Google Video

The video was pretty interesting. One thing that stood out to me regarded the simplicity of their search engine. I couldn't help but think "I could do that" or "why didn't I think of that?" That goes to show how some of the most ingenuous inventions are the most simple and basic. As much as some would say they pretty much "fell into" their situation, the founders did not. They not only paid their dues, they faced rejection and dealt with it accordingly. Their story, and the one of Google, are no "it could happen to you" type of journeys. For that, I respect them and wish them only the best.

Google

I have never stopped to think how Google came about, but the story behind the creation of Google is actually pretty interesting . One of the things that stuck in my mind was Googles motto "Don't be Evil." It seemed contradictory to me since they ripped off one of the most important tools of Google from someone else. It makes you think of how cut-throat the world of innovation can be. However, Google has become extremely successful and continues to dominate the world of search engines. Its exciting to see the new launch of Google wave and the impact it will have on the web.

Google - Counting the Links

I used to work for a vacation rental Web site where I was nonsensically assigned to the SEO team - I didn't know anything about this stuff at the time. Anyway, we talked a lot about search and creating keyword-rich content and basically had a love/hate relationship with Google. We relied on Google's spiders to examine our sites but resented the fact that we had to cater to them so specifically. Yahoo, the closest search competitor, is nowhere close to Google in terms of traffic numbers, so my boss really spent most of his time trying to figure out what would make Google work for us the best.

Their motto may be "don't be evil," but we often viewed them as overly-powerful web bullies. This video just brought home how huge Google really is, and I enjoyed seeing a bit of the backstory. We'll see what the future holds for this search engine giant.

Google

First year in America (I’m an international student) I wondered why people use Google. Google seem so simple and I feel Google is uncomfortable. : ( However, now when I search some information, I use Google. In Korea, Yahoo was a popular search engine. However, NAVER (naver.com) launched on new search engine like Google. And NAVER advertized “NAVER find everything. If you don’t know something and have problems, NAVER finds all information and solves all your problems.” After that, people move to use search engine form Yahoo to NAVER, like America from Yahoo to Google. After watching video, I think Yahoo needs to create new manual and Google is definitely innovative and creative.

Google Doomed?

As a communication's major, I had heard the watered down version of how Yahoo and Google were created. However, this movie did a good job of getting down and dirty with some of the things that happened behind closed doors. It’s amazing how the idea of the “ultimate guide to the World Wide Web” was spawned because David Filo and Jerry Yang wanted to win a fantasy baseball league. What I found sad was that Yahoo lost its vision because of MONEY! I think it becomes obvious that when the true vision of a company becomes overshadowed because of a few greedy individuals, the thing that suffers is quality. People really don’t like to be bombarded with obvious advertising and Google (using a stolen idea very effectively) has made users feel very comfortable with its home page. Its almost a breath of fresh air to be able to sit at the computer and see the clean white screen, with no gaudy flashing pop-ups or banners! And let’s face it; using targeted advertising is super convenient. What I did find strange about the film, is that at the end when the narrator is talking about Google he seems to be eluding to the idea that even as far as it has come, the company will eventually fail. When I think about this, I do not want to believe that this could happen. After all, I love Google; I think they are innovative, creative and always on top of their game. But at the same time, I also believe that there is a saturation point (a stopping point) where something is going to become so overexposed, so well-known that it becomes obsolete. If Google continues on its course, continues to make our life easier with its wonderful free services and other convenient pay services, I don’t see this happening but I guess the point is….things change, and we can’t predict the future!

Google Doomed?

The video on the history of Google had a lot of great background, but one thing really stuck with me. At the very end of the show John Heilemann said that Google was "bound for self-destruction." Really? I think they're doin' alright. Everyone that uses Google just becomes more enthralled with their products. Yes, this may mean more dependency on one company, but that doesn't necessarily mean our life's information will be compromised or exploited. Personally and professionally we're moving to a web-based society--even Microsoft. I think Google is too smart to lead itself off the virtual cliff.

Is Google Making Us Stoopid? This is a great article about impact of all of our Googling on our minds!

Google - Do not be evil

It's interesting that Google nearly dead-ended when they could not figure out how to make money. When they were struggling to figure it out, they had to steal a solution! The originator of the idea was eventually compensated, very generously it seemed, but their mantra is all about not being evil. With all the dialogue we're having about the struggle to monetize online products/services, it's interesting that for the Google creators, it was their original roadblock.

Google

One major concept I learned about Google was the mindset and culture of the company that seems to have led them to all of their success. Google is very focused on forward thinking and looking for new ways to do things better. Yahoo and Excite basically came up with a platform and then looked to make money, without continuing to grow the product. They stopped the innovation process. That instantly let Google catch-up with them and pass them by. It was definitely a concept that you can take to heart. Keep pushing forward, because someone is working just as hard or harder than you to succeed.

Google

The video over the creation of Yahoo, Google and Excite was very interesting. To think that a bunch of college kids who were 19 or 20 years old are the ones responsible for creating search engines that are part of every day life on the Web is insane.

