On the same day that the news breaks that eBay is acquiring StumbleUpon for $40ish million, Google announces that they are building strikingly similar functionality into their Toolbar. Google (along with AOL) were reportedly in the running to acquire StumbleUpon until very recently.
The Google Toolbar now includes a dice icon. Click it and you’ll be taken to a new website that Google thinks you’ll find interesting based on your previous search queries.
This isn’t an exact duplicate of StumbleUpon functionality, which bases recommendations on your and other StumbleUpon users’ votes of sites. But the end result is the same – serendipitous discovery of new and interesting websites based on your core interests.
Google also has a widget that can be added to their personalized home page with recommended sites.
Om Malik says this is Google lashing out at StumbleUpon and eBay because they lost the deal. Given the timing, I tend to agree.
But I don’t search for things I like, necessarily. I know the sites I like, and I type them into my address bar and read them in my RSS reader. Half of my Google searches are error messages pasted verbatim, lots of them are people’s names, and the rest are street addresses. How is Google going to figure out what I like based on that?
Google. A playground bully? No, they wouldn’t do something like that
Haha!
I wonder if they will adopt the stumbleupon advertising model. This would be pretty cool for advertisers looking for branding.
One of the things thats good about stumbleupon is the community. If Google doesnt try and recreate the community then this will not be as successful. Its nice to check out the people who have submitted the sites and how many people like certain sites.
If Google does build a community around this the news here may be even bigger…
stumbleupon, google, leaptag, streakr who’s next?
i love this web 2.0 game!
Anyone remember how the original Yahoo had a dice icon on their homepage you could click to get a random website? I think it was purely random but still, a precursor to these features today.
I wonder whether eBay is going to lower its offer in light of Google’s new queryless search service? This seems much more like a smack down of eBay’s attempt to get into the search game, than so than Google “lashing out” because they didn’t win the auction for StumbleUpon.
If Google has built a StumpleUpon-like service, deeply connected to its existing search product, why would they need to buy the company?
Ouch! Pwnd! etc.! I think it is a good idea to sell as soon as you get an offer… I still think that Facebook guy is going to regret turning down that one deal some time ago..
a webtech digg again! way to go mike :>
I will roll the dice tonight….
Yes, but Google is missing the intense, social community aspect that drives much of StumbleUpon’s charm and recent success.
Last thing I want after a day of googling some obscure topic for a paper is to be suggested yet another obscure site that is of no personal interest to me. I’m sure google will take into account and try to avoid this but its the obvious hypothetical flaw.
Google is trying to jump into every business, anything and everything their competitors are doing .. lets c how long this party lasts!
The perfect excuse to begin using Stumbleupon.
this ain’t a “direct” competitor ass.
The real fun must be in the behind the door story. I doubt if google wanted this *so* much they would let it go for financial reasons.
Seems more like they are pissed at the nature of the acquisition. May be google didn’t get a chance to make an offer? Or…
Aziz wrote: …Google is trying to jump into every business…
Well, when you have $10 BILLION in cash you can do wonders. Look at the numbers. Instituional money market rate will pay Google 5% on their $10B. That is $500 million in interest alone for the year or $41 million per month.
Yes, I’d say this is a great strategy using the banks money to grow your business…. the other choice is to give the money back to the shareholders, ugh!
Don’t hate the playa hate the game!
The nice thing about SU is the whole community aspect and the ability to interact with other users. Displaying a random page is useless, admitting that Google collects information about your searches and then analyzes them…well, that just opens up a whole new can of worms.
As far as I am concerned, this is pretty evil. I feel that this announcement has greater ramifications beyond merely lashing out at Ebay. It means that Google is proactively squashing any chance that the little guy who is extremely innovative once had. Google is no longer a creative, positive force on the Internet, but a massive corporation who makes up in muscle what they lack in creativity. Start-ups beware!
People channel-surf TV, and they want to channel surf the web. It’s not necessarily true that Google will do this as well as SU has. I don’t think this devalues SU’s offer at all. Note that in order to hurt SU:
a) The dice icon must be prominent (on by default) in the Google Toollbar. Will it be?
b) It has to deliver the same satisfying experience that SU does (or better).
I doubt either will be true. Just because a small group at Google ships a “20%” project, it does NOT mean that the earth will shake. There are a lot of Google projects that fizzle.
Im not seeing this icon on my google toolbar… How would I get it? Am I missing something obvious?
I agree, google is getting to the point where it is screwing up startups by trying to throw it’s weight & hype around. Not that anyone should be that worried though, because the fact is they haven’t been very innovative in anything other than search, and even that quite frankly is not very innovative other than the way they’ve integrated advertising. Honestly, I don’t want to use any other google products other than search. Why should I go to 1 company for everything? Their only motivation is to collect more information to further target/serve more ads.
MSN, YaHOO, Google is your best playground bully. They buy your toys and you cannot keep it. Deal with it!!!
Is Business life dudes!!!
You got nice toys… Companies will buy it. you can’t have it no more. you can keep million dollars.
Normally, new buttons you can add to your Toolbar will show up in Google’s Button Gallery:
http://toolbar....buttons/gallery
In this case, the Blog post by the Google Toolbar developers contains the only link to add this new button:
http://toolbar....cks_for_you.xml
It DOES like an over-zealous developer wanting to trump the Ebay/SU announcement by pushing this out quickly.
