, let’s take a look at 10 important Google acquisitions completed over the years:

Blogger — when blogging was still relatively a young phenomenon, Google’s 2003 purchase of Pyra Labs gave the company a stronghold in the blogosphere.

Applied Semantics — AdSense seems as if it has been around forever, but Google’s purchase of Applied Semantics, the developer of AdSense, was accomplished in April 2003. CPC hasn’t been the same since!

Picasa — In 2004, Google acquired Picasa, the photo editing and organizing software program.

Keyhole — Today’s Google Earth came from the company’s acquisition of Keyhole in 2004. With this acquisition and subsequent development, Google brought satellite spying to the masses.

Urchin — Google Analytics, the widely-used web analytics software program, was acquired by Google in 2005. Only recently has the program become widely available as demand far exceeded Google’s ability to maintain the program.

Upstartle — I had to look this one up, as I had forgotten that Writely — the online word processing program — came to Google with their acquisition of Upstartle. Today, the renamed Google Docs includes word processing, spreadsheet, and a recently released presentation program.

YouTube — The 2006 purchase of YouTube has been one of the largest acquisitions to date for Google. Less than two years after getting its start, Google paid $1.65 billion for the video sharing company. Hey, Google — you wanna buy my blog?!

Feedburner — Just this past June Google snapped up Feedburner, the news feed management provider.

Postini — Security and compliance software company Postini is in the fold and works side by side with Google Apps.

DoubleClick — Last, but certainly not least, the DoubleClick acquisition puts Google in the banner, video, and display ad business. Certainly, Google is not satisfied with serving up text ads only.

What Else Is In Store?

For a company that is so young, Google has billions of dollars at its disposal and is always on the prowl to expand their business, chiefly through acquisition. The company has its detractors who insist that its “Do No Evil” slogan no longer applies. Privacy issues, corporate dominance, greed, even arrogance are some of the concerns being raised about Google today.

Regardless of where Google may be headed, having a solid response to growing opposition is essential to its long term growth. When your corporate image is being defined by consumers, the ability to grow and expand your business is hampered, something Bill Gates has discovered at the helm of Microsoft.

Anyway, Happy 9th Birthday to Google!