I have read this book “What Would Google Do?”, and I wanted to share some insights with you all about it, to understand more why we do, what we do as Local Guides.
Jeff Jarvis, the writer, is a well-known journalist and wrote it in 2009. Google was emerging back then and was obviously not as big as it is know. This book is not all about Google, and important to know, was not written from the POV of Google. No, Jeff is analyzing the business of Google very thoroughly and how it is impacting other businesses and generally, the world.
It is so interesting to read that even though it was published before 2009, he understood so well that Google is leveraging each and every thing from users—Giving users control to gain their trust!
Just take a moment to think back, like I did several times during reading and ask yourself a few questions:
- Do you remember the era before Google? The era where not every single piece of information is available just 0.01 second away from your fingertips.
- Take a second to think about how Google completely changed your life as well.
- When did you start using Google? Were there some people who used other search engines such as Bing or Yahoo?
- Which products of Google do you use?
Think about how Google, just one company, COMPLETELY changed the way businesses work. Now, to actually make a business work, it almost cannot survive without being in the top results of the Google search page for your keywords, right?
As an entrepeneur myself, I can only highly recommend this book to everyone who is an entrepeneur as well.
Even if you are not an entrepeneur, you should read this book as a Local Guide. Googlers, if you read my post, you SHOULD read this book!
Enough of my words, let me paraphrase some of Jeff’s most interesting sections in the book.
Many of this can be linked to the Local Guides program, and makes me an even more proud Local Guide!
“Google understands the value of free better than anyone.”
“Serve the niche well, rather than the mass badly.”
“Focus on networking. Keep your customers happy all the time, reply to their complaints, take the time to turn those into happy customers again”
"The more you control, the less you will be trusted; the more you hand over control, the more trust you will earn.
Too many companies have been built not on trusting people but on making rules and prohibitions, telling customers what they cannot do, and penalizing them for doing wrong. Google has built its empire on trusting us. Trust Google on this."
The true essence of the Local Guides program, from a business perspective!
“Google provides the culture of choice.”
“Google Ad specialist’ boss after losing 1 M dollars: “I’m so glad you made this mistake, because I want to run a company where we are moving too quickly and doing too much, not being too cautious and doing too little.”
“It’s best to do one thing really, really well.”
“Google realizes that its real value is not in limiting what people can do but in helping them do what only they can imagine.”
“Collaborate. Collaboration is co-creation.”
“Google is an avalanche and it has only just begun to tumble down the mountain.”
“Trust the people. Your customers are your ad agency.”
Thanks a lot for reading until here, much appreciated!
Leave a comment behind with the questions on the answers above if you’d like.
Stay safe and beautiful,
Stephen
