With my mind wandering this week, I found myself researching and thinking of ways that this money could be wisely spent.

Todd Mintz, Director of SEMpdx (a search engine marketing association in Portland, Oregon) suggests a way that he says will stimulate "The" economy and "Your" economy: invest your tax rebate in a premium domain name.

For instead of buying consumable "goods" that have little or no future value (or paying off goods that you've already purchased), you are buying an appreciable asset that can generate income (from parking revenue and or site development) while you own it.

Mintz points out a few domains that he could purchase for approximately the same amount as his rebate check: Populararticles.com ($2,188), Totalpolitics.com ($2,288) and Publicmarkets.com ($2,000). According to Mintz, with "the right development strategy, each of these (and many other domains) offers me the opportunity to earn income while substantially growing the value of my asset."

On another note, many of us have been spending sleepless night thinking about a 52" wide-screen HDTV, a new outfit for this year's vacation or perhaps that 'gotta have it' no-fail, weight-loss plan. Whatever your refund dreams, as an HR professional I suggest that you reserve a portion of that money and invest in your career. I recommend investing your tax rebate into your career to prepare for the unexpected. Here are a few ideas:

1. Buy A Relevant Career Book
Motivational books can help you get ahead and become more career-focused. They can teach you how to sell that incredible work ethic you possess. It's all about the sell, you are the product. A couple of recommendations are Good to Great by Jim Collins and Winning by Jack Welch.

2. Purchase A New Interview Suit
Ok, at one time, you did look fabulous in the one you bought after college graduation, but let's face it, it's lost it's appeal. Remember, people notice! You want to leave a lasting impression but not one that is shared at the water cooler. So spend a few dollars to spruce up your wardrobe and spring for the required outfit to spruce up your appearance.

3. Spend It On Someone Else
We all know that we feel the best when we give to others. Helping a dear friend or family member rebound from an unfortunate situation, could make all the difference in the world for them. Or if you have a buddy who is having difficulty with how to manage their time, Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done by Larry Bossidy is a great read.

4. Save It
Everyone know that having money in the bank is empowering. We realize that a single tax rebate check isn't going to change your life, but in this turbulent economy, placing that cash into a savings account is a step in the right direction. The proverbial rainy day might be around the corner. Even if it never comes, a little extra cash can give you more options and confidence when making career decisions.

5. Education
The old saying, "You're never too old" applies here. Take an evening class that meets once a week, one that will add to your list of marketable skills. From my own first-hand experience, a single class can make or break the sell during the interview; it may be exactly what that employer is looking for in filling that "perfect" position.

To conclude, there are many ideas out there for spending your rebate money wisely. While many are important and practical ideas, the ones who invest their tax rebate in either their career or by purchasing that premium domain, will reap monetary rewards in the long run. So before you think about high definition, think about return. And it will benefit you in the years ahead. Uncle Sam would be proud.

Image: Jenn Jenn

Tags
Tax Rebates
Rebate Checks
Oneupweb

Tim's guests this week are Drew and Leah, who are here to discuss the economic benefits of outsourcing your search engine marketing efforts to a preferred vendor, specifically during a downturn in the economy.

Our conversation this week stems from Drew's recent blog post, SEM Agencies to the Recession Rescue!, which was our most popular post last week.

Enjoy the show and we'll be back next week.

Tags
StraightUpSearch
StraightUpSearch Podcast
Oneupweb

On with the story.

The oldest department store chain in the United States, Lord & Taylor, is embarking on a rebranding effort that will turn its signature Dorothy Shaver Red Rose a lovely shade of orange for 2008.

Though Lord & Taylor may not be a familiar name to all of us, if your mother or grandmother grew up shopping on the East Coast or in any of the larger cities in the Midwest—ask her about it. She'll fondly recall shopping there, more than likely with her mother. Leaving the store with the iconic white box embellished with the Dorothy Shaver Red Rose was half of the fun. Being seen with something from Lord & Taylor meant you were a real "lady".

I remember it and can recall many birthdays filled with beautiful boxes from Lord & Taylor. Though I don't remember what was in them, I remember the box and am able to recall the logo vividly—as well as the name of the store. Perhaps the most important part.

