Google: Privacy doesn't exist. Completely. All the time. (Especially for you)

According to IT World, Google has been accused of hypocrisy after the search engine defended its Street View tool by saying "complete privacy doesn't exist." Read the full article here.

The mike goes to Ken Boehm, chairman of the U.S. National Legal and Policy Center (NLPC), "Perhaps in Google's world privacy does not exist, but in the real world individual privacy is fundamentally important and is being chipped away bit by bit every day by companies like Google." And even if that happens with "consumer consent", then I think that the discussion on where to draw the line should steer clear of any demagogy.

In my personal opinion, it's not smart to talk about "complete privacy" as the standard, when the debate is really around a specific, situational privacy issue. To be fair, Google issued the following statement regarding its comments: "The response quotes and expands upon an existing legal opinion to help frame the response. It should not be interpreted as a blanket statement on our views towards privacy." I hope that as a result, companies like Google, that hold large amounts of personal data, realize that consumers take the corporate responsibility of those firms seriously, which includes the kind of arguments that they use in such a debate.

BHAG alert: cloud computing is the new black.

For more then ten years, cloud computing has been seriously in the making. Companies like eBay, Google, Yahoo! and Microsoft pioneered in delivering mass online services to consumers, while innovators like Salesforce.com and DoubleClick led the way for businesses with their ASP models (Application Software providers). Now CNet reports that the associated SaaS trend (Software as a Service) seems to be really picking up.

Of course, 'going in the air' is not always a smooth ride, as Apple's MobileMe launch proved. But if you really want to catch the drift around the cloud, read this article in Wired magazine. It explains how Amazon.com is evolving way beyond the traditional bookstore business model, into that of a digital utility - in fact into the perfect mesh of grid computing and premium logistics services that integrates a complete supply chain and covers both the digital and the "brick" part. The exciting news is that Amazon seems to approach this in a way that seems a natural fit for the company, even if it is a very audacious challenge.

Oh no, we noticed another BHAG!

(1. Hit the link to see a list of famous BHAG's. 2. Get inspired. - By the way, notice that Amazon's Jeff Bezos refers to Sony's BHAG in the Wired article - funny coincidence).

Of course, there are also those who believe that, in order to maximize computing efficiency and user experience, we should keep a connection between the desktop and the cloud. Like a space elevator. Or more specifically, that as a private user or a business, you want to keep ownership and accessibility to your data all the time, even if you are offline. Adobe's Air (Kevin Lynch from Adobe Systems explains their approach in MIT Tech Review - see video), Microsoft's WL/Silverlight and Google Gears are all enablers of desktop applications that achieve this vision.

So, how does this inspire you today?

How to manage a web 2.0 strategy.

The FT has come up with a timewise improbable yet useful article about how to actually manage a Web 2.0 strategy. "Hey, whatever happened to Web 3.0?!"

According to the article, you can expect 3 main advantages when you are fully up to speed. You will:

• Engage with customers more directly and better understand clients, capturing community knowledge in order to meet your client’s expectations,
• Improve operational efficiency and team communication and collaboration,
• Create a strategic differentiator in your business strategy (for example, simplify information to and from your users).

I would personally add that a Web 2.0. approach, if implemented right, can really empower the key stakholders in your organisation and shift your marketing mindset to a more pro-active attitude. This is key to win on your competitors, who are doing the same.

The article also mentions the following 5 conditions for a successful Web 2.0 implementation:

1. Integrate Web 2.0 from the bottom-up, from the needs and wants of your users,
2. Take your company’s culture into account,
3. Transparancy = key
4. Deploy a flexible, secure IT infrastructure to support it,
5. Follow open standards and technologies and use open source software.

Good to keep in mind when you're ready to take the step.

Featuring: the first analog computer

The NY Times runs this amazing article on the first analog computer that was built in the colonies of Corinth in 100 B.C.. That may point out to an interesting thought: maybe the first computer was cooked up by Archimedes himself. Check it out!