by John Hewitt

Created on: May 02, 2009   Last Updated: May 07, 2009

Named the most powerful brand in the world by Millward Brown, Google is more than just a household name. Google has become a way of life and has weaved itself into the very fabric of our internet lifestyle. Google provides a service to its users yet also allows them to generate income from programmes such as Google Adsense. Google first became a privately-held company in 1988 and now Google employs somewhere in the region of 20,000 full-time staff at its headquarters in California.

Larry Page and Sergey Brin began their research project in 1996 on a search engine that looked at how websites linked with each other as a gauge of popularity. This is, of course, an incredibly simplistic description yet it shows how website linking can effect your ranking position on Google.

This simple start has elevated Google to become more than just a search engine and just in terms of employee benefit it has become a way of life for many people. the idea that work and fun are diametrically opposed does not seem to exist with the Google management model. The facilities available to staff from childcare to the laundry offer a way of working where your pleasure and your occupation seem to blend into one. This is a great role model to other companies that indeed like the profit yet treat their staff as a cost rather than the reason that they have a business.

I have worked in many sectors in my life and not many employers saw me as an addition to the team. Rather I was seen as an expense that hindered the overall profit target. The Google attitude, though I have never worked for Google, seems to view employees as the reason why the Google empire is marching ever onward. yes profit is important and yes if you run a business then you want to bring in more money than you expend. However to view staff as a problem rather than optimizing who they are to boost your profits is very narrow minded way of working that belongs to the dark ages.

As an internet phenomenon Google provides the user with tools designed to improve the way that they operate on line. Again there is money to be made this way yet the services provided do make life simpler whether you are using Google's search engine or analyzing data pertaining to your website. You have often heard the phrase used when talking to colleagues about a new subject "Google it". The brand itself has merged with our everyday living whether we use the services or not or whether we work for Google itself or not.

It is amazing how the simplest of visions can lead to a world dominating empire based on public usage and thus on advertising revenue. The best ideas do seem to be the simplest. In fact when arguing over the complexities of your next business website think of the simplistic approach to Google's home page and how it has become instantly recognizable.

Give the people what they want and do it simply and efficiently. Is this the secret behind the Google way of life

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