Forum Moderators: Robert Charlton & goodroi
[google.com...]
I Google?
Finally an aggregator/portal that grandma can figure out. Great stuff.
Our mission statement is the same as it's been from the beginning: to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful. Search is a huge part of that, but I think a personalized homepage that will eventually allow any RSS feed is a good idea to try too. :) I think the title of this thread is an appropriate one, because it focuses less on this new personalized page, and more on the fact that personalization will matter more and more in the future. stuntdubl had an interesting bl*g post about how SEO would be different if search engines went further down the path of personalization, for example. In the future, search engine updates may take different types of personalization into account, and that will be a good thing.
Anyway, enough on my part. I'll talk to folks in a week or so..
Have a great vacation GG. Are we allowed to guess where you're going? My money is on Las Vegas...
My GMail dynamically shown on the page? I'm in.
:)
For just regular searching, I'll still stick with the little google search box that firefox gives you.
Now where's the calendar that I can synch with my kids?
We are a search engine...no, a portal...no, a search engine...
Well, the goal is obviously "to organize the world information so user won't ever have to leave Google sites". I wonder at what point folks will stop associating Google with Search.
There's an interesting end to that story you spun. Ever heard of a little company called WalMart? Specialization doesn't have to mean narrow product lines.
If Google can be better, smarter, faster, cheaper, whatever with their new portal, they can beat the old guys at their game just as WalMart did KMart.
If Google can be better, smarter, faster, cheaper, whatever
Either Google is about to proove that internet is the only place where brand over-extention doesn't lead to inevitable decline, or...
There's no added value in Google portal. "Nicer interface" - a redesign only costs you so much. Google Search is the only VALUEe Google has - for the user - that is better than next man's.
All I can do is wish Google good luck and go sell their stock.
(a) are you missing the opt-in thing or what?
(b) don't be silly: MS is more than operating systems, Shell is more than drilling for oil, Warner Brothers are more than movies and Nestle - well - try and boycott them!
Specialization doesn't have to mean narrow product lines.
Tom -
As I wrote my example, I wondered if someone would bring up WalMart because it certainly is an interesting example. What is WalMart all about? Cheap stuff. They don't talk in their commercials about all the stuff they have, they talk about how they're slashing prices. Home Depot is another good example of a success story. But both these companies rely on their purchasing power to squeeze suppliers so they can offer good prices. But the expansion model they have is very difficult to sustain. To grow earnings, they have to keep opening up new stores. They don't expand their product line, they put another store up down the road (I've got five Home Depots within 5 miles of my home).
Let's say I'm wrong (It's been known to happen). Here is one for GoogleGuy to consider... (Actually, I hope he is on vacation by now).
One thing that Yahoo and MSN doesn't do is offer search within News (at least I cannot find it). Yes, I understand I could search news every day. And yes, I know I can track news on a company stock offerings. But what I am talking about is delivering me targeted news every day. Pointcast used to do this way back in the early days... then someone ruined it.
At some level I want to follow the headline news, but at another I'd like to follow industry news, or a hobby - now that's personalization (and it fits with their core business).
(1) Add the RSS feeds I want
(2) Add my own links
I like that its very, very easy to move stuff around and organize it.
It may get there, but for the moment, it is mostly just allowing certain RSS feeds on what is already the home page of a lot of people. They really aren't the ones doing the selecting of the information.
Google will expand the homepage offerings, to include many special interests. Once to that point of evolution, and this no doubt the ultimate goal, they will add Adwords ads, which will be targeted to the customized elements on the page. I see Froogle getting woven into this master plan. Already, it has become obvious how Google Local was set to evolve.
Right out the gate, they have the zip code from the weather and movie elements, and that will immediately allow for local targeted ads on all those member pages. If you choose the movies element, you will soon get movie ads. If you choose the stock market element, you will get stock market ads.
If they grow to the size of the MSN and Yahoo member pages, millions, will they still need the Adsense publishers, and the problems of publisher ppc fraud, when they can keep the revenue from ads on the member homepages, not split the profit with publishers, and avoid class action resulting from publisher ppc fraud?
If they do still need publishers, will the millions of extra user pages on their own site, enable them to refine who will they will accept as a publisher? You bet. Those who are borderline now, need to think about creating content and sites that are nowhere near borderline now, and position themselves to stay in the publisher network. Since the last update, earlier this week, already I have seen seo researches I have done, 20 pages deep, didn't produce a single scraper site result. These categories were plagued with scraper sites, four days ago.
Never take anything at face value. Those of you praising this, who are publishers, should think very carefully before adding yourself to the feature. Be sure you know the end result of your actions.
As far as I can tell from this hack job, IG stands for "interface graft".
Really lame initial offering - it isn't even ready for Labs, as far as I am concerned.
I've had a "my yahoo" page for over 7 years, and the 7-year-old version beat this one.
This is going to be a big blow to Adsense publishers down the road.
I was thinking about this too. Marketing folks want Google to be "sticky" - people coming there for everything - one stop shopping. Get it? Why bother surfing anywhere else. But hey, I don't want to seem paranoid about this.
For those of you that think Google is evil (which personally, I don't), here is something to think about. Why would Google want people to go to your website and click on your adsense, when they can stay right on Google and do the same thing? Interesting huh? Why split the money when you can keep a larger share for yourself?
Nice weekend everyone!
"So far at least, the options that they give you don't make it a portal in my opinion.
It may get there, but for the moment, it is mostly just allowing certain RSS feeds on what is already the home page of a lot of people. They really aren't the ones doing the selecting of the information. "
We here at WebmasterWorld see the web with "pay no attention to the man behind the curtain" glasses on.
We are the minority.
The masses want it ALL, not just search. When they open their browser for the first time for the day, (and it may only be once a day), they want headline news on subjects they are interested in, maybe a few stock prices, a cartoon of the day, their horoscope, classified ads, and a bit of everything else... including a search box.
It was only a matter of time before people went past the tech review (and Wall Street) hype about G.
Now the real test begins: Can G go mainstream and attract the neophytes?
As for the comment,
This is going to be a big blow to Adsense publishers down the road. I see it on the wall.
The growth of the web is exponential. For every end user who starts at G's portal (and thereby sees direct G advertising as opposed to searching G and ending up a site with Adsense ads), there will be 2-3 new users who just came onboard who will see and click your ads.
My estimate: 10 years of solid growth in web traffic.
...and Tuesday is Soylent Green day.
scary.
I can personalize pages on Yahoo and MSN without setting up an account.
There's no reason for Google to force users to set up an account (and be logged in) to do this, except to gather MORE data...
I'm amazed no one else sees any PRIVACY implications here...
Now the problem. I have 3 Gmail accounts. The main one has Google notifier and this is my account log in for Google.
In order to get into the other two accounts I have to log off the main account and open the others. As soon as I log off of Gmail it also logs me out of the Google account and I have to log back in to get my personalized page even though my notifier stays running.
That's really annoying. Why does my Gmail account close my personalized home page?
i just went to google and it knew who I was...
Yeah, I just decided I didn't want to use the personalization feature anymore. However, there appears to be no way to "undo" it - other than to close my google account which will also close my gmail account - and I don't want to do that.
When I go to google, it always knows who I am now (my gmail username is showing at the top) even though I chose the "Classic" option.
I guess if I want to use the old-style google, I'll have to go directly to a data center.
