Comments on Google vs. Sicko

Later, she wrote another blog post explaining that her comments were her opinion—not Google’s.

I'm guessing that Google agrees with her suggestion that they (or anyone else) buy more Google ads.

Soon, marketing will replace government altogether.

Remember when Google's slogan was "don't be evil"?

So how much has ST paid The ST_ranger for [ad space/good ink] this election year?

Or is The ST_ranger being paid NOT to write about the neverending taxes, the massive transfers of Seattle tax dollars via RTID to increase SOV highway throughput in the Kirkland - Renton corridor, the lousy return on investment Seattle would experience if the RTID/ST2 measure is approved, etc.?

way of the world

On the other hand: http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2007/07/google-and-health-care.html

I think it's hilarious to see Google's true colors come through. The problem with smug little slogans like that is that you have to live up to them, which they repeatedly fail to do when it's crunch time...

I don't understand what this post is advocating: are you saying that nobody should be allowed to sell advertising space?

I am confused by this as well. Advertising is what allows free publications like The Stranger to exist....

I am confused by this as well. Advertising is what allows free publications like The Stranger to exist....

I keep seeing this story bounce around, and I honestly don't really get it.

The post she wrote (unless it's been editing) isn't bad at all. She says Moore's film is one-sided. I haven't seen it, but I'd say that's a fairly safe bet. She says the film doesn't show the good the health care industry has done. Also undoubtedly true. Then she encourages her clients to buy ads, which is her job, and the purpose of the blog she's writing on.

Of course advertising isn't a democratic way to debate policy, but this certainly doesn't represent any kind of new idea. Communication in any form isn't free and advertising is just a form of communication. Google's advertising model is certainly more democratic than most, though of course the biggest voice still goes to the highest bidder.

It's not perfect, but I don't see what Google did wrong here. Google is a business.

@dreamflying: Interesting page. I honestly think there sincere.

Otherwise, although I share his view that healthcare should be public, Michael Moore's movies are terrible in terms of fair representation of the situation. Heck, they're heaps of shameful lies and misrepresentations piled one on top of another.
Which is why his name brings a slight discomfort when mentionned where I live (Ottawa, Canada).
The American democracy works in ways that are almost as unintelligible to a Canadian as the Immaculate Conception, but I can say that someone doing that up here would be a burden rather than an asset for its cause.

On Google: they brought ads without any image, flash, or whatever, freeing my browser and my eyes from much nuisance (I notice SLOG hasn't done so...). They introduced politeness in web search engines, refusing to bombard users with heavy, long to load and attention-grabing content. They've invested in free & open source software. And now, they encourage "corporate blogging", making themselves open for criticism and accountable in that sense for their choices and opinions. I'd call that courageous.
I'm not saying they'll always have it right, but their dialog ethics (hence, their truth ethics as well) is much superior to M. Moore's.

I don't think it's ironic in the least bit. The burden to listen to information lies with you, the consumer of said info. If all you read are press releases and ads from a corporation of any kind, then you have only yourself to blame for being horribly misinformed. That extends to the media outlets owned by these corporate entities that pass off corporate or political talking points as real news or analysis. Google just wants to show ads for money and they suggested it to a beleaguered industry of the day. That's not evil, that's shrewd business sense.

Besides, it's like Mokawi said at least they're not all flash based and shit. Text ads are fuckin pleasant compared to the annoying ads out there.


The real irony is that you can watch sicko hosted on google video, that's ironic. Wait is that ironic? Or is that just fucking awesome?


http://tv-links.co.uk/show.do/9/4667