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Wednesday, February 22, 2006 11:49 PM PT Posted by Harry McCracken
Google's Latest: Page Creator
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Page Creator puts your site at a yournamehere.googlepages.com URL, offers a maximum of 100MB of space, and only creates simple, static pages without flashy features, interactivity, or structure. So it's best suited for folks with extremely basic needs who want to get something on the Web with a minimum of fuss--but for that, it's worth a look. But it's a bit strange that Page Creator is a cutting-edge, extremely interactive Web service that...lets you create really old-fashioned, passive Web sites.
But a jillion other services--like Yahoo's GeoCities, the granddaddy of personal Web publishing for the masses--offer similar tools with scads more features, albeit with less slick user interfaces. Like a fair percentage of "Web 2.0"-type services, Google Page Creator may be more interesting as a technology demo than for what it actually lets you accomplish.
(Anyone remember when Google did a very few things, like the search engine itself and Gmail, but did them spectacularly well? It's now doing many, many things with erratic results. Let's hope that its next step isn't to do an infinite number of things badly--a road that any number of growing technology companies have taken, sadly.)
It'll be interesting to see if Google builds out the service--which is in labeled as a beta (surprise!)--with more features. As usual with new Google initiatives, it's not entirely clear at this juncture exactly why it's launching this. (It's not putting ads on the pages, by the way.) But between this and Blogger and Google Base, it's obvious that Google wants to provide a home for lots and lots and lots of user-generated content. They're presumably got a grand strategy in mind there somewhere...even if they're not talking about it yet.
It's typical Google that Page Creator, Blogger, and Google Base feel so separate and unrelated; only recently has Google begun to take baby steps towards integrating its services. Right now, Yahoo is doing a vastly better job of building a bevy of services that feel like they relate to each other, although, come to think of it, GeoCities is still sort of an island unto itself.
Side note: The Page Creator online help refers at one point to pages living at Pagetastic.com. Which is probably a glitch, since everywhere else, it talks about them living at Googlepages.com. But the test page I created is, indeed, also available at Pagetastic.com--even though that domain's WHOIS record says its owner is a company in Boise. Odd...
(Update: The Boise company, Data Docket, appears to be the registrant of record for a number of Google-related domain names. Not so odd after all...)
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cool! now if they could just have a paid service to compete with Yahoo I would switch. Maybe they would make it free.
Is there limited data transfer?
Acutally....
Many of these "betas" are the result of side projects that google let's it's employees create on work time that google gives them personal projects.
If you consider that, then the fact that they are unrelated makes sense. I don't think it's part of any "Grand" plan. When google sees something an employee makes thats interesting, they sometimes elevate it's status within the company and see where it goes.
your data docket link URL is botched.
Main page of ggoglepages says you dont need web designers to hire anymore !!!
Thats nice to know that google is trying to take my job out of my hand ...
I don't know about you, but that screenshot shows the best-looking web page I have seen in a while.
Google is awesome. I hope they keep making random stuff like this. I want to see Google become like, the non-evil Microsoft.
If they'd did something like protopage it'd be more interesting.
It's a wiki without a wiki engine. Gad that's what they should do! Go up against Wikipedia. Integrate search somehow; clickstreams with wiki...Memex here we come.
It's easy to use. Easier than Geocities anyway. Easier than WordPress or Blogger. My kids will love it.
Whatever its free. If you want to get the professional touch you have to approach the specialists...
May for the students and other who wants to make their own touch with all that they work, this may be useful...
But all can not go behind it right...
Its Writely with templates. Nothing really new except you get put directly into the Google index.
goole the new Big Brother
Google keeps coming up with great idea's!
They defintely are on the right track taking Computers to the next level
Plenty of alternatives to this kind of service already, don't think it will worry pro services like x2cms or any web designers in the slightest.
It will be interesting to see how these pages rank within the google search engine. Will they be incorporating any optimization techniques into the pages and if so, will the pages get a boost because they were made with google's own proprietary software?
It will be interesting to see how these pages rank within the google search engine. Will they be incorporating any optimization techniques into the pages and if so, will the pages get a boost because they were made with google's own proprietary software?
Pagetastic is probably where the pages were hosted during alpha testing - that way, people could share their webpages with their friends without giving away that they were using a not-yet-released Google product.
RobertK, you've posted 4 times!!! Only click Post once.
