Google Watch Dogs

I am thinking maybe we need to create a “neighborhood watch” of sorts for the online space. Every day I learn of something shady, hypocritical, or downright monopolistic that they do. Unfortunately, I do not have the time to site and write down every time I hear of them doing something “evil.” For example, just today I saw two posts from some of my favorite bloggers that showed what Google has been up to.

First up is Aaron Wall on Hypocritical Nature of AdSense

Next up was Slightly Shady on Google Creating Its Own Internet

Seoker.com on Google Toolbar Steals 401 Messages

Here are my two cents on both issues:

UPDATE: The fine Folks of Google Horror Stories  sent me a note letting me know that they are designed to serve as a Google Watch Dog. Feel free to post your horror story there.

AdSense started out as such a great tool. Imagine being able to show up in search results and across content networks with a relatively simple bid system. In a matter of few years the system got complicated with the addition of quality score and other factors. What was supposed to be a way for “mom and pops” to advertise online has created an industry in which technology, automated bids, and full time staff have to run your PPC campaigns. Basically sorry “mom and pop” but money is going to beat you out again and again. Thanks uncle Google.

On Slightly Shady’s predictions. I think he is completely on the money on that one. Google is doing to the internet what Microsoft did to software. I love how they called out Microsoft when they made a bid on Yahoo. I can’t believe Yahoo! denied the offer. Perhaps if they joined with Microsoft there would exist an entity that could compete with Google.