It was 1946 when Lord & Taylor became the first major store on Fifth Avenue to name a woman, Dorothy Shaver, President. This was also the time when the red rose debuted as the stores logo—and stayed the course for over 60 years. Pretty impressive.

Equally impressive is the fact that a department store founded in 1826 is still open. Go tell that one to Wal-Mart. Of course, the store has gone through hard times, expansion, retraction, restructuring and the like—but Lord & Taylor is still around. Why? How? Is it the red rose? Is the department store doomed without it?

Absolutely not.

Lord & Taylor is still open and has made it through flu epidemics, world wars, and recessions because of its progressive thinking and ability to adapt. Faced with adversity in its 180th year of business, post purchase, the new leader of Lord & Taylor's branding efforts was committed to returning the store to its "fashionable roots". Quickly the realization set in that its "fashionable roots" were more than the Dorothy Shaver Red Rose, the fashionable "roots" were the people. Trendy but classic, esteemed and reminiscent—and now missing from the store and no longer carrying the noticeable bags around town.

What to do? Launch a promotional campaign allowing the public to recreate the rose and rebuild that classic connection with the store. Crowd sourcing? By definition, yes. Though the winner gets paid. Social media marketing? Heck yes. Good idea for an old brand? By definition, absolutely. This isn't a one time contest; a new rose will be unveiled every spring. A stunning reminder to pay attention to the store every year.

I hope it works and I commend Lord & Taylor for their approach. It's not about slashing prices, it's not about downsizing at every turn to keep a brand alive. It's about forging a connection with your customer, delivering value and staying nimble even if you're 182 years old.

According to the Live Search Blog, features of the new layout include:

• Search box near results
• Room to breathe on the page
• Crisp, clean type
• Intuitive video search
• Health results integrated from many sources

In my opinion, the design definitely has more of the Windows Vista flowing feel to it. I particularly like the hover-over preview function on the video search results. Also, I appreciate the footer link to the Webmaster Center of Live Search.

According to the Live Search Blog, the new design is the product of Microsoft's "growing team of designers, researchers, and developers" who "think of design as being a critical part of a search product".

Tags
Live Search
Microsoft
Oneupweb

This warning is the result of a new feature called SearchScan. Yahoo has released the feature in an effort to protect its users from viruses, spyware and spam.

According to Yahoo, SearchScan is the result of a partnership with McAfee, Inc. and utilizes McAfee's SiteAdvisor technology to identify "risky websites" that appear in Yahoo's search results. Yahoo says SearchScan will identify three types of risks:

1. Browser Exploits
Sites that automatically trigger a malicious download when a user visits the site. But you're unlikely to see this warning listed in your search results - Yahoo says it will automatically remove these sites from its results.

2. Dangerous Downloads
Sites that offer potentially dangerous software downloads, which include viruses, spyware or adware.

3. Unsolicited Email
Sites that send spammy emails or share email addresses with third parties without the users consent.

The SearchScan popup info box provides a "More details" link that points to McAfee's Site Advisor site, providing more information on why the site was flagged. There is also a "Site owner support" link for webmasters who want to protest.

By default SearchScan is turned on for all Yahoo users in the U.S., Canada, UK, France, Italy, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, and Spain. But the feature is optional.

Awhile back, we looked at the growing trend of search engine safety. For Yahoo, SearchScan appears to be the next step in making its existing users feel safer, in addition to trying to entice new users.

For more information about SearchScan, visit the Yahoo Search Blog.

Tags
Yahoo
SearchScan
Oneupweb

According to reports, Jerry Yang refused the new offer, stating that he would not accept an offer below $37 a share.

On Yahoo's Yodel Anecdotal blog, Yang answers the burning question, "What's next for Yahoo?"

With Microsoft's withdrawal, we'll be better able to focus our energy on growing our industry leadership and maximizing value for stockholders. We'll continue to execute on our plan — making your Internet experience as personal, relevant, open and social as possible, serving advertisers so well they insist on working with us, and opening up Yahoo! in a way that developers dream of. And, we'll also continue to pursue strategic opportunities that position us for long-term success.

