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Address book？ You dummy； Mom。
All that Natalie was doing was in…forming； using Google in a way that I had no idea
was even possible。 Meanwhile； though； she also had her iPod with her； which empowered
her to in…form herself in another way… with entertainment instead of knowledge。 She
had become her own music editor and downloaded all her favorite songs into her iPod
and was carrying them all over China。 Think about it： For decades the broadcast
industry was built around the idea that you shoot out ads on network television or
radio and hope that someone is watching or listening。 But thanks to the flattening
technologies in entertainment； that world is quickly fading away。 Now with TiVo you
can become your own TV edi156
tor。 TiVo allows viewers to digitally record their favorite programs and skip the
ads； except those they want to see。 You watch what you want when you want。 You don't
have to make an appointment with a TV channel at the time and place someone else sets
and watch the commercials foisted on you。 With TiVo you can watch only your own shows
and the commercials you want for only those products in which you might be interested。
But just as Google can track what you are searching for； so too can TiVo； which knows
which shows and which ads you are freezing； storing； and rewinding on your own TV。
So here's a news quiz： Guess what was the most rewound moment in TV history？ Answer：
Janet's Jackson breast exposure； or； as it was euphemistically called； her 〃wardrobe
malfunction；〃 at the 2004 Super Bowl。 Just ask TiVo。 In a press release it issued
on February 2；2004； TiVo said； 〃Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson stole the show
during Sunday's Super Bowl； attracting almost twice as many viewers as the most
thrilling moments on the field； according to an annual measurement of
second…by…second viewership in TiVo households。 The Jackson…Timberlake moment drew
the biggest spike in audience reaction TiVo has ever measured。 TiVo said viewership
spiked up to 180 percent as hundreds of thousands of households used TiVo's unique
capabilities to pause and replay live television to view the incident again and
again。〃
So if everyone can increasingly watch what he wants however many times he wants when
he wants； the whole notion of broadcast TV…which is that we throw shows out there
one time； along with their commercials； and then try to survey who is watching…will
increasingly make less and less sense。 The companies you want to bet on are those
that； like Google or Yahoo！ or TiVo； learn to collaborate with their users and offer
them shows and advertisements tailored just for them。 I can imagine a day soon when
advertisers won't pay for anything other than that。
Companies like Google； Yahoo！； Amazon。com； and TiVo have learned to thrive not by
pushing products and services on their customers as much as by building collaborative
systems that enable customers to pull on their own； and then responding with lightning
quickness to what they pull。 It is so much more efficient。
〃Search is so highly personal that searching is empowering for hu…
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mans like nothing else；〃 said Google CEO Eric Schmidt。 〃It is the antithesis of being
told or taught。 It is about self…empowerment； it is empowering individuals to do what
they think best with the information they want。 It is very different from anything
else that preceded it。 Radio was one…to…many。 TV was one…to…many。 The telephone was
one…to…one。 Search is the ultimate expression of the power of the individual； using
a computer； looking at the world； and finding exactly what they want… and everyone
is different when it comes to that。〃
Of course what made Google not just a search engine but a hugely profitable business
was its founders' realization that they could build a targeted advertising model that
would show you ads that are relevant to you when you searched for a specific topic
and then could charge advertisers for the number of times Google users clicked on
their ads。 Whereas CBS broadcasts a movie and has a less exact idea who is watching
it or the advertisements； Google knows exactly what you are interested in… after all；
you are searching for it…and can link you up with advertisers directly or indirectly
connected to your searches。 In late 2004； Google began a service whereby if you are
walking around Bethesda； Maryland； and are in the mood for sushi； you just send Google
an SMS message on your cell phone that says 〃Sushi 20817〃…the Bethesda zip code…and
it will send you back a text message of choices。 Lord only knows where this will go。
In…forming； though； also involves searching for friends； allies； and collaborators。
It is empowering the formation of global communities； across all international and
cultural boundaries； which is another critically important flattening function。
People can now search out fellow collaborators on any subject； project； or
theme…particularly through portals like Yahoo！ Groups。 Yahoo！ has about 300 million
users and 4 million active groups。 Those groups have 13 million unique individuals
accessing them each month from all over the world。
〃The Internet is growing in the self…services area； and Yahoo！ Groups exemplifies
this trend；〃 said Jerry Yang。 〃It provides a forum； a platform； a set of tools for
people to have private； semiprivate； or public gatherings on the Internet regardless
of geography or time。 It enables consumers to gather around topics that are meaningful
to them in ways that are either
impractical or impossible offline。 Groups can serve as support groups for complete
strangers who are galvanized by a common issue （coping with rare diseases； first…time
parents； spouses of active…duty personnel） or who seek others who share similar
interests （hobbies as esoteric as dogsled…ding； blackjack； and indoor tanning have
large memberships）。 Existing communities can migrate online and flourish in an
interactive environment （local kids' soccer league； church youth group； alumni
organizations）； providing a virtual home for groups interested in sharing； organizing；
and communicating information valuable to cultivating vibrant communities。 Some
groups exist only online and could never be as successful offline； while others mirror
strong real…world communities。 Groups can be created instantaneously and dissolved；
topics can change or stay constant。 This trend will only grow as consumers
increasingly become publishers； and they can seek the affinity and community they
choose…when； where； and how they choose it。〃
There is another side to in…forming that people are going to have to get used to；
and that is other people's ability to in…form themselves about you from a very early
age。 Search engines flatten the world by eliminating all the valleys and peaks； all
the walls and rocks； that people used to hide inside of； atop； behind； or under in
order to mask their reputations or parts of their past。 In a flat world； you can't
run； you can't hide； and smaller and smaller rocks are turned over。 Live your life
honestly； because whatever you do； whatever mistakes you make； will be searchable
one day。 The flatter the world becomes； the more ordinary people become
transparent…and available。 Before my daughter Orly went off to college in the fall
of 2003； she was telling me about some of her roommates。 When I asked her how she
knew some of the things she knew… had she spoken to them or received an e…mail from
them？…she told me she had done neither。 She just Googled them。 She came up with stuff
from high school newspapers； local papers； etc。； and fortunately no police records。
These are high school kids！
〃In this world you better do it right…you don't get to pick up and move to the next
town so easily；〃 said Dov Seidman； who runs a legal compliance and business ethics
consulting firm； LRN。 〃In the world of Google； your reputation will follow you and
precede you on your next
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stop。 It gets there before you do 。。。 Reputation starts early now。 You don't get to
spend four years getting drunk。 Your reputation is getting set much earlier in life。
'Always tell the truth；' said Mark Twain； 'that way you won't have to remember what
you said。'〃 So many more people can be private investigators into your life； and they
can also share their findings with so many more people。
In the age of the superpower search； everyone is a celebrity。 Google levels
information…it has no class boundaries or education boundaries。 〃If I can operate
Google； I can find anything；〃 said Alan Cohen； vice president of Airespace； which
sells wireless technology。 〃Google is like God。 God is wireless； God is everywhere；
and God sees everything。 Any questions in the world； you ask Google。〃
Some months after Cohen made that observation to me； I came across the following brief
business story on CNET News。com： 〃Search giant Google said on Wednesday that it has
acquired Keyhole； a company specializing in Web…based software that allows people
to view satellite images from around the globe 。 。 。 The software gives users the
ability to zoom in from space level； in some cases； it can zoom