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I know it's just par for the course, but I always get annoyed how peppy and fake these keynotes are. When they go with this kind of faux-personal style where t

I know it's just par for the course, but I always get annoyed how peppy and fake these keynotes are. When they go with this kind of faux-personal style where they're staging calls to their mother on stage, etc. It actually comes across as the opposite of personal and just seems really rehearsed and distracting. I'm actually not sure who they're speaking to exactly when they go with this approach as I feel like most other people would have the same reaction as me. But I guess I don't know that for sure.

blhack 9y ago
I don't think we're really the audience for these conferences, though. This is to generate hype for the company, and to encourage people to buy google's products. Pretty much everything on here so far has been consumer-targeted.
- davesque 9y ago
  That's kinda my point though. Are there really any non-developers watching this? I don't feel like there are probably many consumers watching since Google just doesn't have the rock-star power that Apple does. Maybe there are tech journalists watching or other similar industry figures, but I don't feel like this presentational style is actually required, on a psychological level, to engage with people like that. In truth, I guess I just enjoy poking fun at the circus of American big-business culture.
  - blhack 9y ago
    There are currently over 100,000 people watching this, and it is the number one trending thing on youtube.com I think google has more of the rockstar status than apple does, or even ever did.
    - davesque 9y ago
      I'm not sure those two facts unequivocally prove your point.
  - agildehaus 9y ago
    Occasionally the media will pick out a couple short segments from these and broadcast them. I think that's the audience. Also these keynote things are just cheap facsimiles of Stevenotes. Apple's own keynotes have started to slide down to this level of without him.
  - jldugger 9y ago
    It's more to influence journalist to couch their features in human-relatable terms. It's about showing off specific, widely applicable use cases. 'Google launches another photo sharing service' vs 'Google launches Pics, parents can send grandma physical photo albums of their grandkids.'
oridecon 9y ago
Maybe they have some internal guidelines that everybody needs to follow. Similar to > Do. > Strive for images that represent genuine stories. https://material.io/guidelines/style/imagery.html#imagery-best-practices https://material.io/guidelines/style/imagery.html#imagery-be...
- davesque 9y ago
  I'm sure they do. One of the mottos at my company is "attack for progress", whatever that means. I think every sufficiently large business has a funny tendency to start making up wacky culture codes.
cat199 9y ago
I suggest purchasing a scarf, growing a beard, wearing some flannel and extremely thick glasses, and getting some cold brew coffee to sip. Things will make more sense then.
- return0 9y ago
  > purchasing a scarf either steal a used one, or knit one yourself
- alkoumpa 9y ago
  I read: I suggest purchasing a scanf :(
PascLeRasc 9y ago
The Microsoft Surface keynote guy does his really well and comes across fairly authentically. But it seems like the audience never gets his occasional joke.
- davesque 9y ago
  Yeah, I actually have found those presentations to be more palatable somehow.
deleted 9y ago
[deleted]
goatforce5 9y ago
Apparently Steve Jobs calling Starbucks (during the reveal of the first iPhone) to order 4,000 lattes was an actual call to an unsuspecting Starbucks. Years later they were still getting people calling up trying to order 4,000 drinks. https://www.fastcompany.com/3006147/because-steve-jobss-first-public-iphone-call-starbucks-still- https://www.fastcompany.com/3006147/because-steve-jobss-firs...
- wapz 9y ago
  The article doesn't say anything about Starbucks not knowing about it. The employee who picked up apparently didn't know but I'd be surprised if Apple didn't get the go ahead from Starbucks first.
27182818284 9y ago
No, I have the same reaction. The execution just isn't as there as it should be some of the times. And as others point out, the result is often a bit of awkward silence. Not a big deal though in the scheme of things
bm1362 9y ago
Quoting my friend, 'I feel like someone is going to get slimed soon.'
- jayd16 9y ago
  That basically happened during the YouTube bit.
curun1r 9y ago
I got the feeling that they were intentionally trying to push the point that their employees had families to try to counter the stereotype of the 20s, childless workaholic that many have about Google. But part of its feeling staged is likely due to the fact that the presenters are real Google employees who's skills as actors are pretty limited. If you had professional actors presenting, it might feel more authentic despite actually being less authentic.
- kabouseng 9y ago
  Then calling their mother is the wrong play since that is exactly who a 20 something childless workaholic would be calling for lack of a wife / children / friends...

