Back to one of my favorite discussions. And favorite so because it involves the great - Google. We all know that when it comes to showing supremacy on the web, nothing can match the mighty Google. I think I have spoken a lot about Google and its highly innovative services in few of my previous posts. Those posts are dated long back...hmm...I think I wrote them a year back. Anyways, as often as ever...I have been an avid admirer of Google and its services. I like all its services till date and the recent being the Google Sidewiki.

Now, I am not sure how many of you are aware of the same. Google Sidewiki is fairly a new addition to their list of web services. I just happened to come across it very recently. Sidewiki, interesting concept and very rightly developed for the netizens. I was just going through it and was trying hard to know what exactly it has to offer in the end. Before gaining an understanding on this Sidewiki, you have to know about Wiki. I am quite sure that most of us have a knowledge about this Wiki.

In simpler words, Wiki is actually a web based application that allows the easy creation and editing of any number of interlinked web pages via a web browser using a simplified markup language or a WYSIWYG text editor. Wikis are typically powered by wiki software and are often used to create collaborative websites, to power community websites, for personal note taking, in corporate intranets, and in knowledge management systems. A wiki enables several users to create and edit documents within a Wiki website. These documents are written collaboratively in a simple markup language using a web browser. A single page in a wiki website is referred to as a "wiki page", while the entire collection of pages, which are usually well interconnected by hyperlinks, is "the wiki". A wiki is essentially a database for creating, browsing, and searching through information.

Did you get something ??? I hope you did. If not then let me tell you more about this by referring to the Google Sidewiki. The Google Sidewiki makes use of the similar concept as being used in all others Wikis on web at present. The Google Sidewiki can be accessed easily from the Google toolbar. Once enabled in the Google toolbar, an icon containing a pad and a pencil begins to show up. This is the new Google Sidewiki. See below in the pic:


Now, when you click on this Sidewiki, a browser based docked application pops up from the left side of your browser right below the browser tabs. This may look awkward in the beginning but this is how the Google Sidewiki appears. Here on this Google Sidewiki, you can use it to write an entry about the particular website to which you are logged into at that particular moment. To make use of this Google Sidewiki, you need to be logged in with a Google user id. Once you are logged in, you can post your reviews or anything you feel like sharing about the site.

The Google Sidewiki also provides you with an option to edit the posted review or message. The best thing about this Google Sidewiki is that being a web based it can be accessed easily anytime from a system having an internet connectivity. Another very common but very striking feature of this Google Sidewiki is that it enables your posted reviews or messages to be in its database forever along with all other reviews which have been posted for the same site. No doubt, this is the fundamental concept behind these Wikis. And it is the reason why Wikis are so popular today.

As long as you are having a valid google user id, you can log in and post your messages or reviews on anything related to any particular site which has this Google Sidewiki enabled. These reviews or messages can be edited at anytime and even more can be added if one feels to do the same. Yet another great feature is the sharing feature which enables reviews or comments to be shared on social networking sites like twitter and the facebook. Well, just to let you know..there is nothing like private with these wikis. Each and every content you post is public by default. So, make sure you know each and everything before making any review or comment for any site. Also, incase you feel you have made a mess of it...you can also delete the entire wiki entry. You can repost it again and as many times as you would like to. This eases a burden at times ;)



So as to sum up then, the Google Sidewiki is a feature rich and a welcome addition from Google. I haven't used it much but still then I know about the huge potential it possess. It can serve as a terrific weapon for online marketing. It can play a significant role in online reputation management. The positive reviews fed through this Sidewiki is likely to do a helluva good for the sites especially those into online business.

Now, people can easily read through what others have been saying about any particular online product or service on any site and thus can make their decision on the basis of the same. No doubt, Google Sidewiki is a lovely example of the power of DESIGN + TECHNOLOGY + BUSINESS being harnessed all together to find new possibilities and create useful solutions for customers. Though still at its early stage, it may take some time before captures the momentum. And once it does, it is likely to take the web by storm !

Further readings:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiki
http://www.google.com/sidewiki/intl/en/learnmore.html