Olivier Coudert's Blog » Google

France’s double standards on privacy

Olivier Coudert — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 23:18:24 +0000

On March 1, the French government regulated that Internet companies must keep their users’ data for a year, and make them available to the authorities when subpoenaed. These data include anything used to identify a user and allow her to use a web service, i.e., ID, password, name, email addresses, as well as postal address and phone number when available.

Continue reading France’s double standards on privacy

Why Facebook wants you to believe that “email is dead”

Is Google +1 button the answer to Facebook’s like?

Olivier Coudert — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 00:35:36 +0000

This morning Google introduced the so-called +1 button. It is Google’s attempt to create its own social annotation so that it can improve on search, recommendation, and targeted advertising.

For now, the +1 button is put right next to each search result. When you click the button, you tell that you like this specific result –and this is registered into your Google profile. This can be used to improve search relevance. Also if you do a search while logged in your Google account, the recommendations can be crossed checked so that your connections’ clicks are shown and can be taken into account for search ranking.

At first glance the principle seems sound, but under scrutiny, that may become yet another failed attempt for Google to get social.

The most obvious flaw is that you don’t know whether a search result is relevant until you actually click on the link and look at the result page. Assuming the result page is relevant, would you go back to the search page to push the +1 button? Obviously no.

So this means that to be clicked, the +1 button will eventually have to move to the result page itself. People will put a +1 button on their page, hoping that users will click it if they like the page. But then, what’s the difference between a +1 button on a page and a Facebook “like”, or a Tweet button, or a Buzz button for that matter?

It makes a difference for Google: it owns the +1 button, and it can derive plenty of information with the click logs without relying on Facebook or Twitter data. But I fail to see the benefit it brings to the user. A Facebook account captures the circle of people that a user already shares her status and photos with. Tweeting a link to a page is already a public recommendation. So why using a different circle –your Gmail or Buzz buddies instead of your Facebook friends or Twitter followers—for yet another sharing pool?

It looks to me that Google is frantically trying to make social search less dependent on Facebook and Twitter. Which mean, to make it more dependent on Google. I don’t think people will buy it.

So Long Google Wave

Olivier Coudert — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 14:09:54 +0000

Yesterday Google pulled the plug on Google Wave, announcing that it will no longer continue developing Wave as a standalone product, and that it will just maintain the service until the end of the year.

This is a somewhat humiliating for Google. Launched in May 2009 to much hoopla, Google Wave was supposed to revolutionize communication, mixing text and multi-media in multiple real-time conversation threads. It’s hard to remember now but at the time it was seen as the next best thing, as the second coming of the web. Business week suggested that it could replace email (and FaceBook) altogether, and Tech Crunch touted Wave’s ambition to shape a new web.

Like many, I tried Google Wave at the time, and I came to the same conclusion that most of us guinea pigs: too noisy, continuously disrupting collaborative work, too many gizmos with no real clear advantage compared to old-fashioned communication technologies (read: email, IM, twitter, SMS, etc). Collaboration requires efficient communication, not a hose drowning the user with information. And that is likely why Wave was to fail from the beginning.

What’s next to be phased out, Google Buzz?

Is Google +1 button the answer to Facebook’s like?

So will Buzz and Facebook finally bury Twitter?

Olivier Coudert — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 17:42:51 +0000

Buzz was introduced by Google with much clamor. Since then, we have seen a lot of debate around it: Google stepping into the social media arena cannot go unnoticed. Many quickly saw Buzz as a Twitter killer [...] Continue reading So will Buzz and Facebook finally bury Twitter? Related posts: Is Google +1 button the [...] [...]

Continue reading So will Buzz and Facebook finally bury Twitter?

Twitter sure is a rollercoaster, but going up or down?

Olivier Coudert — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:53:22 +0000

The last 10 days have been pretty interesting to follow in the fast moving world of Twitter. They showed a contrasting (or seemingly so) picture of where the super-hyped company is heading. Let us rewind the last few events [...] Continue reading Twitter sure is a rollercoaster, but going up or down? Related posts: The [...] [...]

Continue reading Twitter sure is a rollercoaster, but going up or down?

What is Twitter’s next step?

Olivier Coudert — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 04:20:08 +0000

Lots has been written and hyped about Twitter since its creation three years ago. Twitter has been touted as the fastest growing social network (19% of U.S. Internet users tweet), and a communication medium with still unforeseen capabilities. The company [...]

Continue reading What is Twitter’s next step?