It was also interesting how many people thought search engines were pointless and how many investors turned their back on some really great innovations. It goes to show you what could come out of literally..nothing.

The video also made me wonder one last question: What the heck is Stanford feeding their students over there?

Net Neutrality

I remember talking about net neutrality in class and not really getting it. I found this video on cnn.com's tech section and it helped clear up the topic a little more for me. I know I can't be the only person who didn't really get net neutrality so maybe this can be helpful for others. Here's the link: http://bit.ly/2GvT7

Jesse

Google Video

The thing I found most interesting about the video we watched in class was the idea of google-phobia. It seems like the more the Internet permeates our lives the more we hand over more of our personal identification. The reason google became hugely successful (I use it) is because of keyword search. Basically, I and everyone else who uses has our google use traced and followed. That can be a blessing but also a curse. I remember not to long ago the debate that librarians give over their patrons records to the FBI under the Patriot Act. Also, phone companies were asked to hand over information about their clients too so the idea that this information about google users is strictly hands off doesn't hold.

"googley" google

we had a case study in bruce smith's media management class called "keeping google 'googley.'" it attributed google's success to its innovative and interesting business practices (like carly was saying below). i don't know if i'd be able to get anything done if i worked there.

google's mountain view headquarters

now that's googley.

i found it quite interesting that adwords was actually a stolen idea. they seem to have had a bit of a slip on their "don't be evil" mission. nonetheless, google has proven to be a wild success and is one of the first internet-based companies to figure out how to do so online. google has been my search engine of choice for years, and i use igoogle, gmail, google maps, google docs, google scholar, youtube and blogger on a daily basis. they've taken over my online life! they keep coming up with great new ideas and show no sign of slowing down. none of us can imagine a word with out search engines, and it's no surprise to me that gogle was the one to figure it out first.

Google

The most remarkable thing covered in the video, in my opinion, was how astonishingly successful simple ideas were in those days. I'm sure building the programming and infrastructure to IMPLEMENT those simple ideas was a challenge, but the basic principal behind the thing was elegantly simple.
I'm also impressed that after all these years and new applications, the base Google screen is still uncluttered and gimmick-free.
Maybe the people who stick dancing babies in their credit check ads will take a hint...
The video does raise a question: can you take other companies' ideas, stockpile people's information, and help Red China censor content and still not "be evil?"

To Google or not to Google

I thoroughly enjoyed the search engine video. Whip me with a piece of wet spaghetti but I didn't even mind the guy that hosted it that much. I'm reading, or I should say, I was reading (before school started) a book called, "Mastering Online Research." It's full of info about using search engines but doesn't have any information about the history of them (might have been a logical place to begin the book). The history is fascinating. It's nearly impossible to think about using the internet without having access to a search engine. How widespread would the use of the internet be without Google?

I want a lava lamp in my office, too.

I think Google's office environment and how they run their company are directly related to their success.  We saw in the video how there are games, chairs and lava lamps set up all over the over.  I've heard that there is a child day care center on site, as well as an exercise area and a gourmet cafe, and I heard that employees can bring their pets to work.  I think this type of environment fosters creativity, which is an integral part of Google.  Gmail, Google Labs, Gchat, everything is full of creativity and good design.

I think companies should take note of this little business tactic.  If you treat your employees well, and give them a place to grow their knowledge and creativity, they are going to produce some pretty spectacular things for you.

the search engine video.

The one thing that struck me about the search engine video was how quickly Google became a worldwide phenomenon. It went from an idea two guys came up with at school to becoming its own verb in just a couple of years. Google is now up there with Coke and Kleenex (and others) as the brands that have become the accepted terms to describe any product in their field.

And I didn't think the host was all that annoying...besides trying to insert himself into history as much as possible.

Some search related articles

Some great Wired articles of the past that you might find interesting.

http://bit.ly/MvSIR - Wired Special Issue Googlemania March 2004

http://bit.ly/B9XEv - How Yahoo Blew It Feb 07

http://bit.ly/lhPFe - The Great Wall of Facebook Wired 6/09

i am back.

i told my pup i was writing this and he demanded he be included on the post. his name is duna edes. duna is hungarian for danube, the river that goes thru budapest, hungary. that is where he was born. edes means sweetheart. he is a havanese, which makes him a cuban hungarian american. what a cultured little dog i have.

i am on my laptop at home...i'd almost forgotten what this felt like.

i am originally from texarkana, arkansas, where i graduated high school and college (but on the texas side). i miss my family and being in close proximity to razorback fans (woo pig sooie!), but that's about all i miss. my choices for a career there included working for a bad newspaper, tv or radio station...no thanks. there's not much more demand for the mass communication field there. i decided to move down here and go to graduate school 1) to get out of texarkana, 2) to live in austin, and 3) because i had a degree and no idea what i wanted to do with my life. plus, i am a huge nerd and love being in school - if they created a career as a professional student i would be the perfect candidate. i also love music and live shows, reading, writing, traveling (especially europe), and anything outdoors.

