Comments on: Not trapping users’ data = GOOD http://www.mattcutts.com/blog/not-trapping-users-data-good/ neat fun stuff Fri, 19 Mar 2010 01:55:22 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: yurkennis http://www.mattcutts.com/blog/not-trapping-users-data-good/#comment-249165 yurkennis Wed, 18 Feb 2009 09:54:53 +0000 http://www.mattcutts.com/blog/not-trapping-users-data-good/#comment-249165 This post is very much about "What if user could really OWN all of his data?" mentioned at TheNextWeb'2008 (http://thenextweb.org/conference) I think we can say "users' data is not trapped" when you can switch from one provider to another (and back) without effort, virtually with a single click of the button. More specifically, it implies two conditions for a given service X: 1) user having account at X can _easily_ export all his data and settings to any of X's major competitors, web-based or otherwise, without loosing any metadata that is supported by competitor as well (for example, for GMail it is: [a] to download mail archives, stars and labels, filters and address book in a format Outlook / Thunderbird can import from; [b] to migrate all those data to other popular web-based email, defining industry standards for migrating user between webmail providers) 2) user who once decided to leave X for its competitor (and who took his data from X) can come back to X, bringing his data updated/expanded by the competitor, and be sure all his X-specific settings and metadata will be preserved, and all data updates from competitor will be migrated to X seamlessly Considering things this way, = POP access to GMail doesn't allow to migrate "state of inbox": un/read state of each message, labels and stars attached etc = IMAP does well with un/read, but fails to be "migratable" when you use multiple labels per message: at alternative provider, you'll always have such messages duplicated, one copy per label attached (which is a loss of vital metadata) = in GTalk, user's data is stuck at GMail: you just can't download chat history in, let say, MirandaIM-importable format = Google Groups: bit complicated. At least, a closed-group owner should be able to migrate the whole group, history of discussion, file an document archives, plus membership data to an entirely different platform (like Yahoo! Groups)--with minimal to none effort from a regular member of the group. And yes, being able to import email history to GMail from my MS Outlook .pst-files or chat history from MirandaIM to GTalk is also a very good thing, even if it about "further trapped by Google" :-) This post is very much about “What if user could really OWN all of his data?” mentioned at TheNextWeb’2008 (http://thenextweb.org/conference)

I think we can say “users’ data is not trapped” when you can switch from one provider to another (and back) without effort, virtually with a single click of the button.

More specifically, it implies two conditions for a given service X:
1) user having account at X can _easily_ export all his data and settings to any of X’s major competitors, web-based or otherwise, without loosing any metadata that is supported by competitor as well (for example, for GMail it is: [a] to download mail archives, stars and labels, filters and address book in a format Outlook / Thunderbird can import from; [b] to migrate all those data to other popular web-based email, defining industry standards for migrating user between webmail providers)

2) user who once decided to leave X for its competitor (and who took his data from X) can come back to X, bringing his data updated/expanded by the competitor, and be sure all his X-specific settings and metadata will be preserved, and all data updates from competitor will be migrated to X seamlessly

Considering things this way,
= POP access to GMail doesn’t allow to migrate “state of inbox”: un/read state of each message, labels and stars attached etc
= IMAP does well with un/read, but fails to be “migratable” when you use multiple labels per message: at alternative provider, you’ll always have such messages duplicated, one copy per label attached (which is a loss of vital metadata)
= in GTalk, user’s data is stuck at GMail: you just can’t download chat history in, let say, MirandaIM-importable format
= Google Groups: bit complicated. At least, a closed-group owner should be able to migrate the whole group, history of discussion, file an document archives, plus membership data to an entirely different platform (like Yahoo! Groups)–with minimal to none effort from a regular member of the group.

And yes, being able to import email history to GMail from my MS Outlook .pst-files or chat history from MirandaIM to GTalk is also a very good thing, even if it about “further trapped by Google” :-)

]]> By: Steve Ellwood http://www.mattcutts.com/blog/not-trapping-users-data-good/#comment-121328 Steve Ellwood Fri, 25 Jan 2008 12:00:39 +0000 http://www.mattcutts.com/blog/not-trapping-users-data-good/#comment-121328 Thanks Matt; saw this when digging about Google/Facebook portability. <a href="http://twitter.com/steveellwood/statuses/640003822" rel="nofollow">Tweeted</a> about it, too. Nice to see Google leading the way (so when are you going to *accept* OpenIDs?) Thanks Matt; saw this when digging about Google/Facebook portability. Tweeted about it, too. Nice to see Google leading the way (so when are you going to *accept* OpenIDs?)

]]> By: web design fort myers http://www.mattcutts.com/blog/not-trapping-users-data-good/#comment-120627 web design fort myers Mon, 14 Jan 2008 22:02:40 +0000 http://www.mattcutts.com/blog/not-trapping-users-data-good/#comment-120627 I guess Marshall over at ReadWriteWeb should have been subscribed to the Matt Cutts blog before he made his snippy comments recently! Bet it's nice to feel ahead Matt!? I guess Marshall over at ReadWriteWeb should have been subscribed to the Matt Cutts blog before he made his snippy comments recently!

Bet it’s nice to feel ahead Matt!?

