[Sigia-l] Google IM,my.google.com(was Scholar)

[Stewart Dean]

>From: Dave <dheller at gmail.com>
>Reply-To: Dave <dheller at gmail.com>
>To: SIGIA-L <sigia-l at asis.org>
>Subject: Re: [Sigia-l] Google IM,my.google.com(was Scholar)
>Date: Tue, 11 Jan 2005 09:21:36 -0500
>
>Why does Google need Flickr? They already own Picasa.
>Great tool Slightly different model than Flickr but still it has the
>building blocks to move in the direction of Flickr if they want to.

Dave - picasa and Flickr are radically different things. One tool for a 
person to organise their photos on their computer - the other is an online 
photo based community. That's not slightly different, it a totally different 
concept. If you looked at some of the functionallity close up it may look 
the same in some ways - both organise pictures, but that's about it really.

>For me the biggest question regarding Google is if they can manage the
>power of their brand. This is something that Netscape blew big time
>and that AOL is trying to recapture, but also looks like it is going
>to blow it too. Google though has a different type of cultural model
>that seems to let it adapt more quickly to change which in this
>environment is a huge advantage.

It's also a huge risk. The process of effective user experience design and 
large companies often just doesnt get along. You're right AOL have blown it 
- it's taking a so so idea and trying to get a brand to work with it. 
Netscape - the portal was a truely awful idea. AOL is it's own brand - just 
as MSN is (and is not a search engine).

Keeping a focus on a company is very difficult, there are so many 
distractions. I wish Google well but they need to avoid mistakes like the 
redesign of google groups - form a user exeprience point of view a step back 
in several ways.

Stew Dean
User Experience Type Person.