Following the deal breaker, Yahoo's shares are expected to take a dive in the market today. Some analysts have speculated that if Yahoo's shares fall low enough, talks between the two companies may startup again.

Image: xenolon

Tags
Yahoo
Microsoft
Oneupweb

A couple of years ago, that was fine. Especially online. There was still a good chance, depending on your niche, that you could be leading edge if you got serious about your search & online initiatives. Here's the catch to the idea of "everybody's doing it", everybody's doing it. There's nothing unique or special to being found in a search anymore. Sure, you're there when customers are looking, but so are all of your competitors.

It might be time to spread your wings a little bit.

In no way would I suggest you move away from search initiatives, it's just that SEO and PPC are now pretty much foundational pieces of a marketing strategy (or they should be). You've got to find what's going to get you up above all the other noise in your corner of the world. So here's the $25,000 question to ask: what's next?

You tell me.

That's no dodge. It's time to take a serious look at where you, as a provider, fit in your customers' world. And don't look at how you want to fit, that's different.

Now, figure out how you make that fit easier and more comfortable.

There are more and more tools becoming available every single day. Don't use them all though. Your customers are already probably tip-toeing to the edge of information overload. Remember, attention is finite. Instead, pick the best tool to do the best job for your customers. The easier it is for them to make you an indispensable part of their lives, the better off you'll be.

When you really get to thinking about it, maybe marketing to new customers isn't where you need to be marketing at all. Maybe, just maybe, you should market to your existing customers. Maybe you market what you've always had, but they've never known about. Maybe you have the best support staff in the industry. How about your lead engineers? Maybe they are innovating every single day, but none of your customers know that. Could it be, that just being there to answer your phones instead of using call-centers is enough to keep customers coming back to you over and over?

Once your customers realize how important you are to them, once they know - beyond a shadow of a doubt - that no one else can provide what you do in the way that you do it, those customers will start bringing you new ones.

There's a lot of ways to make life better for your customers. Just take a step back and think about what it might be. Maybe you cut a deal with your website team and invest part of your marketing budget into a Usability Audit. If your site performs better than everyone else's, you've just made life better for your customers. Think about setting up a social network, just for your customers. Chances are good they are sharing the same struggles and if you can get them together and then get out of the way, you've just made their life easier. How about a Twitter stream full of tips, tricks, and solutions. Solve problems before they even know they have them. Not only are you going to keep folks happy by solving problems, they might even think you can see the future.

The possibilities are almost limitless, just take the first step. There are a lot of great ways to make a small investment pay huge dividends, and you don't have to follow anybody else's formula.

Amy and Anne join Tim in the studio this week to look at how much cash the employees at each search engine have contributed to the three remaining presidential candidates.

The motivation for this week's conversation was Amy's recent blog post, The Politics of Google, Yahoo and Microsoft: Searching for a Winner in the 2008 Presidential Election, which was our most popular blog post last week.

Tags
StraightUpSearch
StraightUpSearch Podcast
Oneupweb

The store had several options of pipe wrenches, from small wrenches to package deals with more than one wrench. Having already picked up some other tools, I couldn't afford the package deals, which would have addressed all of my needs. Instead, I went with a small pipe wrench. It cost much less and will do most anything I need to do around the house.

Just like a small pipe wrench, SEM agencies are there when you can't afford the whole package, which in this scenario is hiring someone internally to manage your SEM efforts. SEM agencies can address all of your needs, including SEO, PPC, and Social Media campaign management. Sure, it'd be nice to have someone within your building doing the work, but that means extra costs beyond just a salary. Any benefits are an extra cost. And what about keeping your new hire busy? SEM agencies are more on-demand; there when you need them and growing your campaigns in the meantime.

During an economic downturn, businesses also need a survival plan of trimming off excess expenses to increase profits. Although marketing is an easy area to just trim off, you don't want to pull the plug to your business lifeline either. You need to dig deeper than that. What areas of your marketing plan are working? Which marketing effort has the best return?

