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"I'm really struggling to see why this is something bad" Let's say you are famous person X. Would you want Google giving out your endorsements to people and ma

"I'm really struggling to see why this is something bad" Let's say you are famous person X. Would you want Google giving out your endorsements to people and making money from doing it? Probably not. So why is it okay if you're just some schmuck? Our opinions and thoughts have value. Online providers are feasting on our thoughts and actions and turning it all into some kind of version of a radio promotional spot. If your life is a piece of merchandise, then maybe it doesn't matter. Or perhaps you're not that important. But many others have done the math and it is important to them. So I guess the real question is: how much do you value your thoughts?

kintamanimatt 13y ago
What difference does it make if I'm famous and +1 something or write a review online about something because I have an opinion? What's the difference between choosing to +1 something and writing an unsponsored tweet or blog post? Why is it okay to write a review on Yelp (and have them profit from it) but not +1 something? I appreciate other people can make money from my reviews and endorsements and really I have no problem with that because in theory I get value in return by way of my friends' recommendations. 9/10 it's the reviews that make or break my decision to buy something or go somewhere, and I give as freely as I receive even in the knowledge that some third party is profiting too. Nobody's up in arms about Amazon or GoodReads profiting from reviews on their site. I don't see why this is any different.
- DanielBMarkham 13y ago
  It's not any different. I think you need to decide whether or not you want your opinions to be a product for somebody else to sell or not. If you're happy being a Google/Amazon/Facebook/Yelp drone, go for it. Do you really need explicit endorsements from your friends in order to buy things? Or does getting them just make it easier for merchants to sell to you? Who is getting the benefit here? I personally don't believe it's an even trade. Other opinions vary.
  - kintamanimatt 13y ago
    I have absolutely no problem with this: * Google provides me with a very valuable service that simplifies my life (I profit) * my friends recommend things they've loved which makes my life better (I profit) * businesses that are good and recommended also profit (great! I love seeing good people succeed) my friends profit when I recommend stuff Google profits as a result of being value (also good -- they get to stay in business) I have absolutely no problem with businesses and other people making money. I'm quite surprised that on a site mainly for entrepreneurs that there'd be such a backlash against a feature that benefits everybody involved. I don't need explicit endorsements to buy something, but I highly value them. For example, I buy from Amazon because of the reviews. These reviews reduce risk of disappointment, and this is one of their USPs because they do it so well. Granted, not everything that's highly rated turns out to be to my liking but I'm dissatisfied far less frequently with my purchases.
    - DanielBMarkham 13y ago
      You seem very emotional about this. Look, people consume differently. When I was younger I used to look at my friends to tell me what their opinions were. Now that I'm older I form my own opinions. That means I value people who take the time to create and publish their thoughts. If those people do it all for free? I still value it, but the quality of the transaction goes down. See, for instance, all the Yelp problems, the fake Amazon reviews, and so on. Google pays about .000001 for you to post your opinion on something. It makes about .0001 from it. I don't have a problem with this math. I'm much more concerned with what it says about the human species than people making money. Are we so lost that we need constant reassurance from others on how to live, what opinions to have, what things to buy? As Schmidt said, do we really just want Google to tell us what to do? I really don't need 99% of the crap online. I need food, shelter, and medical care. That's about it. The rest of it is all discretionary crap. I'm not sure we have to monetize discretionary spending advice. The web is mostly free. Why not just allow people to publish their own opinions using their own hardware and have protocols to share it all? Why do I need all these third-party services just to communicate? You either draw the line somewhere or eventually you end up with cranial implants produced and owned by Apple sharing your every emotion and opinion with the rest of the world -- while they make money from it. That's not a future I'm willing to work towards, although others seem so fascinated by the tech that they don't care about the rest of it. Just wanted to make sure you understood me. Thanks for the chat!

kintamanimatt 13y ago

What difference does it make if I'm famous and +1 something or write a review online about something because I have an opinion? What's the difference between choosing to +1 something and writing an unsponsored tweet or blog post? Why is it okay to write a review on Yelp (and have them profit from it) but not +1 something? I appreciate other people can make money from my reviews and endorsements and really I have no problem with that because in theory I get value in return by way of my friends' recommendations. 9/10 it's the reviews that make or break my decision to buy something or go somewhere, and I give as freely as I receive even in the knowledge that some third party is profiting too. Nobody's up in arms about Amazon or GoodReads profiting from reviews on their site. I don't see why this is any different.

DanielBMarkham 13y ago
It's not any different. I think you need to decide whether or not you want your opinions to be a product for somebody else to sell or not. If you're happy being a Google/Amazon/Facebook/Yelp drone, go for it. Do you really need explicit endorsements from your friends in order to buy things? Or does getting them just make it easier for merchants to sell to you? Who is getting the benefit here? I personally don't believe it's an even trade. Other opinions vary.
- kintamanimatt 13y ago
  I have absolutely no problem with this: * Google provides me with a very valuable service that simplifies my life (I profit) * my friends recommend things they've loved which makes my life better (I profit) * businesses that are good and recommended also profit (great! I love seeing good people succeed) my friends profit when I recommend stuff Google profits as a result of being value (also good -- they get to stay in business) I have absolutely no problem with businesses and other people making money. I'm quite surprised that on a site mainly for entrepreneurs that there'd be such a backlash against a feature that benefits everybody involved. I don't need explicit endorsements to buy something, but I highly value them. For example, I buy from Amazon because of the reviews. These reviews reduce risk of disappointment, and this is one of their USPs because they do it so well. Granted, not everything that's highly rated turns out to be to my liking but I'm dissatisfied far less frequently with my purchases.
  - DanielBMarkham 13y ago
    You seem very emotional about this. Look, people consume differently. When I was younger I used to look at my friends to tell me what their opinions were. Now that I'm older I form my own opinions. That means I value people who take the time to create and publish their thoughts. If those people do it all for free? I still value it, but the quality of the transaction goes down. See, for instance, all the Yelp problems, the fake Amazon reviews, and so on. Google pays about .000001 for you to post your opinion on something. It makes about .0001 from it. I don't have a problem with this math. I'm much more concerned with what it says about the human species than people making money. Are we so lost that we need constant reassurance from others on how to live, what opinions to have, what things to buy? As Schmidt said, do we really just want Google to tell us what to do? I really don't need 99% of the crap online. I need food, shelter, and medical care. That's about it. The rest of it is all discretionary crap. I'm not sure we have to monetize discretionary spending advice. The web is mostly free. Why not just allow people to publish their own opinions using their own hardware and have protocols to share it all? Why do I need all these third-party services just to communicate? You either draw the line somewhere or eventually you end up with cranial implants produced and owned by Apple sharing your every emotion and opinion with the rest of the world -- while they make money from it. That's not a future I'm willing to work towards, although others seem so fascinated by the tech that they don't care about the rest of it. Just wanted to make sure you understood me. Thanks for the chat!