Heres some reads I recommend today. Plus my (valuable) responses.
Nathan: This of course gives everyone an opportunity to ask the big question: Will Google place advertising in the Sidebar at some point in the future? - At this point I truly doubt it will happen. My main argument is the free POP3 access. They don’t necessairly need to hit people with ads everywhere. Thats the whole point of the contextual advertising. Sure, they’ll monitor what news you read and maybe some sites you visit… from there they can tailor their ads to best suit you. Personally, I say bring it on. When is Google going to take on the TV advertising industry?
Ed Bott: Why do a review if you’re not going to fact-check it? …you can move and resize any toolbar any way you like. This feature is in Internet Explorer 6, in fact. - Unfortunately I believe the loose term (I agree, Ed, quite odd) “toolbar” refers to the address bar and tabs which are locked in the first two positions. I had a slight gripe for the first few days but quickly saw past it. I’m just used to having ‘File, Edit, View…’ at the very very top. In any case, IE is working on security, “web feeds” and other features. Surely the cosmetics will come later.
Seth Godin: It’s so easy to rip into someone or something. So easy to write a negative review. Interesting point… but then I looked back at each of my book reviews on here. Positive, best reads ever (Michael loved his). Microsoft? Praise. Google? Love it…. perhaps I need to become more critical? Oh and Seth? Love that guy’s ideas, too.
Plus, Jeremy’s (signed) book is now available for pre-order. I had the opportunity to help by being a reviewer (as often as possible). I look forward to reading and writing about it. Heads up: I’ll probably love it, too. =\