Marketing is Easy When You Control the Means to Information

The “What’s Hot” Plug-in for Google’s new Sidebar tool automatically generates a list of what is most “popular” on the web. Google doesn’t say what criteria the “What’s Hot” titles are based on. They are obviously keeping their own interests in mind with the insertion of titles like “Google Sets Tongues Wagging with Talk.” It is interesting what you can do when you control the means to information. Anyway, I deleted this little propaganda machine.

Google has a reputation for clearly separating advertising from information content. Are the waters going to get a little muddy going forward?