blhack 9y ago

I don't think we're really the audience for these conferences, though. This is to generate hype for the company, and to encourage people to buy google's products. Pretty much everything on here so far has been consumer-targeted.

davesque 9y ago
That's kinda my point though. Are there really any non-developers watching this? I don't feel like there are probably many consumers watching since Google just doesn't have the rock-star power that Apple does. Maybe there are tech journalists watching or other similar industry figures, but I don't feel like this presentational style is actually required, on a psychological level, to engage with people like that. In truth, I guess I just enjoy poking fun at the circus of American big-business culture.
- blhack 9y ago
  There are currently over 100,000 people watching this, and it is the number one trending thing on youtube.com I think google has more of the rockstar status than apple does, or even ever did.
  - davesque 9y ago
    I'm not sure those two facts unequivocally prove your point.
- agildehaus 9y ago
  Occasionally the media will pick out a couple short segments from these and broadcast them. I think that's the audience. Also these keynote things are just cheap facsimiles of Stevenotes. Apple's own keynotes have started to slide down to this level of without him.
- jldugger 9y ago
  It's more to influence journalist to couch their features in human-relatable terms. It's about showing off specific, widely applicable use cases. 'Google launches another photo sharing service' vs 'Google launches Pics, parents can send grandma physical photo albums of their grandkids.'

oridecon 9y ago

Maybe they have some internal guidelines that everybody needs to follow. Similar to > Do. > Strive for images that represent genuine stories. https://material.io/guidelines/style/imagery.html#imagery-best-practices https://material.io/guidelines/style/imagery.html#imagery-be...

davesque 9y ago
I'm sure they do. One of the mottos at my company is "attack for progress", whatever that means. I think every sufficiently large business has a funny tendency to start making up wacky culture codes.

cat199 9y ago

I suggest purchasing a scarf, growing a beard, wearing some flannel and extremely thick glasses, and getting some cold brew coffee to sip. Things will make more sense then.

return0 9y ago
> purchasing a scarf either steal a used one, or knit one yourself
alkoumpa 9y ago
I read: I suggest purchasing a scanf :(

PascLeRasc 9y ago

The Microsoft Surface keynote guy does his really well and comes across fairly authentically. But it seems like the audience never gets his occasional joke.

davesque 9y ago
Yeah, I actually have found those presentations to be more palatable somehow.

deleted 9y ago

[deleted]

goatforce5 9y ago

Apparently Steve Jobs calling Starbucks (during the reveal of the first iPhone) to order 4,000 lattes was an actual call to an unsuspecting Starbucks. Years later they were still getting people calling up trying to order 4,000 drinks. https://www.fastcompany.com/3006147/because-steve-jobss-first-public-iphone-call-starbucks-still- https://www.fastcompany.com/3006147/because-steve-jobss-firs...

wapz 9y ago
The article doesn't say anything about Starbucks not knowing about it. The employee who picked up apparently didn't know but I'd be surprised if Apple didn't get the go ahead from Starbucks first.

27182818284 9y ago

No, I have the same reaction. The execution just isn't as there as it should be some of the times. And as others point out, the result is often a bit of awkward silence. Not a big deal though in the scheme of things

bm1362 9y ago

Quoting my friend, 'I feel like someone is going to get slimed soon.'

jayd16 9y ago
That basically happened during the YouTube bit.

curun1r 9y ago

I got the feeling that they were intentionally trying to push the point that their employees had families to try to counter the stereotype of the 20s, childless workaholic that many have about Google. But part of its feeling staged is likely due to the fact that the presenters are real Google employees who's skills as actors are pretty limited. If you had professional actors presenting, it might feel more authentic despite actually being less authentic.

kabouseng 9y ago
Then calling their mother is the wrong play since that is exactly who a 20 something childless workaholic would be calling for lack of a wife / children / friends...