| The smart outfits also use legal expertise to make educated guesses about their competitors' plans. A new patent filing is grist to the mill of market intelligence. For example, Yahoo! has just filed a patent for a new way to disaggregate keywords in multiple-word search queries. This may mean Yahoo! will soon offer new rates for keyword advertising, based on better analysis of multiple keywords. |
| Google has a new patent application that pertains to Gmail. It will introduce a new "(nb: US spelling because US patent) Method and system to detect e-mail spam using concept categorization of linked content". This would make Gmail's spam-net tighter. |
| It means that if e-mail originates from a domain known to generate spam or contains links to spam domains, Gmail will be able to stop it even more efficiently than it does with existing filters. |
| The very fact of the filing means Google has figured out some new, nifty methods to identify mail origins and, well, to categorise the context of that mail and analyse the embedded links. That has many implications; an improved ability to "concept-categorise" could translate into new features and offerings apart from spam filters. |
| Gmail has grown incredibly fast on the back of a spate of new features. Within 26 months of the test-launch, it has vaulted to the second spot in the personal e-mail space, though arch-rival Yahoo! still clings to pole position. |
| The launch itself was a clever example of viral marketing. The April 1, 2004, announcement made people wonder if it was a joke. The exclusivity of the invitations to open beta accounts made Gmail addresses into geek status symbols. Google easily weathered the privacy-related concerns that the scan-based ad model raised. |
| New Gmail features such as bags of space, excellent sorting and searching, associated Google groups, excellent spam/virus screens, easy integration with blogger.com, etc. all made it an even better experience. The later Chat features, Google Video and easier integration into clients have also added to user satisfaction. |
| The problem is that Gmail has become a prisoner of its own success. It has grown so fast that the basic quality of service (QoS) has deteriorated. In the past two months, Gmail access has been slow even from broadband. Gmail to Gmail messages have taken days to transfer and live accounts have been locked down because "of technical reasons". Worst of all, many live, active Gmail accounts used by non-spammers have just disappeared along with the archived data. |
| The worldwide web is now full of "Gmail rants". A Google search(!) will throw up dozens of forums (including Google groups) where users have raved, cursed and also offered sane advice about QoS. Most Gmail users will grit their teeth and hope it sorts out. After all, in terms of features, Gmail is way beyond its rivals""when it works. |
| I suspect that, despite its legendary square kilometres of clusters of inter-connected PCs, despite its incredible processing abilities and its enormous bandwidth, Google is probably trailing in the race to service the vast population of Gmail users. |
| Google must have under-estimated the Gmail growth rate. That's the only logical explanation for running into basic QoS issues. Any two-bit sysops running a free e-mail network has learnt to offer stable connectivity and safe archiving. So these QoS issues could only arise if Google misjudged the volumes. |
| Touch wood! This column is supposed to be delivered by Gmail to Gmail. I hope it reaches. For the past six weeks, I've been backing up everything in my Gmail accounts and using my older Yahoo Id more. Two months is a long time in cyberspace. The network effect means that each unhappy user can communicate that dissatisfaction to millions. Gmail could lose its user-base as quickly as it gained it. |
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