Google Page Creator Can’t Handle Capacity
In what is becoming a trend with Google Beta product launches (thinking Google Analytics and Accelerator), Google Page Creator, which was launched yesterday, has had to stop issuing new accounts due to heavy demand. Google prompts the user to enter an email address to be added to the Page Creator waiting list.
Gary Price entered his Gmail address and received this response : “Oops…Thank you for your interest in Google Page Creator! Google Page Creator has experienced extremely strong demand, and, as a result, we have temporarily limited the number of new signups as we increase capacity. In the meantime, please submit your email address and we will notify you as soon as we are ready to add new. Thank you for your patience.”
On ResourceShelf (although Mr. Price does now work for Ask.com, he keeps to a strict moral code of the division of Church & State in his publications), Gary gives his opinions on Google products and their bait & tease launches:
Give me a break! Google has both the knowledge to know that whatever they offer will be in heavy demand especially on they day it is announced. They also have the resources (capacity) to be ready for it. However, they don’t seem to have these resources in place. This is NOT the first time we’ve seen this with a Google product introduction. Both registrations for Google Analytics and Google Earth were stopped for a period of time) because of high demand. Why are they unprepared? I have no idea but can only guess that limiting users keeps the buzz about the service going long after the first announcements are made. In other words, I would say it might be another example of good pr. But is it? How many introductions will have to take place before people just get frustrated (at Google) and loose interest (in the service) as they wait for an invite?
Perhaps Google should have gone the route of GMail invites only for the first phases of Google Page Creator. The GMail invite campaign built expectation, desirability, interest and a felling of VIP exclusivity to the launch. GMail set the mold for successful product launches.
But why hasn’t Google followed up with one sense? If the public is becoming frustrated with Google product launches, they’re going to have to come up with a new technique of Beta testing which keeps users eager to have a chance of working with the system, but not having that system exceed capacity after 6 hours.
