A Love/Hate Letter to Google


I am a Google Level 2 Certified Educator. I have been using Google Apps almost exclusively for at least eight years now, not just at school, but also at home. While I use Apple hardware--I have a MacBook, iPad, iPhone, and Apple Watch that travel with me between home and school--whenever possible, I use Google Apps. I haven't used Microsoft Windows or Office or really anything made by Microsoft for several years. Why? I have three main reasons:

1. Google apps are simpler to use.
Sure, Office has a lot more bells and whistles, but at what point do they get to be too much? I find Office programs to be cumbersome and bloated. I find Google apps to be simple and streamlined.

2. Google apps exist in the browser.
Unless I'm on my phone or tablet, I don't have to download a separate application to run any Google apps. I just open my browser (Chrome, of course, is my default), and away we go!

3. Google apps are entirely free.
Why in the world would I spend $7 a month (or $70 a year) to use Microsoft products when I can use Google products for free? You really can't beat the price of free to use forever!

However, as much as I love Google products, I also think they could be better. The purpose of this "letter" is to list the things that I would do differently if I was in charge at Google!

Blogger needs some love.

I have a lot of experience with WordPress. So, when it came to starting this teacher blog, why did I choose to use Blogger instead? Well, firstly, because I'm stubborn to a fault sometimes, and since I love "all things Google", I just didn't want to leave this service unused. Besides, I also have always wanted to introduce my students to the art of blogging, and since they all have Google accounts through the school, Blogger would be the easiest solution.

However, Blogger is probably the worst service that Google offers, to the point that I don't really want to subject my students to it, especially if I'm going to grade them on how they use it. It's almost as if it hasn't been updated (or has barely been updated) since it was first purchased by Google in 2003.

If I were a Google CEO, I would put the Google Sites people in charge of Blogger and make it more of a "WYSIWYG" system, like Sites is. (I would also kill off "old" Sites once and for all!)

Google Tasks needs a home.

Google Tasks was revamped when Google introduced its new "sidebar", which can be found on the right-hand side of Gmail, Calendar, Keep, Drive, Docs, Sheets, and Slides. I think the sidebar is ingenious, and it improves my productivity because I can save something in Keep and easily copy and paste it to a Google Doc. I can easily add an event to Calendar without ever leaving Gmail. The three Apps that live in the sidebar by default are Calendar, Keep, and Tasks. Calendar and Keep can be opened to full screen from the sidebar. Tasks cannot.

This frustrates me. Several times, I've switched over to Todoist simply for its ability to go full-screen. When I get busy during theatre season especially, I become a Tasks power-user. Unfortunately, Tasks really isn't robust enough for that much use. I know that you can create lists in Keep with checkboxes. However, it's not the same when each task has a different deadline or note attached to it. I know that you can create Reminders in Google Calendar, but I like being able to see my whole list at a glance.

If I were a Google CEO, I would combine Reminders and Tasks into one entity. I would give Google Tasks a home at tasks.google.com and make it full-screen friendly. I would make it easier to move tasks between lists, to change details about a task, and to snooze a task to the next day (or week).

Google Hangouts needs to die.

One of my biggest frustrations with Google has been its incoherent inconsistencies when it comes to messaging. I'm not talking about email. Google's Gmail service has been a flagship app since I started college back in 2004. (I preferred Inbox by Gmail that came out in 2014, but that has since been deprecated.) No, I'm talking about live chat and live video message services. Google Talk was launched back in 2005. When Google+ was introduced in an attempt to take on Facebook (which ultimately failed), Google Hangouts was born.

Hangouts Chat and Hangouts Meet were both created to separate the live chat and live video components of Google Hangouts for enterprise customers, but Hangouts remained for consumers. Then, Google Allo and Google Duo were born. Allo was supposed to be a competitor to WhatsApp (it failed), and Duo was meant to be a competitor to FaceTime (it succeeded). Google Voice also exists for those who want to create an additional number on their phone to text and call from. Oh, and since Google also makes the operating system that runs Android phones, Google has a "Messages" app, too. Whew! That's a lot.

If I were a Google CEO, I would kill Hangouts. I'm excited about the progress that Google has made with "Meet" (I'm so happy "Hangouts" was dropped from the name - it was too confusing), and I'm glad that it was released to consumers. I would also release Google Chat to consumers (in the absence of Hangouts). Both apps need to be integrated with the Google "sidebar" by default (and taken out of Gmail). Google Duo and Voice can stay because they serve different enough purposes from Chat and Meet. However, Voice and Duo both need to be released for free for enterprise users, not just consumers.

Google Currents needs publicity.

Google Currents is a new name for an old service: Google+. While Google+ no longer exists for consumers, the same features still exist for enterprise users with this new name. While I would like Currents to function more like a Slack or Twist competitor (with channels - which I suppose do exist in a way as "Rooms" in Google Chat), I actually don't mind Currents. The issue, though, is getting my colleagues to buy into using Currents. I think my committees could absolutely benefit from using a Currents Community rather than Gmail threads, especially our Leadership Team. I just don't know how to convince them of switching over to Currents instead.

If I were a Google CEO, I would push Currents as much as Google has been pushing Google Meet lately. I would put links to it everywhere, create videos, and remind people of the good that it can do.

Google Play needs to go away.

Recently, Google announced that it would kill its "Google Play Music" service in favor of "YouTube Music" instead. Honestly, I think this is a really smart move. YouTube is a far more popular entertainment brand than "Google Play" is, so it makes sense to move its entertainment services there. Ironically, "Google Play Movies & TV" still exists, which should've been moved to YouTube exclusively years ago. (If I'm not mistaken, any TV shows or movies that you buy in Google Play also appear on YouTube, so why not?)

Google Play Newsstand has already been moved to Google News. The only thing left in Google Play is Google Play Books, which totally does not make sense as a brand name. Play Books? That has about the same ring to it as Hangouts Chat or Meet. Plus it makes me think of sports, and I don't particularly like sports. Really, no technology or entertainment service name should ever be three words long.

If I were a Google CEO, I would let Google Play live on as a way for Android users to download apps or games for their phones or devices, but all other entities would exist under different umbrellas. Google Play Movies & TV would move to YouTube, along with YouTube Music. A Google Podcasts app was created with Music's move as well (though I'm waiting for the app to be released for iPad). Google Books needs its own space. Google Books already exists as a way to search the world's books, but I don't see why the two services couldn't be combined into one, just like Google News and Newsstand were.

Google, it's time to do some cleaning.

This year has been chaotic, I know. You've been busy. We all have felt overwhelmed. However, these simple changes would make my life (and undoubtedly many other people's lives) much better.

Your move, Google! Have a great night!

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