“Google Sites” Struggles to Impress

The team at Google is optimistic about the company’s latest release. The have recently launched Google Sites, a free, user-friendly web site building application aimed at professional teams and businesses, and the service has been incorporated into Google Apps. Using the technology from their 2006 acquisition of the wiki platform JotSpot, Google Sites boasts the following:
Anyone can use this application (”as simple as editing a document”)
It will create an environment in which all forms of media can be made readily available to your team (”one-stop sharing”)
Peer editing of your ongoing projects (”to keep it fresh and up-to-date”)
In addition, there is even an introductory video available which will allow users to tour the application’s features. This CNET article quotes Matt Glotzbach, product management director for Google Enterprises, as saying Google Sites fills “a key hole in the Google Apps Suite. It is the nucleus for other pieces to fit into for online collaboration.” It sure seems as though this new application would be well received, having even been dubbed a “Microsoft SharePoint killer” because of its relative low cost and collaboration features.
However, many feel that these early views of the product might be all hype. Take for example that last comparison, that some believe Google Sites to be a major rival to Microsoft’s SharePoint. Yes, it is true that Google Sites is less expensive and more “user friendly,” as Google has aimed the service at a larger target audience than simply IT professionals. However, the list of competitive features ends there. Many industry experts do not think that Google Sites is ready to compete with industry leaders like IBM and Microsoft. In a recent interview with eWeek, Forrester Research analyst Erica Driver points out that, “Google Apps is still limited compared to IBM Lotus Quickr and Microsoft SharePoint platforms.” Driver also points out other industry professionals’ criticisms of Google’s entire suite, Google Apps, claiming that it lacks “secondary functionality.” According to Driver, these would include search features, information rights management, business process management and informal learning. She goes on to say that competitive products include “an abundance of functionality,” which includes basic content services, collaboration and communication, social computing, portal services, and productivity tools.
Early user reviews of the application have not been promising, either. As one blogger writes,”After 16 months at Google developer’s hands, the outcome is substandard. This is such a pity.” Michael Dressler, partner at The Last Mile Group and one of the original JotSpot developers, was discouraged by the lack of an API (application program interface). JotSpot developers feel disappointed because without an API it’s impossible to create new, more sophisticated applications with this product. To some, this means that JotSpot technology has regressed since it was originally acquired by Google.
There is also quite a bit of negative feedback regarding security and ownership of information over Google Sites. According to the legal agreement users make when they use this application, any information you post can be used by Google for the purposes of promoting their site. Furthermore, Google can (at any time, for reasons they see fit) block access to or destroy your data files. For many enterprise users, this is clearly a cause for concern.
Still, not all reviews are bad. Writer Dan Farber believes that Google Sites and the entire Google Apps Suite has the potential to give competitors a run for their money: “Google Sites is a key piece of functionality for Google Apps. It gives the suite a way to integrate all kinds of components in support of accomplishing a particular task. Adding social capabilities and a database to the suite will turn up the heat on Microsoft to show what it has waiting in the wings to go beyond the prodigious Microsoft Office.” So, even though Google’s suite is a web app tool and Office isn’t, some believe there is a potential for Google’s platform to out-perform Microsoft in terms of usability. And, of course, Google Sites is still in the early stages of release; the company has historically been very responsive to user feedback and complaints, and has planned upgrades accordingly.
Taking into consideration the feedback from industry professionals, it appears that Google Sites is going to meet with some resistance. There is much criticism and little praise to be found for the tool. Though this does not necessarily mean that the application is doomed, it does somewhat imply that there are many upgrades and improvements that Google might consider looking into in order to counter some of the arguments being made against the web suite. However, if the current atmosphere is any indication, it does not appear as though Google Sites will present any stiff competition for Microsoft and IBM. It will be interesting to see if a second release of the application will provide the functionality that Sites is missing.
Wednesday, March 5th, 2008 Both comments and pings are currently closed.