The Google's Dilemma - Part 1

Google - the ultimate company to work for is no more so. There was a time when it was a matter of surprise if we heard anyone is leaving the company. Surprise because there wasn't any specific better place to go, the lack of alternatives they say. Yahoos , eBays and Amazons of the world were just not enough. The Google guys challenged AltaVista, the search engine before Google; they were the ones who brought simplicity of user experience to us; they were the ones who ruled the world; but not now.

The world they are trying to conquer has changed a lot since they engineered their search engine and their array of products. The user behavior has shifted from searching to engaging. The same and the new sets of users now want to stick to the web pages(read social sites). This is what lies against the Google's philosophy of using only and only data to define its strategies and future. They need to find out how best they can keep the web users stick to their page rather than just helping them out to find the information they want and allow them to shift gears to the other pages. Until the social web revolution , it was okay to send the users to other pages as many of these pages did displayed the google ads from Adwords and there was no strong rival , no strong alternative in web advertising. But the whole paradigm of online advertising is shifting. People now go to pages which are being 'liked' and 'recommended' by their (web) social friends. And this social race is the one which Google is fast loosing out.

There are other aspects too. Like , i want to purchase an Android phone but deep inside i know i need to compromise on the smooth touchscreen experience of Apple iOS. And that is why we are seeing the manufacturers like Samsung and HTC putting their own layer of user experience over Android. And the response which Google TV got from the critics has clearly forced them to postpone on the commercial roll-outs. It lost on simplicity (yes, Google forgot its own mantra) , no apps (you are no Apple who released the first iPhone without the apps either at a time when apps weren't craze as they are now) in current era is a big no-no and again it lacks social flavor(people like to watch what their friends recommend, engage through YouTube here, its all yours dear).

to be continued...