This is probable a great product but each time I see a new Google application that everyone rushes to install I help but think "how long will it be before Google can search the content of every computer, from enterprise to individual desk top?
When I see comments like "Google the non-evil empire" I see the complacent, even willing attitude that can let that happen, and what will they do with information. Would we let our government do that? The Google "evil meter" said they had to fight to protect the identity of their users in the ongoing investigation of porn on the net, but it had no trouble ratting out Chinese dissidents for democracy or censoring that type of content in China. As for me, I feel safer in the shadow of Mr. Softie than I do in the bright light of Google. Mr. Softie wants to own my software, Google seems to want to know what I'm writing, and thinking, where I visit and what I'm saving.
This is probable a great product but each time I see a new Google application that everyone rushes to install I can't help but think "how long will it be before Google can search the content of every computer, from enterprise to individual desk top?
When I see comments like "Google the non-evil empire" I see the complacent, even willing attitude that can let that happen, and what will they do with information. Would we let our government do that? The Google "evil meter" said they had to fight to protect the identity of their users in the ongoing investigation of porn on the net, but it had no trouble ratting out Chinese dissidents for democracy or censoring that type of content in China. As for me, I feel safer in the shadow of Mr. Softie than I do in the bright light of Google. Mr. Softie wants to own my software, Google seems to want to know what I'm writing, and thinking, where I visit and what I'm saving.
Ha.
I hate my tripod account. Plagued with javaware and ads.
I can't wait to dump them.
Google is spreading themselves a little too thin in my opinion.
I am a Google freak, I Love them. Even thou this will create more massive visual polution on the web, I am glad they are not giving people a lot of power to make really ugly things. Give them the basic, simple layouts that are compliant with standards.
No offense, but your choice of colors was a bit off :) See what I mean ;)
I am in the waitinglist to get the GooglePages account.
Beta, beta, beta.
Google is absolutely diluting itself by pushing out a ton of half-baked products. I tried them all and while I'm very forgiving, I didn't like any of them (except maybe Gmail).
Instead of wasting resources on a bunch of crap that's already out there in some form, why don't they focus on improving the feature Google is best known for - SEARCH.
Google Desktop
- beta version; lots of glitches; security nightmare
Gmail
- still in beta; limited features; storage size is the saving grace here;
Google Messaging
- like ICQ, MSN, Yahoo! IM and AIM aren't enough
Google VoIP
- Skype, anyone?
Google Video
- Yahoo! was first but this feature could possibly be another winner for Google, if done right. Still in beta of course.
huh? interesting to see people think they can become web desinger without much knowledge but a Beta tool ... lol ...
agree with RobertK's idea
so now Google want to search the contents of personal websites too.
It's nice to see that Google is taking these ideas, and throwing them out there to see how users will react to them. It might not be useful to me, but others might find it darn near neccessary.
On the other hand, most have made a good point about Google needing to finish many of the things it has started, and maybe linking some of these things together. If they did that, they would truly be a force not to be taken lightly.
"a beta (surprise!)"
LOL! :)
Insert half-baked criticism (preferably rife with paranoia) here.
now if google bought macromedia and integrated flash/dreamweaver that would rock
beta, beta, beta - but i still love google earth even if they are a evil hegemon in the making. Shouldnt we use the free web pages we design to point all the worries and things we dont like
google makes a lot of beta stuff, i like most of it though. i use gmail and love it, i wonder how long google will leave gmail in beta. they create a lot of beta stuff though, like google suggest is also good, but as far as i know has never made it out of beta.... overall though i love google!
I agree with jon, if google was creating new products on the level of their mainstay -- Search -- it would be worthwhile. However, producing a ton of so so titles only hurts the power of their brand. While their stock has had a great run, that can lead to arrogance. I think these products, one after another of half rate applications, is not the right path.
Uhh, these things arent always going to stay in beta or they will be taken down. You guys make it sound like they are permanently half-baked. Google knows what they are doing. They have more then 1 programmer. Its not like they arent working on more then one thing at once, you silly little men. ;)
Google has been an accredited domain name registrar for quite sometime (just like amazon), do not underestimate them. I think it would be quite exciting to work for such company.
Cool !!! much expected from Google!
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http://techniche.blogspot.com
They say it's "basic" and offers few features, but you can edit the html to do whatever, so there are endless possibilities.