SEO and PPC are quickly becoming the most efficient marketing channels for businesses. Not only are you able to directly measure the progress and performance of your online campaigns, but you're also going to get some of your best response and conversion rates here. Whether you are interested in lead generation or e-commerce, your marketing dollars are best spent in search engine marketing.

So, when times are tight, determine how much you can really spend on your SEM efforts and consider an agency as your solution.

Editor's Note: Our latest One for the Money audio podcast, The Slasher, offers a fictional scenario of a company that turns to online promotion to save its marketing initiatives in the wake of a budget crisis.

Update: This was our most popular blog post for the week of April 28th. Listen to the author discuss this topic on the StraightUpSearch Podcast.

Image: zygzee

Tags
SEM
PPC
Oneupweb

It's the last day of April, and that means this is the conclusion of our monthlong magnification of the world's most popular search engine company.

As a recap, I'm going to run through the top 7 reasons we all need to stay aware of Google's growth in the search market and, more importantly, elsewhere.

1. Yahoo is Testing Google Search Ads

Earlier this month, Yahoo performed a two week test that integrated Google's PPC ads into Yahoo's paid search results. While the test was considered by many to be an effort by Yahoo to discourage Microsoft's buyout bid, the U.S. Justice Department decided to investigate possible antitrust implications. If Google was given 100% of the paid search real estate on Yahoo, a serious PPC monopoly would arise.

2. The Google Voice: Free Speech in Search

With Google's search market share hovering near 70% in the U.S. (1), a sudden drop in search positions on Google can devastate a company that relies on Google traffic. All in all, this post is a friendly neighborhood reminder to diversify your company's sources for incoming clientele.

3. Google's Win in the FCC 700-megahertz Auction

As a result of its influence on the Federal Communications Commission Auction of 700-megahertz radio frequencies earlier this year, Google helped get new policies put into place - policies that allow for "open networks" where consumers can use a wider variety of devices and applications. As our blog post points out, a 2006 Google patent application describes a method for collecting mobile user data, which would be possible via the new consumer-friendly, mobile network environment.

4. Google Knows More about You than Your Spouse Does

After seeing how Google learns more about "Bob" in one evening than his spouse knows, we invite you to ask the question, "What does Google know about me?"

5. Google's Users are the Real Commodities

Over the course of this 3-part series-within-a-series, we discover what kind of personal information Google can collect about its users, through name-brand products such as Google Checkout, Google Talk and Gmail, in addition to Google-owned sites like YouTube, Picasa and Orkut. It's a bit of an eye-opener knowing that one of the largest potentials for future revenue is the sale of Google's user data.

6. Google's Stake in 23andMe and Google's Plans for Your Medical Records

Both of these blog posts examine how our personal health records could soon become part of Google's enormous collection of data.

7. Google Goes To Washington

To advocate on issues that concern Google, the company has hired some of the top lobbyists in the country to pound the pavement on Capitol Hill. We all know that Washington needs an education in online commerce, but should it come from one of the web's largest advertisers?

In Conclusion

As I stated at the beginning of this series, I both respect and fear Google. I use Google's services countless times every day in both my professional and personal life.

Our goal with this monthlong magnification was to make sure people are aware of Google's grasp on personal data and grip within the search industry.

Now, get back to work.

Image: b_d_solis

1. Hitwise US - Leading Search Engines, March, 2008.

Tags
Google
Oneupweb

When a small town in western North Carolina, suffering from the loss of their primary local industry and growing unemployment rates, heard that a major tech company was looking for real estate in the area, the Mayor himself went above and beyond to bring jobs and money back into his town.

In 2005, Google, looking to build a $600 million dollar data center complex, showed up in North Carolina—in the form of a consultant working for an anonymous tech company—and the town of Lenoir, seeing an opportunity to recover from its economic struggle, quickly got in the negotiation game.

