I was going to write some more website spring cleaning tips for 2010 but got sidetracked while thinking about the variety of plant life in my backyard. I started thinking about trees, which I have a lot of, and weeds, which I have even more of.

You didn’t know I was into gardening, did you?

Without going too far out on a limb (pun intended), I started thinking about my clients’ businesses in terms of plants and trees that I could see fro my patio. Most seemed to fall into one of the following two categories.

Oak Trees

Oak trees are strong, stable, predictable and sturdy. Their massive trunks can weather fierce storms that would wash away or knock over less established plants. Their growth potential is nearly unlimited but it’s so slow that hardly anybody notices at first.

However, they take a long time to grow, are difficult to move and not very adaptable to new or extreme conditions. Their foliage is utilitarian and not very showy.

Dandelions

Dandelions, on the other hand, are highly adaptable and can survive in a wide variety of conditions. Their ability to grow and spread quickly allows them to adapt and survive in sub-optimal soil or even between the cracks in a sidewalk. Plus, they evolved to be interactive! Their seeds are meant to be spread when the wind whips up to scatter them far and wide.

Life’s not easy for a dandelion though. Their slender stalks are fragile and easily trampled underfoot. They don’t live long in one place and have been known to appear and disappear without anybody noticing.

Life at the Extremes

Sure, these are extreme examples but I’ve found most of my clients exist closer to one end of the spectrum or another. Neither business model is right or wrong, just suited to meet different needs in different ways.

How would you classify your business? Am I missing an entire category?

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“There’s no such thing as work-life balance. There are work-life choices, and you make them, and they have consequences.”

- Jack Welch (WSJ)

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How do you pick your Super Bowl “Big Game” favorites*?

I’m putting my money on the New Orleans Saints. No, not because I’m an NFC fan or because their win would somehow make me feel better about their thrashing my Atlanta Falcons repeatedly, but because we, the people, have spoken.

According to Google Insights for Search, search volume for the New Orleans Saints more than doubles that of the Indianapolis Colts. When in doubt, go with the wisdom of crowds.

*The game that shall not be named is heavily protected by trademark laws and vigorously enforced.

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I’m glad I’m not the only one that has some questions about the growing relationship between Google and the government. This week’s FORTUNE magazine’s cover story is titled “Obama & Google (a love story)“.

Again, I’m not saying it’s necessarily a bad thing to have one of the world’s smartest technology companies helping the government (federal, state, and local) get up to speed on all things digital, but it certainly does raise some questions. If nothing else, the developing relationship requires a little extra oversight.

You know, just in case the machines become sentient and start to turn on us

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Google Public Sector

I am all for smaller, leaner, more efficient government. But don’t classify me as a right-winger just yet. I just don’t like wasteful spending and excess “bloat”, especially when tax dollars are stretched tighter than ever before.

So you could assume that I would be in favor of Google’s recent announcement of “Google for the Public Sector“, a “one-stop shop of tools and tips that local, state and federal government officials can use to help promote transparency and increase citizen participation.”

According to CNN, this “government app store” could save a portion of the $75 billion (with a “B”) that the government spends on data storage each year and help “bring government up to speed in terms of computing.”

But there are some serious questions that I haven’t been able to find answers for yet. Hopefully somebody can steer me in the right direction on some of these and I will post updates as I find them.

Questions About the Google/Fed Partnership

1. Why Google? Just Google? Were other service providers considered? If so, what were the selection criteria? When/how will the partnership(s) be reviewed?
2. Who will “own” the data in the “Dedicated Google cloud for government“? Will this include any of the government’s personal information about private citizens? Is there a precedent for this type of public/private partnership?
3. What happens if/when the government is forced to investigate Google in future antitrust or monopoly cases? Will these partnerships and integrations be considered conflicts of interest?
4. Were these decisions and partnerships influenced by any of the ex-Googlers joining or advising the Obama administration in tech-related roles?
   1. Sonal Shah, former head of global development at Google.org, the search-engine company’s philanthropic arm, is head of the new White House Office of Social Innovation. (philanthropy.com)
   2. Andrew McLaughlin, Google’s former head of global public policy, left the company to join the Obama administration as Deputy Chief Technology Officer. (NYT.com)
   3. Eric Schmidt, Google’s chief executive, has been a close adviser to President Obama’s transition team and is now a member of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.
   4. Katie Stanton, a former Google project manager, joined the White House as its director of citizen participation.
5. Does it make sense to have so much government data consolidated under one company, especially one that already has a lot of information about each of its users?

What’s the Point?

I'm not paranoid, I'm not paranoid...

Sure, you can argue that government data is stored on Sun servers and Cisco routers too, but those companies aren’t in the advertising business. But don’t get out your tinfoil hats just yet.

And yes, I still like Google’s commitment to its customers (advertisers and searchers) and appreciate their contributions to the internet and technology. Heck, I even make a living advising companies how to rank better on Google.

But I still can’t put a finger on the cause of the queasy feeling I get when reading about the partnership between Google and the government without seeing all of the facts out in the open. Maybe I’m just being paranoid. but then again, maybe not…

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The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno’t mtaetr in waht oerdr the ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt!

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After a week out of the office, I am back at the computer again. Please hold your applause…

Isle Royale Recap

My backpacking trip was amazing. Isle Royale is unimaginably beautiful, pristine and refreshing place. I logged 32 miles of backpacking and hope to go back soon for more. Living outside of wireless and cell phone range for a week is a transformational experience. Try it. It’s difficult at first but gets easier every day.

I’ve posted the pictures on Facebook. It’s a public album so you can see them even if you aren’t a member or logged in. Here are a few of my favorites (click to enlarge):

New Site Design

The newest iteration of YourSearchAdvisor.com is nearly complete. The design is finished and I am working on writing the new copy. I hope to have it up on Wednesday. I’ll write more about the re-design process and all of the SEO enhancements I’ve made. My site has always had a case of the “cobbler’s children” syndrome, so this time I am practicing what I preach.

Email Newsletter Shipping Soon

As soon as the new site launches, I will send out the second issue of my monthly client newsletter. If you haven’t already, you can sign up to receive it here: Sign up for our Email Newsletter

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