Google Enters Another Market (Custom Search)

Everyone on the Internet fears the day that Google will enter their market. Today the fear was tangible for Rollyo and Swicki.  The Financial Times reported that Google will launch tomorrow (Tuesday) "...a customisable search engine that users can carry on their own blogs and other websites..." and compares the new service to Rollyo.  Matthew Ingram carries the photo of a shark on his post about this development.  Ingram points out that when Google entered the calendar market, competitor Kiko gave up and sold themselves.  He asks whether or not this was the right decision -- pointing to Paul Graham's post at the time "Google Does Not Render Resistance Futile."  I find myself agreeing with Paul and Rex Hammock puts his finger on it when he writes:

There’s a social networking aspect of Rollyo that probably won’t be a part of the Google product, however the Google product will likely offer publishers, including bloggers, an instant way to monetize narrow search in the Adsense program they’re already participating in.

For all of the things that Google has done right in technology, they have done very little well in the category of social.  It isn't too late for them to learn but if history is any guide, they will miss the importance of the social network in search as well. And frankly having a strong competitor forces you to do the two things which you most need to do in any case when you are a small business -- innovate constantly and be 500% better than your larger competition.  Then Google can educate the market about why the market needs your product and then you can deliver on the market's expectations.  That is what YouTube did.

UPDATE: The Service is called Google Co Op and John Battelle has a screenshot on his SearchBlog.  Michael Arrington also piles on with a screenshot.  Both of them mention the similarity to Rollyo and others. But neither of them talk about the really interesting question -- can Google get the social network part right?

Comments

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