Monday, June 28, 2010

Google: The Quick, the Sick and the Dead - 3rd edition

I wrote my first Google Quick, Sick and Dead list in January of 2009 and the second in November 2009.

It's interesting to look back a year and take note of what's gone (Notebook, Page Creator, Knol?) and what's improved (Documents).

It's been over six months since the last edition, so here's version 3. Note the choices are entirely my own. Nobody else would put Android in the "Sick" category. 



The Quick
  • Search and Scholar (Scholar deserves more applause)
  • Google Reader including Like and Share (brilliant work, even though Buzz tries to kill it)
  • Google’s Data Liberation Front (my heroes!)
  • Gmail (even though they'll never fix the !$$@ threading)
  • Chrome browser
  • Picasa and Picasa Web Albums (esp. with new pricing)
  • Calendar (CalDAV support is slipping though)
  • Maps / Earth
  • News
  • Translate
  • Custom search engines
  • YouTube
  • Books (because they keep trying)
  • Google Docs
  • Google Apps
The Sick
  • Google Profile
  • Google Contacts: pathetic
  • Google Mobile Sync: multi-calendar control is ridiculous
  • Android – increasingly desperate need for curated apps and a Google controlled phone.
  • Buzz – Brin needs to stay out of social
  • Google Reader Comments and Notes - irrational confusion, though Reader itself is great
  • Google Voice (iPhone web app is frozen in time)
  • Chrome OS (feels stillborn)
  • Google Video Chat
  • Google Calendar CalDAV support
  • Google Checkout
  • Orkut
  • iGoogle
The Walking Dead
  • Blogger (because Google can't fix the #$!$!$ draft editor, there's still no mobile view, and the 5000 item limit goes unfixed)
  • Google Groups
  • Google Sites
  • Google desktop (search)
  • Google Base
  • Gmail Tasks (forgotten, useless)
  • Knol
  • Google Wave
  • Firefox/IE toolbars (killed by Chrome)
  • Google Talk (neglected, Chat confusion)
  • Google Parental Controls
Compared to a year ago Google has more sick and dying projects. I think the war with Apple is really hurting them. I'm quite sad about Blogger's pending demise.

Google should turn control of Google Profile and Buzz to the brilliant Google Reader team.



Update 6/29/10: I used Windows Live Writer to repair Blogger editor mis-formatting. On reflection I moved a few more items from “Sick” to “Walking Dead” and I realized I should include “Parental Controls” as a (walking dead) product. 


Update 8/11/10: Blogger has since improved to Sick from Walking Dead. I like this graphic of Google's past flops. Also, I hate, hate, hate Blogger's new editor.
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My Google Reader Shared items (feed)

2 comments:

rao said...

Knol has active and committed serious author base. It has potential.

Why blogger is in trouble? Is it not making profits? You say there are technical troubles?

My impression is that Google must have a social media group.

JGF said...

I never see any links to Knol, nor any cites of it. It doesn't show up in my Google searches. It feels near death.

Blogger has a host of issues. None lethal, but they have gone a very long time without a fix.

Nobody at Google can fix Blogger in Draft's paragraph problem. Blogger has an undocumented 5000 post search and edit limit. There's no mobile version.

These are multi-year issues. It feels like it's on life support.