TechCrunch explains that Marissa Mayer of Google discussed the "evolution" (if you will) of the motto, "Don't Be Evil." She says:
“It really wasn’t like an elected, ordained motto. I think that ‘Don’t Be Evil’ is a very easy thing to point at when you see Google doing something that you personally don’t like; it’s a very easy thing to point out so it does get targeted a lot.”
At Search Engine Land, Barry shares a bit of history of exactly when it started. He explains that it was coined in 1999 when Google was afraid that its organic search results would be impacted by the business units of the company. It was used more heavily when the company grew to 300 employees and corporate policy was put in place.
Forum members at Cre8asite Forums find the quote interesting, since it's still heard very often today. There's just too much of Google "doing something that [people] personally don't like," it seems.
Not everyone agrees, though. Other forum members feel that Google has been indispensable for their needs, and some other weaker search engines (perhaps because of this) haven't measured up. Others believe it comes down to potential for being evil, but they haven't necessarily fulfilled their "evil plan[s]."
Then there's another reaction entirely. Pierre Far, a friend of mine who wrote a killer entry on social media marketing on my blog, says that Google is a bit pervasive today with its consumerism at heart and users' privacy thrown out the window.
But then again, EGOL points out that Google users opt-in for all of this, so it's up to the user to decide whether s/he wants it.
The debate is roaring on and continues at Cre8asite Forums. Good stuff.
