What Would Google Do?: Reverse-Engineering the Fastest Growing Company in the History of the World

---

The formalism that frequently paralyzes non-fiction books is replaced by a rich and engaging conversation.

What Would Google Do? by Jeff Jarvis

Jeff is comfortable in this space, and it shows. The first half of the book outlines the principles that underpin the companies that have originated and prospered in the internet age. The second half of the book considers how these principles can be applied to other industries: And it was within this latter section that I started to grow unsettled.

You see, Jeff is a futurist. In his words, an "internet triumphalist". He is the kind of man who doesn't see the glass half full, but rather overflowing.

Passar bra ihop

He is incessantly positive. He is also a limitless fountain of ideas. And this is where I came unstuck. For his ideas, many of which are undoubtedly brilliant, are offered up like the rapid fire of a machine gun - so hastily that they are never considered critically. The fact that these ideas are often impracticable, or even contradictory, fails to stem his enthusiasm. At one point I was reminded of a blog post by Seth Godin, in which he listed tips for increasing traffic to your web site: The point was "there is no formula", but, like many internet evangelists, it appears Jeff has over extended the principle, and confused the incredible success of the few, with the guaranteed success of the many.

Google, Facebook, Twitter, Wikipedia, etc, are astounding success stories. And yet for every winner, there are thousands of us who tweet into an empty void. A willingness to be social is no guarantee of friends. A desire to share is no guarantee that someone will listen. In one part of the book Jeff presents options for introducing "socialness" to the restaurant industry. Whilst discussing ideas for crowd sourcing menus and personalizing service models, I began to ponder my most cherished dining experience: And a meal was placed on your table. This was not a menu by committee.

It wasn't an open source recipe. It was an experience welded to the history of a single family, shrouded in secrecy, and founded on authority. We can be sentimental creatures. Indeed the quirks of human psychology, our irrationality, and our stubbornness, may be the difference between an the success or failure of an open and collaborative project. Unfortunately, like the engineers at Google, operating solely at the direction of raw data at the expense of aesthetics and subjective decision making, Jeff does not stop to consider such subtleties.

As Leo Laporte the host of This Week in Google has said to Jeff on many occasions - "your call for openness and standardization is admirable - even desirable, but Jeff, your dreams of utopia are not always feasible". These criticisms, however, do little to dent the overall message of the book. Jeff's insight into the changing nature of our world is mesmerizing. His words are delivered with the certainty of experience, and with the wonder of a man still on the journey to a charmed future.

Even for those convicted to the philosophy of the web, this is a frequently challenging, and always engaging read. Mar 26, Carrie rated it really liked it. I will use this book in my future entrepreneurial journalism course, and possibly social media as well - which is saying a lot, because I rarely add new required texts. I think it will be particularly useful for introducing students to these concepts, much like Clay Shirky's "Here Comes Everybody. I think we need some of that in a world in which far too many people are exactly the opposite - STILL unwilling to see the change smacking them in the face.

You don't have to agree with every word to believe that books like these and Shirky's serve a very useful purpose. We need our evangelists for the new age. The one part I struggle with is with the Googlification of education. I am all for disruption in education in principle, and I wholeheartedly agree that even if I wasn't, tough luck - it's coming. But my experience as an educator who works with a lot of non-elite, first generation college students is such that we have a long way to go to marshal the forces of the web and disruption to provide greater access to high quality education to all.

Because we can Googlfy education and learning more easily that we can Googlfy motivation and grit, and at the end of the day, no learning goes on without those two things. Maybe motivation and grit will flower in an era of greater abundance, but I worry. I like his point that most of our education system is still too highly focused on conformity and memorization; and that maybe that push for sameness that saturates the entire system is what turns kids off to learning - by the time I get them in college, maybe it is all but too late.

I love this quote: I teach classes in which there are never quizzes or tests no memorization - who needs it in a Google age? And I have some success with that - but frankly it is a relatively small handful of students who actively participate, even do the required work. You can bring them to the Googley classroom but you can't make all of them drink. Aug 12, Natali rated it really liked it. Although I think this book is about 50 pages too long, I still highly recommend it to anyone trying to understand modern economy and culture. I was afraid that it would be a big bowing down to Google, which I see enough of in my career.

Instead, it is a series of case studies proving how companies like Google are leading a civil movement against closed-system corporation culture. I didn't feel like I needed this paradigm applied to so many industries. Jarvis uses the Google template to Although I think this book is about 50 pages too long, I still highly recommend it to anyone trying to understand modern economy and culture.