since starting my graduate career in the fall of 07, i have really taken on an interest in new media. it is almost impossible to function day to day without some form of social networking (exaggerating a bit, but it is becoming more true). and recent events show that social networking and blogs are dramatically changing the role of media in our society. why not jump on the new media train? besides the fact that being knowledgeable in and familiar with using new media will help out when pursuing a career, it's also really stinkin' fun. my new job has kept me incredibly busy at work since starting last monday, and i don't have time for news/twitter/facebook/digg at work anymore. geez. i'm actually having to work at work now...

one of the founders of the internet said something interesting in the second half of the video. he said that their reasoning for wanting to create the internet was based on a tradition of sharing knowledge, and that everyone was contributing to it. i think this is more true than ever today. it's good to see that the purpose and function of the internet has not changed from what its founders saw it to be.

Have Any Of You Heard About Dream Cat Venus?

Hi, this is Jesse. I thought this article from cnet.co.uk was interesting because it gives an example of technology for the elderly (a group typically weary of technology) in the form of a friendly house cat. This cat/android is amazing. I think it's interesting that people who may have a fear or be intimidated by technology may be open to it through something that seems familiar and not threatening. Here is the link. (I am using bitly for the first time and like it) http://bit.ly/mnpef

hooray for internet

hey all! it's jennifer teeters. i have had no internet at my house for a week (thanks, time warner), and my new job as a plans acquisition manager at work has left me no time to breathe, let alone do anything non-work related. i am writing this from our classroom. sigh. my roommate text me earlier to say the time warner was at our house "fixing" the problem, so i should have access to the world tonight. i will write more then.

Hello Everyone!

My name is Giovanni Metcalf. I'm from El Paso Texas. I moved to San Antonio to attend St. Mary's, where I received my bachelors in English communications. After I graduated I moved to Austin, where I have almost lived for two years. I currently work at the Hyatt Regency on Townlake, as the hotel concierge. I love my job! The Perks are great and I get to meet a lot of interesting people. I'm still not sure what I would like to do once I get my masters. For the longest time I wanted to work in the music industry, within publicity and promotions, dealing primarily with electronic music. Now I think I might want to pursue nursing. Who knows what I want? I'm really looking forward to this class. Not so much getting the twitter account, which I have managed to avoid until now. Recently, my boss asked me to spice up the guest services web page at work. I had put the project on hold, but hopefully after a few classes I can actually get the ball rolling.

The video we saw on the history of the Internet was interesting. I've seen some similar videos in the past, but its always nice to remember how far we have come since the beginning.

Great meeting everyone, definitely looking forward to a challenging class

Hello all, from T.C. Sprencel. Well I can tell that I am probably the least-experienced student in the class, at least in terms of what we will be doing and learning. My cultivation in the new media realm is limited to rudimentary website design and casual use with networking sites like Facebook and Myspace. But that's why I'm here; one can hardly expect to master a skill without confronting ignorance. I certainly look forward to working with, and learning from, all of you.

I have yet to nail down my educational/career aspirations. I do have several areas of strong interest, including writing, comedy and humor, baseball, food, and travel. So I'm just waiting for the niche to emerge for, perhaps, the satirically-driven traveling ballpark food critic! In all seriousness, though, I eagerly await both the education and direction with which I hope to be endowed after taking classes such as this one.

After watching the video in our first class, I can only marvel at the reduction of the seemingly infinite amalgamation of information that is the internet into such basic components. It's kind of like a six-page calculus problem: one rarely recognizes the simplicity of that first step in the grand scheme of things. With that in mind, I look forward to building upon my very simple understanding of our subject matter, so that one day I'll have the knowledge to look back and wonder why I was ever intimidated by the intricacy of new media.

This is going to be a fun class...

Hi everyone, my name is Roberta Flores. I'm from a little town called Dilley, Texas; it's right in the middle of San Antonio and Laredo. I'm really looking forward to the Online Media Design Class. I graduated in 2008 from Texas A&M University Kingsville, where my major was journalism. I loved writing news stories and designing pages for the school newspaper and even was a reporter for two months in Seguin. I decided to come to grad school because I wasn't necessarily sure that I wanted to do reporting for the rest of my life. I also graduated without any experience with web design or html!

Since print journalism has been going through such a radical change, I believe it is the best time for me to get some training and experience with the tools of the future. I decided to become a new media major because communication through the web is not only fascinating, but because I don't want to be one of those journalists that gets left behind and keeps talking (or dreaming) about the old days. One of the things that I found very interesting (and did not know before) was that the person who created email worked on it in his SPARE time! Wow.

Not only are these guys legendary, its nice to know that they were mainly college students. This reminds me that anything can be achieved if you set your heart and mind to it; these guys were dedicated and unwilling to give up until they completed their project. I also had no idea that they were inspired by a mouse finding its way through a maze and applied this concept to the method for sending data to and from computer to computer. Pretty cool... If you guys want to look me up on Twitter feel free to do so....See ya in class!