Old Content:
Sweet, GOOG-411! (Stop Complaining People)
October 2, 2007 by Kyle BradyTags: Business, Google, Technology
As required by the FTC, a Full Disclosure is available - this piece adheres to the Code of Ethics
Google has a habit of releasing their new products whenever they feel like it, and in what they consider a BETA stage. (In reality, the products are more like a fully developed v1.0, but that's beside the point.) After a unusually short gestation period, the products are removed from BETA and advertised in some fashion to the general public... and destroy the competition.
Everyone in the tech industry/Silicon Valley knows this. So when GOOG-411 became more than a semi-unknown secret, why did people come out of nowhere with a bunch of complaints? Not only are many of their complaints stupid and pointless, they're also not even related to how wonderful the service is.
Until now, if you wanted a 411/info service that was free, you had to call a number that was either heavily ad supported, or not of a high caliber. Until now, only people "in the know" were aware of Google's phone services (GOOG-411, and the text message version... send a message to "GOOGL").
Here's how it works:
- You call GOOG-411
- You hear a very enthusiastic voice saying the name of the service
- A soothing voice asks you for a city and state
- It again asks you for what you're looking for
- It tells you the results
- You can have the number texted to you
- You can hear more information about the place
- You can have it auto-dial the number
What, in the name of Odin, is wrong with that? I have never once encountered an advertisement. I have never thought "hmm that was totally annoying and a terrible service, because for 3.5 seconds at the beginning someone said the name of what I just called". The only thing I've ever thought was "Oh, sweet. It gave me the number I wanted as the first result, and I didn't have to memorize it to call them! Thanks, Google!"
So here's my general comment to all of you: Stop Complaining. It's free. It's Google. It's much more than adequate... it's great. Until you build something of significant status, you're only allowed to complain when the service/product is not as advertised.
And in this case, it is exactly as advertised.
Kyle can be found on Twitter and MySpace, or reached via email.












