Dear Google, stop acting like a spoiled American kid

Google earlier this week pleaded the United States, the European Union and other governments to take “concrete steps to ensure that rules in the next generation of trade agreements reflect new challenges of Internet trade.” We all know Google has been fighting with Chinese government against censorship for a year and there is no doubt Google’s act is targeted at their market share in China against another search engine company, Baidu. Even censorship and limited access to certain types of content does affect freedom of speech and information flow, Google, in my opinion, is just like a spoiled kid in this matter. (Reuters)

Don’t get me wrong, I am not supporting any governments’ interference of information nor do I want to work in a country where I have no access to Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter. I simply believe there’s a better way of resolving the issue without using “free trade” excuses. And if Google can’t put itself in Chinese Internet users’ perspective to adjust its business model, Google should take its own responsibility, not urging other forces to make everything more complicated.

Is censorship the only reason causing Google’s failure in China? No. I think Google ignores the fact that Chinese searcher behavior is very different from Americans’. According to China Internet Watch, the first Internet application Chinese searcher use is online music. Unlike American use Internet to gather information, users in China go online more for music, gaming, and entertaining purposes. And when it comes to information sharing, chat rooms and forum dominate the majority of searches in China while Americans like to go to blogs and individual websites to gather information.

With such a difference in searcher behavior, I still believe Google should look at the whole situation as an opportunity to collaborate than to compete with other Chinese language search engine provider, like Baidu. I don’t appreciate Baidu’s CEO, Robin Li’s comments about Google leaving China in Web 2.0 Summit and I believe web users, whether being Chinese or Americans, should have equal opportunities to use different channels for information. My hope is that big companies like Google and Baidu will consider partnership rather than buy-out, and focus more on understanding and respecting the market difference rather than forcing the other party to change.

What is your thought on this? Do you think Google is being reasonable asking for government interference? Do you think Google still have a change in Chinese search market?

Resource:

 

1. Fast Company “Google calls on the west to tackle Chinese web censorship”
2. Baidu’s market share
3. TechCrunch 420M people in China have Internet access, 99% use Baidu for search”

 

“Never Mind the Valley, Here’s Our Moto-Town, Detroit”

Inspired by Future Midwest conference last weekend. 2 day. 13 sessions. ¥ ideas & sparkles generated within and beyond.

Before attending the event, I’ve always been reading Read Write Web‘s “Never Mind the Valley” column and wondering when and how Detroit is going to be the next city. In this past conference, still had no answer to my question, but I know Detroit will. Not a Michiganer from the beginning, but after watching a great clip http://vimeo.com/11021663 displaying the rise, fall, and rebirth of Detroit, I can’t help but to be proud of being in Midwest. Whatever people from the east or west coast might think, this cornfield is gonna have something big happening.

Aside from the inspiration, there are indeed some very hardcore strategic concepts from various great sessions:
– Moving from acquisition to retention is key to the business. (via @joejaffe “Flip the Funnel“)
– Everything is no longer the way it used to be (ain’t we surprised about that!) Public Relations (and any types of marketing, in my opinion) becomes a two-way mutual relationship. As much as marketers would like to create buzz, we are no longer in control of the relationship. Our customer / audience just gonna say what they want to say. (Takeaway – so grab your seat or oxygen mask & be prepared!) (via Beth Harte @BethHarte)
– Realize & plan for social analytic lifecycle: discover, analyze, segment, strategize & integrate, and execute. Utilizing data mining & analytic tools (Trensmap, MediaBank…etc) (via Ken Burbary @kenburbary)
** Ken’s fantastic presentation is now available at http://kenburbary.posterous.com/consumer-insights-and-analytics-that-drive-di
– Being a challenger brand (I suspect Scott was suggesting local startups & entrepreneurs to brand themselves as a challenger, agreed?) requires different approach, grounded brand idea, study outside of category & other challenger brands, and finally building identity via social media. (via Scott Huaman @scotthauman)

At the end of the conference, although physically exhausted from all the learnings & “networking” (Ok, I said that, I am actually trying hard to put myself out there to be sociable because I am that shy), I am emotionally invigorated by these two very specific speaker that I wish myself live up their spirit & philosophy from now on.

Sam Valenti, a Michiganer, an entrepreneur, and a lead-thinker. Just like all the other presenters, he shook up our minds during his “permeable Brands,” presentation, but it was his last slide that said, “the scariest thing, for me, is not dying. It’s the thought “oh shit, I wish I’ve done…” instead of “oh shit.” before I die” 
I was so lucky talking to Sam soon after his presentation. Great guy – simply love him & his motto.

Blagica Bottigliero‘s story telling melted me, and I’m sure her presentation inspired just as many people at Future Midwest. A Michigan girl in big city like Chicago, Blagica touches every aspect of life, career, and relationship with her lovely heart & intelligent mind. I most certainly am going to check out her http://www.galsguidesummit.com/ from now on 🙂 (Note to self: start embracing life by traveling by myself!)

All in all, success. Kudos to the great team behind the scenes, kudos to all the people who make the event, kudos to all the tweeps who spice up the session, and kudos to myself –  shy as always but surely found her survival way in social media jungle. Like my Twitter name says, @evyfindstheway, right?)  

“I’ve seen the future, and it works!” It certainly works at Future Midwest!
(Sorry Ben for stealing your favorite quote from Michael Hanlon. Ooops!)

 

Will You Allow Search Engine to Tell You Who to Trust?

Google Social Search Launches, Gives Results From Your Trusted “Social Circle”

Upon reading this, I was so excited about this novel experiment combining our daily life (yes, most of people do more than 5 searches from Google so I boldly conclude search engine is part of our life) with our network, personally or professionaly. I even played with Google Lab to see how this social search works if utilizing on a biz purpose. Without too much luck finding people sharing similar “search terms,” I give this search milestone a second thought.

As technology gets more and more sophisticated, our personal interaction with the whole world gets funkier & funkier. People request to be your friends on facebook even though you have no idea where they pop up; followers based on common interest or even some “spammy” words drive marketers to Twitter-gold-rush; you search a term today and tomorrow you have 10+ service provider in your inbox selling you their stuff. It’s just too spontaneous, too fast, and too overwhelming, as if the basic trust is getting lost in algorithm. And now by introducing this social search, what Google trying to do, from my perspective, is to rebuild this tangible boundary between our need (search) and our privacy (those who we trust).

But I guess the question lies in: who? Can that piece of information be told by search engine? Can that be determined by whom we connect with over the Internet? While this might be a perfect news for those experienced marketers (with thousands of followers @ twitter, experienced in Google Reader, Google Profile…etc), I wonder as consumers being pushed to “trust” what search engine suggested (based on our networks & keywords), will we, sooner or later, find out it is another tool allowing either technology or sales approach us?

I really don’t have an answer, but I guess we will see the result in the next 6 months or so!

WordPress Toronto!

This is my first post on wordpress blog, aside from my personal, almost a tad rusty, MSN blog,

where I wish to express my other type of personality – professional, faithful, and hopefully “tech-savvy (pretender)”

Anywhom, I am the type of person get stagnent of old things, blogs, people, and habbits; however, as my dearest Bob keeps worshiping about WordPress and lures me to join Worpress Toronto this weekend, I decide no other homework will be more thorough than sigining up a personal blog and start another journey with my whining love stories, faith milestones, and my own Shakespearian masterpieces.

So hrmph, this wordpress blog should (and I will do my best to keep the genre) be tad aloof from my personal stuff, more align with tech, business, and inspiration. Hopefully my first taste of wordpress will be fascinating and stimulating!