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Sorry Google; you can Keep it to yourself

gigaom.com

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Re: Sorry Google; you can Keep it to yourself

#21

Post by mbreese »

ghshephard wrote: post #2

My favorite comment from the post: "And by the way – how is this app strategic for you guys and Reader is not? A little clarity would certainly be appreciated." I too would love to know what Google is thinking here.

Everyone assumes that this was a big strategic decision to scrap Reader and ditch RSS. But from what I've heard, it was more of a practical decision to drop an unmaintained project because no one knew how to update it for new backend infrastructure. But I'm sure that they misjudged the importance that people put into Reader. All in all, it seems like a wasted opportunity and a massive amount of lost good will.

Re: Sorry Google; you can Keep it to yourself

#23

Post by yanw »

niggler wrote: post #18
dudus wrote: post #12

Google Reader had an easy and clear migration path to export your data. I can't understand why people keep bashing Google for it. Just take your data to somewhere else. If tomorrow Keep goes away they'll do the same.

Some people were/are emotionally invested in Reader, and to an extent it was so good that many people were dissuaded from building a better RSS reader.

Then they'll build one now.

Re: Sorry Google; you can Keep it to yourself

#24

Post by niggler »

MatthewPhillips wrote: post #16
drivebyacct2 wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It ties into Google Now. It's already super convenient for me. Swipe up "Google, note to self, pick up milk". Now I have a TODO. Combine that with what Google already knows (that I leave work at 5 and drive within half a mile of a grocery store), think about the intelligence they could bring to my Todo list. (I know lots of people aren't going to like the privacy implications, my comment isn't meant to apologize or t…

How is Now strategic?

Increases appeal of Android devices and provides another advertising opportunity ("find place to eat" -> bam! hyperlocal recommendation. Restaurants would pay significant amounts of money for that type of targeted advertising)

Re: Sorry Google; you can Keep it to yourself

#26

Post by manicbovine »

> The service that drives more traffic than Google+ was sacrificed because it didn’t meet some vague corporate goals; users — many of them life long — be damned.

I think this explains why Reader was killed... It competes with G+. Want updates from your favorite website? Follow them on G+.

It's a turn away from open formats and interoperability.

Re: Sorry Google; you can Keep it to yourself

#27

Post by psbp »

saidajigumi wrote: post #17
psbp wrote: post #3

Is this also a warning to Evernote to never remove features? I'd hate to be a company that makes products that Om uses.

Removing or fundamentally disabling a service that many people depend upon is qualitatively different from merely removing a feature. Google dropping Reader has potential impact more like Yahoo!'s debacle with the Delicious relaunch. That change was so drastic that it was effectively a data-loss event for most users, obliterating years of carefully curated data. As Om points out, such actions are very destructive of…

So what's the solution? To keep products and strategy static forever so that nobody gets perturbed?

It seems like Google has given ample time and accessibility for its users and developers to adapt.

Re: Sorry Google; you can Keep it to yourself

#28

Post by niggler »

yanw wrote: post #23
niggler wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Some people were/are emotionally invested in Reader, and to an extent it was so good that many people were dissuaded from building a better RSS reader.

Then they'll build one now.

It's almost too late to do that. Products that were slowly grinding are now seeing much more traction, and the initial exodus has passed. There may be a second one when it is officially stopped, but it would be difficult to compete with those products that grabbed customers already.

Re: Sorry Google; you can Keep it to yourself

#29

Post by cpeterso »

MatthewPhillips wrote: post #16
drivebyacct2 wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It ties into Google Now. It's already super convenient for me. Swipe up "Google, note to self, pick up milk". Now I have a TODO. Combine that with what Google already knows (that I leave work at 5 and drive within half a mile of a grocery store), think about the intelligence they could bring to my Todo list. (I know lots of people aren't going to like the privacy implications, my comment isn't meant to apologize or t…

How is Now strategic?

The more Google [Now] knows about you, the better it can target you with ads.

Re: Sorry Google; you can Keep it to yourself

#30

Post by paranoiacblack »

MatthewPhillips wrote: post #16
drivebyacct2 wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It ties into Google Now. It's already super convenient for me. Swipe up "Google, note to self, pick up milk". Now I have a TODO. Combine that with what Google already knows (that I leave work at 5 and drive within half a mile of a grocery store), think about the intelligence they could bring to my Todo list. (I know lots of people aren't going to like the privacy implications, my comment isn't meant to apologize or t…

How is Now strategic?

I'm not finding the exact quote right now, but Sergey always wanted Google to be able to interact with the user and suggest things to them automatically. Google Now is a part of that strategy.
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