Jarvis uses the Google template to discuss real estate, insurance, public relations, law, media, journalism, and more. Towards the end it becomes slightly formulaic but it does help if you want to apply this line of thinking to your own business. For my thoughts on how it applies to my own industry, see my blog post. Aug 13, Chris Cahill rated it did not like it. Never before have I wanted to burn a book once I finished it.

I bought this at a charity shop to see what an outsider's perspective from matched with my insider's perspective in Unfortunately, Jarvis' canonization of the all holy "link" and constant chset-pumping of his own resume make me want to save anyone else from wasting their time with this trash. The only friend I would give this book to would be someone I know to be a true masochist. Feb 01, Jon rated it it was amazing Shelves: This might be my favorite read so far of although I thoroughly enjoyed Outliers and Here Comes Everybody as well.

I love discussing creative disruption and this book is full of that. While some of the best ideas aren't Jeff's Umair Haque and Fred Wilson are heavy influences and mentioned repeatedly in the book for me it didn't much matter because of the importance and timeliness of the subject matter. If you're entrepreneur you have to read this book.

Dec 09, Laila rated it did not like it.

See a Problem?

I can't tell you how happy I am to be done with this book. Since I cannot let a book go without finishing it, this one became an obstacle that prevented me from moving on to other books. It was so repetitive and hollow that I wanted to punch the author for wasting my time and money. The main idea of the book is really interesting and worth delving into, because what Google does is truly great.

But Jarvis shouldn't be an author, or, he shouldn't write books. I'm sure he's doing fine writing his bl I can't tell you how happy I am to be done with this book. I'm sure he's doing fine writing his blog and all, but the book was a pain to read. First of all, two thirds of the websites and products mentioned in the book has some ties with Jarvis, whether it's a startup he's involved with, or an institution he's been teaching.

He doesn't sound very sincere, he uses the book to market things that will benefit him. He always intervenes whenever the narration gets fluent by saying " blah blah blah is a company I invested in. The other, I'm on the board of directors. And this one is my son's company. Then the last half of the book turns out to be very unnecessary because it just repeats the first half under the pretense of interpreting the ideas into reality which doesn't happen.

The last half basically reads "yada yada yada". I'm so super glad I'm done. All of the brilliant ideas in this book, you probably know already. View all 7 comments. Nov 16, Antonia Munteanu rated it really liked it. I think it is a good start to better understand how Google works. It is not a black hole where all our information goes, behind it were people that made the decisions on how to simulate artificial intelligence.

My granny was using Google and was always seeing it like a wise friend. This book give her an understanding on what it is behind the click, each commercial that you get depending on gender and so on. I did not read any similar books so this makes it hard to rate it by comparison. Hope thi I think it is a good start to better understand how Google works.

Apr 01, Dave rated it really liked it. Posted on my blog at http: I recently finished reading the book "What Would Google Do? Jarvis is probably recognized primarily as proprietor of the popular blog Buzzmachine. I had an interest in this book right from the start because I am fascinated with the approach Google takes to everything they do: Offering premium services for free and finding alternative ways to make their money.

A lot of money. Without giving too much Posted on my blog at http: Without giving too much of the book away, Jarvis first dives into the "Google Rules. One of the firsthand stories that really summed up the status of marketing and customer relations in the Googlefied world today was Jarvis' own example of typing "Dell sucks" on his blog after a bad customer service experience. The buzz from that single post grew and grew, and it eventually reached the front page of Google for the keyword "dell," at which point Jarvis got a call from Dell and they tried to make it all better.

Dell has since changed their approach to service and actually uses Twitter to keep a finger on the pulse of their customer base. Marketing has become less of a bullhorn and more of a conversation. The concept that I really took away from this book was the idea of being a platform. Google is a platform. Facebook is a platform. Twitter is a platform. We as users of the web can create our own online brand using these tools.

Businesses can do the same. Give people control to create and improve From my own standpoint, so much of my business is Google-based. Get up in the morning, check my Google-hosted Gmail, read my favorite blogs on Google Reader, browse news topics from the past 24 hours on Google search, etc. The platform is alive and well. As for making money, Jarvis argues that the idea of a "side-door" is where it's at in the Web 2. If your platform itself is not free or at-cost, someone can easily come in and undercut you. The last half of the book was Jarvis' attempt to apply Google concepts to other business types: Some of these were really interesting, and some were kind of "out there" in my mind.

But Google is an "out there" company and I guess that's why they're so successful. I enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it to anyone interested in the direction of business in a Web 2. Mar 29, Florin Pitea rated it really liked it. Jul 18, Ahmad rated it liked it. It should be 3. In this book, author Jeff Harvis of BuzzMachine. He takes Google and studies what made today's huge company, an enormously successful organization and how that success can be transferred to other industries.

