Why do we start to hate Google for building fences around us?
One of my statements got the attention of Brian Clifton, author of "Advanced Web Metrics with Google Analytics" and a former Google UK employee:
I haven't been following all the Yahoo forum threads, so out of interest, what you mean by "we start to hate you [Google] for building fences around us, then slowly turning them into cages walls."Over the years, people began to hate Microsoft because of its sheer power in the marketplace. Slowly, Google power is growing and the number of people who, for good or bad reasons, will tag Google as "bad", "wrong" or maybe even "evil" will increase. I think this is unavoidable.
Regarding web analytics, on one end Google is helping the industry by raising awareness and bringing free features to the mass, on the other side, it will gradually kill lots of players in doing so. I'm sure they won't really love Google for that... but it's also the hard laws of the market (or is it? Isn't it becoming unfair advantage to offer so many things for free? Some would certainly say so...)
As we move so many of our "stuff" toward Google we become vulnerable to the will of God (or Google, as you wish)... Here's what I currently use from Google:
- Google Mail
- Google Calendar
- Google Docs
- Youtube videos
- AdWords & AdSense
- Google Analytics
- Google is primary source for search
- Google News, including world news, local news, economy, companies, products, etc.
- Google Finance
- Google Trends
- Google Reader
- Google Forum
- Google Maps
- Google Apps for my domain
- even this blog is using Blogger
- I might be forgetting a couple...
- who knows what's next...
I'm sure most of you have seen the video Epic 2014 and 2015, or "Googlezone"... it already dates a couple of years, but the essence of the message is even stronger now than it was 5 years ago.
Am I the black sheep for being somewhat scared of the concentration of power?
6 comments:
As you know I am slightly bias in this as a Google-phile and former employee, but the difference I see in this regard between Google and Microsoft (or any other business that has been before) is that there are no fences, no tie-ins, no garden walls with Google products.
Leaving e-mail to one side for a mo, all of the products you list can be left at any point i.e. stop using, without any detrimental impact on you or your organisation. You simply switch to a different tool/vendor without any breaking of a "contract".
Even with gmail, Google Apps allows you to use a relay server to have all your in/out going email archived to your own server such as MS Exchange/MDaemon etc. So even leaving something so fundamentally important as your email tool, is painless with Google.
So Google's success is not about building fences and tie-ins. Unlike any other company in history, its about building great products that people want to use.
Of course, Google is not above criticism and certainly I advocate that its dominance needs to be continually questioned. But I do sometimes get the feeling that most of its most vehement detractors do so for the spotlight criticising G provides to them, rather than any real value they add to the debate...
Brian: that's an excellent point. Over the years, market dominance shifted from hardware (IBM), to OS (Microsoft) to applications (Microsoft), and to information (Google). But we're now in the "post-information age", what comes after that? The "cloud age", where everything is everywhere but nowhere? And to your point, Google, as are Yahoo! and Amazon, are quickly rendering the old concepts of hardware and OS dependency, and even application dominance, obsolete.
Check out one of my old post: Google growing larger than Microsoft? from just 2 years ago! And the funny thing is: when I looked at it, the number of respondents to my little poll was 666... LOL!
And lastly, I guess criticism of G comes with being the dominant player. Of course, some people will shout louder than others for reasons that are their owns. I hope my opinion is constructive and brings some value :)
I understand what you mean Stéphane. My trust for Google so far in untainted. But if the past has taught us anything, is that great power sometime "corrupt". But I want to believe Google is different. Let give the runner a chance. I believe in the freedom of internet.
Hey of course - your opinion is always of value. I wouldn't have responded if I didn't think so :)
May be one day I will have a bad experience with G and change my mind (the opening of the China office came close). That would be a shame, but at least I would be ab;e to move on without penalty...
Best regards, Brian
I agree with you. I have been pissed off few times with Google and I have written a blog entry on it.
http://analyticsbhups.blogspot.com/2007/07/google-is-no-god.html
This has however happened as I use lots of Google's products. I use almost all from your list and more.
I have written two other blog entries about Google in the past. Might be worth adding them here.
http://analyticsbhups.blogspot.com/2007/05/google-vs-non-google.html
http://analyticsbhups.blogspot.com/2007/07/google-analytics-user-review.html
Bhupendra
Google is not building fences but creating bridges. Google power is intermediacy, data mining, innovation and the financial engine to make this 3 elements truly work.
Post a Comment