Google`s Influence on the Internet Through its Ad Network
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Google has a reputation as a playful, harmless company that strives to do good, or at least, to not be evil. In fact, the search giant has a stronger grasp on the Internet than most people seem to realize. Don't believe it? Keep reading.
Sometimes to see the whole picture (or clearer version) you need pieces of information you did not have before. The real irony is, you are not aware of those vital pieces, until you discover them, and before discovering them you assume you have pretty good grip on things. Once a piece of vital information comes in, the paradigms shift and you can see from a higher altitude than you could before. Some refer to those as "Aha" moments.
Reading Scott Cleland's Googleopoly: The Google-DoubleClick Anti-Competitive Case, I had one of those "Aha" moments, that gave me a new perspective on the real influence Google has on the Internet. I can now see how tight Google's grip is on things, and why Microsoft, along with Yahoo, might never be able to catch up. I highly recommend you read three of Scott Cleland's papers.
Personally I am very skeptical of the guy himself, but he does have a very knowledgeable perspective on things. Many arguments are weak, and some are extremely biased, so you have to get through the clutter to get the gems. Here are the three articles I recommend:
Googleopoly II Google's Predatory Playbook to Thwart Competition
Googleopoly III Dependency: The Crux of the Google-Yahoo Ad Agreement Problem
Googleopoly: The Google-DoubleClick Anti-Competitive Case
The papers were written in opposition to Google on the Google-DoubleClick and Google-Yahoo deals.
One of the "fun" things to overcome for me was Google's brand perception, which was of a playful, harmful, "don't be evil" company. Google does a good job of maintaining this brand perception though public relations and brand management, but if we open our eyes, we'll realize that with $30 billion at stake (or whatever the online ad market estimate is), the company cannot, even it wanted to, be "nice" and "harmless."
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