]]> By: Okinawa http://www.mattcutts.com/blog/not-trapping-users-data-good/#comment-117012 Okinawa Fri, 23 Nov 2007 21:01:28 +0000 http://www.mattcutts.com/blog/not-trapping-users-data-good/#comment-117012 Google is taking over the internets. Google is taking over the internets.

]]> By: ceviri http://www.mattcutts.com/blog/not-trapping-users-data-good/#comment-107488 ceviri Sun, 01 Jul 2007 19:29:24 +0000 http://www.mattcutts.com/blog/not-trapping-users-data-good/#comment-107488 It would be nice to see this spirit extended in supporting OpenID. Support not just in the sense of just being an OpenID provider like some other sites have been doing. It would be nice to see this spirit extended in supporting OpenID. Support not just in the sense of just being an OpenID provider like some other sites have been doing.

]]> By: Corey Koberg http://www.mattcutts.com/blog/not-trapping-users-data-good/#comment-101399 Corey Koberg Fri, 13 Apr 2007 05:31:43 +0000 http://www.mattcutts.com/blog/not-trapping-users-data-good/#comment-101399 Matt, I love hearing that Google is willing to let users leave--decisions like that will ultimately pay off in the end by keeping you on your toes. I am disappointed to see that the "google start page" has no way to export either an OPML file or RSS/feed. (start.websharedesign.com in my case) Just an oversight? cheers, Corey Matt,

I love hearing that Google is willing to let users leave–decisions like that will ultimately pay off in the end by keeping you on your toes.

I am disappointed to see that the “google start page” has no way to export either an OPML file or RSS/feed.
(start.websharedesign.com in my case)

Just an oversight?

cheers,
Corey

]]> By: Isaac http://www.mattcutts.com/blog/not-trapping-users-data-good/#comment-99766 Isaac Thu, 15 Mar 2007 21:41:10 +0000 http://www.mattcutts.com/blog/not-trapping-users-data-good/#comment-99766 Does anyone know if there is anyway to export Google Checkout orders (from sales that I have completed). I know that you can export the payouts (althought i have experienced much difficulty with this feature) but I want to export the orders so that I can use them for accounting purposes (Quickbooks format would be nice). It doesn't seem that anything official has been released, but does anyone know of a hack that I could use to easily import this info? Isaac Does anyone know if there is anyway to export Google Checkout orders (from sales that I have completed). I know that you can export the payouts (althought i have experienced much difficulty with this feature) but I want to export the orders so that I can use them for accounting purposes (Quickbooks format would be nice). It doesn’t seem that anything official has been released, but does anyone know of a hack that I could use to easily import this info?

Isaac

]]> By: John Faughnan http://www.mattcutts.com/blog/not-trapping-users-data-good/#comment-99376 John Faughnan Sun, 11 Mar 2007 00:51:28 +0000 http://www.mattcutts.com/blog/not-trapping-users-data-good/#comment-99376 I'm delighted to read this. So when will Picasa web albums allow export of all images with XMP sidecars for the metadata in a single action, allowing migration to another vendor? I’m delighted to read this. So when will Picasa web albums allow export of all images with XMP sidecars for the metadata in a single action, allowing migration to another vendor?

]]> By: Multi-Worded Adam http://www.mattcutts.com/blog/not-trapping-users-data-good/#comment-99335 Multi-Worded Adam Sat, 10 Mar 2007 14:15:45 +0000 http://www.mattcutts.com/blog/not-trapping-users-data-good/#comment-99335 I don't think the side-by-side mashup or vanilla SERPs vs. personalized SERPs is going to be that big a deal, since there's a very simple solution: Browser 1 (e.g. IE, just for illustrative purposes): shows personalized results. This would be the browser the SEO prefers to use by nature. Browser 2 (e.g. FF, also just for illustrative purposes): shows the vanilla results. This would be the browser the SEO doesn't prefer to use, or downloaded for this specific purpose. Voila. Side by side results. I may be missing something, but it doesn't seem all that complicated to me.) I don’t think the side-by-side mashup or vanilla SERPs vs. personalized SERPs is going to be that big a deal, since there’s a very simple solution:

Browser 1 (e.g. IE, just for illustrative purposes): shows personalized results. This would be the browser the SEO prefers to use by nature.

Browser 2 (e.g. FF, also just for illustrative purposes): shows the vanilla results. This would be the browser the SEO doesn’t prefer to use, or downloaded for this specific purpose.

Voila. Side by side results. I may be missing something, but it doesn’t seem all that complicated to me.)

]]> By: Mike Schinkel http://www.mattcutts.com/blog/not-trapping-users-data-good/#comment-99334 Mike Schinkel Sat, 10 Mar 2007 13:54:33 +0000 http://www.mattcutts.com/blog/not-trapping-users-data-good/#comment-99334 Hmm. While I strongly agree with the premise, and also believe Google is good at providing access to data, Google is not great. One example is Gmail. For example, I can't export my GMail. I also cannot tell Gmail to add certain messages back into the POP3 queue to be downloaded again (this has caused me no end of grief!) Hmm. While I strongly agree with the premise, and also believe Google is good at providing access to data, Google is not great. One example is Gmail. For example, I can’t export my GMail. I also cannot tell Gmail to add certain messages back into the POP3 queue to be downloaded again (this has caused me no end of grief!)

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