Does Google have too much power?

[rjs_essex]

Does Google have too much power?

What's your thoughts?

Rich

 

[retired_member4]

Yes, google has too much power. So does Microsoft, Yahoo, Paypal, Ebay etc etc..

What can you do?

 

[retired_member21]

What can you do indeed...

Best move I ever made was 2 yrs ago moving over to a Mac - never looked back
Off topic slightly, but can't see a new OS/interface getting close to the Mac for the next 3-5 years (hence won't switch to new Google OS)

Openoffice (word/excel) / mac mail program is great for email
I run any windows programs (mozzle / xenu etc) on Parallels [windows simulator] so don't miss windows applications
Installing a program is done via drag/drop - no complex installs, it's just amazing (as a previous 15 year PC user)

Google have my email, personalised search and checkout details for the last 6 odd years, the profile they could build up on me is scary - I just cross my fingers and hope for the best - I think it's pretty hard to survive nowadays without subjecting your personal details to Google in some way, their data is just frightening

 

[rjs_essex]

Yes, google has too much power. So does Microsoft, Yahoo, Paypal, Ebay etc etc..

What can you do?

All of these companies have a lot of power, but all in particular sectors... Google seem to be diversifying and branching out into every sector...

Next will come a Google mobile network to get you connected and then a Google credit card to pay for everything 'Google'...

What worries me is the amount of knowledge Google have about individuals... The database is growing and growing.

I think it's pretty hard to survive nowadays without subjecting your personal details to Google in some way, their data is just frightening

It is, and don't get me wrong, I like Google, I don't have any issues with what they are doing now but I don't like the look of the their development cycle... They are sticking their fingers in all the pies... This is going to have even more of an affect on the 'little uys' in the future...

Rich

 

[retired_member32]

Well google has no competition,microsoft will be gone in five years vista crashed and burnt and IE is the weakest web browser with more holes in there security than a sieve,yahoo is permanently for sale which weakens it's position,so that's life the rich get richer.......

 

[GreyWing]

Well google has no competition,microsoft will be gone in five years vista crashed and burnt and IE is the weakest web browser with more holes in there security than a sieve,yahoo is permanently for sale which weakens it's position,so that's life the rich get richer.......

Apparently the next one, windows 7 is supposed to be the dogs b, that's from independents I met yesterday who were talking about it.

Is google too powerful, like Rcih said not at the moment but imagine if they no longer valued the .co.uk over .biz

They might just wipe out millions of the price of domains .co.uk's in the drop of a hat.

 

[retired_member32]

and the winner is...........






nom...........





do we see the new non exec..........

 

[GreyWing]

No one knows yet mate, should find out today sometime after midday.

Cheers
GW

 

[davedevelopment]

Google are starting to put fingers in every pie and it's only a matter of time before they hit things off in certain areas and get bigger and bigger. The press go crazy for things they do, just like Apple.

With regards to their proposed OS, after messing up with Vista, even Microsoft fell behind Mac and popular Linux distros and are now playing catch up, Google have got twenty years worth to catch up on. No matter what Google do in the next year for their OS, Microsoft, Mac and Linux aren't going to stop improving and let them catch up. But who knows, maybe they'll do something revolutionary or maybe they'll fail (Google Answers anyone?).

 

[rjs_essex]

They could start abusing their power... At the moment their algorithm is relatively neutral (correct me if I am wrong)... Everyone has a fair shot at the top spot. Imagine for example if Google bought Amazon... Would this be a conflict of interests, would Google allow all Amazon product links the number one spot on their serps? Already Google shopping appears for the majority but its placement does vary...

Rich

 

[TinkyWinky]

G have way too much power based around their data collection.

I long ago turfed toolbar, don't have gmail accounts or use their browser... I also vary searches on different search engines so they don't get my surf patterns 100% either.

They will become a serious issue soon - there are already rumblings - but what can you do with a toothless Y! and MS not being able to catch up without a deal on search with Y!

I for one am pretty impressed with Bing.com - yes there is a bit of spam and some odd results, but I would place it above Y! already for most areas and long tail searches. But it needs some PR love to get people using it.

I was using it in airport yesterday on one of those access terminals, and a couple of people next to me asked me what it was... i told them and they said they had never heard of it... but they would try it out. It needs that sort of love from TV, surfers, webmasters and more.

Remember that Google only really started to gain momentum thanks to webmasters adopting usage and then in effect helping G to target their results and their algo's. Then it went public big time via TV....

Twitter et al could help Bing do a similar thing but quicker... for all our sakes if we want to at least get a slightly more level playing field.

What is going to be interesting is the toes that G is now starting to step on... they are going to create some powerful enemies that may do some collaboration in the long term.

There's a good but brief article out there about how the hell Eric Schmidt can sit on Apple and Google boards when both companies are now starting to compete.... in effect :

Phones - Android OS development vs Iphone
Broswers - Chrome - Safari
OS - Chrome - Max OS

He can't be independent in this case - can't believe Apple haven't turfed him off... although maybe due to Jobs not being 100%.

So yes, we should all worry about G and what they are doing - they could easily be far more problematic than MS.

Just my 2p....
TW