Image of Google Data Center in Lenoir under construction: Charlotte Observer

At the beginning of the negotiations, a 127-acre plot of land was on the table and Google didn't raise any objections. But, not long into the process, Google demanded more land. Lenoir's Mayor, David Barlow did much of the leg-work himself to give Google the deal they wanted so that Lenoir, population 17,000, could be the site of one of Google's data centers. Mayor Barlow knocked on the doors of Lenoir residents, located long-lost heirs, and the city even paid for a divorce just to stitch together a 216-acre plot of land to satisfy Google. (1)

Google's demands on the water supply in Lenoir were far beyond what the small town could handle, so Mayor Barlow offered Google the best deal the town could afford: the city would pay $24 million for upgrades to the municipal water system if Google would agree to stay in town long enough to justify the huge expense. Google finally agreed to pay $1.05 million toward the water system expansion but refused to lock itself into a minimum period of residency. (1)

In addition to local tax incentives, Google pushed for a bill in the North Carolina state legislature that would make server farms exempt from sales tax on the electricity they use. Following a threat from Google's negotiator that without the exemption, "the project simply will not come to North Carolina," the bill passed in July 2007. (1)

In Lenoir, Mayor Barlow was quick to respond to Google's demands, doing his best to give them the incentives and provisions they were looking for. The mayor spent unpaid evenings and weekends putting together a deal Google could live with. All in all, a small town made big adjustments to accommodate a large company, hoping for tax money to boost the town's suffering economy. The end result of all of these negotiations also included tax rebates expected to be $5.87 million off Google's $6 million tax liability. Google's negotiator points out that this gives Lenoir $130,000 they wouldn't have otherwise. (1)

Certainly a multi-billion dollar corporation is not expected to save the small town of Lenoir just so it can build its data center there, but the events leading up to Google's deal with Lenoir suggest that Google was not opposed to capitalizing on the struggles and weakness of a small town. (1)

Food For Thought
In late 2005, Google showed up in Lenoir. Today, Google is starting to integrate into the town as they construct and test their new data center facilities. The Lenoir project received state and local incentives totaling up to $165 million over 30 years, and Google is now "mixing with local civic groups and donating charity Christmas trees for a public display" to say 'thanks.' (2)

How far should state and local governments go to entice companies like Google to share their hometowns? Did Google get too aggressive in their negotiations in Lenoir and take advantage of a small town with economic hardships? Does Google have any responsibilities to help improve the communities where the company builds data centers and other Google locations?

According to Google's Carolinas Operations Manager, Tom Jacobik, "We're not here to save the town. We're here to run a business." (2)

1. The High Cost of Wooing Google, BusinessWeek, July 23, 2007.

2. Jen Aronoff, Google, Lenoir try to adapt to one another, Associated Press, February 3, 2008.

Tags
Google
Oneupweb

This week Tim brings Maureen and Mike into the studio for a talk about Maureen's post, Google Hairspray is Patently Puzzling.

Back with another installment next week!

Tags
StraightUpSearch
StraightUpSearch Podcast
Oneupweb

"There is no human involvement or manipulation of results, which is why users have come to trust Google as a source of objective information untainted by paid placement." (1) This is what Google's Technology Overview page used to say. Now, this phrase is noticeably missing. (2) Human involvement or not, Google's search results have been recognized as having what seems like a very human right - freedom of speech.

From the beginning, Google founders recognized that their search engine was a business and not merely a resource. Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin wrote a paper about the creation of Google as Ph.D. candidates at Stanford. In that paper they stated, "we expect that advertising funded search engines will be inherently biased towards the advertisers and away from the needs of the consumers." (3) Today, 99% of Google's revenue comes from ads. (4) Brin and Page's early acknowledgement that search results would likely be biased toward advertisers, combined with Google's search results being considered protected free speech, could change the way users view Google's search results. But how did Google's search results become recognized as protected free speech? It started with one company: Search King. (5)

Search King

Google's Page Rank is a system developed to determine a page's "value" and assign the web page a rank. That rank is essentially what determines where a page will appear in Google's search results page for a relevant query. (6) Search King (7) was a company selling online advertising space on sites that were highly ranked on Google's Page Rank system and would pay the websites based in part on their Google Page Rank. (8) Search King's page rank suddenly dropped, along with the Page Rank of some of its affiliates. This downgrade meant that Search King's position in natural results dropped dramatically. Search King sued Google arguing that the Page Rank had been intentionally and maliciously downgraded. (9)

Google admitted to intentionally downgrading Search King's site and some of its affiliate sites, but stated that Google has "no obligation to rank Search King's site at its desired level, or to include Search King's web site on its search engine." Google argued that its Page Rank is protected free speech and protected by the first amendment. (10) The court found in favor of Google, saying that "it could be argued that Google acted maliciously and wrongfully", but Google's actions were privileged free speech. Also, the court stated that no website can demand to be accessible via Google. (11) The end result here - Google's search results can rank and position sites however they choose. No need to rely on relevancy or algorithms if they choose not to.

