Posted on 11/06/2005 5:51:08 AM PST by summer
Wal-Mart, the nation's largest retailer, often intimidates its competitors and suppliers. Makers of goods from diapers to DVD's must cater to its whims. But there is one company that even Wal-Mart eyes warily these days: Google, a seven-year-old business in a seemingly distant industry.
"We watch Google very closely at Wal-Mart," said Jim Breyer, a member of Wal-Mart's board.
In Google, Wal-Mart sees both a technology pioneer and the seed of a threat, said Mr. Breyer, who is also a partner in a venture capital firm. The worry is that by making information available everywhere, Google might soon be able to tell Wal-Mart shoppers if better bargains are available nearby.
Wal-Mart is scarcely alone in its concern. As Google increasingly becomes the starting point for finding information and buying products and services, companies that even a year ago did not see themselves as competing with Google are beginning to view the company with some angst - mixed with admiration.
Google's recent moves have stirred concern in industries from book publishing to telecommunications. Businesses already feeling the Google effect include advertising, software and the news media. Apart from retailing, Google's disruptive presence may soon be felt in real estate and auto sales...
...Such advances, predicts Esther Dyson, a technology consultant, will bring "a huge reduction in inefficiency everywhere." That, in turn, would be an unsettling force for all sorts of industries and workers. But it would also reward consumers with lower prices and open up opportunities for new companies.
Google, then, may turn out to have a more far-reaching impact than earlier Web winners like Amazon and eBay. "Google is the realization of everything that we thought the Internet was going to be about but really wasn't until Google," said David B. Yoffie, a professor at Harvard Business School...
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Inefficiency props up many peoples' income in the Western economies. Think efficiency is a good thing? Just wait for the great wail to go up from those who believe that it's a birthright of Americans to earn ten times the salary as an Indian. Increased efficiency will allow the market to level things even more and bring American salaries down to where they are comparable to others.
Anything legal that helps a consumer get things at a better price is a good thing.
http://www.google-watch.org/
I use it as my primary search engine but I block ALL cookies from Google.
I wouldn't use "G Mail" if they gave me terabytes of free space *and* they paid me to.
I may use Google but it doesn't use me....:)
Cavuto had a stock analyst "expert" on the other night who advised people to dump Google stock now.
Not being a stock kinda person, I have no idea why except that he said "now is the time".
*shrug*
Take that for what it's worth.
http://www.pricegrabber.com
http://www.pricewatch.com
http://www.streetprices.com
http://www.streetprice.com/
Great places to price compare.
Actually, the owners of Google are just one example of that phenomenon. There are many wealthy Americans who work tirelessly to ensure that other Americans are denied the same chances they had to succeed.
Just bewildering.
Thanks for the information
I used to use other serach engines and now use Google exclusively, however after checking out these sites I think your advise is wise.
Why be exclusive when you have options?
There are many ways to do comparison shopping on the Internet (and have been for some time)--Google is just one of them. The real questions is: which is best? The answer is probably: "it depends".
Do terrorists using gmail accounts get offers to buy cell culture medium, fertilizer, and low-cost internet flight school courses?
Google is one smart company and they are very quickly capturing the bulk of the advertising market. Already, advertisers are diverting billions of their advertising dollars from newspapers and other traditional media outlets to Google where they can reach their targeted demographic audience much more effectively.
Also, speaking of Google, I would be very careful about what you post on the Internet. Everything you post on the Internet (including here at Free Republic) will be searchable by family members, prospective employers, friends, enemies, etc.
People are already losing their jobs over what they post about their company on the Internet. Soon, if not already, as soon as you apply for a job, your prospective employer will Google up your name and what you post could very well come back to haunt you. You will not even be able to hide behind screen names. Eventually, somebody will find a way to link your screen name to your real name. Scary stuff but it's inevitable.
Note that they scan and permanently archive incoming e-mail, too, so don't send e-mail to a gmail account unless you want it permanently available to Google. (This archiving is even if you delete your account.) Their policies are very open ended as to what they can do with your information...they basically give away a large account as incentive for you to give them your e-mail.
Note that there are very sneaky terms that few people read. Most companies say they will release your identity and records to the FBI if subpoenaed. But what would you say if you give away the right of Google to let the FBI--or the International Criminal Court--on their own whim. We might not have an ICC now, but if in 20 years we continue on this path, your e-mail might come back to haunt you. Click here for more info on why I don't reply to gmail messages.
Actually, the owners of Google are just one example of that phenomenon. There are many wealthy Americans who work tirelessly to ensure that other Americans are denied the same chances they had to succeed.
Just bewildering.
but not new ...
to be a lawyer you used to have to just take and pass the bar ... then lawyers decided that was to easy for new lawyers ...then realtors, brokers , now everyone every where tries to make sure that license restictions and educational qualifications keep the door shut to their trade/profession as tight as possible.
Just bewildering.
Why do you find it bewildering?
They've got theirs and they don't want to allow the possibility of someone else coming along and taking it away from them. This is typical of people who feel that they've achieved their success by screwing over other people. Sometimes they have but often they haven't. Many of them believe that the only way for the rich to get richer is for the poor to get poorer.
-Wal-Mart, the nation's largest retailer, often intimidates its competitors and suppliers.
The NYT had to get that typical leftist slam in there didn't they?-
It wasn't even necessary to mention Wal-Mart at all to get the Google point across.
If I want to spend a lot of money on something, I don't go to Wal-Mart to get it anyway! Do I want to travel 1/2 hour and use up gas and time to get a $50 item slightly cheaper elsewhere, or pay postage on a slightly cheaper item and wait 10 days for it? Why bother when Wal-Mart is right down the street?
I've had one minor issue with it not getting my own posts to Yahoogroups like all other emails have, but other than that it's been great.
(Normally I wouldn't care but it's an addy for a Pern roleplay, so it would be handy to have a record of my own posts to keep details straight.)
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