Google: Don’t Be Microsoft!

13 May 2010 by Graham Lyons - News google, Matt Cutts No Comments

In one of the most recent webmaster questions directed at Matt Cutt’s, a chap named Chris from England asked whether Google was being seen as the new Microsoft and if that worried him as both an employee and a web user. With its size, and its ample offerings, Google has many similarities to Microsoft. Bing/Google, Windows/Chrome, there are certainly comparisons that can be drawn.

It’s worth noting the persona Microsoft can carry as somewhat of an ogre in the technology world. Much of this boils down to the fact that they often try to lock (or trap) users into their services and stop them using others in a somewhat unethical manner. One obvious past example was how all windows users had Internet Explorer forced on them for years. This eventually led to an injunction by a governing body forcing them to provide alternative options. Of course Google themselves are no stranger to this, having been put in the firing line of the European Commission over anti-competitive tactics. It’s often still suggested that Google’s secretive search algorithm is tailored to diminish the value of competitors in their results. Furthermore they’ve had their fair share of legal battles. Most recently over the publishing of books online, which didn’t go down well with authors.

One issue that Matt Cutt’s addresses, is the 'entrapment into services' that many users feel is a major negative in Google’s services. While he outlines the good intentions that Google always have wihen providing their services, you can’t help but feel a little cynical about the tone of the whole video. Many users take issue with the fact that they can’t fully remove themselves from some services (despite Matt Cutt’s stating otherwise,) and there was certainly a negative feeling around the forced inclusion into Google Buzz for many Gmail users. This exacerbated the bad reputation that often surrounds Google over user data protection.

Of course it would be unfair to pass any kind of judgement on Google without pointing out that they do provide a variety of free services, which are very useful and can be of major benefit to businesses and private users alike. What it all seems to boil down to, is whether Google have ulterior motives behind the services they provide. Everyone has different experiences with their services so let us know what your opinion is or what experiences you’ve had of using Google’s services.