Last time I checked, Google had annual revenues of about $20B.
Microsoft has annual revenues of about $60B.
Google knows everything about me – and they’ve shown a few times that they’re not afraid to use it. (Ask Chris Campbell about the time Google emailed us when we were working on Netscape 8.)
Microsoft knows very little about me.
As a developer of software, I respect and emulate their business model – they write software, and then they sell it to people. It’s old-fashioned, but it works. And it’s straightforward.
And Google? Google, who makes a living by pimping out a spot in my attention span; Google, who has the moral backbone of a Tadpole – is considered to be the good guy.
Why?
I’m a geek. If you’re reading my blog, you’re probably a geek as well. And one of the defining characteristics of geeks, is that we like to think we’re different from “ordinary” people. One of the places we’re the MOST likely to feel special, is in our belief that advertising doesn’t affect us.
In the strange and emerging economies of ‘freemium‘ business models, commercial open source software, and crowdsourced marketplaces – in a world so backwards we’re giving money away to the producers of the most inefficient vehicles on the planet, while far away our siblings, children and cousins are dying for the oil needed to run those vehicles – well, any company that makes a fortune off of the weaknesses of the gullible Average Joe, is okay in our book. Our digital ‘Robin Hood’ to the Sheriff of Rampant Consumerism.
Except that it’s folly.
Geeks are no more immune to advertising than anyone else. Less, really. Ever heard of Gizmodo? Engadget? Apple Computer?
The long term, nearly-recession-proof success of advertising-based business models simply serves to confirm a simple truth – one that helps to explain (should you wonder) how we’ve ended up in this mess:
People are sheep.
Even geeks.
PS – Please buy something from Amazon for Valentines Days
#1 by Doug Ransom at February 14th, 2009
“in a world so backwards we’re giving money away to the producers of the most inefficient vehicles on the planet”
could read
“in a world so backwards we’re giving money away to the most inefficient producers of vehicles on the planet … “
#2 by admin at February 14th, 2009
Doug – Both are true, I think. But there’s a difference between social efficiency and business efficiency. Government handouts and deferred taxes are efficient for business, but socially inefficient.
Why not simply give the same money to the CONSUMERS – as an incentive to buy the cars that Ford and GM now promise to make fuel-efficient?
#3 by closing cost at May 13th, 2009
Its is good difference between microsoft and google..Everyone knows about microsoft and what are they doing..
#4 by Alien talk at June 29th, 2009
Interesting Article ! But I Think Both Are Useful.
#5 by financial advisor rochester at August 16th, 2009
Something tells me that this is just the beginning. Hope that I'm wrong.
#6 by real estate marketing at August 17th, 2009
I agree.. I think they are both useful to us..
#7 by Gadget_Blog at August 20th, 2009
Great post.. this is really a great information..This will be useful post.. I will comeback for more..
Cheers,
sain-web.com
#8 by Topaz at September 13th, 2009
they won't think of your suggestion LOL, they are always looking for their self profits..
#9 by Financial Advisor Rochester at October 10th, 2009
I got your point, well services always comes with a price and good services always get high price..
#10 by Financial Advisor Rochester at October 10th, 2009
I got your point, well services always comes with a price and good services always get high price..