Google have recently released yet another feature for its registered users. After the release of ‘SearchWiki‘ some months ago we got a glimpse of how Google may use people’s profiles to help navigate (based on search history) and place their own judgement of relevance and reviews around sites.
So after adding functionality to be able to comment on search results Google have now introduced Sidewiki, which allows users to “contribute helpful information to any webpage“.
Here’s an example of Sidewiki in action on apple.com.
Note: you can only view Sidewiki at the moment using the new version of the Google toolbar, which you can install on Firefox or IE.
In the past reputations can be made or tarnished offsite in the networks, or onsite when we allow it through comments etc, but Sidewiki allows people to come and write anything right on your front page. This is a form of social media which is even harder to ignore, ‘if you can’t see/hear it it’s not my problem’ will no longer apply, the reviews are coming directly to the site.
I imagine Sidewiki could have some pretty large implications for brands. Will there be a need for an ongoing monitoring and engagement strategy?
Site owners are able to place a ’sticky’ post to their own sites, some sites appear to have placed purposely large entries here, perhaps to block out negative comments below the fold.
Links can be placed within Sidewikis. I’ve seen some sites using the space for ‘quick links’. It has also been used as another way of introducing a site, with a quick intro paragraph, in a more informal style knowing that most of the audience at this stage will be early adopters and technically minded.
I see Sidewiki potentially being very useful from a brand engagement and customer service point of view if it becomes more widely adopted.
So is Sidewiki something that brands should be worried about or embrace? Do you think it will take off or remain relatively un-adopted functionality much like Searchwiki?
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October 13th, 2009 at 12:44 pm
I have had SideWiki installed for a few weeks and I never use it. I find it really hard to use new web tools where you need to actively change your routine.
Also as it is a new tool most websites are relatively empty. Not to mention the amount of spam and pointless topics that appear in it. At best it is a comments box for pages without them, but I think it will go largely unused. It is just too many clicks away from being useful.
October 13th, 2009 at 2:08 pm
I agree with Glenn in that it is probably going to live or die according to the amount of people who end up using it. However, looking at it another way, it could end up being brands themselves who act as a catalyst for its use. I’m sure most brands would prefer not to have negative user comments sitting alongside their homepage, in which case they’ll want to respond in some way, probably by submitting an entry of their own in the first instance. As soon as this happens, the Side Wiki space becomes ‘live’ – users see that a brand has engaged with it and could be spurred on to make further contributions themselves.
Instinctively, it feels like a space where a similar customer relations approach to that which brands use on Twitter would be most appropriate. Namely, see a criticism or customer issue, enter into a dialogue with that person and do your best to help them out. It’ll certainly be interesting to see how it evolves.
October 14th, 2009 at 9:56 am
Nice post, Glen! Two remarks though: I hope the “or” in your question is not intended to be read as “either or”. In my opinion the answer is: Companies should be worried AND they should embrace SideWiki. After all, this is a Google product. (I am not saying Google products are necessarily superior, but the market adoption is usually pretty high).
But I assume that was just a clever trick of yours to encourage people like me to comment.
My second remark: There is a way to view (but not create) SideWiki comments without the need to install the Google Toolbar. You can either have a look at the API and find out how to URL-encode a string, or simply use the nifty little tool that the nice folks over at Digital Inspiration have put together. It works with any browser (even lynx):
http://www.labnol.org/internet/google-sidewiki-without-google-toolbar/9959/
(Extra handy: Check out the associated blog post for a bookmarklet which let’s you skip the copy & paste for each URL you want to check).
October 14th, 2009 at 10:25 am
I don’t think this is great addition from Google. Takes creative control away from website owners, which has significant connotations if you’re a major brand.
@randfish Tweeted this link a while back. It’s code to add to your site to block the Google Sidewiki – he suggested getting websites to upload this code as best practice, which might be a good idea.
October 14th, 2009 at 11:30 am
All forms of social media take away direct creative control from brands – but if it’s about serving the user first, this is a logical step.
Coming back to Simon and Glenn’s points, this has got to be an easy opt-in to make an impact. If there was an ‘Add to Sidewiki’ option on blog and Twitter settings, triggered whenever a user links to a page (and I’m coming cold to this, so maybe this already exists), I can see it populating this new space quickly and efficiently.
And it’s only if it gains traction that it matters – in which case brands could choose to look at it as another opportunity to benefit from the goodwill they generate rather than as a threat to their reputation.
Given that the Vince Update gave big brands such a boost, you might consider this a sting in the tail. Google giveth and Google taketh away.
But if you foresee a world where brands behave in such a way that they don’t have anything to be afraid of – where an increasingly social world rewards transparency and good service – this is, possibly, an important step along the way.
October 14th, 2009 at 11:44 am
I think if the page already has a comments section, I’d try to block this because it will take the conversation away from you. Similarly, you don’t want customer complaints to come through Sidewiki because – once you’ve resolved the complaint – it’s not really appropriate for it to be there forever and ever.
Also I expect there’ll be issues with any sites that offer voucher codes, because the potential for affiliates to spam their Sidewiki could be huge.
If you don’t have a comment section on the site though, it could be useful to allow Sidewiki so you can hear what users want. Just make sure you claim the sidewiki and include a welcome note.
This is the sort of thing that might depend on which brand or industry you’re dealing with.
October 14th, 2009 at 8:39 pm
I surely understand why many webmasters don’t like SideWiki and fear that competitors will use it to add comments to your site that will be as helpful as the comments that graffiti artists add to bathroom walls.
You should monitor the SideWiki comments on your own site(s) closely and act promptly on negative comments. There are now tools available that can monitor SideWiki comments for you, and alert you when new comments are posted.
http://www.updatepatrol.com/monitor-sidewiki-comments-and-sidewiki-alerts.html