“What Would Google Do?”

“What Would Google Do?” is 257 pages of criticisms, ramblings and anecdotes about how companies can learn to adjust to a constantly evolving world.

Matt Sawh

If you needed to write an article about Jeff Jarvis’ book, “What Would Google Do?” where would you start?  Ironically, one would probably start by visiting the search engine mentioned in the title.  If you continued to fish through the countless waves of pages offered in the search results, you might even find the exact slides Jarvis used for his talk on March 25, 2009 at the Rotman School of Management for the Business Experts Speaker Series.

Jarvis is one part Don Knotts and one part Steve Jobs.  Obviously well versed in knowledge of all things web related, Jarvis is an American journalist, former television critic and professor at City University of New York Graduate School of Journalism.  His blog (buzzmachine.com) has garnered much attention from the web savvy business crowd.  He is a humourous, skinny prophet of the Web 2.0 era presented in his first book.  Web 2.0 refers to web applications and design that facilitate a new brand of communication amongst users.

“What Would Google Do?” is 257 pages of criticisms, ramblings and anecdotes about how companies can learn to adjust to a constantly evolving world.  Jarvis makes it clear that people should not use his book as a Bible; rather, they should use it as a lens to look through.  For example: the transition from a content economy to a link economy.  Previously, value was determined by the content of a particular good.  Presently, value is found through the linking to the particular good.  Jarvis uses the example of a local movie reviewer – not all newspapers need one when they can simply link a particular review online.  The model, “Do what you do best, link the rest,” is increasingly apparent in the online realm where search engines direct traffic flow to various sites within their results.

Jarvis also promotes a new kind of transparency and openness in companies.  This comes from his experience with Dell computers (he calls this ‘Dell Hell’’, also known as Jarvis’ First Law).  After trying to debug a Dell computer and running into many problems, he was put on hold for countless minutes with customer service.  Jarvis decided to post his complaint on his blog under the title “Dell Sucks” and soon attracted thousands of users that agreed.  Soon the posting was creating buzz on its own and Dell began to take notice.

In February 2007, Dell created Dellstorm, a site that lets customers discuss any issues in an open forum where people were allowed to bash or celebrate all things Dell.  At this point, Dell was no longer just the topic of conversation.  It was contributing to it.  Dellstorm revamped the company’s shoddy service reputation and placed them in a higher overall ranking, with negative feedback dropping 20%.

Jeff Jarvis is not the only Web 2.0 proponent.  He is a strong supporter of the Cluetrain Manifesto, a set of ideas suggesting that businesses take hold of new technology and get connected to the restructured marketplace.  The main thesis of the manifesto is that mass marketing and old models of communication are now obsolete since the Internet is unlike any other media.  Jarvis states that too many companies change when it is too late or are unaware of the “cash cow in the coal mine,” as he puts it.

These examples appear among others in “What Would Google Do?”  After reading about and Googling Jarvis, one encounters many hypocritical standpoints.  First, Jarvis has been announcing the inevitable death of print – yet his book is hardcover.  He points this out though, explaining that a publisher’s advance was offered if he printed the book.  However, other versions are offered on audio and online.  Also, Jarvis praises Google for taking hold of the free market provided by the Internet, “Free is impossible to compete against [. . .] The most efficient marketplace is a free marketplace.”  Later in the book, though, Jarvis states that the Internet is very unsympathetic towards writers and the like.  But Jarvis, a known leftist, should know that if content comes for free, how will contributors get paid?  The current trend for media sites (youtube.com, myspace.com, etc.) is to get users to willingly provide free content, and in turn, gather profit from indirect sources such as ad revenue.  This means that, inadvertently, user generated content is worth something, yet given up for free.  But can online contributors make a living off of their posted work rather than through publishing with large companies?  If the death of print is soon, what will happen to writers if there is no other choice but to publish works online for free?

At the end of it all, one finds Jeff Jarvis’ talk, book and outlook wanting.  It seems we’ve heard this kind of neo-technological determinism too much.  If the arguments are contradictory and old business models do not seem to work, what should we do?  Coincidentally, the answer also comes from Jarvis.  While signing my copy of “What Would Google Do?” we laughed at how I was the youngest person in the crowd and he scribbled, “What would you do?”  It was simple.  The answer to how we can adjust ourselves in this market lies in creatively molding our own ideas to fit this new world.  This is something that neither Google nor Jeff Jarvis can give us.