Just months after news of Google’s new platform Google Plus, broke, the internet giant has now announced the end of several other services. Google notified users via its blog and an email alert that it was canning seven products, including Google Wave, Google Bookmarks List, Google Friends Connect, and Knol.
Interestingly, many of these products were very popular with users, including Google Wave. Wave is a browser-base tool that mixes e-mail, with Instant Messaging and real-time online collaboration elements. At the time of its launch in 2009, Google Wave was described as ‘one of the most ambitious services that Google or anyone else has cooked up.’
I think the reasoning behind this particular product’s discontinuation is that Google Plus has provided a solution for many of Wave’s current user functionality demands. And while the other products canned hadn’t really taken off as hoped or predicted, I am not sure that right now is the time to make this announcement, with facebook continuing to grow in popularity, despite Google Plus carving new ground within the Google framework.
However, overall I agree with Google’s reasoning for shutting down the other products – that users were searching for more integrated ways in which to work. These days, people don’t have the time to manage their online presence across multiple platforms – they want their answers and tools in one convenient place for a more economical user experience.
Google are already leading the way in this regard with the development of Google Plus, and therefore eliminating the need for stand-alone products, such as the now discontinued Google Bookmarks List - a service which allowed users to share bookmarks with friends.
On the other hand, I feel some gaps existed for Google advertisers to find the most effective keywords for their business, and my company, SponsoredLinX, were days away from launching a tool, to be used in conjunction with Google, offering this functionality.
To conclude, while Google’s discontinuation of a number of its products may seem like a negative move for the company and industry, it is in fact a strategic move to bring a lot of its functionality under one operating platform. How this is perceived by users will all depend on how successfully Google manages to convey this message.
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About the Author
Cool Ben Bradshaw Facts: Started his first business at 14. Created his second business at 17 – Offering Car Detailing & Car Body Kit Services. Became the number 1 sales person in the country for largest flooring company in Australia by the age of 19 selling over 1.5 million dollars per year, he achieved this within his first year. Left his sales career to pursue a career as a Corporate Comedy Magician and Speaker. He was able to quickly turn this into a extremely successful business and became one of the busiest and most successful magicians in Australia within 2 years. Ben has won 2 Guinness World Records For Magic. Ben has won over 10 Business Achiever Awards. Currently CEO & Founder of one of the largest internet marketing agencies in Australia. Ben regularly consults with Google regarding the future of online advertising. Ben will present a brand new internet marketing seminar at the Googleplex Sydney along side Key speakers from Google later this year Ben Bradshaw and his Online Marketing Magic! Ben Bradshaw is one of Australia’s online marketing and Google Adwords pioneers. He is the Director of Australia’s largest Australian owned AdWords Management Company, and one of Australia’s most sought after speakers and trainers on the subject. Ben started to host magic shows at the tender age of ten, and currently holds the Guinness World Record for the fastest escape from a straight jacket. His interest and ability in online marketing began as a magician in his early twenties, trying to get more bookings as a corporate magician. Traditional advertising simply wasn’t working and after trying many different advertising methods, Ben experienced remarkable success for his business following months of research and self education on Google AdWords and how to make it work for his magic business. Through trial and error Ben was able to figure out how to best increase his web traffic and maintain this steady stream of bookings, which meant enormous growth for his business. After witnessing his success with AdWords and the benefit it gave to his business, Bens’ friends, who were all entrepreneurs, started to ask for his assistance in fuelling online traffic and growth for their own businesses. Ben would set-up their Google AdWords accounts and then share his various tips and tricks on how to effectively maintain the accounts. When their businesses started to experience measurable success as a result of online marketing, Ben decided that the next logical step for him was to hang his straight jacket up and start a business dedicated to offering other businesses Google AdWords Management services; thus his online marketing empire was born. Ben’s agency SponsoredLinX has been operational for many years now, located in Brisbane and with a national client base, and has quickly taken over its competitors in the industry as the place for businesses to go if they seek high quality Google AdWords Management. Bens’ ability for AdWords Management was soon noticed by various industry leaders and SponsoredLinX was approached to become one of only a very select few authorised Google resellers, shortly after its inception. Since then Ben has been able to grow his business by a staggering 300%, and it is now Australia’s largest Australian owned AdWords Management Company. Keeping the theme of magic alive, Ben has been able to quickly and seamlessly create and nurture a powerful team of professionals around him, all committed to maintaining the impeccable detail that Ben puts into each account he looks after. This commitment to detail has meant that SponsoredLinX has been able to successfully exceed its clients’ individual needs. During his years in this evolving industry, Ben has received of a number of accolades and awards, including The BRW 2010 Fast Starter Award and The Smart Company Awards Winner 2010. Ben has presented at the Googleplex in Sydney about his involvement and experience with Google AdWords, and this year will release the very first DIY business book dedicated to the subject of online marketing. Without a doubt, this milestone will keep the accolades coming and the magic of Ben Bradshaw alive and kicking.