Great decision by Google IMHO.

F-That. Sorry but that angers me. Why does it always have to be about them? Why not do it because it affected the country, the world. I'm trying to remember a couple other days I've noticed Google being the only one who didn't do anything.

If they did not want to place a doodle on the home screen, they could've changed the 'Google' to all black for mourning, with a short message underneath. Way to drop the ball Google, get off your high horse.

I think it was the wrong decision. A doodle wouldn't have been appropriate but a message/link on the page would have shown respect.

I thought the same last week with the anniversary of the Beslan School siege in Russia (334 died, half of them children). There were remembrances everywhere here, people put toys and water bottles on the steps of some buildings. It would have been good to see Google acknowledge this feeling among the people.

I think it is more than okay and it fits with what Google does. They don't put a remembrance up for every event that was ever bad and that is fine.

To Nick, I didn't know about the Beslan School siege. I'm sure that there's something every day that Google could put up if they were a memorial site...

Google changes their logo for fun and upbeat things. That's what they do. If you want a remembrance, go to their blog.

@Jarad

Sure there have been enough tragedies in the world and in fact, that was my first reaction to this story. Wouldn't that end up making Google a memorial site.

However Google are a global engine. They could show the 9/11 or Pearl Harbour info to their US audience and, for example, Beslan links to their Russian one. There's no reason for these events to be globally covered by Google as they aren't globally acknowledged in the same way.

I'd say that Beslan to the Russians is far more significant than 9/11. Which illustrates this point exactly. We had a weekend of TV covering that, I've only seen one news article on 9/11 so far (concerning the slow development at the building site).

The fact is that these events are culturally significant to people in these countries, as much as many of the other events Google celebrates. If Google is going to 'localize' and reflect the feelings of the audience then it needs to take this on board.

Lastly, I don't think remembering these events needs to be depressing. It can be respectful without encouraging fear. It's important for us to keep in mind the darker times as well as the upbeat stuff or we never really learn much from history.

Thank you OP, and "Search Engine Roundtable", for your TIMELY , informative article.

The URL I have posted below is a discussion going on in Google Support about the 9/11 Doodle.

PLEASE Feel free to chime in. And GMAIL me if you do, with what you wrote.

Google MAY have been involved in a larger project, but my point is that this did not come across effectively. As a graphic designer myself, it is very important that all my messages - and feelings - are communicated with the intended audience. If I do not communicate my message, I am out of a job.

Neither was there a Doodle, neither was there an Ancillary link on Google's Main Page to its project. Leading one to ask, "DID YOU FORGET?"

The OP of this blog, "Search Engine Roundtable" was kind enough to show Google's homepage in 2001 on the day of the attacks, certainly they made use of their whitespace in the past and could easily have done it this year.

As I mentioned in my URL on Google Support, I think this issue will be blogged out by the end of the day. I would invite all of you to participate and I look forward to hearing your responses to google. Again, please feel free to email me to my gmail with your sentiments, and how YOU would have communicated the 9/11
message.

In fact, if you could represent it graphically and send it to me, I will try to compile the responses in one place and direct Google's attention to it.

Thank you.
-J

I would preffer Google to focus on positive things.

Unfortunately there are many horrible things that have happened in the world.

For the record, I don't think a doodle would ever be appropriate. How do you do a doodle for the holocaust? You could end up upsetting even more people. A simple quote in the white-space would be sufficient.

So Google didn't want to create a Doodle. Who cares? They've already stated the purpose of their Doodles. So what, you want to give Bing and Ask a cookie because they decided to spend 2 minutes creating a picture? It's not like it actually meant anything to them, they're just doing it to appease you asinine people. Sep 11 was tragic yes. Why doesn't Bing and Ask change their picture everytime a military member loses their life overseas? A person who sacrificed everything in order to serve their country and then at the end had to give their life? Where is Bing and Ask when that happens? The spouses of fallen of Sep 11 received millions of dollars in settlements each because of what happened. There's your "remembrance." When a military member sacrifices loses their life, their spouse is given burial fees. A person signed up to defend their country, created a ridiculous hardship for themselves and their family and then died in combat and their spouses get burial fees. Yet Sep 11 vicitims get millions of dollars. Why aren't you people crying about the folks losing their lives all the time in Iraq and Afghan.....but you're doing it for this? Because you're asinine hippocrits.

I noticed there was a doodle for Michael Jackson's birthday a couple of weeks ago and the links all had updates regarding the circumstances of his death. How's that for light-hearted?

Not even white space for 9/11? Shameful hypocrisy!

