Google Press Center is useless

by on September 13, 2006

Let’s see. Around 11 a.m. this morning Mike Arrington wrote about the Google/Intuit partnership. Now, he was a little bit ahead of the official news, which was announced at 1:30 p.m.

Remember that a few weeks ago I signed up for the Google Press Center’s email list. I figured that would get me early advanced warning about Google’s hottest stories — or at least would get me close to the same information that Mike Arrington is getting.

Well, no.

When did the email arrive? 5:05 p.m. after it was already old news and covered to death on TechMeme. Remember, this is ostensibly a mailing list for journalists to learn what the latest stuff coming out of Google is.

I’ll give it two or three more news stories to see if the performance improves, but if it doesn’t I’m gonna unsubscribe.

  • you should remove "press center" from your title.
  • :-)
  • You're right there Robert - on this announcement, Google-Intuit also included links to Google Multimedia Press Center but when you try and register as a blogger (they do ask the question) they spit you out unless you're producing for MSM.

    Fortunately, when that bit of cluelessness was pointed out, they let me in but it's still daft to be compelled to complain when you've been invited to an event but can only get part of the total 'product.'
  • So in other words... it's about as good as the search engine. :-)
  • Hey Scobie & Scobites: The Nata Village project is looking for a good laptop. They've raised $8,000 to help the Nata AIDS clinic but have promised that all money will go straight to the villagers. But the laptop they blog on needs to go back to its owner. If anyone out there has a good laptop, please contact these folks. Here's their post: http://natavillage.typepad.com/my_weblog/2006/0.... Sorry if this isn't the best place for this, but I think it's a cool undertaking.
  • Christopher Coulter
    Google itself is useless, more noise than relevency of late...
  • Gah! Email? That old hack?
    Remember, although email seems fast these days, it's still a store and forward system and you never know when one message will get hung up somewhere.

    What about that nice RSS feed?
    http://googlepress.blogspot.com/atom.xml
    The timestamp on the RSS item under that feed is September 13, 2006, 2:58 pm. Looks like that might be the better option.
  • Shokk: RSS wins again! Why didn't I write that headline? Heheh.
  • Gosh, you surprised? Welcome to the brilliant word of tech journalism!

    Didn't you remember that the corporate communication to journalists is made with inadequate info and scarce information messed up in a foam of marketing blah-blah, all precisely late (so you need to hurry for publication)?

    But strange, you used to work for Microsoft, it's such an old habit :)
  • "So in other words… it’s about as good as the search engine."

    "Google itself is useless, more noise than relevency of late… "

    I second both of those. If they can't do what they're famous for, what good can you expect side ventures to be? ;)
  • And this is more noteworthy than the fact that you couldn't find a mention on Intuit's website (who have real incentives to drum it up) either because?
  • I've enjoyed the comments, especially this one:

    "Google itself is useless, more noise than relevency of late…"

    Actually I like seeing everybody's ideas for getting information so quickly. Guess technology for the masses never functions at absolute ability. The internet is now just a huge environment to muddle through.
    ~The Scuba Skipper
  • El Guapo
    The email list is for JOURNALISTS. You are not a journalist. You are not the target audience.
  • The press release pages from Google, Yahoo, Ask -- you name it -- are often routinely hours behind when an announcement comes out. Might as well spread the upset around, because they are all guilty of it.

    That's bad. If an announcement comes out, the press release should be right up there along with it. Otherwise, the company has no official printed voice explaining this. I see it time and time again.

    Now get advanced notice of stuff before a public announcement on a press page? Please, Robert -- no one does that. Most press release pages aren't restricted to the general public. Blogger, journalist, my mom -- it doesn't matter, anyone can access them. You're not going to post some coming announcement before it happens over there. I'm surprised you'd even think that this type of page would get you early access to things.

    If Mike's getting early looks, or I'm getting early looks, or Dave Winer's getting early looks, or you'r getting early looks (on things as you have), it's because you have some relationship with the company where they feel it is in there interest to give those looks. Usually, this is because they think it will give them better play or they want analysts to know things so that if the general media is writing, there are analysts better able to respond.

    Bad, bad, bad that the press releases from lots of companies often aren't posted online until news comes out. But prebriefing is common and hardly a Google thing. Just ask your old employer :)
  • Isn't this potentially a problem for publically traded companies to even have the *appearance* of selective disclosure?
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