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Say what you will about Google, they're really good at PR. They and Facebook share the most indefensible tech business model in today's political climate (at le

by _bxg1 8y ago

Say what you will about Google, they're really good at PR. They and Facebook share the most indefensible tech business model in today's political climate (at least in the west), but Google does such a better job of obscuring and re-framing that fact than Facebook does.

djakjxnanjak 8y ago
Facebook’s mistake was making an enemy of the media by demoting their status in the news feed. This has led to many reporters and their friends being put out of a job. Now everyone thinks Facebook is public enemy #1 for selling ads when other major companies have the business model of literally burning the Earth.
OkGoDoIt 8y ago
I think there's also a distinction about what you get in return. When I let Google track my location, I get useful hyper relevant results for searches. When I let it track my emails, I get useful flight reminders and package delivery notifications. But Facebook doesn't really need to track my location to offer the service I want from it, the extra privacy invasion very specifically only helps advertisers. By giving it access to my contact list I can add friends more easily which is nice, but it also does so much more analysis of my extended offline friend network than I want it to, which feels like it hurts me more than it helps me. Both companies are monetizing my private data, but with Google it feels like I get enough out of the deal that I'll (sometimes grudgingly) allow it. With Facebook I feel like it's an adversarial relationship where I have to constantly defend myself from FB. Obviously each person's valuation of the deal will be different; for some people there's no amount of usefulness Google could offer to justify the data they collect. But I suspect for many people Google is on the right side of the usefulness to creepiness ratio.
- aerique 8y ago
  Flight reminders and package delivery notifications... seriously? This is what we let Google ruin the internet for? For all the things people have mentioned here: maps, e-mail, search, docs, etc. there are alternatives. Sure, they're not (yet) as good or convenient but put some effort into this guys.
  - lern_too_spel 8y ago
    > Flight reminders and package delivery notifications... seriously? > This is what we let Google ruin the internet for? If you use any other searchable email service, you have exactly the same loss in privacy. The only difference is they don't give you these value adds from the data they already have about you.
basetop 8y ago
Google is a few years older, wiser and has far greater political clout. Being older, google went through what facebook is going through a few years ago. So they are much more savvy and also much more powerful ( politically at least ). I suspect Facebook is spenting their billions buying lobbyists, politicians and media/pr as we speak, just like google did. And microsoft did before them.
- _bxg1 8y ago
  I think the bigger differentiator is Zuckerberg's ego. It's made him blind to his own flaws and mistakes and deaf to criticism, and he's maintained an iron grip on the company's steering wheel. I think he may run it into the ground. Google's direction is much less monarchical, and more willing to adapt.
  - basetop 8y ago
    Zuckerberg copied Page and Brin's share structure. Page and Brin control Google just as much as Zuckerburg controls Facebook - totally. As for ego, I don't know these people personally so I'll take your word for it.

by _bxg1 8y ago

djakjxnanjak 8y ago

Facebook’s mistake was making an enemy of the media by demoting their status in the news feed. This has led to many reporters and their friends being put out of a job. Now everyone thinks Facebook is public enemy #1 for selling ads when other major companies have the business model of literally burning the Earth.

OkGoDoIt 8y ago

I think there's also a distinction about what you get in return. When I let Google track my location, I get useful hyper relevant results for searches. When I let it track my emails, I get useful flight reminders and package delivery notifications. But Facebook doesn't really need to track my location to offer the service I want from it, the extra privacy invasion very specifically only helps advertisers. By giving it access to my contact list I can add friends more easily which is nice, but it also does so much more analysis of my extended offline friend network than I want it to, which feels like it hurts me more than it helps me. Both companies are monetizing my private data, but with Google it feels like I get enough out of the deal that I'll (sometimes grudgingly) allow it. With Facebook I feel like it's an adversarial relationship where I have to constantly defend myself from FB. Obviously each person's valuation of the deal will be different; for some people there's no amount of usefulness Google could offer to justify the data they collect. But I suspect for many people Google is on the right side of the usefulness to creepiness ratio.

aerique 8y ago
Flight reminders and package delivery notifications... seriously? This is what we let Google ruin the internet for? For all the things people have mentioned here: maps, e-mail, search, docs, etc. there are alternatives. Sure, they're not (yet) as good or convenient but put some effort into this guys.
- lern_too_spel 8y ago
  > Flight reminders and package delivery notifications... seriously? > This is what we let Google ruin the internet for? If you use any other searchable email service, you have exactly the same loss in privacy. The only difference is they don't give you these value adds from the data they already have about you.

basetop 8y ago

Google is a few years older, wiser and has far greater political clout. Being older, google went through what facebook is going through a few years ago. So they are much more savvy and also much more powerful ( politically at least ). I suspect Facebook is spenting their billions buying lobbyists, politicians and media/pr as we speak, just like google did. And microsoft did before them.

_bxg1 8y ago
I think the bigger differentiator is Zuckerberg's ego. It's made him blind to his own flaws and mistakes and deaf to criticism, and he's maintained an iron grip on the company's steering wheel. I think he may run it into the ground. Google's direction is much less monarchical, and more willing to adapt.
- basetop 8y ago
  Zuckerberg copied Page and Brin's share structure. Page and Brin control Google just as much as Zuckerburg controls Facebook - totally. As for ego, I don't know these people personally so I'll take your word for it.