Google takes aim at IM

NETWORK WORLD NEWSLETTER: MICHAEL OSTERMAN ON MESSAGING
08/30/05
Today's focus: Google takes aim at IM

Dear networking.world@gmail.com,

In this issue:

* Google jumps into instant messaging
* Links related to Messaging
* Featured reader resource
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Today's focus: Google takes aim at IM

By Michael Osterman

Last week, the industry was abuzz about Google introducing its
Google Talk application, an instant-messaging system designed to
interoperate with Jabber and Trillian right away and possibly
with other IM networks down the road.

Last September I predicted Google would introduce an IM offering
by the end of March 2005. Except for being off by five months, I
am pleased to be among the millions of people that predicted
Google's entry into this market.

Google's offering will be similar to several other
consumer-oriented IM networks in that it will provide
conventional IM capabilities in addition to PC-to-PC telephone
capabilities. While several IM systems are today interoperable
via federated networks, the primary difference with Google Talk
is that it will be an open system that is more natively
interoperable than many other IM systems.

Early reviews of Google Talk indicate that its interface and
capabilities do not really represent a stellar jump forward in
terms of usability, features or functions - there is no video
chat in the current iteration of Google Talk, for example.

However, I believe that Google Talk has the potential for making
a major impact in the IM world. Google has been very aggressive
and successful in the markets it has entered. For example,
Google is the dominant search engine in use, accounting for
46.2% of online searches conducted in July, according to Nielsen
NetRatings; Google Maps, launched in spring 2005, already has
7.2 million users; Gmail is gaining market share among Webmail
systems.

I expect Google Talk will also gain market share fairly rapidly
because of its ability to interoperate right away with the
millions of Jabber and Trillian users and because of the
potential for expanding this interoperability to other platforms
- not to mention the fact that Google Talk will likely integrate
with Google's other Web, e-mail and desktop-based properties.

The success of an IM system is due largely to its "gravity,"
since the greater the number of users an IM system has, the more
likely it is to attract new users. However, our research has
shown that, at least in the workplace, the number of IM clients
per organization continues to grow. That means that even if
someone is already using AOL Instant Messenger, Yahoo Messenger
or MSN Messenger, there is a strong possibility they will adopt
a new IM client, particularly if it's free and offers
capabilities that they find desirable. I expect Google Talk to
be such a product.

The top 5: Today's most-read stories

1. Google dives deeper into networking
<http://www.networkworld.com/nlmsg6056>

2. 2005 salary survey
<http://www.networkworld.com/nlmsg4020>

3. Intel-Cisco deal may be big for Wi-Fi
<http://www.networkworld.com/nlmsg6057>

4. VoIP season about to heat up
<http://www.networkworld.com/nlmsg6058>

5. Cisco aims to simplify switch mgmt.
<http://www.networkworld.com/nlmsg6059>

Today's most-forwarded story:

Google dives deeper into networking
<http://www.networkworld.com/nlmsg6060>

_______________________________________________________________
To contact: Michael Osterman

Michael D. Osterman is the principal of Osterman Research
<http://www.ostermanresearch.com/>, a market research firm that
helps organizations understand the markets for messaging,
directory and related products and services. He can be reached
by clicking here <mailto:michael@ostermanresearch.com>
_______________________________________________________________
This newsletter is sponsored by Avocent
Network World Executive Guide: Reviewing Trends and Insights for
SMB Executives

Life is different for IT professionals at small and mid-sized
businesses, which don't have the luxury of hiring legions of
network experts. Read how network executives are keeping a firm
footing on an ever-shifting product landscape. Learn about
trends and insights surrounding VoIP and VPNs; plus get
commentaries from leading experts on storage strategies for
smaller businesses.
http://www.fattail.com/redir/redirect.asp?CID=111775
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