Google's dreary day

The company that wants to lay a WiFi "cloud" over San Francisco couldn't keep a wireless network lit on its own campus yesterday.  In fact, there wasn't much that lit me up, either.  Pretty dull stuff.

Remember, I'm a radio guy.  Not a geek - although sometimes I've played one under a desk in the newsroom.  I'm always waiting for a good show.

It's just that even the Googlers know, "we're all in sales."  And Press Day didn't close many deals.  Reporters are a tough audience, sure.  But the Internet boom shows they can be persuaded to jump on a bandwagon and show some enthusiasm.

Anyone watching the Press Day Webcast had to be surprised at how uneasy some of the Googler presenters appeared.  Working in labs and at white boards appears to be more a more comfortable environment for them.

As for communicating, well there's a lot to learn in the Google executive cubicles about, at least, appearing unpretentious, unspoiled, and unaffected.  The product management duo, Jonathan Rosenberg and Marissa Mayer, demonstrated new Google mobile search technology by finding their way to the waaay-expensive coastal resort of Half Moon Bay, and then on to the French Laundry, in Yountville, where the prix fixe menu goes for $210. 

Google may not want to be evil; it also doesn't want to go cheap.  Theseexamples made Rosenberg and Mayer appear to be talking over the heads, if not the wallets, of the audience of ink-stained wretches.

Google Health was not introduced.  There was a video about using Google to search for health information.   But no standalone product.   Maybe there doesn't have to be. 

Google's focus to help you "find", not "search" (something Bill Gates said MSFT wants to do, too) may mean we don't need verticals.  We just need to understand how to make the technology work more efficiently. (That means learning more than how to use "and", "or", and "not" when beginning a search query.) MarketWatch's Bambi Francisco speculates Google's improving technology may find a home at MySpace.

Several major newspapers were also not very impressed with yesterday's presentations, to judge from their play of the story this morning.  No front page, or even section front, by the Washington Post, USA Today or the Wall Street Journal.  WSJ put the story on page B-4.

Investors were also unimpressed.  Shares fell during the day.  (I own some)

Today, Google has its annual meeting.  It starts at 5pm eastern/2pm Pacific.  BloggingStocks will live blog it and you can watch the Webcast here.

Excellent roundup of Google Press Day news and coverage  by SearchEngineWatch.com's Danny Sullivan here.