|
I was pondering this idea when I read a blog:
http://1-800-magic.blogspot.com/2008/06/back-to-microsoft.html
A lot of people go to Google every day. We search for things, check our mail, find something on the map, and the list goes on. But are we customers.
That blog pointed out that everything is free. If there's one thing I learned about the market place is nothing is free for a customer. At best, it's 'included in a price'. To be a customer, value has to go both ways.
So, where is the value we give back to Google. We are not the customers. Users, yes! But not customers. Took me a minute, then I realised that it's the advertisers. Pure and simple. They are the customers.
It's great for Google. Their web properties do not have to be great. Even their search engine has become less effective with all of the defense measures to keep it 'objective.' One quote from the blog (above) is "The culture at Google values "coolness" tremendously, and the quality of service not as much."
Google Maps is "cool" but try getting walking directions, or even drawing them. We are bound by directions of car traffic. The word processor will strip almost all formatting from uploaded documents. Search for some organisations, and their own site will not appear in the results.
With Microsoft, for all their issues, at least I'm still the customer. |