A couple of years after the Search King case, a similar case came along with similar results. Kinderstart (12) had their Page Rank drastically reduced in March 2005 and immediately lost 70% of their traffic. (13) As a result, KinderStart and other plaintiffs tried, unsuccessfully, to form a class action lawsuit to recover damages from Google for the downgrades in Page Rank. (14) The case was eventually dismissed and Google's freedom of speech remained intact.

Food For Thought

With a search market share at almost 67%, (15) a sudden and dramatic drop in search position on Google could be devastating to a company. And, if a company has no control in improving or rebuilding their search position, there may be no way to recover.

(1) Google Corporate Information, Technology Overview, last visited January 15, 2008.
(2) Google Corporate Information, Technology Overview, last visited April 24, 2008.
(3) Sergey Brin and Lawrence Page, The Anatomy of a Large-Scale Hypertextual Web Search Engine, Appendix B, Computer Science Department, Stanford University, 1998.
(4) Google 10-K, Annual Report (filed 2/15/2008).
(5) Search King v. Google, Inc., CV-02-1457 2003 WL 21464568 (W.D. Okla. May 27, 2003).
(6) Google Corporate Information, Technology Overview, last visited April 24, 2008.
(7) Search King.
(8) Search King; Complaint, Search King v. Google (filed 10/17/2002).
(9) Search King.
(10) Search King at 2.
(11) Search King at 11-12.
(12) KinderStart.com LLC v. Google, Inc., C 06-2057 JF (N.D. Cal. March 16, 2007).
(13) KinderStart.com LLC at 4.
(14) KinderStart.com LLC.
(15) Hitwise, March 2008, based on volume of searches.

We've been talking about Google, their business, their practices and products, and their future, but what we haven't talked about is who is making the big decisions.

Google is a multi-billion dollar corporation with thousands of employees, executives, directors and corporate officers - this can't be a three man show. As a publicly traded company, stockholders would expect to have some influence in major business decisions. Taking a look at Google's stock structure and considering all of the questions that our Google series has raised, it seems that, whatever the future intentions and direction of Google, there may not be an effective way to change the direction of their business.

When you buy stock in a company, whether it is one share or thousands, you want to make sure your investment is protected and managed appropriately. Typically, companies issue voting rights to stockholders so that each stockholder has a say in how the company acts, who runs the company, and/or how the company handles major decisions. And, companies will often share profits with shareholders by issuing dividends for each share of stock.

Google has two classes of stock; Class A common stock and Class B common stock. Google's Class A stock is what is traded on the NASDAQ under the "GOOG" symbol. If you own Google stock, you own Class A stock. Google's Class B stock is held primarily by Google's executive officers, directors, management and employees and the rights given to Class B stockholders are very different from that of Class A common stock.*

Class A:*
* 1 vote per share
* Publicly traded
* 2,776+ stockholders of record
* No dividends

Class B:*
* 10 votes per share
* Not publicly listed or traded
* 111 shareholders of record
* All held by founders, directors and executives

How does the Class A and B common structure and rights affect Google Class A stockholders? The Company?

The founders, executive officers and directors of Google together owned shares of Google's Class A and B stock that represents around 70% of the stockholder voting power. And, of that 70%, Eric Schmidt, Larry Page and Sergey Brin own both Class A and B common stock representing about 67% of the voting power as of December 31, 2007 - leaving about 3% of the voting power for the rest of the directors and executive officers to share.

