IT Buoy

From China Real Time Report : A group of Google Inc.’s partners in China have sent a letter to the Internet giant, saying their businesses are in jeopardy if Google closes its Chinese search engine and demanding to know how they will be compensated. The company said it received the letter and was reviewing it Tuesday. Our translation of the letter, e-mailed to Google Monday night, is below. (Not all the resellers listed as signatories in the letter had a part in drafting it, and each has a unique relationship under different terms with Google.) Associated Press Google China headquarters building in Beijing Dear Dr. Liu Yun (John Liu), Since Google’s chief legal officer announced on Google’s official blog back on Jan 13 that Google was considering pulling out of China, there has been an endless flow of rumors. Over the past two months, even during the Chinese traditional holiday — the Spring Festival Season, we were very restless, upset, and very worried. We see all kinds of news related to Google coming out, but cannot predict the future; we see our business volume declining dramatically, but feel powerless to stop it; and we see our employees leaving one after another, without being able to persuade them to stay. The only answers we get back from Google, and all that we can do, is to simply wait — wait in extreme pain, full of uncertainty

By Loretta Chao, Kersten Zhang and Sue Feng From China Real Time Report : China’s state-run broadcaster, China Central Television, published on its Web site Tuesday the text of a letter, claiming it was sent from a group of 27 Google advertising resellers to John Liu, who leads Google’s sales team and oversees the company’s business operations in greater China. AFP/Getty Images People use computers inside the Google China headquarters building in Beijing. The impassioned letter complains that Google has not given them guidance since its announcement in January that it may pull out of China, and says the companies have watched their business volume decline and have been powerless to stop it, and worry that they face bankruptcy if Google (GOOG) withdraws. After calling many of the companies listed as signatories of the letter, we couldn’t confirm its authenticity. If real, the letter offers one glimpse into how far-reaching a Google exit from China could be. “We understand that Google has its own values, but we cannot understand why, until this day, Google has not communicated with us how the matter will be solved, nor negotiated with us about” a solution, “especially when this involves tens of thousands of our customers, employees and investors’ interests,” the letter said. It added that most of the companies’ sales staff currently focus primarily on selling Google advertising, and that many of their customers have predeposited payments for Google’s ad services. The letter says the companies are demanding to know how they will be repaid for their lost investments, how customers will be compensated for their pre-payments if Google leaves China, and how Google will bear the responsibility of potentially massive layoffs.

Read the rest of this story

These days, 2.3 seconds seems to be the average time between sending out an email and getting a response.

Two years ago, Business Insider deputy editor Dan Frommer boldy embraced the future and declared that he was done for cable forever. He wrote a post called ” Hulu Household: Why I Got Rid Of Cable ,” and shouted to anyone who would listen: “I’m not going to let myself get ripped off for a bunch of garbage that I don’t watch anyway.” Well, just 23 short months later, Dan COMPLETELY caved today, writing: ” Why I Caved, Bought Cable TV, And Gave Up On My ‘Hulu Household.” Read the rest of this story