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Google+: Is It the People’s Social Network?

Are you walking the halls at work wondering why people keep saying Google wrong by adding a "plus" at the end? Have you found yourself without anyone to chat with on Facebook in the last week? Is your Twitter stream looking a little sparse lately?

Your coworkers, friends and twitterers might be suffering from "G+ Syndrome". Let me explain...

Google recently announced another attempt to get social networking right with the introduction (via limited test invite only) of Google+: its real-life sharing project.

With a number of failed attempts laying shame to the Google superpower, Google+ aims to forget the days of Wave (and if we're lucky Buzz!).

Early adoption (though limited with an invite-only model) has been phenomenal, with numbers of 10-20 million users floating about! Can this be an indicator that Google has finally gotten it right? Or is it simply a reflection of a tech-savvier conglomerate that's willing to jump the gun to try something new and shiny online?

Google+ Profile

So who gives a flying squirrel about Google+? Why should you spread yourself even thinner and add yet another social network to your roster? Honestly, I don't know! I'm not particularly partial to learning a whole new interface, a new way of sharing, a new way of connecting online. There's a theme here: it's reinvention. Reinventing what you already do online (surf, share, connect) to make it easier, funner, cooler! But I imagine Google wouldn't call it reinvention, they'd call it rethinking or retooling -- a simpler way to take your life and transpose it online.

I'm a digital nut -- it's what I live and breathe. So I got a little giddy at the clean interface and the "fancy" terminology: Hangouts, Sparks and Circles, oh my. Though, admittedly, it sounds like I'm in a kindergarten classroom and we're about to learn how to colour in the lines!

And yet with all its innovation (and, yes, I do believe it to be innovative) and the perfect positioning of making the network "you-focused", I still wonder the same question I've always struggled with when it comes to social media and social networks: How will it all come together?

Do I now have to choose between a Google+ post, a Facebook post, a Twitter update and a LinkedIn status change? Does each get its own dedicated time slot in my already filled-to-the-brim day? Do I pick one or two and say screw the rest? Or do I find that perfect aggregator that lets me manage them all, making my life easier, but ultimately diminishes the real value of each network itself?

Where I think Google will succeed is with sharing, conversation and engagement. It's easy to +1 something or share a great news story, funny pic or blog post. It's easy for me to make a comment on another's post and build a relationship. It's easy to get involved. For whatever reason, it feels comfortable. And comfort is not easy to create online.

I'm rooting for Google -- they may just have something here.

Google Slowly Introduces Chrome OS To The Masses

Well, at least in my opinion. In a very Bing-esque styling, Google has atypically changed its design approach to an option that will undoubtedly be compared to their biggest competitor.

Google's New Wallpaper-Style Homepage

So, what's the reason, Google? My guess is that with Google's Chrome OS on the verge of release, the great Google geniuses are giving us a taste of what it might feel like. Without Microsoft, without a desktop, without all those PC (and Mac!) familiarities, Google has to bridge the gap.

Step one seems to be to introduce the "wallpaper" to Google -- thereby transforming your Google homepage into a desktop (or into a desktop-like experience!).

Now, you can customize your Google experience, just like you can currently customize your PC or Mac experience, but, of course, without all the burdens that come with bloated operating systems, such as applications and features you don't even need. This will most certainly be Google's future pitch for its shiny, new OS!

Does Google's new homepage enhance your experience or is it just another web-based distraction? It is smart, though, I will contend. As almost everything from Google is. Even when we doubt Google's zany new offerings in the beginning, as we did with Gmail and are now doing with Buzz, Google has consistently outwitted our skepticism. The geniuses are testing the waters, sharks abound. For me, I have a take-it-or-leave-it attitude for the wallpaper, but, for the masses, I predict it will grow to be a fan-favourite!

Google Is Number One in the PSFK Good Brands Report

PSFK has spoken, and what they have to say is mostly expected but not any less inspiring. Their annual Good Brands Report ranks Google as the number 1 reigning brand for a second year.

Apple takes the second spot with Nike at 7 and Twitter at 8, all presumably predictable outcomes given their perceived brand power. However, the list is not a Google / Apple promo session, it, in fact, throws in some welcome twists with Jamie Oliver (3), MIT (4), Ace Hotel (5), and Foursquare (9) gracing the list.

PSFK Good Brands Report 2010

What is the Good Brands Report?

Being a genuinely good brand in 2010 takes more than a widely used product and an ubiquitous global presence. Though there is no precise formula, what the ten good brands on our list have in common is a penchant for imagination, innovation, environmental responsibility and social consciousness. -- Piers Fawkes, PSFK, Founder

Well, if that's all it takes! Each brand is ranked out of 10 in the above four categories by a panel of industry experts. This isn't just another list, if anything, it should grow to be a definitive source of insightful brand analysis for not only equity and awareness but also social and marketing impact.

