Seeing Forests

Sebastien quotes Seth Godin: “Google is the Yellow Pages” and I’m thinking not-so-much and not-quite-yet.  Although that’s a good quote, I think the arguments behind it are a bit specious, particularly his “completeness of data” argument.  I don’t know about you, Seth, but I’ve driven around with my iPhone open to Google Maps trying to find a FedEx (taken to the corporate shipping facility), any Camera store (taken to home photography studios), or home movers (taken to a company that literally moves entire houses by putting them on frakking trucks).  So, no, completeness of data (really the reliance upon syntax rather than semantics) doesn’t quite cut it to derive Google = Yellow Pages.  Yellow should be all about understanding and acting upon intent.   Simply having a database of intentions doesn’t mean you know what to do with them. 

Don’t get me wrong.  Google is getting it done when it comes to straight-up business name lookups.  That’s an ecosystem that YP has to live with and leverage effectively.  I just think there are going to be a lot more opportunities for intelligent applications that the YP industry (or its derivative) can supply.   Whatever happens, I do feel confident that I’m not going to exist in a “private network based around ZIP codes” in the future though.  ZIP Codes?  ZIP Codes?  Talk about dinosaurs, print directories, and daily general newspapers…ZIP Codes?  Where’s Jim Sterne when you need him?  B)

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