Visiting the Google Campus

After blogging about Apple and Craigslist, it seems only appropriate to continue with my technology topic trend. And what better way than to feature Silicon Valley's Internet giant – Google. (Thanks for hosting me Eva and Alex!)

Unlike other company campuses, Google's errs more toward the university type. Just walking around Google grounds, you can't help but be transported back to college days yourself. Buildings surround open public areas where jean-and-T-shirt–clad employees can mingle, read, play volleyball, or just waste away the lunch hour. Walking and biking are the preferred forms of inter-building transit...Google even provides community bikes to do so! Even the cubicles reminded me a bit of dorm rooms, each expressing their share of individuality as well as college-style clutter. (I'm a firm believer that clutter breeds creativity...or vice versa.)

And then there's the food...college cafeteria style it is, but college cafeteria quality it is not. Self-serving and self-bussing is still the norm, but the selection of food is a far cry from college cuisine. From Asian soup–noodle bar to sushi to Indian and even vegan cuisine, there is something for everyone's tastes and tendencies. And for those who are cafeteria-food traditionalists, burgers and pizza are still to be found (though the burgers today were buffalo and my pizza had more cauliflower than cheese).

But more than nostalgic, Google is revolutionary. From its start in 1998 to its searching-made-simple claim to fame, Google has set the bar high for competitors from the beginning. And for employees Google has continued to be a pioneer, breaking the rules of corporate America. Twenty percent of employees' time is allotted for their own personal projects, encouraging not only creativity but self-controlled variety in the workplace. In addition, it's not the subordinates (if you can even use that term here) vying for the top positions. Bosses are the ones working to impress in an effort to attract a successful team. And if you don't like your boss, you can fire him or her and find a new one.

For those of us not lucky enough to wear PJs at work or bring our cocker spaniel to the office, we can still reap the technological benefits of what the Googleplex phenomenon has nurtured – Gmail, Google Maps, and of course my favorite: