Content-type: text/html Downes.ca ~ Stephen's Web ~ Why Google wants to replace Gmail

Stephen Downes

Knowledge, Learning, Community

One of the values of traditional email and RSS is that you choose exactly what you want to see; if there is filtering and organizing, you do it yourself. This runs against the Google business model, which selects these resources for you (and charges customers for premium placement in those listings). So - argues this article - the release of Google's Inbox means they are working toward the end of regular email.

Mike Elgan writes, "Google exists to mediate the unmediated. That's what it does. That's what the company's search tool does: It mediates our relationship with the Internet. That's why Google killed Google Reader, for example. Subscribing to an RSS feed and having an RSS reader deliver 100% of what the user signed up for in an orderly, linear and predictable and reliable fashion is a pointless business for Google. It's also why I believe Google will kill Gmail as soon as it comes up with a mediated alternative everyone loves"

Today: 2 Total: 927 [Direct link] [Share]

Image from the website


Stephen Downes Stephen Downes, Casselman, Canada
stephen@downes.ca

Copyright 2024
Last Updated: Dec 08, 2024 11:33 a.m.

Canadian Flag Creative Commons License.

Force:yes