Google fail

It's incredible to think that Google is a company that is only just 10 years old. While Google has grown rapidly, it has invested and acquired various other companies. This has given them a service portfolio that dominates the Internet, it has also produced some high profile failures. I've pointed out a few of these below:

Google fail #01
Google Videos
A nasty user experience and content that is available elsewhere means this video service can be pointless. Comparing Google Video to Youtube highlights various problems with usability. The increase in competition in this area and country specialist video sites (Daily Motion), means that Google Video never really took off.

Google fail #02
Orkut
Since it's inception in 2004 Orkut has played second fiddle to Facebook and most of the other top social networking sites. With less of a targeted, niche audience, Orkut fell by the wayside while bands and musicians clamoured for Myspace profiles and youngsters went for Bebo and everyone else got a facebook account.

Google fail #03
Google Print Ads
Google attempted to offer traditional print based advertising via the Adsense service. The service was stopped on April 30th 2009 and is another reason why Newspaper and print based advertising is so weak. If Google cannot generate results for customers and revenue for the print advertising media, who can? It was an interesting idea, but is another tally on the list of Google fails.

Google fail #04
Google Talk
Launched in 2005 as a web based instant messaging client, Google aimed to take some of the market from Microsoft's Messenger program and AOL's AIM, Jabber and Yahoo! Messenger services. Users had little control over how their buddy lists details were controlled too.

Google fail #05
www.Youtube.com
Google acquired Youtube in November 2006 for £1.1Billion. Since then, Viacom have attempted to sue Youtube for $1billion for displaying copyrighted material. The very high running costs of YouTube (it is expected to lose £317 million in 2009) has prompted Google to plaster ads across the site wherever possible causing many complaints. I'm sure it can be turned into a great advertising platform in the long run, but for now, it remains a great way to waste time!

Web 2.0 for Marketing Dummies

Web 2.0 is a commonly used term, it is also misunderstood. This is often because it is used by marketing types that like to use buzzwords to make it seem as though they are up to date and know what they're talking about... As an online marketing professional that has worked with traditional marketing types, I can say first hand that most marketing types like hype, buzzwords and so on, rather than real insight or knowledge in a particular area. Luckily I am from a design/technical background so I am less prone to jumping on the bandwagon of squeezing in as many acronyms as possible into a post.

I have witnessed a few "Online" marketing types trying describe web 2.0... Usually it is a list of sites like: http://www.youtube.com/, http://www.wikipedia.com/, http://www.del.icio.us/, http://www.digg.com/ and so on. While this could be considered an answer, there is a failure to acknowledge the key concept of web 2.0 and this is where a genuine Online Marketing type (i.e. yours truly!) can explain concepts better.

Web 2.0 is not some kind of new standard or software update like IE 7.5, it is not just a list of recent sites. What it does mean is using the Internet to its strengths, interactivity to benefit the user, users as publishers and giving users the chance to air their own views and offer feedback on their user experience. Think of web 2.0 as an attitude to making use of the strength of the web rather than a fixed set of functionality or websites and you should have less difficulty explaining it, and developing it!

Microsoft Shows off its Milan "Surface Computer"

To really see how cool this “Surface Computer” is, you need to check out the clips on youtube.

Essentially a table forms the “desktop” environment and users manipulate media on the table with their hands using natural gestures and movements.

A demo on youtube showed a picture being taken on a digital camera, and once the camera was placed on the table, the pictures on it were displayed. Great for when you’re down the pub with friends comparing pictures on mobiles and cameras and so on!Being table based, collaboration with different people becomes easier. I’m just trying to imagine how much keyword research could be done with three people around this “Surface Computer”!

It made me think of Mark Weiser's theory of computing.

"Ubiquitous computing names the third wave in computing, just now beginning. First were mainframes, each shared by lots of people. Now we are in the personal computing era, person and machine staring uneasily at each other across the desktop. Next comes ubiquitous computing, or the age of calm technology, when technology recedes into the background of our lives."


Many people / One computer (First stage)

One person / One computer (Second stage)

One person / Many computers (Third stage)

Google launches "Gears" API

I have been reading up on Google’s new Google Gears API. The concept as far as I know is to allow online functionality without an active Internet connection. Currently the Google Reader product already supports Gears and will allow Reader users to read RSS feeds while offline.

While I love the mobile Internet on my Nokia 6233 phone, there is limited coverage in certain areas, with Google Reader able to download a load of feeds, I can read plenty of blog posts while I’m on the train and no Internet is available.

Google have a really broad range of products from YouTube, Gmail, Maps, Earth and Docs and Spreadsheets. While I’m sure plenty of useful applications can be developed with this Gears API, apart from the Google Reader application, I’m not sure what else I can think of in terms of useful software…

Maybe I need to keep reading. Watch this space!