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225 Comments
- ScienceDoc, on 10/11/2007, -40/+250I thought their motto was "due no harm". I think their new motto is "anything for ad revenue".
- Mast3rDigg3r, on 10/11/2007, -4/+129I thought it was "Don't be evil"
- conna, on 10/11/2007, -7/+69Cash rules everything around me
C.R.E.A.M. - tylerbgood, on 10/11/2007, -4/+66Direct link to the Google Health Advertising Blog entry in question: http://google-health-ads.blogspot.com/2007/06/does-negative-press-make-you-sicko.html
- inactive, on 10/11/2007, -22/+82guess what? ad sales guys like to sell ads. they recommend relevant keywords for advertisers to buy. this is the entire idea behind adwords. why is anyone surprised by this?
- inactive, on 10/11/2007, -7/+61Google: How we went from cool site brought to you from a guy in a basement to a typical
huge, faceless corporation. - gigasquid, on 10/11/2007, -5/+47My my...how Google have changed. At least now it's fairly obvious where they're coming from. Power inevitably corrupts.
- Rikushix, on 10/11/2007, -14/+53Ah, that's just disgusting. Shame on google.
- IamBobX, on 10/11/2007, -5/+38I just did a search on "Christianity" in Google.. this ad was on the right side
Religion is for the weak. Its for the brain washed and vulnerable. Agree or disagree? www.friction.tv
Here's one for a search of "President Bush"
GEORGE W BUSH ONLINE POLL Do you hate George W. Bush? Vote against him now! www.TheWorldHatesBush.com
So by the logic that HMOs advertising when Sicko is search is bad, then these ads are also bad too. You can't just pick and choose. - JonnyTrombone, on 10/11/2007, -7/+36Yeah, because they're not making any sort of ironic statement- Gee, the drug companies will pay off politicians and doctors, maybe they'll pay us off as well.
- Reddog_x2000, on 10/11/2007, -9/+37I'd be more concerned if they told health care companies they'd censor searches for Sicko for money. Simply putting an opposing view up next to the search results isn't any big deal IMHO.
- jonpotz, on 10/11/2007, -6/+31Wow...
Slap in the face by Google.
***** you Google. - Dumbledorito, on 10/11/2007, -4/+28HMO's are about as antithetical to the Hippocratic oath as you can get without a chainsaw and a blowtorch. "First, pay no claim" is probably cross-stitched in cute little samplers hung in every office. As for Google, it was bound to happen; they've gotten so big that they're starting to find the machinery of their corporation is going to answer to one moral axis: maximizing profit above all else.
- koregaonpark, on 10/11/2007, -7/+29Bastards.
- GhostFreeman, on 10/11/2007, -4/+25Way to blow it, Google.
- kinerry, on 10/11/2007, -4/+24This is the fastest way to nuke the google culture and destroy this once-great company
- oxdeltaxo, on 10/11/2007, -4/+21I don't think the advertising campaign will work anyways, if people are searching for Sicko they've likely made up their mind on the issue already and are sick of the HMO.
- s1mph0ny, on 10/11/2007, -0/+16That's retarded. They aren't searching for it on thepiratebay, it's google. When you search a topic on google you expect to see some opinions on it, not the actual product.
- Dumbledorito, on 10/11/2007, -6/+21The question is, do they do this with other stories or events? Do they offer the GOP ads that would counter pro-Democratic party news items or postings? Do they offer McDonalds ad space to counter nutritional stories that might make fewer people buy value meals?
- ThePixelator, on 10/11/2007, -17/+32Wow, a large corporation making deals with people for money, never saw that coming!
- wannabenomad, on 10/11/2007, -1/+15Work on the title next time. :)
- PaulOwen, on 10/11/2007, -4/+18Yet another example - and I've been saying this for some time on Digg that the only difference between Microsoft and Google is twenty or so years. Their approaches are the same and their attitudes are the same as any big business with shareholder interests, overpaid executives and underpaid technical footsoldiers.
The key difference was that Microsoft never pretended otherwise - they never pretended to be touchy-feely. Google did, and now we're seeing the consequences of that betrayal.
