[asterisk-biz] Google's voice product [OT]

Tue Mar 17 15:51:11 CDT 2009

Great Point!

On Tue, Mar 17, 2009 at 3:42 PM, David Gibbons <dave at videon-central.com>wrote:

> I think we're overcomplicating things here.
>
> All they have to do is use their voice recognition software (you know, the
> one that we all train for free when we call 800-goog-411) to do basic
> transcription, and low and behold they have marketable data. Just like
> advertisers want to know what we do online, they will want to know what we
> walk about on the phone once that data is available.
>
> Advertisers would pay an arm and a leg to know every time someone mentioned
> their product on the phone and in what context they mentioned it...
>
> --Dave
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: asterisk-biz-bounces at lists.digium.com [mailto:
> asterisk-biz-bounces at lists.digium.com] On Behalf Of Garrett Smith
> Sent: Tuesday, March 17, 2009 4:19 PM
> To: Commercial and Business-Oriented Asterisk Discussion
> Subject: Re: [asterisk-biz] Google's voice product [OT]
>
> Google voice is not a business. It's a feature of a greater offering that
> may or may not come.
>
> You have to look at Google voice in the context of what Google is - an
> advertising company that wants to be a commerce company. To think that
> Google has ambitions past bolstering and or protecting their main income
> streams (ads) is far fetched at best.
>
> In order for Google to continue to drive ad revenues they need more
> advertisers. To do this they need to make it easier to create something that
> requires advertising (I.E. an online business).
>
> Slowly but surely Google is piecing together all of the components an
> entrepreneur or existing offline business needs to do business online. Sort
> of what eBay tried to do (but is failing at with) PayPal and Skype.
>
> Google offers a way to make a site (Sites), optimize it for search (Site
> optimizer, webmaster tools), advertise it (Adwords, Ad manager), track
> performance (Analytics) and take payments (Google checkout). Now sprinkle in
> hosted productivity and collaboration products like Google docs, and way to
> communicate (Google Voice, Google talk) you've got all of need to launch a
> basic business online.
>
> Today these all look like disparate offerings, but when put together they
> actually fit together well.
>
> Can Google execute on this? Don't know. That's their problem.
>
> But don't expect them to be a VoIP/voice provider in any traditional sense.
>
> Worse case they'll use Google voice as a way to cover the black hole
> created by online leads that are converted offline. Like what Ifbyphone is
> doing with their call tracking services (
> http://public.ifbyphone.com/services/call-tracking).
>
> It's a big problem for many marketers. Many of which would spend more if
> they new where all of their revenues were coming from.
>
> Garrett Smith
>
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>
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>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: asterisk-biz-bounces at lists.digium.com [mailto:
> asterisk-biz-bounces at lists.digium.com] On Behalf Of Peter Beckman
> Sent: Tuesday, March 17, 2009 1:46 PM
> To: Commercial and Business-Oriented Asterisk Discussion
> Subject: Re: [asterisk-biz] Google's voice product [OT]
>
> On Tue, 17 Mar 2009, SIP wrote:
>
> > The Pogue article is, as to be expected, gushingly lavish with Google
> > praise.
> >
> > Which leads me to a question:  how is this envisioned in the world of
> > consumer VoIP (is anyone even still IN that business) ?  The article
> > mentions that the entire service, single number, VoIP calling,
> > transcription services, etc. will be completely free and ad-free. Where,
> > then, is the business plan?
>
>  I'm sure there will be "Pro" features for a monthly fee, or they will make
>  enough money on International Minutes.  They might eventually include
>  advertising.
>
>  There are many things Google offers that don't cost you cash, but they
>  monetize it.  VoIP is making the telephony world a commodity, and it
>  continues to get cheaper.
>
>  Some of the things Google is doing will flow down to us, hopefully that
>  includes SMS abilities on SIP-delivered originated DIDs.  Since Google has
>  done it, they've set a precedent.
>
> > With its constant marketing steamroller, and its massive brand
> > recognition, I don't see, honestly, how 95% of the non-facilities-based
> > consumer voice products out there will stand up to it.
>
>  Google Voice fits a niche -- people who are willing to give up what has
>  been their primary number for years and get a new number, and then give
>  that out to everyone, and hope that in a year or two Google doesn't shut
>  down this little venture that nobody paid for and nobody seems to be able
>  to match.
>
>  It's not home phone service.  It's not a business IVR.  It is for the
>  individual to manage their calls.  They don't know it's VoIP, or if they
>  do, they don't care or don't know what that means.  It works for them, and
>  that's great.
>
>  Remember -- there's a company down the street quietly doing $20M annual
>  revenue for some obscure, I-never-thought-of-that business.  We small fry
>  do NOT compete with Google, we can't.  We provide unique services and find
>  the customers that like and need what we provide, and we do a nice
>  business for ourselves and our employees (and maybe our investors).
>
> > But how long will it be the way it is now -- free of charge for basic
> > services and ad-free? Is this a first salvo to slaughter the competition
> > as cleanly as possible before the shift in business models? I don't see
> > how even Google could sustain a product of this complexity and sheer
> > cost without SOME method of making that cost back, and if common models
> > of free to pay business marketing have taught us anything, it's that you
> > can't build a sustainable business model around a service which is
> > primarily free except for a few bits and pieces that might cost if
> > people bother to use them.
>
>  They will monetize it.  Maybe it will be advertising, but maybe it's just
>  to see how many people sign up and actually use it.  I've had my account
>  for a few years now, but I don't use it.  I never was ready to give up
>  control of my telephony to an unpaid service.
>
>  But Google will find a way to monetize Google Voice, directly or
>  indirectly, or will shutter it like Google Notebook in a few years.
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Peter Beckman                                                  Internet Guy
> beckman at angryox.com
> http://www.angryox.com/
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
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