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Actually I do think it's a big mistake and here is a simple reason why: I was wanting to share a Google document with family members a year ago. And those wit
by idleloops 14y ago
Actually I do think it's a big mistake and here is a simple reason why: I was wanting to share a Google document with family members a year ago. And those without Google accounts simply were not interested in getting one - despite my want for them to access the document. When I said it was quite simple to get themselves a log in they still weren't interested. They just didn't want to sign up to yet another service.
- tomkarlo 14y agoIf you were sharing the doc via another service that required a login (and pretty much anything that doesn't post it to a public URL is going to), wouldn't you hit the same problem? It's hard to do collaboration (even if it's read-only collaboration) without identities. Overall, it seems to me it's probably both more likely than a random family member will have a Google account, and/or be willing to sign up for one, than sign up for a different service that's less well-known and has fewer services based on that login.
- idleloops 14y agoIt didn't matter if it was Google or another company to them. What was putting them off was the thought of having to manage yet another online identity and remember the credentials. These people aren't power users. They can just about cope with doing an online search, and occasionally sign into their web mail to read and send messages. The one member who had a Google account had no problems. I could have just emailed them the document. But it was a work in progress. I just wanted them to give it a once over. In part this is why Google are integrating their services in the first place. Centralising signing in increases the chance of participation in their other apps. It's a case of what you already know and anything beyond that is a barrier to entry.