Digg me down if it makes the facts hurt less - I get modded down on erm ... other sites too, but you know that it's true now and becoming truer. - conna, on 10/11/2007, -2/+15somebody has to pay for the private jets fuel.
- Nogger, on 10/11/2007, -1/+14To me, the problem is not that they pitch Adwords, but the way they do it. They are sucking up to HMO by claiming falsehoods.
> connecting them to isolated and emotional stories of the system at its worst.
These are not isolated stories at all, he show the systemic flows of the private healthcare system.
> Moore’s film portrays the industry as money and marketing driven
Which they are.
> and fails to show healthcare’s interest in patient well-being and care.
Which they surely have, as long as they don't have to pay any significant amount for the patient's care.
IMHO, this is really a low for Google. Next thing: "Whitehouse, buy Adwords to educate the world that the PATRIOT Act and abolishment of Habeas Corpus is a good thing, so much bad things has been said about it, it is not fair." - EmailAddress, on 10/11/2007, -2/+15Motto:
Google: "Don't be evil."
Fox News: "Fair and Balanced."
ROFL
Believe what you want... - inactive, on 10/11/2007, -1/+14Well they have left a contact email address, I hope a LOT of people use it to express their displeasure over this.
googlehealthadvertisingblog@google.com - Schmidtopolis, on 10/11/2007, -0/+11There is nothing wrong with revenue in a Capitalist society, but this is corporatism at it's finest. Do you not think certain systems should take a loss for public gains? In todays ideal of "capitalism", these huge conglomerates throw caution to the wind, and focus squarely on share holders. Share holders aren't the general public these corporations serve, they are the stuffed shirts that make up, what, 0.1% of society. That 0.1% will never suffer through NOT being treated for whatever medical treatment, they will be served up because they can afford the outrageous fees of medical care. The greater good in Americas "Capitalist" society is the 99.9% of the people who aren't stockholders, or somehow attached to the corporate machine. Somehow the greater good turned into the almighty dollar, and not the people who make up society. So, by your logic, everyone should be shunned, except those who own, or are affiliated with a large corporation. Just for perspective into my bias opinion, however, I'm Canadian, and we have socialized medicine/healthcare, so I'm, what, 1 step away from Communism due to that (pffft). Michael Moore's a douche who spews a lot of leftist rhetoric, but his point stand to REASON... the American health system is fundamentally flawed, due to profits being target number 1, and not actually serving people with healthCARE.
- praisethelard, on 06/06/2008, -1/+12It's "Don't (get caught) be(ing) evil"
- Ajajadude, on 10/11/2007, -5/+16That's doctors, not insurance companies.
- bagboyrebel, on 10/11/2007, -0/+10*Don't be evil
http://investor.google.com/conduct.html - inactive, on 10/11/2007, -2/+12Remember, google is SOLICITING these HMO people - sending them a letter, asking for their business, telling them how they'll help find a solution to the "problem" - which of course, is the movie Sicko.
- yflicker, on 10/11/2007, -4/+14Not to defend Google or anything, but the title of this post is a little sensationalist. The blog post is definitely shady, but the author of this post is a whore....yay! You got your digg submission to the front page! Good job!!!!!11111oneelevenone!!!!!111
- Coded1, on 10/11/2007, -0/+9Sorry to take it away from you man but your search results won't be affected :(
They are just trying to advertise for ads along side your results. - ecorona, on 10/11/2007, -1/+10Nobody is saying that buying ad space is bad. What we are saying is that the sales pitch to the HMOs was incredibly biased, calling these heartbreaking stories "Isolated" incidents and sensationalist stories. Yet, 18000 people a year die because they are refused the treatment they need, either for lack of health insurance or denial of a procedure a Doctor wants to perform.
- sandfish, on 10/11/2007, -4/+12Don't get me wrong, I love Google. Sworn by every beta product released. Anyways, as I'm sure everyone knows, there's two sides to every situation, and unfortunately I believe Google chose the wrong side. I've seen Sicko in it's entirety, and I must say, I was blown away. I knew the U.S. was behind more so than others in the health care industry, but... wow. No, I'm not a Michael Moore freak, in fact, Sicko is the only film by him I really enjoyed / agreed with. The problem we face with America is, yes, I'll say, corporatism. The whole point of corporatism is the big #1, the corporation. It's all about money, and this is very sad. I am one of the millions of hard working Americans that has never had health insurance. It's one thing to pay the rent, but health insurance with the high premiums, is really another. I am almost to the point of being offended by Google, to take this very important problem, and make a profit from it. If we all expect anything to change, we need to pray to whoever it is you want to pray to, that the big wigs with all the power could actually get it, and stick up for the millions of us who... even if we tried, can't stand up for ourselves in this corporate world.
