THE COOLNESS WITH SIMPLICITY OF
Google had forced its competitors
- which used to be the leading players
on Internet - to adopt the Google
style; as the world is now addicted
to it. Take Yahoo Search or MSN
search, they are following what
Google innovated years ago. It proves
Google's domination on even webpage
interfaces and rings danger bells
for its competitors. The interesting
thing is that Yahoo and Microsoft
Network (commonly known as MSN)
followed a style for a long time
that included congested web pages,
so much on a single page and poor
navigation especially incase of
Microsoft's MSN.com.
'Everyone
is going the Google way' said Muhammad
Imran - a web analyst working for
a dot com company in Karachi. Yahoo
is adding more attraction to it's
products and now even using separate
web addresses for them, for example
flickr.com - he further added. Flickr.com
is a product by Yahoo that enables
its users to keep an online archive
of photographs and let others see,
rate and comment them. It gives
a very good way of categorizing
photographs as one can search and
get relevant photographs posted
by Internet users form all parts
of globe.
Yahoo
kept on introducing Yahoo Maps,
Yahoo My Web, Yahoo 360 and so many
other products during the year 2005.
It seems that Yahoo and MSN are
working hard to find a cure for
every product Google offers. Yahoo's
360 is a blogging solution that
not just satisfies the current needs
of Internet users but also says
“Yahoo can blog too!” to Google
which acquired Blogger.com in 2003
and has integrated it with its search
and Adwords (the source of revenue
for Google).
Microsoft
on the other hand is doing the same
by introducing product over product.
Microsoft's MSN has also started
its blogging service with the name
of 'MSN Spaces'. The company already
has many other products which are
being promoted widely to cope with
Google's growing acceptance as the
only online hangout place.
Although
the acquisitions spree isn't new
specially to Microsoft which acquired
it's most famous online product
'Hotmail' in 1997, the trend has
gained momentum in 2005. It seems
to be a cold war on Internet and
the quote 'Survival of the best'
fits on the current competition
scenario.
Companies
like Ebay are looking for products
which can add value to their online
presence. Ebay recently surprised
the Internet gurus by acquiring
Skype - the VoIP king. Google's
entry into the Instant Messaging
(IM) market is also an eye opener
for MSN and Yahoo. 'I doubt Google
might start manufacturing hardware'
feared a marketing manager of leading
hardware firm. Google is actually
entering into every field that is
even 1% linked to Information Technology.
Google is eyeing aggressively to
the VoIP market now and who knows
what it brings to us in coming months.
Google
has become a trendsetter on Internet
and every new company is following
the Google style while planning
navigation, content and even language.
Yahoo and MSN have also started
using semi-formal language which
Google introduced years ago on its
website. This slang way of presenting
content and attracting visitors
has helped a lot in attracting youngsters
and newcomers on Internet. 'Google
is casual and I like it' declares
Maria Khan who keeps Google.com
as her homepage and loves to browse
Internet through Google.
For
some Google is addiction and for
some it is a useful resource. Some
use it for comfort; others have
no other choice when it comes to
search something over Internet.
Call it anything; it is a successful
reality which is now teaching its
competitors what to do and how to
do.
The
writer is a Software Engineering
student at Bahria University, Islamabad
with special interest in E-Commerce
and Internet based products.
He can be reached at adil@itinsight.info.