It’s starting to look like Google wants to become the online version of Microsoft. IE: Make everything your competition has, and mass produce it.
I know it’s what it is but I’ve always felt that site wasn’t at all sexy or cool. Concept, yes. Company? No. I see the value – how interesting to see eBay of all companies to make a move! but somehow, it’s always felt a little Cracker Barrell to me.
I like when Google rains on the parade, personally. If anybody’s going to do it I’m glad to see them versus FIM, etc. Keeps it in the family
I cannot find this on my toolbar either… I checked the preferences still… no dice, (no pun intended). Any clues?
Watch I bet Google makes a run at AuctionAds just to block eBay so they can get a fire under Google Base with all those publishers.
It was only a matter of time until the don’t be evil mantra fell victim to good old fashioned capitalism.
There’s zero evil about capitalism, it’s far and away the most moral system we have. It’s the only free way to live.
And there’s zero evil about these stupid dice. It’s just sort of childish. The problem isn’t ‘evil’, it’s that Google is so sanctimonious and snooty that it’s enjoyable to root against them. To me they’re just unlikeable.
I switched my toolbar search to Yahoo and I wouldn’t know the difference if my life depended on it. I’m sure the ads are more contextually correct on Google, but I’m not searching for ads, thanks.
Maybe in the end Google wants to have everything. But it is the quality of the products that will bring people’s attention.
Big deal. StumbleUpon will still win. Google has lost on so many of these little projects I’ve lost count. Google Checkout = Paypal Killer? No. Google Video = Youtube/iTunes killer? No. Google Base = Craigslist killer? No. Remember Froogle? That was another big loser. There’s too much proof that Google copying someone leads to a big waste of Google money.
What is with all this whining about “squashing startups”? Google is out to build their empire, pure and simple. If some little company comes along and wants to own some tiny little space, do they have the right to demand Google stop their own growth? Don’t get me wrong, I think the “don’t be evil” mantra is a bunch of hogwash as well, but not because of things like this.
There are plenty of innovators out there building interesting technology that is differentiated enough to either be acquirable or a self-sustaining asset. Furthermore, Google doesn’t always win in some categories (ahem, video). Some commentors above laud the SU community – maybe Google’s efforts will fall flat in that area. Craigslist still beats the pants off Google Base. Picasa isn’t dominant, etc…
Personally, I’d be surprised for them to put in resources to build something like this purely out of spite…
This just seems completely childish of Google. I would think they would have other more important things to put their attention to than this kind of behavior.
I’m starting to not like Google, not necessarily for this.
(btw the ‘whining’ remark was directed at the commentors, not Mike)
See this too..
http://searchen...0418-132824.php
Who are they copying? Hakia.com
Their image is getting worse by the hour.
It is absolutely ludicrous to think that in the eyes of Google, stumbleupon is worth 40Mill. Google already has a tool bar and are just adding new features and functionalities. As it relates to them talking about it now, it is the perfect time to do it. People remember Google is running a business just like everyone else. Let me ask Mike a question, would Techcrunch buy publishing2 if they had better features and functionalites. No Mike would just enhance Techcrunch with similar features period. That’s just how the nature of the business is.
This makes Google look like they are grasping at straws; why not just outbid eBay? On top of that, they are throwing Froogle into the dead pool and/or renaming it. Google Pay doesn’t seem all that hot either… nor does a few of the other products they’ve been launching.
I hate to say it, but it looks like Google is trying too hard to diversify into things they aren’t equipped to handle (or things that they suck at).
Are we beginning to see the stagger of an 800 pound gorilla?
pickr, flickr, stickr, f*ckr, nosepickr…,r..r…r…
why r’s at the ending meanings?
I agree with OM. As well no doubt Google has capacity to create an additional functionality like this in their existing toolbar. I thought that it was a good decision from google. But I agree with #22 Steven.
http://www.sugg...stusability.com
it’s pretty lame. Any stumblers here? I’m a heavy stumbler – have it installed on all 19 of the office pcs and encourage the interns to stumble frequently – the dice doesn’t even come close to what stumble can do and does from a brand marketing point of view (what we use it for).
it’s cute though – kind of like comparing a chipmunk to a stegosaurus if you asked me
Google really is becoming the new MSFT. I remember the fear in the late nineties when MSFT would kill your start-up with a press release touting the same functionality.. and now look at the boring morass of crap that comes from them.. Google is just following this trend but faster, more brazenly, and perhaps with much more disastrous results. Remember.. Google does not have a hold on all the PC’s that ship, the X-box, or frankly anything else to fall back upon.. just look at the immediately backlash occurring with their acquisition of DoubleClick.. This one-trick pony should focus on their core business not ruining others….
Web 2pwnt0
Oh the insanity!
Google is really becoming the new MS. There isnt any direction anymore. How many new search features have they introduced in the last 2-3 yrs. Hardly any. I love Google for search and GMail. Comeon Google stop acting like a pissed of kid.
Seems like a no-brainer that Google would add this sort of feature. As they acquire more information about your searching (and now ad-clicking) habits, they will continue to leverage it as both a barrier to competition and as a touted “feature” for the consumer.
Chad
http://www.wtfShouldIDo.com
do no evil?
Sounds like google is being evil
Well this doesn’t really do much for webmasters looking for traffic
I think we will see that Google can copy every model very fast. If they would start an free dating-service they would be market leader in weeks. Google is a fast and big train. At this point you can not stop it very easy.