(Update: Google has apparently shut down registrations for the new service...more here)
Woke up this morning in my hotel room at Ted 2006, shaking off my dreams based on the highly stimulating presentations from the conference's first day (see Bruno Giussani's great summary posts here, here, here and especially here, regardless of party politics).
I then reached for my laptop and saw the lead story on memeorandum titled "Google Introduces Web Page Creator" on Search Engine Watch. Cool, I thought, still in a sleep-induced haze.
Then without waiting to read anything about the product, I clicked on the link that took me to a page in my account at Google that offered me the opportunity to create a web page with no muss and no fuss. Why wait to actually read about the service? After all, it was yet another cool beta service from Google.
Eager to try it out, with my still half-awake mind buzzing with what this might mean for the competitive landscape of web-site and blogging companies (GYMAAAE and others), I typed in my account password, and clicked on the link to get started.
Whirrr went the server executing my clicked on command, returning quickly a page with the following message:
""Oops!
Google Page Creator is having a little trouble right now.
This is not because of anything you did; it's just a little hiccup in our system that will hopefully go away soon. We apologize for the inconvenience, and recommend you try reloading this page
"Oops?" From Google? On a brand, spanking new Beta service??
The first thing that came into my still half-dreaming mind was this quote from the 1996 Independence Day movie:
"Will Smith (Steven): I gotta get me one of these!
Will Smith (Steven): Oops.
Jeff Goldblum (David): W-what do you mean, oops?
Will Smith (Steven): Some jerk put this...
Jeff Goldblum (David): Don't say "oops".
Will Smith (Steven): What do you say we try that again?
Jeff Goldblum (David): Yes, yes. Yes. Without the "oops". Thataway."
Oh, well, I guess the world is beating a path to Google's door and trying to build a web page, a blog, a front customer-facing service, a welcome mat to the world...and even Google's mighty server farms are crumpling under the load.
Or there is just a glitch in the new beta software, and I should try reloading another time.
So I guess I'll be patient, wake up, do other stuff, read the Ted blog, go downstairs, talk to some Tedstars, come back, and try again for my own Independence Day from other companies' web hosting software and services.
Who knows, Google Web Page Creator may actually put me on a whole new trajectory to web site freedom and flexibility. Thataway.
Google is trying to build a brand, but first they have to learn one critical lesson: in brands there is no beta.
You come to the dance floor pimped and ready to rock, or you bide your time in the shadows.
Let's hope they master this lesson sooner than later.
Posted by: Brian Phipps | Thursday, February 23, 2006 at 11:25 PM
The rumour mill has it that Google is planning to apply for a patent on launching half-baked Beta services and then quickly stopping new subscriptions
Google Analytics, Google Pages etc etc
Perhaps they should think of trademarking the 'Oops!' term, would be very useful for their future launches ;-)
Posted by: Murali | Friday, February 24, 2006 at 03:06 AM
The rumour mill has it that Google is planning to apply for a patent on launching half-baked Beta services and then quickly stopping new subscriptions
Posted by: wilson may | Thursday, June 15, 2006 at 04:59 PM