Dianne! Yeah girlfriend, good one! *Thumbs up*

@Tim

It's a good point but the fact is that the dates those individual soldiers died are not cultural events. Much like in the world wars, we don't remember each individual death but Remembrance Day/Poppy/Armistice Day is there in the diary to remind us of all those people who lost their lives.

The Russians do it well here with Veterans Day - not only to celebrate the world wars but also Afghanistan. Sadly the west seems too quick to gloss over the sacrifice that their soldiers make in modern wars. Like Google, they prefer to focus on the upbeat stuff.

Why are you defending Google? Those people who died on sept 11 are not worthy of a stinking logo, yet some stupid UFO is? How the hell cares what other countries think, this is America and more people died on Sept 11 than Pearl Harbor, yet the great Google can't even do a logo?

Google is a piece crap that is spinning around the toilet and I'm just waiting for it to flush.

This is from there page:
Google doodles, the drawings that are designed on, around and through the Google logo on our home page, have long been part of Google's history. As a Google intern in 2000, Google Webmaster Dennis Hwang began celebrating and marking worldwide events and holidays with doodles. Since then, the work of the doodle team has been seen by millions and reached cult status, with fans waiting with bated breath to see the next creation on the Google homepage. We spoke to Dennis about doodles and how he got a job that combined his two passions: technology and art.

Although you want to believe Google, it seems pretty clear that their politics are getting in the way here. They do not see 9/11 the same way as the rest of us....Clearly this is one of the most significan worldwide events since the Vietnam War...

This is from their site--
Google doodles, the drawings that are designed on, around and through the Google logo on our home page, have long been part of Google's history. As a Google intern in 2000, Google Webmaster Dennis Hwang began celebrating and marking worldwide events and holidays with doodles. Since then, the work of the doodle team has been seen by millions and reached cult status, with fans waiting with bated breath to see the next creation on the Google homepage. We spoke to Dennis about doodles and how he got a job that combined his two passions: technology and art.

Clearly 9/11 is one of the most important worldwide events since the Vietnam War -- yet it seems their politics does not want this date to be remembered.

Google is an agenda oriented search engine. Screw them!! F'n Libs! What a bunch of losers!

unfortunately reality isn't always positive. show some respect and patriotism for the country you live in and love. do it however you must to meet your agenda, but DO IT nonetheless. By not doing anything to remember the day you say more, and what you say is negative. I am a Google advocate, but today I am not happy with Google and not for the first time.

I agree... how can you remember Michael Jackson, who cared more about himself than he did for his country, and not have a rememberance for 9/11... one of our countries most tragic events. Seriously... it's a remembrance... not happy with Google's choice in this matter.

Just spoke to my Google AdWords rep and he stated that a doodle was not done due to the fact that doodles are generally light hearted in nature (guess they are forgetting the other tributes they did like their MLK Day tribute) and that they did not want to come off as being disrespectful. ~Funny, I think being hypocritical is also being disrespectful.

I like these last few posts by lester, shawn, buc..

Is everyone flying their Flag today?

I know I am!!!

Good article and good question. It's an American company that benefits from the same freedom that the rest of us Americans have enjoyed to this point. They benefitted from all the blood and deaths that have been sacrificed.

They've been slapping American warriors every year on Memorial Day.

Friggin ingrates. Go BING, ASK!, etc.

Correction: they DID have a 9/11 logo up earlier today (around 5 AM GMT) but took it down about 40 minutes later.

http://img21.imageshack.us/img21/4876/google91109.png

I can only guess they got more than a few complaints about it... :-/

Correction: they DID have a 9/11 logo up earlier today (around 5 AM GMT) but took it down about 40 minutes later.

http://img21.imageshack.us/img21/4876/google91109.png

I can only guess they got more than a few complaints about it... :-/

Was that a joke? That was a horrible pic... a simple American flag photo or something that just says in remembrance of 9/11 would've sufficed.

Mike, that is a pretty bad joke.

If it were up to me I would have asked Milton Glaser (designer of the original "I Love NEW YORK" Logo,) if we could have permission to use his updated version of "I Love New York - More than Ever." for Google's 9/11 Doodle.

If you haven't seen his updated logo, view here.
Milton, take it away.
http://www.designboom.com/eng/interview/glaser.html

There are a lot of ways to illustrate rememberence for 9/11 with an emphasis on "Hope for the future." Graphic Designers live for the opportunity to communicate such a message. In this country we have no fair recognition of art, the Irony is that Glaser found his Niche and his audience in NY.
-J

no offense guys but who really cares what google puts up on any day if you want to remember the tragedy talk to friends and family members don't look for google to be the guiding light of what you should care about.

Apparently idiotic nonsensical UFO logos with no meaning are more important than remembering all the Americans who perished on 9/11. Good job Google, you IDIOTS.

