They have to be careful imo. They are beginning to walk a thin line. Telling webmasters how they can monetize their sites is dangerous IMHO.

I tend to agree. Others would argue that Google can do whatever they want with their index and they are correct. The problem is that the whole reason Google exists for many people is to find relevant content. If they remove the best content based on their war on paid links (or anyone discussing paid links) they no longer have the best content. Will the average user move on to another engine or is Google become so powerful that it does not matter how good their results are? If industry insiders move on to another engine will the general public follow? Nobody it too big to fall but the fact is that right now Google is synonymous with search and the general public still views them as a benevolent company. Will the blogosphere be able to change this. What if the bloggers speaking out about this are not able to be found in Google, will anybody hear them?

It's hard to say what will happen in the future especially in the realm of search engines and Internet technology but I don't see Google going anywhere soon. I would like to see them cede some of their stranglehold though. I read a report recently that they own 40% of the online advertising market. That is entirely too much for one company to control. More competition in the search and advertising sector is imperative and I hope that someone is able to put a dent in their monopolization of the market.

Found this in my feedburner referrrals...

I couldn't agree more, you echo most of my sentiments on this. None of us know what will pan out; the blogosphere as a collective has quite a bit of power, as does Google. An out and out war benefits no one. Bloggers will blog regardless of whether Google exists or not. I couldn't agree more that Google without the voice and the votes of the blogosphere would be a much poorer place.

Great blog post, also would have been an awesome Gooruze article too :0)