What do you Love?: Google (Why)

The "Why" do I love Google is even important than the previous post which was mostly a free and very liberal advertisement of Google and its services. The reason it is important is because this is the question I have been asked a few times (why am I such a big fanboy), and while I have always had my reasons, I never articulated them. So here we go:

1. The first and foremost is the UI of its services (or the lack of it). I mostly find the UI not getting in my way to do what I want to do. (though I didn't like the new Orkut interface and always preferred the older one). And once you get hooked to the interface, it is kind of difficult to accept any new interface, part of reason I always came back to Google after trying its alternatives.

2. Their services are well connected. What that means is that I can easily transfer and share my data from one place to another without much of a hassle. Another reason that made it difficult to use an alternative service.

3. One ID for all. And this polymorphism enables me to use its service without making yet another account. I mean why do I take trouble to make a Wordpress account (even though it may be better) when I have a ready-made blogger account?

4. They innovate. And at such mind blowing speed that sometimes it becomes difficult for the user to keep pace with it! Of course, this may be because they want to dominate the Internet or they don't want their competitors to gain market share, but to me as an end user, it's win-win situation.

5. Everything is free (well almost). And I like free! Especially when it's better than the next 'paid' service.

6. Of course, their main source of income is advertisements and hence while using their services one is bound to come across some. But they almost never are in your face (now compare it with a site like songs.PK which is so much riddled with advertisements that it is difficult to find out where the actual content is!). Besides I use Adblocker so I don't find the pesky ads.

7. I know mostly what they do is for their own profit, but they also keep user in mind (OK in most of the situations). And they have done some fantastic things without keeping profit in mind (promoting HTML5, open sourcing Android, and WebM & WebP codecs being a few of them). They also let users participate. Getting and working on feedback from them is a very important part of their working.

8. They support Open Source technologies. I do too!

9. This may sound weird, but part of the reason I love Google is because it is great competitor to some of the companies I don't like!

10. Another weird reason is that some people hate it because of it being a monopoly on Web, while I love to enjoy/defend it. Sometimes fanboys don't have rational reasons to justify their liking! :)

I know Google is not God. It has its shortcomings. But it has definitely made my life simpler and I love simplicity...