Bernard, I agree with most of your points, however, Google might be using Lively as a simulation, testing a new environment for something bigger to come. With semantic search engines beginning to surface, Google may be looking for an alternative using virtual worlds and 3D technology. I also wrote a post about Lively yesterday and I invite you to have a look at my own vision.
Sometimes in the middle of worshiping Google we forget some of the missed opportunities. You've done a great job pointing these out.
Gmail is indeed a very cool service. Why they kept it as invitation only is a mystery. I would think that most of the users came on due to the large space they offered - once that gap closed there was really no reason to jump. For a lot of people switching e-mail after a few years is hard to do. I still maintain my hotmail account - which many many of my contacts still use to contact me.
I tested out Lively and thought it was pretty lame to be honest with you. It's so clunky and hard to use - you can tell it's in alpha stages. Why they released it now before more advances I have no idea.
Random Joe
· 1 year ago
that was very polite post saying GOOGLE's product SUCK :-) nice one!
BB
· 1 year ago
It could be another "What if," yes there are many possibilities. Lively has some hurdles, but I think they have a headstart with the embedding feature. It's what makes Lively stand out from other 3D chats. Their lack of economy and a "world" do hurt it in comparison to Second Life, but I do think some type of economy is coming (possibly with Google Checkout?).
Hopefully it won't follow the footsteps of Froogle or Orkut and can jump out even further. But now that they released it so early, other 3D chats may be offering more web-based solutions to compete with Lively's embedding feature.
Thanks.
Bernard Moon
· 1 year ago
@SocialJulio
Yes, it will be interesting to see how Lively develops over the course the year.
And I enjoyed your post and Orrorin's post.
Bernard Moon
· 1 year ago
BB & others,
I agree there is great potential with Lively. It will be fun to see if it takes off and really sets Google apart beyond search & ads.
Synergy with Google's Checkout could be a good play. Lots of possibilities there. Maybe Google could hold the standard for virtual currency. Who knows?
Ling
· 1 year ago
I did think Google Checkout wasn't really living up to its potential. It could easily give Paypal a run for its money, but they seem to not want to open it up and push people to use it.
Simon Newstead
· 1 year ago
Good post & discussion..
Although on the surface, cartoon chat seems pretty far off from Google's core business, on the other hand virtual worlds ARE going to be very large and mainstream within the next to a few years.
For them its a chance to be seen as a infrastructure platform for the space - and take the advertising revenue that come as brands want to interact with users hanging out in them.
They have in some ways leapfrogged other existing players and credit to them for that. However how much ongoing effort they put into this platform especially given their need to manage costs will be interesting..
nafnosseb
· 1 year ago
Great post
x00x
· 1 year ago
I have to ask why is the best free email service a distant third? While I agree gmail offers a superior email experience the reason it is a distant third is rather obvious. Yahoo Mail, Hotmail have been around since the early days of the web while gmail has only been available for about four years. AOL has been fenced off for years and has only recently opened itself up to the web.
It seems users would rather stick with the familiarity,certainty of an email address they've used for years, even for a service as superior as gmail might be instead of having to deal with the hassle of migrating contacts, email subscriptions, uncertainty,unfamiliarity with a new service.
MITS Engineering college
· 1 year ago
Nice Posting , MITS Engineering College,Best Institute in Orissa, India
All Comments
http://www.orrorin.net/2008/07/google-decided-s...
Gmail is indeed a very cool service. Why they kept it as invitation only is a mystery. I would think that most of the users came on due to the large space they offered - once that gap closed there was really no reason to jump. For a lot of people switching e-mail after a few years is hard to do. I still maintain my hotmail account - which many many of my contacts still use to contact me.
I tested out Lively and thought it was pretty lame to be honest with you. It's so clunky and hard to use - you can tell it's in alpha stages. Why they released it now before more advances I have no idea.
Hopefully it won't follow the footsteps of Froogle or Orkut and can jump out even further. But now that they released it so early, other 3D chats may be offering more web-based solutions to compete with Lively's embedding feature.
Thanks.
Yes, it will be interesting to see how Lively develops over the course the year.
And I enjoyed your post and Orrorin's post.
I agree there is great potential with Lively. It will be fun to see if it takes off and really sets Google apart beyond search & ads.
Synergy with Google's Checkout could be a good play. Lots of possibilities there. Maybe Google could hold the standard for virtual currency. Who knows?
Although on the surface, cartoon chat seems pretty far off from Google's core business, on the other hand virtual worlds ARE going to be very large and mainstream within the next to a few years.
For them its a chance to be seen as a infrastructure platform for the space - and take the advertising revenue that come as brands want to interact with users hanging out in them.
They have in some ways leapfrogged other existing players and credit to them for that. However how much ongoing effort they put into this platform especially given their need to manage costs will be interesting..
While I agree gmail offers a superior email experience the reason it is a distant third is rather obvious. Yahoo Mail, Hotmail have been around since the early days of the web while gmail has only been available for about four years. AOL has been fenced off for years and has only recently opened itself up to the web.
It seems users would rather stick with the familiarity,certainty of an email address they've used for years, even for a service as superior as gmail might be instead of having to deal with the hassle of migrating contacts, email subscriptions, uncertainty,unfamiliarity with a new service.