Google Says "googling" Is Inappropriate

[jmiller]

I think Google's beating a dead horse when its trademark officers send letters to publications asking them to refrain from using Google as a verb. It's too late, IMHO, to remove it from the English language and they need to make the best of it.

And I'm not convinced that genericide will apply in the online world the way it does offline.

Article here.

[crankydave]

LOL! Of course they think it's "inappropriate"... now.

They created a monster and now the "little cutie" is too big for its' cage.

It's little too late to be calling "do over!"

Dave

[roam_dx]

Haha...I now google on MSN Search ;)

[swirlsofcolor]

I think it is a compliment to them. It only reinforces there brand name. For those new to the internet (new borns) they will wonder what google is.

[imported_web_one]

Good morning everyone!
I have been reading your newsletters for quite some time now. I enjoy them very much.
As far as this goes, I cannot believe that they are putting up such a stink. This is AWESOME that people are referring to searching on the internet as "googling". They should be stoked!!!
Do they realize how awesome this is?

Many a tissue company has envied Kleenex for the same blessing, as well as Xerox who didn't get to enjoy their name being used as an alternate noun and/or verb for "making a copy" as long, but they did enjoy it for many many years.

I think it is silly, and even more than that, a sort of "cutting off their nose to spite their face." and I am quite surprised at google for this, as these guys are cutting-edge and dynamic, but for some reason, they lost "the vision" on this one!

[i2imarketing]

I don't understand what Google's marketing dept. is worrying about. My opinion is that this will if anything strengthen their brand by people wanting to use 'google' as a verb, adjective or other...

Apparently their not into branding?!?!

Regards,
Carey Smith
owner - i2i Marketing
http://i2imarketing.blogspot.com/

[jmiller]

Carey,

those are my thoughts as well. the Web is more about location than tangible product. Using google as a verb reinforces the location is www.google.com.

But we're dealing with old school marketers who have been trained to deal death blows to things that would genericize their brand.

A coke can be any soda pop in the south.

Hand me a kleenex.

Go xerox that for me.

lets go rollerblading.

And that's the fear. But, like I said, I don't think it applies to Internet properties. This isn't the hipster Google we're talking about. These are Madison Ave. suits with 30 years experience, but, like our Congressmen, have no true understanding of how the Internet works.

[simmo]

It is one thing to have your brand name used as a noun (e.g Thermos) quite another to have it used as a verb and when it is so used, it sticks. Here in the UK we ALWAYS Hoover the carpet - even with a Dyson. The only reason I can see that Google might make this threat is if they thik that googling might be considered bad practice...... Google can only damage themselves by this silly action.

[Scott Adie]

Google has been so successful at making their name a household word, think xeroy for photocopy, kodak for camera (if you're old like me), etc. They make me want to change my whole company branding strategy! I'd be thanking everyone who 'googles'! In fact this is just what they're doing. Google is once again in the spotlight. Slick Marketing!

[g3 creative]

The first time I came across the word GOOGLE was in the book by Douglas Adams called the Hitchhikers Guide
to the Galaxy. I seem to recall some mathamatical genius called Google Plex Star Thinker.

Marianne
http://www.g3creative.co.uk
G3 Creative