Why Google?
Connectivity. Openness. Accessibility. Customization. And Free.

These five factors are what I extrapolated from the report as determinant of Google's success not only as a brand but as a global enterprise with an incalculable amount of clout.

Google's ability to remain true to its core product in search and yet simultaneously branch out into a mobile phone OS with Android, a Microsoft Office rival with Google Docs, along with Buzz, Wave, and a host of SEO apps has redefined the act of differentiation.

PSFK does a wonderful job at eloquently summarizing the highlights of what makes Google the number one pick. The report adopts a refreshing focus, instead of only dictating the facts of Google's success, it also effectively relates how you and I can apply the same in our own business and marketing practices.

Why Not Apple?
Apple isn't exactly a loser in this situation, only shy from the number one spot by 0.16 points, Apple is clearly catching up to Google in the brand category -- and, in some areas, has already far surpassed it.

Apple outranked Google in the categories of innovation and imagination, and, well, if it hadn't, I'd be rather alarmed. Outside of search and Google's everything-sharing application in Wave, Google isn't necessarily known for imagination, but more so slight reinvention.

Most of the score differences were admittedly slight, with Google really only stealing the thunder in the social responsibility category, which is somewhat expected given Apple's tepid past with suppliers.

PSFK deems Apple a true game-changer, no arguments here, driven by its product design, endless innovation and futuristic thinking all centred on user experience. What Apple does best is reinvention -- reinvention executed so well that it borders on real invention. From the CPU to the iMac. The mp3 to the iPod. The mobile phone to the iPhone. And now the tablet to the IPad. Apple's game is founded upon taking what the market currently offers and making it so incredibly irresistible to a consumer that it can transform any desire into an absolute necessity.

Even without the number one spot, Apple is a dangerously powerful and still-growing brand.

What You Need to Learn from PSFK
Ultimately, success is derivative of many things, but we should all listen to what PSFK (and its industry experts) have to say. The report is not just a simple-minded overview of today's brands but rather a teaching guide indicative of what marketing success means in 2010.

Out of PSFK's 10 Key Learnings, what we all need to understand and practice is "re-imagining the world". It's a beautiful thing that can foster change, encourage passion, and spawn innovation. So, start asking yourself, how could you see or do things differently?

Read the full PSFK Good Brands Report 2010.

Trading Google Reader for Twitter

It's contagious. Twitter, that is. Sharing inane details. Commenting with silliness. But I always bring myself back to why I joined Twitter, to experiment with its validity as a forum to share knowledge and to communicate and interact with like-minded smarties (and simultaneously build my personal brand).

In the process of all this, I've abandoned Google Reader. A completely flawed act, I know. It was unintentional. But, I realized a few days ago that poor Reader had been sitting alone gathering an unsavoury amount of dust while I relied on my Twitter community to tweet me the best and latest news (marketing and other).

How could I be so cruel and so unaware? Naturally, I blame the instantaneous and ingenious prowess of Twitter for Reader's demise. But, of course, it is I who am to blame. I thought I could get it all from my Twitter stream -- the real-time updates, retweets and commentaries, all packaged beautifully in to one. I was wrong.

Twitter doesn't serve this purpose. At the very least, it can't right now. If this can be at all accurate for the current argument, Twitter is, in fact, TOO real-time. Meaning, if I miss @ThisIsSethsBlog tweet his latest post, then its gone, lost in the land of "I'm 52 minutes too late for that tweet".

I can't always be available or online for every tweet or retweet, and that's where this trade-in fails. I am still waiting for that one-stop-shop. I want everything in one place. So, I've reinstated Reader regretting my past transgressions. Now, if only I could find my magic wand, with 200+ unread items, I'm going to need it.

Google Buzz Or Microsoft Outlook Social Connector

What is Google Buzz?

Google Buzz is a social media sharing experience inside of Gmail, which includes public or private sharing, inbox integration, photo-friendly sharing, connectivity to Twitter, Picasa, Flickr and Reader, real-time updates, and delivery of content based on Google's recommendations.

What is Microsoft Outlook Social Connector?

On the flip side, Microsoft Outlook plans to roll out a bevy of social media integration options with its 2010 Outlook Social Connector (OSC) release. As reported by Mashable, the OSC will include integration with Facebook, LinkedIn, and MySpace with, I'm sure, more options on the horizon to be announced.

Buzz vs. OSC

Google Buzz isn't worth the time and it will add the most value for those heavy Gmail users (that use Gmail as a primary email client and/or are working in the client for multiple hours a day). For those high-level users of Gmail, Buzz can offer the advantage of a single-stop, integrated experience.

