Tell a Story: Seth Godin's Google Address

The buzz whiz, Seth Godin, began and ended his presentation at Google with congratulations on the company's amazing success over the years. The in-between time was spent both explaining the cause of that success and warning against becoming average.

Taking a moment to consider my own Google usage, I simply reflect upon the day that has passed me by in a very normal fashion. Today, I have easily used Google's search feature over 25 times to find public service announcements, weather, images and more. The thought of using another search engine never even crossed my mind. Furthermore, I can vividly remember remarking not just today, but on other days to friends, acquaintances and professors that "I adore Google." All of this came to mind when Godin told the story of the woman who approached him after seeing the Google shirt he was wearing. "Google is my life," she said, according to Godin. And that is one of the major reasons that Google has experienced out of this world success; people love the company and the services it provides because it unlocks the power of the Internet.

Something remarkable is "worth making a remark about", mentions Godin. Google has continually dominated the thoughts of Internet users by delivering just that. If there isn't something special about a product or a service, then no one is going to talk about it. If no one talks about it, no one knows about it. Take Gmail for example, as Godin frequently did throughout his speech, and consider whether users really need all of that space to store email. Probably not, but the fact that it is different and at the "edge" makes it worth talking about, in Godin's words, gives it a story. Recently having signed up for Gmail, I am completely enamored with it and I exclaim so without any prompting . It is a service that I find so "remarkable" that I have already convinced my roommate to give it a try. She loves it too. Gooogle Earth is another such service that is on the edge and therefore a subject in Godin's address. I have discussed Google Earth often in my classes and with friends.

A final key to the Google empire is personal and relevant "permission marketing" that is specifically tailored to the online searcher. When a product is searched, then advertisements for that particular product don the sidebar of Google search results pages. Google supposedly delivers value to its users in this manner. At the same time, this is actually the one aspect of Gmail that leaves a bad taste in my mouth. The other features are so amazing that I am willing to have my privacy violated, and yes that is what I see the personalized advertisements on the side of my inbox as, a violation of privacy. The first time I noticed a correlation between my emails and the sidebar was when I received an email from a professional Public Relations group. There in the right hand column were ads to find a PR position and other related sites. Creepy was the first word that came to my mind. My roommate and I have since discussed this and came to the same conclusion. I recognize the lucrative nature of these click-throughs and do not see them as an attempt by Google to meet my needs.

I was surprised that I was completely enthralled with the almost 50 minute Godin presentation and hardly felt the time. He made some extremely valuable points and through watching it, I have learned how very integral "buzz" was in the rise of one of the largest dot com's.

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