"We love to read about Google," Matt Cutts told me at SES San Jose. "When somebody criticizes us we take it very seriously."
Cue the Google PR team. Every day, a Googler collates news about Google and sends the news to the the staff. According to sources, there are multiple different internal listservs. Some of the e-mails contain news about specific Google products. Below, the contents of one e-mail sent on the industry news highlights list.
When I asked Google about these e-mails, I was hoping they'd finally admit they'd built a huge brain that sucks up planetary data with prehensile tentacles and looks like the end boss in Metroid.
Alas, they said it's simply standard practice for large companies to send data like this to employees.
An example e-mail is below. I'm happy to report Google Watch is listed from time to time in these e-mails. (As is former Google Watcher and current Marketwatcher Ben Charny.)
-----Original Message-----
From: XXXXXX [mailto:XXXXXX@google.com]
Sent: Thursday, September 07, 2006 2:30:00 PM
To: google-coverage@google.com
Subject: Google Coverage - September 7, 2006Please find below Google and industry news highlights for September 7, 2006.
-XXXXXX
--------------------
Newspapers/Newswires
--------------------
"Don't Keep All Your Data in One Stash" - The New York Times, Damon Darlin.
http://www.corp.google.com/corpcomm/pressarchive2006q3to4/060907nyt.html
"I Spy; Doesn't Everyone?" - The New York Times, Stephanie Rosenbloom.
http://www.corp.google.com/corpcomm/pressarchive2006q3to4/060907nyt2.html
"The Google & ChaCha column" - USA Today, Kevin Maney.
http://www.corp.google.com/corpcomm/pressarchive2006q3to4/060907usatoday.html
"Factoring in the human element" - The Mercury News, Elise Ackerman.
http://www.corp.google.com/corpcomm/pressarchive2006q3to4/060907sjmerc.html
"Google says may launch video service in Japan" - Reuters.
http://www.corp.google.com/corpcomm/pressarchive2006q3to4/060907reuters.html
---------------------
Industry Publications
---------------------
"Google Seeks Help with Recognition" - Business Week, Catherine Holahan.
http://yahoo.businessweek.com/print/technology/content/sep2006/tc20060907_73
2714.htm
"Google: Brazil compliance isn't new" - CNET News, Anne Broache.
http://news.com.com/2061-10812_3-6113107.html
"Google: The Devil Wears Nada" - eWeek, Steve Bryant.
http://googlewatch.eweek.com/blogs/google_watch/archive/2006/09/07/13055.aspx
"Google Open Sources OCR Code" - InformationWeek, Laurie Sullivan.
http://www.informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=192600040
-------------
International
-------------
"Google's free books may hit companies" - Financial Times (UK), Chas Maloney.
http://www.corp.google.com/corpcomm/pressarchive2006q3to4/060907ft.html
"Google decides old news is good news" - The Age (AU).
http://t/dcus
Original URL:
http://www.theage.com.au/news/world/google-decides-old-news-is-good-news/200
6/09/07/1157222264200.html
"Google: More content - and services" - The Royal Gazette (Bermuda), Amed ElAmin.
http://www.theroyalgazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060906/BUSINESS/
109060145
-------------------------------
Google Stock & Financial Issues
-------------------------------
"Google Gains as Ads Slow" - TheStreet.com, Jonathan Berr.
http://www.thestreet.com/_yahoo/newsanalysis/technet/10307542.html
"Honey, it's a Google ad on the phone" - MarketWatch, Ben Charny.
http://t/dcuu
Original URL:
http://www.marketwatch.com/News/Story/Story.aspx?guid=%7BBE8599A4%2D2E05%2D4
5CD%2DB104%2DBF8EB45612F9%7D&source=blq%2Fyhoo&dist=yhoo&siteid=yhoo
"Google Searches the Past for New Opportunities" - Motley Fool, Jack Uldrich.
http://biz.yahoo.com/fool/060906/115757219624.html
"Honey, it's a Google ad on the phone" - MarketWatch, Ben Charny.
http://t/dcuw
Original URL:
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/story.aspx?guid=%7BBE8599A4-2E05-45CD-
B104-BF8EB45612F9%7D
--------------
Industry Watch
--------------
-Sun Microsystems-
"UPDATE 1-Sun Micro early investor John Doerr to leave board" - Reuters.
http://www.corp.google.com/corpcomm/pressarchive2006q3to4/060907reuters2.html
Comments (6)
i can't even tell anymore the differences between making relations with your own hand and the options previously forbidden but now allowed by the doctrines set forth by forces whom seek complete and complex annihilation of all opposition including that of thought in order to further fulfill its serious ambition of taking over the world and submitting it to unthinkable acts of cruel savagery bested only by the one time Ghengis Khan fucked up a whole bunch of stupid people's faces!
Posted by holes | September 8, 2006 11:47 PM
Interesting list of Google stories, most of which seem to be culled directly from what Google News picks up. But it doesn't list any blogs.
Posted by Richard L. Brandt | September 9, 2006 5:27 PM
I know! I'm hoping Google has a "today in blogs" listserv too. I'll see what I can find out. But either way, I'm sure the average Googler is mucho clued in to the blogosphere.
Posted by Steve Bryant | September 9, 2006 7:00 PM
Then why don't u reply my emails Matt Cutts ? U made a lot of noise in february with BMW.de, I suggested u several spamdexing practices. No actions was taken. When I wrote again to Google Benelux, Mister Duijndam's team blacklisted my website to make me understand I had to shut up. I am criticizing Google for more than 6 months now. Google make poor natural results in order to boost the Adwords. Everybody know that now. Look at your results !!! U are simply RI-DI-CU-LOUS ! Type for instance "rencontre" on Google the third result is doing cloaking, repetitive words, hidden text. No action from you ! For months !! I have 1001 more example for you, and these exemple were seen by law men, and an official complaint is sent to both the belgium council for competition and the european commissionner for competition. When I wrote the dutch team "this website is doing spamdexing" the reply was "if you have problem, consult this SEO company", but the fact is that this SEO company was doing spamdexing for the website I mentionned ! U are lying to people. "We rank websites following the backlinks and the content" We do not manipulate the results manually. False ! One of my website has a lot more backlinks (and quality backlins, means from good PR pages and with good anchor keyword) and has a far better keyword density. But the page is shown on page 4 while my competitor has 4 links on the 1st page ! Oh yes, my competitor is an old friend of Google Belgium's actual boss (JP). That helps. I continue ? What about Advalvas ranking ? Out of the 50 results and suddenly ranked 4th... Oh yes Advalvas was the company the actual Google Belgique's boss (JP) created... This is not serious Matt !
Posted by Peters | September 9, 2006 9:27 PM
The Mountain View City Council is expected to approve a deal tonight that would let them negotiate exclusively with Google to build new offices and research facilities on 9.2 acres at Charleston Road and Shoreline Boulevard.
Posted by Google Watch | September 12, 2006 12:51 PM
Hi everyone,
I'm typing this for the reason that I don't realize where else I can begin, because I need something, and for the reason that I want to work out all the stuff that are lying stuffed in my head. So, four days in a row I've been woken up at exactly 3:15 and can't get back to sleep because it is so loud. But I'm just glad and I don't know what I want to do about it, let him doing it alone or with myself. But I'm so glad I took the opportunity to realize that this really is what I want to do, for the main reason that I don't think I ever could have been so happy before.
I got to see a whole different perspective (at least I don't think 24-7 about search engines cloaking) from life existance of another and realized I'm not the only one who's just a little bitnervous. I think you should act like me and you can feel much better.
Goodbye everybody
Posted by sunglassesatnight | February 24, 2007 1:07 AM