You underestimate the power of the dark side...

Siva Vaidhyanathan's new book-blog, The Googlization of Everything, is now online. Do you love Google or hate it? One thing seems clear: Librarians and other information professionals can't afford to ignore it.

I happen to be a fan of Google. I use their products daily, and I'm not just talking about search: I think gmail is the best web-based email out there, and Google Documents has all but replaced my local office software. I increasingly use Google Book Search at work, too, because it links to my own library's catalog and OCLC at the same time, saving me several steps if I end up having to request an Interlibrary Loan for a customer.

I also admire the Google Foundation's philanthropic efforts. They aim to fight poverty by bringing tech training and real jobs (not exploitative "cheap labor" jobs but management positions) to Africa. And they are investing heavily in various green technology projects targeting global warming.

Google's founders claim to want nothing more than to make the world better, and believe they can do so and turn a profit at the same time, everybody wins. Is this possible? Is the skepticism they have drawn from Vaidhyanathan and others healthy or unwarranted? Is it so bad for everything to be googlized?

I look forward to following this one closely.