Googled: The End of the World As We Know It

* * * Interesting in Parts, But Reads Too Much Like A Corporate Dossier

(Snapshot Review by Kerri Elders)

Without a doubt, Ken Auletta’s Googled is thoroughly and expertly researched.

However, it took me numerous ambivalent weeks to read it (BTW, it is not at all unusual for me to read 3 books at once and be finished with them all in two days and I am most positively interested in technology). Unfortunately, this one didn’t “grab” me like I thought it would, given its topic: the most brazen, upstart Corporation in the History of the Universe. The Anti-Microsoft. What I call “The God Box,” otherwise known as Google.

Although I can say I learned a lot I didn’t know before (like the incredible level to which we have all been contributing personal data streams to cable, satellite, internet, and phone companies for YEARS; the commercial value of this information; the fact that My Favorite NerdHero, Amazon Founder Jeff Bezos, is one of the original angel investors in Google; AND that Amazon’s search technology is based on an offshoot of Google’s), it felt like those nuggets of wisdom were buried in a lot of unnecessary background noise.

I think if you personally knew some of the people covered in this book, you would find it more engaging than I did. For me, the first 2/5ths of the book read like a corporate dossier, reciting the degrees and digital pedigrees of individual employees and associated boardmembers, etc.

What I really wanted to read about was what the title promised: how Google transformed the world and how it would build it anew. I also hoped it would delve into how Google might be addressing the problem of Search Engine Optimizers who are gaming Google’s algorithm and degrading the quality of search results.

I HATE to criticize a talented writer who has obviously poured so much effort into a project, but this book just fell short on delivery of its promised “sizzle,” for my tastes.

However, if you are fascinated by all things technical, the final 3/5ths of the book offer some interesting insights into Google’s worldview and its current domination of the advertising marketplace (yes, it has morphed into an ADVERTISING and data collection behemoth). Worth reading, if you can slug your way through the corporate biographies!

Quotations are vital elements in any writer’s arsenal. Whether used in a prose piece or a speech, quotes are useful tools for “cutting the chase.” Quotations provide the writer (or the speaker) a socially acceptable way to express ideas and concepts that may not be Politically Correct (”Hey, I didn’t say that, Will Rogers did!”).

Some of our favorite quotable characters are HL Mencken, Mark Twain, Albert Einstein, and the King of Quotables, Will Rogers.

We’ll post useful quotes and file them for easy retrieval under the “Quotations” Category in the weeks and months to come. Stay tuned!

Words of Wisdom!

“Stress primarily comes from not taking action over something that you can have some control over. So, if I find that some particular thing is causing me to have stress, that’s a warning flag for me. What it means is there’s something that I haven’t completely identified perhaps in my conscious mind that is bothering me, and I haven’t yet taken any action on it.

I find as soon as I identify it, and make the first phone call, or send off the first e-mail message, or whatever it is that we’re going to do to start to address that situation — even if it’s not solved — the mere fact that we’re addressing it dramatically reduces any stress that might come from it. So, stress comes from ignoring things that you shouldn’t be ignoring, I think, in large part.”

—Jeff Bezos, Amazon.com Founder

Read the full interview here

Looking for colorful character ideas to enliven your next short story? Browse these, if you dare.

Sadly for our fellow writers trying to eke out a living in the quickly imploding newspaper market in America, 14,330 jobs have been lost so far in 2009.

Paper Cuts tracks this data and gives a state-by-state, paper-by-paper analysis of this seismic shift. Check it out here.

We’ve maintained a long list of research links over the years & have just moved it to a new domain so we can keep it in great Web 1.0 condition (nested tables and WordPress HATE each other).

We still mourn the loss of Netscape and Windows 3.1; keeping our little vestige of the Old Web gives us some comfort : )

This site’s a great jumping off point for your morning surfing needs–grab a cup of coffee and head on over to PaulElders.com.

WordPros’ writing blog is filled with tips and tricks to help you improve your writing skills. Whether you are a professional writer, a blogger, an Executive Secretary, or an English Major, a few basic tips can take your writing from bland to WOW.

We’ve written for print magazines since 1994. We’ve also written our fair share of political speeches for politicians in the great state of New Mexico.

Our most basic advice: keep it simple, keep it active [voice, of course], and keep it real. And, if you want to be rich and famous– study ACTING.

Being a real writer is like having a term paper due every day of the week. If you can’t take time pressure, can’t meet a deadline, and you don’t just really LOVE to write, then remember these three words: “Don’t Do It!”

You’ll find some great quotable quotes for your speechwriting projects & lots of web-based tips; check the categories on the right for more info!