This means that whether stockholders are voting on major corporate transactions, mergers, the sale of assets or the election of directors of the company, it would be almost impossible for other stockholders to influence a vote where Schmidt, Page and Brin were voting together. *

Food For Thought

Google is aware that Class A stockholders won't necessarily be happy if Google uses the voting power they have with the Class B shares to take actions that the Class A stockholders do not agree with. In their 2007 Annual Report, Google describes how the stocks work and concludes that if they took this type of action, "the price of Class A common stock could be adversely affected."* Google has gone further to keep stockholders from influencing certain business decisions. The board of directors fills vacancies on the board in many circumstances - stockholders cannot vote to elect those members.*

* December 31, 2007 Google Annual Report (Filed 02/15/08).

Well, the Google satellite photo from Google Maps has certainly painted an interesting picture of the Google lobbying efforts. Google, who spent nearly $1.4 million dollars on their lobbying efforts during the second half of 2007 (1), appears to be operating from a white utility van in a Washington, D.C. parking lot - though the picture is a bit hazy. But don't let Google Maps fool you. Google's Washington, D.C. office is the home base for a sophisticated political machine.

With a slight adjustment to the coordinates, this satellite view of Google's Washington office should be focused on a 27,000 square foot, eco-friendly Googleplex with all of the comforts of Silicon Valley Google professionals have come to expect: free gourmet lunches, foosball, ping pong, Xbox, plasma screen TVs, massage chairs and the rest of the typical Google office gear (2).

But, these people aren't your typical Googlers. The D.C. Googlers have worked with some powerful people: Pablo Chavez served as general counsel for Sen. John McCain prior to joining Google and Johanna Shelton was a top aide to Rep. John Dingell, chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee before she joined Google's Washington team (3).

And, Google didn't stop with their own impressive list of lobbyists - they have also hired some of the top lobbyists in the country to pound the pavement on Capitol Hill, advocating on the issues that concern Google. In addition to the $620,000.00 Google spent on their own Washington team in the first quarter of 2008 (4), they spent another $210,000 on reputable Washington lobbyists in Q1 (5).

Googlers in Washington D.C. scored a major political victory in 2007 when they helped persuade federal regulators to approve the DoubleClick acquisition despite serious consumer privacy and anti-trust concerns(6). And, because Googlers don't miss an opportunity to recruit new Google users, the D.C. staff gave "Google 101" crash courses in Google web tools to staffers on Capitol Hill. Now there are U.S. Senators giving presentations on overseas trips using Google Earth and Google Maps (7). But what does Google have on their lists for 2008?

Food For Thought

In our post, Examining Google's Plans for Your Medical Records, we examined the patent for an ad serving system that ran in an electronic medical records system and looked at the potential for Google to collect and store user's personal medical records and history. The patent is still pending, but it looks like Google could be gearing up in D.C. for the future use of this system.

In addition to the Google Lobbyists, a lobbing report for Q1 of 2008 filed by a reputable D.C. law firm reveals that, among other lobbying activities, the firm has 5 individuals lobbying health issues described as "online health-related issues" for Google. Google managed to get approval on the DoubleClick acquisition; could Google's team of lobbyists also manage to open up our medical records to Google? With the possibility of a Yahoo-Google ad serving partnership looming, is an anti-trust battle next on Google's Washington agenda?

(1) Information available from Lobbying Disclosure Database.
(2) Jim Puzzanghera, Google Feeling Lucky in D.C., Los Angeles Times, January 17, 2008.
(3) Lobbying Report, Google Inc., Q1, (received 4/21/2008), available from the Lobbying Disclosure Database.
(4) Lobbying Report, Google Inc., Q1, (received 4/21/2008), available from the Lobbying Disclosure Database.
(5) Podesta Group, Inc., Lobbying Report, Client: Google, Q1 (received 4/21/2008) and King & Spalding, LLP, Lobbying Report, Client: Google, Q! (received 4/20/2008), available from the Lobbying Disclosure Database.
(6) Jim Puzzanghera, Google Feeling Lucky in D.C., Los Angeles Times, January 17, 2008.
(7) Frank Davies, Working Washington in a Google-y way, San Jose Mercury News, June 24, 2007.