Google just introduced Sidewiki, which enables anyone to comment on a page using Google’s toolbar. They are projecting it as a “universal commenting system”. Basically, it allows users to comment and read other people’s comments on any page on the internet.
Sidewiki installs alongside the Google Toolbar, so it works with both Internet Explorer and Firefox. Google also says that they’re “working on making it available in Google Chrome and elsewhere too.” This sounds like they are planning to make it an ‘in-built’ feature in Chrome and will force the users to use it. I hope I am wrong and wish they make it a Chrome extension.
Google Sidewiki – Why I am already hating it?
Two reasons :
One – I hate to install toolbars.
Two – Google is trying to become *THE* discussion hub.
Jeff Jarvis feels that “Google is trying to take interactivity away from the source and centralize it”. I would have to agree with him. Say, if you, as a reader decides to leave a comment on the Sidewiki page of TechPP and few others leave their comments right here on the blog, it bifurcates the discussion and tries to centralize it away from the source.
The counter-argument would be that it helps to beat down the ‘spammy’, ‘scammy’ websites which don’t let valid comments and criticism on their sites. This is not all good. As a site moderator, I get hundreds of spam comments every week which I am sure won’t help my viewers a single bit. In case Sidewiki catches on, I just lose the control over these spam comments and would need to beg and run behind Google to get the comments marked as spam.
One of the comments on Jeff’s blog goes like this -
People don’t want to have to install Yet Another Thing in order to access something else that might not even be worth the effort. There is too much friction here.
So damn true.
Google has said that, they have made public the API for Sidewiki which would enable the publishers to download all the SideWiki comments on to their sites. A wordpress plugin for SideWiki is also on its way. So, what is the difference between SideWiki and services like Disqus? Does this mean an end to yet another promising start-up, courtesy Google? Mind you, I have always been a BIG fan of Google. But I get a feel that Google is trying to grow too big for its own good.
Matt Cutts, argues that it is useful to pin down the scammy sites
For example, there’s been a recent spate of “work from home for Google/Twitter and make thousands of dollars” scam sites, and if people can comment on a web page that normally doesn’t provide comments, that can be helpful.
But Matt, what about people like me? This is my site and my life, anyone can come here and lie about me or my site and alas! I don’t even have a control over it. Marking a comment as abuse doesn’t really help. Someone else can do that against me. As an author, publisher or an owner, do I get any special privilege over the discussion on my content? I guess not.
Also, how about the other way? A genuine site being targeted by fraudsters and scammers? Isn’t that a bigger danger? How effective is SideWiki’s APIs to catch the fraudsters who might troll and mislead innocent readers of a genuine site?
A lot needs to be answered.
Raju PP is the founder-editor of Technically Personal, which is one of the most widely read technology blogs on the web. He holds an Engineering degree in Electronics & Communication, and has previously worked as a Technical Specialist in Banking Software domain.
I agree with you on many points. However, what frustrates me when browsing a website is my mouse pointer goes all over the web page. Hence, when I mistakenly hover over one of the words that are written and underlined with a blue line, I get a inbuilt pop-up that destroys my user experience of visiting your site because I have to close something to read the next statement and I had to do that multiple times while surfing your website.
Further, posting the link without a single reason in the sidewiki comments does not seem to be a comment, but merely an encouragement to increase the count of clicks of visitors to your website.
I would recommend, at least one comment and adding something to the effect of “more views at my website”.
I appreciate you not using bit.ly for your links as seeing your website’s full address retains more trust.
While you are the author of the content, you do not retain a right to the direction the comments are taking, other than for monitoring spam – that’s just my viewpoint.
I look forward to the follow-up comments via email, but probably not to visiting your site because of the ads in the blue lines.
Best,
Tim
Single underlined words in blue are Text link ads which are common over the web. Its like bread and butter to many publishers. I apologize if it irritates you but can’t really take it off as I depend on the money I make out of it and more importantly many other users are fine with it.
As for posting the link in sidewiki, you are right. But it just proves how sidewiki can be misused by people. Atleast I posted something relevant and harmless, how about more dangerous ones?
I would love to see you back on my small blog.
Yeah I just wish I don’t have to install another extra Toolbar to do it. I know some people already have Google Toolbar installed though but I don’t normally want to install extra unnecessary stuffs
But I guess if you are researching on something, Sidewiki will be a good value for you (assuming people participate enough)
I’m still making up my mind on this, but I too hate installing toolbars. Having my own blog as well, it is worrisome if Google becomes like a vampire, sucking all of the discussion off of pages.
It is becoming more and more obvious for me Evan. I can see a clear divide between webmasters and non-webmasters.
I am just an ordinary reader- i am not technically qualified to comment on what I read at many places, so I don’t usually make any comment, even when I want to say that I liked some part of it.
Google sidewiki helps me say something without feeling hesitant about it. It is like shouting from the sideline.
People always have the option of not looking at the sidewiki.
I think you will find that more people come into your site through sidewiki- for instance, I did. And you will get more people engaging with your blog.
Wish you well.
Baskar
First of all, I really appreciate and thank you for deciding to leave a comment. It is definitely useful against those sites which doesn’t encourage free speech and free views and try to streamline the comments, but not for blogs like mine. Google sidewiki just doesn’t differentiate between sites.
As a web master I would like to see and respond to ALL the comments I get to my article, but now I am forced to look at 2 places. Firefox being my primary browser, I am forced to install a new toolbar. Centralization of comments is lost.
As for the traffic, it is no different that coming from the comments section of a blog.
I don’t want to install Google Sidewiki anyway.
My IE have a lot toolbar and I dont want to use google sidewiki.
Simple is the best. I Think.
I have not upgraded my G toolbar yet. However, I would stay away from making comments on pages which probably helps only Google and not the readers
They have an additional data point that is it!
As for comments on SERPs, I like the existing feature and use (though rarely)
Installing toolbars make browsers heavy..Me hate this. But as baskar commented, it can increase some traffic too.
If u have gud configuration, u can take risk of making the browser some heavy but at low configurations, it can produce a negative effect too
Yeah… Who really needs another toolbar? Not me.
I never install Google Toolbar on either Firefox or IE. So I will just skip on Google Sidewiki.