As we entered the new decade (not a patch on the passing of the millennium), Google announced it had been blogging officially for five years. A late starter, you might think – especially as Google acquired the Blogger platform as early as 2003 – but it was certainly worth the wait.
A blog is born
Since it burst onto the scene, the Official Google Blog has amassed an impressive 1,541 posts, with new articles being added almost daily. For me it provides a valuable insight into the goings on at Google, the updates that are being made and the new products to look out for.
I use an RSS feed on Netvibes to keep track of the latest posts. This provides me with the heading of each new post, along with a few lines that describe it, making it easy to decide whether it’s worth visiting the blog itself to read the whole thing. It’s a great time saver.
Back in April 2004, Google’s first blog post directed readers to its advice for curbing the problem of ‘bad software’. It was a good start that clearly laid out Google’s intentions for the way it planned to use the new platform – communicating information in a candid and non-technical way to those who might want or need it.
I wish more blogs did something similar, instead of positioning themselves as online sales tools. That’s so often a wasted opportunity.
Growing up
As you’d expect from Google, its official blog has evolved and grown in popularity. In 2009, its most popular post by far announced the arrival of Google’s own operating system, Google Chrome. It clocked over two and a half million unique page views alone.
Last year also saw the introduction of more content specific blogs to the Google compendium, including one for Google Wave along with others dedicated to Google Arabia and Google Thailand.
What’s next?
So what can we expect from the Official Google Blog in 2010 and beyond?
Certainly we’ll get more “Insights from Googlers into our products, technology, and the Google culture”, but – as always with the ‘Big G’ – it’s not going to give away its secrets so easily. Make sure you’re listening to advice from your SEO specialists as well. They’re the ones who are engaging with Google and the other search providers on a daily basis, and they have their ears to the ground for the latest news and updates.