I’m fond of Google - no doubts - I hit that search page more often than I hit the applications on which I am working.
Here are some things I find good and bad about Google:
1. Google’s current integrator strategy rocks. Bringing out OpenSocial rather than another SN. Bringing out Adroid rather than another iPhone clone. With all of this, Google proves that it is working to genuinely solve problems. This also gives Google a long-term advantage of being the controller of things. Might not be lucerative in short term but is a genuine long term game winner for me.
2. Google’s advertising model and the way it has revolutionanized online advertising is great. It has taken advertising to a new level in common man’s hand and nothing else but Google’s revenues speak of this the most!
3. Google’s reliance on a single revenue source always makes me nervous. Google empire has a variety of applications and is always trying to solve newer problems but as far as revenue generation is concerned, entire empire stands on a single stem. Dont like it at all!
4. Existence of a large number of Google’s applications such as Google earth, Google Mars, Web Accelerator and so on is wierd. While these applications may be useful to some and Google’s deep pockets can afford this luxury I wonder what was the business plan for these apps looking like when these apps were proposed. Or if, there was any business plan here? Remember, its Google.COM and not Google.ORG that we are talking about.