The book is divided into 2 parts. Jeff discusses the concepts of "Googlethink" and "Googlejuice" It should be 3. Jeff discusses the concepts of "Googlethink" and "Googlejuice". He also suggests that Google is a platform for success. Being a "platform" for other people to improve on and adopting the collaborative open-source mindset is what got it to be where it is today.

He also explains and touches on his personal first rule which shows the relationship between Control and Trust. A few other ideas are also explored. Airlines, cola companies, hospitals, restaurants, media, etc. Although some ideas seem far-fetched. It's the idea that counts. An enjoyable read, especially the second part of the book which answers the title's question. Oct 31, Howard rated it it was amazing. This book is written in two parts. The first outlines the rules for how Google works and is so successful in a digital economy.

In essence, he reverse engineers the company. The second part of the book applies these rules to show how different industries can apply these rules to move from being atom-based to being digital, to moving from profiting from scarcity to profiting from abundance.

Kundrecensioner

I find the author's cautious but enthusiastic optimism refreshing. So many times these types of books tend t This book is written in two parts. So many times these types of books tend to be glowing praises of the new without any kind of reflection on what new issues are raised by the changes discussed. On the other hand, some authors are near Luddites who cringe in fear of the future and long for the fantasy of the "good old days. In fact, in writing the book he discussed much of what is in it on his blog at buzzmachine.

And at the end he dedicates a chapter to two industries that he feels are largely immune to the new business model he outlines in the rest of the book but he still finds ways that the ideas could apply. So, if you want to learn about how the new economy of bits and abundance works and could work for many industries that haven't gotten there yet , this book is well worth your time!

What Would Google Do?

Mar 25, David rated it liked it. I have to admit that the title of this book put me off from the start. Could it be a serious book based on a blatant rip off of WWJD. So I was a bit grumpy to start with, but the author won me over by the end of the book. Jarvis does a pretty good job of pulling apart some of the things that Google has done and tries to apply it to other industries. Google is perhaps give a bit too much credit as being the saviour of all businesses. Google got lucky with Adsense - it was a search company without a I have to admit that the title of this book put me off from the start.

Google got lucky with Adsense - it was a search company without any income until Adsense and Adwords was created. That was a stroke of genius that has made the company immensely rich.

Google still feels a little like a one product company to me. Time will tell which of their spaghetti on the wall sticks. For those who don't know much about the history of Google, or haven't read The Search or The Long Tail for eg then this book is a good place to start and indeed complement them quite well. Jan 31, David rated it liked it Shelves: While the title implies that this is a book about the Internet, this book really covers a much broader topic: This is a book for all types of businesses; restaurants, airlines, real estate companies, computer manufacturers, you name it.

Its subject is about figuring out what business a company is really in, and then serving its real customers. Many large companies flail around because they cannot decide on what their real products and services are. The book is about building trust in one's compa While the title implies that this is a book about the Internet, this book really covers a much broader topic: The book is about building trust in one's company by trusting one's customers.

The motto for the book might be, "Your worst customer is your best friend. Feb 02, Christopher rated it it was amazing Shelves: In the end, this book isn't really about Google. It is about being agile and sharing information and how to operate in a very new and very competitive world. I think it particularly speaks to government, which could use some new ways of thinking. Not all of these ideas are brand new, but Jarvis does a good job building and adding to what has been out there Aug 09, Jinsong Zhang rated it liked it.

A good one to read, and like many of Jeff's ideas. Do what you do best and link to the rest When you complain make sure you are giving a gift At Google, we are the God, and our data is the bible But could hardly agree that life is a beta. Life is never something one can come back to fix. Rather it is a road taken or not taken: Jarvis has done something really important: Jarvis has a sharp eye for what is relevant, real, and actionable.

Isn't that what we all need today? And yet he manages to make the revolution feel newly revolutionary. Abundance is the new scarcity! Correcting yourself enhances credibility! But they boil down to practical suggestions. We're never going to unplug the Internet, so read this book with the long view in mind. Jarvis's rules don't all apply to you, but they're all true enough for someone" -- Wall Street Journal "For those who haven't thought much about how radically, rapidly and irreversibly the Internet has empowered us and changed our culture, "What Would Google Do?

It is a stimulating exercise in thinking really, really big.

• Lost Princess
• From Cairo to Cairo
• Wer nur den lieben Gott lasst walten BWV 647 - Organ
• How to Plan and Execute Strategy: 24 Steps to Implement Any Corporate Strategy Successfully (The McG
• Over There with the Australians