Let's Start Something | Hacker News Reader

Let's Start Something

google.com

34 pointssethbannon30 comments

For those who seem confused, this is an effort on the part of Google to take the energy and momentum from the anti-SOPA victory and turn it into something proactive. I for one applaud it. For too long, we have been taking a purely defensive posture, where we wait until the next existential threat to the open internet pops up, and only then do we get active.

We need to start pushing our own agenda -- one that protects the free exchange of ideas and innovation online. Let the MPAA and their allies be the ones playing defense.

If that is what they are trying to do, I applaud it... however, Google probably have their own reasons. They want to be seen as the good guys on the web, even though they are tracking all of us along with Facebook and the others.

By the way, CISPA is the next retarded idea to kill the internet... I guess it will never stop.

A healthy web is good for Google's business. Isn't that enough of a reason? Isn't that a more reliable reason than altruism?

By the way, CISPA is the next retarded idea to kill the internet... I guess it will never stop.

Unless Google is truly committed to some "open web" idea, in which case they would do better than collecting tweets by throwing their weight and money around to ensure an open Internet.

You mean things like testifying before the sentate[1]?

[1]http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-20109630-93/eric-schmidts-o...

No, I mean like paying for enough lobbyists to get legislation passed that would make SOPA/PIPA/CISPA/PCIPA impossible in the future. To enshrine Internet freedom.

Currently, the discourse is oriented around the Internet having too much freedom and that it naturally needs reining in.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57364074-93/google-nearly-d...

Yet here we are. :/

Yeah. I think all of the internet companies need to start lobbying like they were possessed, while everyone that can needs to start trying trying at the same time to push for de-corrupting the political system.

It's not going to be a small effort.

Good heavens. What the hell have they done to Google?

20% Time doesn't appear to be as fruitful as portrayed.

This is very left field. Maybe they're spooked by something and want to be part of a movement rather than the target?

(Disclaimer: Google employee, previously unaware of this program until it showed up on HN, speaking for myself and not the company.)

My guess is that this is trying to advocate for the open web, draw attention to all the ways that the web has changed our lives, and brainstorm new ways for it to continue impacting lives. It feels like the open web is under attack a lot these days, from various angles like walled-garden social networks, proprietary app stores, spammers, etc.

Remember that the vast majority of Google's revenue still comes from AdWords and AdSense. The more people use the open web, the more they search, the more they click on ads, and the bigger Google's revenue. Also, the more data that's available to Google and the better their algorithms can perform, which lets them put out better products.

When people use the open web, Google's stock price rises with no extra effort needed. When people switch to proprietary products, it's an existential threat to Google's business model.

So yes, this is done out of self-interest, but it's a case where a corporation's interests align with consumers. As a user (& a potential startup founder in the future), I very much want to keep the Internet free & open.

I very much understand the motivation behind it, it's just the means that is shockingly tacky and uncharacteristic. A slogan contest for the importance of the open web? Really?

"Pick your channel, tell your story"

It's a lot easier to articulate what the Internet isn't, and one of those things is channels.

It took me a while to realize that you were probably talking about television. My instant thought was "channels" as in communication channels.

Actually I'm referencing all kinds. Telco engineers were notoriously famous for not understanding the Internet as they thought in terms of channels and services and could not grok the advantages of best effort packet switching.

2005 - The first viral video.

I remember watching the Ugachaka Baby Video in the min 90's. Anyone else remember the original viral videos?

South Park Episode 1: Jesus vs. Santa, viral in 1995.

Jesus v. Santa was actually their demo and went viral before (or just as, at the latest) the series was premiering.

I'm confused. I understand the whole "we are the web" thing. But do we really need a PSA for social networks?

Seriously, is there some grander message I'm missing?

We need to start "finishing" stuff

I think this is actually very very smart. Have people describe what they think/believe the Internet is and what they believe it can do.

Once there is enough data, analyze it to see the kind of needs people have and what they're looking for.

Once the needs have been identified, create products to fulfill them.

Funny that a search engine company wouldn't be able to derive this kind of information from the contents of their own servers. People have been giving them their thoughts in the form of the entire internet for 15 years, so this really leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

Google is supposed to be the smartest of the smart, so how did that lead them to run a Twitter survey?

Call me cynical, but this looks like a thinly veiled split test.

Interesting hypothesis. What do you think they are varying here, and across what population?

I love how they can only use their own logo. Or they chose to.

It's a simple A/B test. They're seeing which social network is the most popular by how many clicks its button gets, even with the page itself being hosted on Google.

;)

seems to me that in the last, oh, call it 9 months to a year that Google has been building up speed to jump a mighty big shark. maybe this trend goes back as far as when they realized that gravy-wavy was flopping.

this is just more of the same.

Branding guidelines fail.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com