In order for this integrated experience to be truly representative of the current social media landscape, it would require the inclusion of Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Digg, and all of the other major players. What this creates is a feed system (much like Google Reader) that aggregates ALL, not some, of the social media content being made available by those you want to follow.

Microsoft Outlook Social Connector wins (despite the poor branding). That is, they win if Buzz is unable to secure the same big names (and I mean all the big names) to integrate with what should be the ultimate aggregated social experience.

Microsoft Outlook owns market share at 39% as the primary email client of choice. Gmail trails in with a much lower 5.5%. In a business environment, Outlooks is critical to almost all work-related tasks. It is the core communication point for internal and external communications. Employees are immersed in it for at least 8 hours a day. An integrated social media experience within the primary email client of choice is a marriage for success.

The disadvantage for both OSC and Buzz in a work setting is productivity. If OSC secures Twitter alongside the others, then it poses a significant threat to worker productivity what with the number of distractions suddenly multiplying exponentially. Gmail, also used within work settings, poses the same problem with Buzz.

Employers could, of course, prohibit usage of these services but we all know the social clients mentioned above are just a click away in any web browser.

Are either of these social media integrators worth your time? Do you immediately have preference for one over the other simply based on brand and experience?

What I think the most pertinent question to be asking is: Will this equation of Email+Social be the next phase with social media or will an unknown third-party, comprehensive social media aggregator eclipse Google and Microsoft?

Gist: A New Online Connectivity Tool

In Gist's own words, it

helps you build stronger relationships by connecting the inbox to the web to provide business-critical information about the people and companies that matter most.

In my words, Gist consolidates your inbox with online connections and information.

Think: Gist = Inbox + Social Media (+ News).

The whole concept of Gist revolves around aggregating information and churning it through a process of organization and prioritization, as founder T.A. McCann describes in this intreview featured on The Rise to the Top. The result is meant to automate the process of siphoning through relevant contact information (and any relevant data available online related to those contacts) and provide the user with the ultimate knowledge for any given contact.

Here is my current dashboard on Gist:

On the left, a list of my contacts. In the center, a "live feed" filtering social media, RSS and other news updates. And to the right, more clutter that I have yet to add to.

The inherent problem with this dashboard is its glaring inability to focus my attention and effectively deliver information with clarity. I see a lot of content -- some of which, I am sure, is highly important -- but all of which is lost in an unintuitive design.

Here is a view of my "profile" page:

The above page gives you a look at the type of information you would be able to retrieve about one of your contacts. You see all my links, related search results found in Google, a What's New section gathering information from various feeds, and a plethora of many more goodies.

I can publicize a limited version of my profile for all to see but otherwise a personal connection is required. But the catch here is that most of the information in the profile was added by me barring the search results. So, the point is that the usefulness of this application is heavily dependent on what I already know about another person. Not as intuitive as I would like!

So, maybe you've heard of Xobni. No?

How about LinkedIn or Salesforce? I'm getting there now, right.

If still not, then I'm certain you know Outlook (Exchange) and Google.

Gist is aiming to bridge the gap between these services. A one-stop-shop connectivity and productivity tool to offer you the best of all available information.

The concept -- born out of Web 3.0 -- is intriguing but right now it definitely screams "beta". I can't definitively say yet if I can use this tool to my advantage but I will continue experimenting.

What I do see is that Gist seems to have the idea but not the execution. Now we wait. Wait for information consolidation, control and personalization -- i.e. the future.

Bing Me Baby – The New Google

Countless reviews and comparisons have taken place concerning the new Google vs. Bing feud so this post will ask you to consider what YOU think. Check out this site that provides side-by-side results of the two engines.

Someone everywhere will be telling you why Bing is better or why Google can simply not be matched in the search game. But ask yourself this, does Bing have staying power?

Google took a word - a misspelled noun to be exact - and transformed it into a universal action synonymous with the act of search. "Give me a sec, I'll google it!"

Are you inclined to change that statement to, "Hold on, I'll bing it!" The choice is yours.

Has Bing impressed you? Do you remain loyal to Google? Or are you among the few that remain indifferent or still have allegiances with Yahoo or whomever falls into the 'other' category?

Microsoft reportedly spent hundreds of millions to develop Bing -- aka the next Google -- and are marketing it everywhere. But are they doing it well? With television commercials, online ads and word-of-mouth from Microsoft fanatics, it is certainly hitting the ears of the masses, but after the test drive phase wears off do you change your default homepage to bing.com or do you return to Google's understated plain vanilla webpage powered by some of the most sophisticated search technology available today?

Time will tell. BUT ultimately, you will tell. The power now lies with us. To bing or not to bing, that is the question!

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Name: Simren Deogun