Hello Google, I have The Publisher on line one. Will you take his call?
I think this is going to get interesting. Yesterday, Google announced that, at least in the US, they will start to show ads next to News Search Results. John Battelle is calling for a shitstorm, ClickZ is equally cautious.
Personally, I agree, I think this is going to raise the ire of a boat load of news publishers and have them rally. It should be interesting to watch their collective blood pressure rise. I think shitstorm is an understatement.
However, I’m no legal expert, but Google might be on solid ground here. Well, perhaps they’re toeing the line.
I think Google will be showing ads on the News SERP’s and not the main News Page, which might be an argument that they’re “monetizing search, not news”. Flimsy, perhaps, but it just might catch wind. I’m not sure if many newspapers have the kind of deep pockets they once had to fight this, considering most major publishers and broadcasters are in some serious financial trouble these days. However, don’t underestimate the tenacity of the angry child who’s had everything taken away from him. Start to take away more candy, and they will go ballistic on an epic scale. It might just be Google striking at the best possible time, or the worst possible time. Google also has a history of releasing ideas, and then quickly reversing when they start getting angry calls from the industry (ask me about Google Base). I wonder whose phone is ringing.
