So apparently the seemingly endless flow of interesting new start-ups has finally run dry. Or why else would the good people at TechCrunch get all excited over an IE7 screenshot on the Google website, apparently nicked from a similar promotional message on Yahoo’s website?
From the original post at TechCrunch:
The page layout and content for the two sites is nearly identical, although this may be a simple cut and paste from recommended Microsoft promotional information What’s more interesting is that the screen shots in both images showing IE7 are also identical. The Yahoo version clearly displays the Yahoo toolbar with a large red Y! in the left corner. The Google shot contains the same image, with the red Y! somewhat blurred out. The Google screen shot shows IE7 with the Yahoo toolbar. Screen shots and an enlargement of the Google blurred Y! are below.
Well, if that isn’t something! A nicked screenshot! Not even replaced the toolbar with their own! How dare they! Call the campus police! And yes, I could add even more short phrases with exclamation points!
Fortunately, Google never sleeps, and as Arrington now proudly proclaims, only six hours after the “story” broke, there’s a new screenshot:
Six hours later, Google has replaced the site in question with an entirely new one. This one thankfully shows the Google Toolbar prominently installed.
Oh thank you dear God, for thou hast replaced the cosmic order!
Seriously, when people start discussing stock prices and firings over a misplaced screenshot, what’s next? Board meetings because of jagged fonts? Oh wait, I could see that happening. Nevermind.
Google, apparently on a shopping spree reminiscient of Sophie Kinsella’s “Shopaholic”, has acquired JotSpot, according to this posting by JotSpotter Joe Kraus on the GoogleBlog. JotSpot, a service that allows for the creation of professional Wikis, actually hasn’t been around for that long, but a seasoned team has paved the way for smooth and rather secret acquisition by Google. Read a review on the service here.
This, of course, is yet another step toward a full-scale online Office product. Word documents, spreadsheets, a calendar, a research tool and of course an email service are now complemented by a service that could manage to actually, well, manage the lot.
Right now nobody is able to sign-up for JotSpot, as they are going to incorporate it into the Google infrastructure first, but according to their FAQ, the previously subscription-based service will then be free for everyone. Yay!
It’s happened! With Google permeating almost every single aspect of our online activities (check out this page for the number of Google services open to the public), it was only a matter of time until they started to impose some sort of regulation on the way we speak as well. After all, linguistics is one frontier they still have to prove their superiority in. From the official Google blog:
A trademark is a word, name, symbol or device that identifies a particular company’s products or services. Google is a trademark identifying Google Inc. and our search technology and services. While we’re pleased that so many people think of us when they think of searching the web, let’s face it, we do have a brand to protect, so we’d like to make clear that you should please only use “Google” when you’re actually referring to Google Inc. and our services.
They then list correct and incorrect ways of using the term “Google” and “to google”, like this:
Usage: ‘Google’ as verb referring to searching for information via any conduit other than Google.
Example: “I googled him on Yahoo and he seems pretty interesting.”
Our lawyers say: Bad. Very, very bad. You can only “Google” on the Google search engine. If you absolutely must use one of our competitors, please feel free to “search” on Yahoo or any other search engine.
Now, while they managed to pull this off in a semi-humorous way via their blog, it reminds me of Adobe’s efforts to make people use insipid phrases like the following:
CORRECT: The image was enhanced with Adobe® Photoshop® Elements software.
INCORRECT: The image was photoshopped.
INCORRECT: The image was Photoshopped.
INCORRECT: The image was Adobe® Photoshopped.
I wonder if the language purists at Google object to President Bush’s use of “the Google” as well.
I guess I’ll google Microsoft’s Live Search for reactions. If I’m lucky, I’ll stumble upon some nice photoshopped Bush images in the process.
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