- ecorona, on 10/11/2007, -5/+13This is exactly why I'm against the concentration of power for any entity. No matter who you are or what the organization is, a concentration of power corrupts. This applies equally to The President, Congress, Corporations, individuals, and yes, even the beloved Google. Nobody is immune to this, hell I'd probably rob a bank tomorrow if I had the power to guarantee I would not get caught.
- greenmande, on 10/11/2007, -4/+12is it just me... or does it seem like google is looking more evil everyday?
First the incident in north korea (i think) then this... i dunno - nar3024, on 10/11/2007, -3/+11boo Google. Horray beer
- KiTchMe, on 10/11/2007, -0/+7Maybe Canada should advertise 'Travel to Canada' when you search HMO...
- inactive, on 10/11/2007, -3/+10So much for "don't be evil"
- bovox, on 10/11/2007, -12/+18I'm a believer in providing healthcare for all, however I don't see the harm in allowing a person or company with an opposing viewpoint to speak his/her mind. SO WHAT if these HMO's want to place ads on Google in spots relevant to their businesses. Why are you people so scared of free thought?
- hiro, on 10/11/2007, -4/+10I'm amazed people thought Google were above this, they're more evil than Apple and Microsoft put together. "Do no evil" - don't be so naive
- Comatose51, on 10/11/2007, -5/+11This is a little bit shady but it's not exactly evil. It's clever marketing. Google's not offering to change the search results. They're selling ad space to a group of potentially interested parties. Michael Moore could just as easily buy ad space for Sicko to be displayed during search for HMO. Let's suppose Google tries to sell ad space to the Democratic National Committee every time the words "Republican" or "Bush" are searched. Is that wrong? It already happens today. A search for the Iraq war will generate ads for groups oppose to the war.
Unless they're offering to change the search results, I don't see how Google is being evil. - Comatose51, on 10/11/2007, -4/+10Can someone please explain to me in a reasonable way how Google is being evil in this case. They're not offering to censor material or change search results. Everyone's saying they're being evil but they're offering to sells ads to HMOs. What's so evil about that? HMOs have their side of the story and most would pay to get their story out. How is that evil? It would be censorship for Google to refuse business from HMOs. Even if you agree with Sicko, do you think it would be right to censor what the HMOs have to say in response? The only shady thing Google is doing is trying to scare the HMOs into buying an ad but that's just typical marketing.
- inactive, on 10/11/2007, -0/+5"News reporters may focus on Pharma’s annual sales and its executives’ salaries while failing to share R&D costs."
I have worked at one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world an I am always disgusted by this argument. I watched more money get wasted during my 1.5 year tenure at this company than I have seen misappropriated in all other companies I have worked for combined. There was, in fact, over $500K spent to determine not to move forward with development of a single application. Those projects that did succeed with $2M budgets were subject to teams of 30+ people rewarding themselves at $120 a head restaurants. Comments were spoken such as "if the world goes broke the last two things people are going to spend their money on is food and drugs." This was the mentality of those who enjoy being overpaid for what I considered very minimal overall achievements in their fields. I've watched others create much better business applications for half the overall investment in product and salary.
Don't buy the R&D argument and I wish they'd quit selling it. - SomeImagination, on 10/11/2007, -0/+5*Do your mother
- Coolerman, on 10/11/2007, -0/+5Its not about expressing one sides opinion over anothers, there are specific places for that. what sucks about this one is that google went looking for the opposing side so they could turn a profit.
- gwhardyiv, on 10/11/2007, -1/+6We are surprised by it because powerful young corporations like Google represent the promise of a new age of corporate responsibility. But this sort of depraved opportunism is slimy and underhanded, and represents business as usual.
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