The NY Times asks, “Is Google a Media Company?” Of course it is. It makes its money from advertising. The Times is actually asking a deeper question about Google’s own properties competing with more traditional online media for your eyeballs and time, and what its role as the dominant search engine means in that context. Check it out; it’s a thoughtful piece.

Some relevant Jupiter reports on living in Google’s world:
Living with Portals
Herding the Cats
21st Century Portals
and the perennial Understanding Google (I think that one still has some utility, though it’s getting hoary)