Those who don't remember the past are doomed to repeat it.

Google could have done something tasteful to remember 9/11 without being depressing. Regardless of politics.

Shame on all decision makers for Google Logo.

Don't forget about Easter either. Google did nothing. Bing did (a page with colored eggs). Google is just trying to be politically correct and doesn't want to offend some minority somewhere.

It's a difference in philosophy. For one, they don't want to "appear controversial", so they take the (coward's) way out by doing nothing at all. A black logo, a ribbon, or similar would be perfectly appropriate.

For two, while Google started out an American company, they've been a multi-national for a long time. I'm pretty sure the majority of Googlers are not US citizens. They have a very different perspective of what the date means.

Lastly, the Googlers as a whole are pretty good at not letting their political beliefs filter their actions, but not always. I'm sure they'd rather "move on" and perhaps even "forget" the tragedy, especially when highlighting the tragedy appears to be more helpful to one political side than the other.

Just my two cents' worth.

Disgraceful. Google is a piece of garbage company with an agenda.

Do not use Google. Use bing.

Capitalism works!

I think it's more disgraceful to decide when or how someone should remember a tragic event. I don't want a cartoonish flag or crying eagle on my search engine logo to cue me in.

A friend of mine who works for MS/Bing has been crowing about all of the users writing in claiming they'll switch from Google to Bing because of the image on their site.

Way to "brand" 9/11...

So what if Google didn't post anything commemorative. Big deal. If people switch from Google to Bing because of a logo (or lack thereof) that is their right. If google had of changed their logo to something commemorative then then would open a can of worms have to do so for every major historical event whether it be a U.S. historical event or international event.

To everyone complaining Google didn't do a damn logo, go pay your respects as individuals in your own way and call it a day. The reality is whether Google chose to post or not post a memorial has zero impact on anything.

Maybe Google's logo team decided to take the day off to pay tribute in their own special way as individuals rather than waste time posting a silly logo. We don't know. Wasting time posting ridiculous accusations against Google's motives is counter-productive and does nothing to make this day any easier. So critics stop posting ignorant, ridiculous accusations, comments and go do something more useful and perhaps beneficial to the occasion we are recognizing on this 11th day of September 2009.

if they only do things that are lighthearted and fun, why were there Michael Jackson shoes when he died of a drug overdose? Sorry, that's not light hearted or fun.

Knowing Google's left-wing tilt, I'm suspicious of its participation in anything called "Make History".

It should probably be titled "Making-Up History". You'll notice on the site there are photos of candlelit "Pursue Peace" signs but no photos of people leaping out of the 100th story windows.

This all boils down to respect. Respect for the magnitude of lives which were affected by the events which occurred on 9/11. Maybe there is a point that doodles are supposed to be positive, but like the others have said, they could have at least made mention of this significant date.

To those who bring up the doodle for Michael Jackson's birthday and say it is not light-hearted (especially Dianne), the links are not Google sponsored. If many links about Michael Jackson's death appeared in Google's search results, it is much more likely that at that time users/contributors across the internet were interested in Michael Jackson's death.

Google has no power over the interests of the people, and I am actually skeptical of claims that the search terms for that day even brought about such distasteful links. (Much appreciation to anyone who can find the search terms for that day.)

As for attacks on Michael Jackson’s character, he has left a legacy that is generally appreciated across the globe. Most are faster to think of the iconic Moonwalk and Thriller than child molestation charges. In addition, Michael was not a selfish self-absorbed person (@Shawn), and this is evident in his charity and compassion, both of which are confirmed by thousands who have known him.

With respect to Google, I think Howard put it best: “While Google started out an American company, they've been a multi-national for a long time. I'm pretty sure the majority of Googlers are not US citizens. They have a very different perspective of what the date means.”

Google wishes to maintain an international, non-controversial face. Google is an international search engine; .com is an internationally used website extension. As such, Google tries to appeal to a wider audience than others. Hopefully, we can respect that.

WoW F**K most of you i bet half of you did not even loose anyone in 9/11 i did! i appreciate what google has done 9/11 is not a day of remembrance for me it is a day i would like to forget.

Google don't _have_ to do anything, even though other people are. September 11 was a horrible, tragic day which I will remember for the rest of my life. But to complain that a company isn't doing a memorial is just ridiculous.

very sad that google chose not to "remember"

duly noted, google

(oh yeah.. remember? "do no evil"??? yeah right...

Personally, I think Google avoided any reference to 9/11 to be "PC". I feel they were trying to avoid making anyone "uncomfortable". The post about the letters being all in black, with accompanying explaination, should be the LEAST they did. Google dropped the ball!