Google Force-Feeds Social Media On The World

Last week Google launched a new service they say will allow us to "help and learn from others as you browse the web."

What if everyone, from a local expert to a renowned doctor, had an easy way of sharing their insights with you about any page on the web? What if you could add your own insights for others who are passing through?

Now you can. We're launching Google Sidewiki, which allows you to contribute helpful information next to any webpage. Google Sidewiki appears as a browser sidebar, where you can read and write entries along the side of the page.

What are people saying about Google Sidewiki?

Jason Falls from Social Media Today says:

• It forced every company in the world with a website to get hip to social media and do it now.
• Essentially, anyone who downloads the toolbar can add comments and notes to a sidebar expansion of any website. Even yours. Without your permission or even knowledge.
• And remember what Google does best … serves up relevant advertising in search results. I would expect your competitors will have the opportunity to place their ads on your Sidewiki soon, too.
• What Google Sidewiki also allows for is insults, spam and other potentially damaging comments to be added to your website's experience. Without your permission.
• This software feature is the online equivalent of people suddenly being allowed to post graffiti, flyers and posters all over the front of your building.

Web Strategist, Jeremiah Owyang, weighs in on the marketing side of this new technology:

• Customers trust each other more than you –now they can assert their voices “on” your webpage. Every webpage on your corporate website, intranet, and extranet are now social. Anyone who accesses these features can now rely on their friends or those who contribute to get additional information. Competitors can link to their competing product, consumers can rate or discuss the positive and negative experiences with your company or product.
• Develop a social strategy with dedicated resources. With every webpage now potentially social, you'll need to develop a process, roles, and policy to ensure you're monitoring the conversation, participating as you would in blog discussions, and influencing the discussion. 80% of success is developing an internal strategy, providing education before a free-for-all happens with customers and employees.
• We should stop to think about how competitors could display ads “on” your corporate site and you couldn't stop it, why? Take a look at Google's business model, they envelop and categorize the web, then display ads on it. There's nothing stopping them from allowing advertisers to put ads on SideWiki as “sponsored” information. For example, Coke could run their latest ads on the Pepsi.com SikeWiki area.
• You do see what Google is doing right? They are turning the whole web into a social network.

Other comments from around the web:

• The reality is that Sidewiki represents something that's been clear since the Web began: there's nowhere for bad companies to hide anymore. If you're creating crappy products or delivering services that don't meet expectations you've been setting with your marketing, people will know. Sure, it may have been more difficult for them to find out before social media because they had to surf discussion boards or opinion sites to get others' opinions. Sidewiki just makes it a lot easier, a lot more immediate, and a lot more closely linked to your brand. - Sean Carton on What Google's Sidewiki Means to Marketers
• On the one hand, it totally decentralizes web authors' authority -- anyone can now say anything about anything on your site, and all the world can see it. - commenter on Sidewiki announcement page
• This is definitely an interesting concept but seems like it will be the new target for spammers. It would be nice if site owners had some deal moderating content published on their site (well not really on their site) such as misleading comments, but then that would kind of defeat its purpose.- commenter on Sidewiki announcement page
• Some websites don't post your comments if you don't agree with them, but those days are gone! Freedom of speech for everyone! Thanks Google!- commenter on Sidewiki announcement page
• Having a little fun writing SideWiki comments on my competitor's sites. Yes, I'm being nice, but I also want them to know about my sites. :) - Dave Dugdale on twitter
• Sidewiki: a potential problem for companies that ignore it & a potential advantage for companies that embrace it - MackCollier on If you create online content, Google's SideWiki just changed your world

What does this mean for the apartment industry?

• In my experience in the social web people are more likely to contribute to the online social conversations that are already going on. Large brands like Coke and Pepsi will be more affected by an influx of comments than individual properties.
• I would recommend whoever monitors your online presence (someone should be doing this) download and install Google Sidewiki today at Google.com/sidewiki to monitor what's being said (if anything).
• I don't foresee this turning into an apartment ratings ranting area, but it's important to know what people are saying. However, it's important to note you will not have the option to remove comments. The only "control" you will have about the comments will be to rate them as helpful or report them.
• I would recommend utilizing the social media sharing features of the sidewiki as an additional source to connect with the social web. For example: on your resident portal login page it may be beneficial to comment on the Sidewiki - "this area is for our residents only, this is just one of the online amenities we provide for residents of ABC apartments." Or leave a comment on the calendar page about how fun the last resident event was and set it to update your apartments twitter status with this comment.
• All comments a user makes will be centralized on their google profile. Keep this in mind when commenting on your own site and other sites. If you, as a marketing person for a property, are about transparency I'd suggest commenting on surrounding business websites to connect your online community.
• As Sean Carton said, there is no where for bad companies to hide anymore - so step up your customer service.

What do you think of this new Google tool?