We Don't Make Content
August 28, 2006
Marissa Mayer speaking in Scotland over the weekend:
"We're computer scientists," she said. "We're not brilliant storytellers or content creators."
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Reader Jeremy Writes: [Yahoo] couldn't get off the crack pipe...the Paid Inclusion model. It failed *everywhere*. [It] still can't get off the crack.
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Comments
All depends on what she means by TV. If she's talking about TV as an appliance, then she's correct. There's a sensory difference between viewing programs in the theater, on a TV and on a computer screen. However, if she's talking about television stations, this may be a different story. All I know is whenever I'm in front of my compter, I can always find something interesting to read, watch, etc. But when I'm in front of my TV, sometimes I can flip through 20-30 channels and not find one program that interests me. So, if we ever get the bandwidth to stream programs to my TV, watch out. If there are millions of programs online and Google can let me find the ones that interest me, that's a positive for the TV set, Google and all these independent media creators. Not so good for traditional TV stations and me (sitting in front of the TV so much).
There's not storytellers and content creators, but sales people.
More then anything, they are in sales. Why else would they need 3,000+ sales force? Yahoo is in the same boat really.
Google is the technologically most advanced advertising company in the world.
J.K.'s got it exactly right.
Marissa "Bones" McCoy of the USS Googleprise:
"We're DOCTORS [of computer engineering], not script writers!"
They don't create content but they allow others to create content on their platforms (e.g. Google Page Creator, Google Base, Google Video), and they also buy content (e.g. Blogger, Deja News).
If advertising is content (per John, and I agree), and Google is a distributor of advertising, then Google is a distributor of content. This is one thing with a little text ad, but when you talk about video ads, Google does start to look like a direct competitor to the producers of TV content they're trying to reassure.
The only people who ever have, or ever will, believe that advertising is 'content' are people who in some capacity work in or for the advertising industry.
While I have to applaud the way Google get away with piggybacking other people's creativity, there's really only so long they can get away with it. The way they talk about their 'content network' as if they in any way control or impact on the content of sites that happen to choose AdSense is a classic example of this.
Castles made of sand...melt into the sea...eventually...
I'll give it around another 2 and a half years
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