September 23rd, 2009
Google's Sidewiki decentralizes the conversation
More ways for Google to get your ad impressions.
That’s the first thought that came to mind when I read about Google Sidewiki (Techmeme). Not, “oh, this is awesome, we are adding meta data to every site”. Not, “oooo Google, the most powerful force on the web is using a user-generated solution to gathering the world’s information”.
Why does the world “Google” strike a chord of negativity in my brain?
Negativity aside, this is really cool. But it disconnects comment systems and tries to confuse the conversation. This is not a step towards centralizing the conversation, something JS-Kit is trying to do with Echo.
I say it decentralizes the conversation because to use the wiki, I must install a toolbar. I also have to be using Firefox or IE. What about Safari users?
I do like that you can share your wiki post on Twitter, Facebook, and email. My wiki posts also have permalinks, which is really cool.
Will you use this Sidewiki contraption, or just stick to regular comment systems?
Andrew Mager is a web developer at Ning, Inc. in Palo Alto. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
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