Comments on: Hey Google — stop linking to us http://mathewingram.com/media/2007/04/07/hey-google-stop-linking-to-us/ ...watching the intersection of the Web and media Tue, 06 Jan 2009 06:56:45 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5 By: Mathew http://mathewingram.com/media/2007/04/07/hey-google-stop-linking-to-us/#comment-1901 Mathew Sat, 07 Apr 2007 19:33:02 +0000 http://mathewingram.com/media/2007/04/07/hey-google-stop-linking-to-us/#comment-1901 Lucas, I agree that Google News is designed to increase Web traffic to sites that might use AdSense -- but that's not what you said. You said that Google News deliberately drives traffic to newspaper sites, knowing that this will increase remnant inventory and therefore those sites will be forced to use AdSense. That's convoluted. Lucas, I agree that Google News is designed to increase Web traffic to sites that might use AdSense — but that’s not what you said. You said that Google News deliberately drives traffic to newspaper sites, knowing that this will increase remnant inventory and therefore those sites will be forced to use AdSense. That’s convoluted.

]]> By: Lucas Grindley http://mathewingram.com/media/2007/04/07/hey-google-stop-linking-to-us/#comment-1900 Lucas Grindley Sat, 07 Apr 2007 19:19:31 +0000 http://mathewingram.com/media/2007/04/07/hey-google-stop-linking-to-us/#comment-1900 What you call convoluted, I call well thought out. Perhaps you have some other rationale for why Google provides the Google News service? I say it's in it for the money from AdSense. You say, what, that it's just for kicks? What you call convoluted, I call well thought out.

Perhaps you have some other rationale for why Google provides the Google News service? I say it’s in it for the money from AdSense. You say, what, that it’s just for kicks?

]]> By: Mathew http://mathewingram.com/media/2007/04/07/hey-google-stop-linking-to-us/#comment-1899 Mathew Sat, 07 Apr 2007 19:10:56 +0000 http://mathewingram.com/media/2007/04/07/hey-google-stop-linking-to-us/#comment-1899 Thanks for the comment, Lucas. I read your blog post, and I have considered the possibility that Mr. Zell is right -- and dismissed it, for the reasons I mentioned. As for your point about Google News making money by pushing up the amount of remnant inventory on newspaper websites and then selling them AdSense to fill it, that has to be one of the most convoluted theories I've ever come across, if you don't mind my saying so. Obviously, Google is interested in increasing the amount of Web traffic so that it can sell advertising, so tools like Google News make sense. But to blame Google for the fact that newspaper websites can't make money from their own ad inventory is a little ass-backwards, don't you think? Thanks for the comment, Lucas. I read your blog post, and I have considered the possibility that Mr. Zell is right — and dismissed it, for the reasons I mentioned.

As for your point about Google News making money by pushing up the amount of remnant inventory on newspaper websites and then selling them AdSense to fill it, that has to be one of the most convoluted theories I’ve ever come across, if you don’t mind my saying so.

Obviously, Google is interested in increasing the amount of Web traffic so that it can sell advertising, so tools like Google News make sense. But to blame Google for the fact that newspaper websites can’t make money from their own ad inventory is a little ass-backwards, don’t you think?

]]> By: Lucas Grindley http://mathewingram.com/media/2007/04/07/hey-google-stop-linking-to-us/#comment-1898 Lucas Grindley Sat, 07 Apr 2007 19:00:44 +0000 http://mathewingram.com/media/2007/04/07/hey-google-stop-linking-to-us/#comment-1898 You're dismissing Mr. Zell much too quickly. At least consider for a moment that he's right before declaring him stupid. He does make a lot more money than any of us. I, for one, think he could be right for <a href="http://www.lucasgrindley.com/2007/04/sam_zell_considers_picking_fig.html" rel="nofollow">several reasons explained on my blog</a>. As a side note, your assertion that Google makes no money from its news product is wrong. Posting the news drives up links to newspaper Web sites, creating a lot of remnant inventory on those sites. Because real local advertisers aren't interested in one-off page views, then Google convinces these sites to use AdSense to fill the undesirable remnant space. This isn't coincidence. Google understands the effect of driving up remnant inventory via Google News. You really think this multi-billion dollar business just runs this site, even featuring it prominently, out of the goodness of their hearts? At least for a moment, assume everyone is in this to make money. Because they are. You’re dismissing Mr. Zell much too quickly. At least consider for a moment that he’s right before declaring him stupid. He does make a lot more money than any of us.

I, for one, think he could be right for several reasons explained on my blog.

As a side note, your assertion that Google makes no money from its news product is wrong. Posting the news drives up links to newspaper Web sites, creating a lot of remnant inventory on those sites. Because real local advertisers aren’t interested in one-off page views, then Google convinces these sites to use AdSense to fill the undesirable remnant space. This isn’t coincidence. Google understands the effect of driving up remnant inventory via Google News.

You really think this multi-billion dollar business just runs this site, even featuring it prominently, out of the goodness of their hearts?

At least for a moment, assume everyone is in this to make money. Because they are.

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