David Black posted on January 15, 2009 13:05
I've spoken favorably of Google because their applications work so well together, they are innovative, and they can be accessed through a single sign-in. Also, because of the success of the company, it appeared that Google had the stability to be a reliable partner for me as an individual users and for educators in general.
Now, however, this reliability is in question. While the nature of the Internet and technology in society is one of rapid change, people also need to be able to trust companies and services to meet their needs. Despite the company's excellent track record in responding practical tools up to now, I just can't trust Google anymore in the same way I have in the past. I will be far more wary that a product or service could disappear at any time. Perhaps I should have been this way all along. What's next? Will Google Docs disappear? What about Gmail? Google has done nothing to reassure me about this over the past two days.
So thanks for the honeymoon, Google. It was nice while it lasted. But it is time you went about the hard work of daily earning my trust and support. You will not be able to take that support for granted from here on out.