TechMiso

When HoTMaiL launched in July 1996 it was unheard of to be running a “web services” business. The web-based tools we take for granted today were not available way back in the dark ages. In fact, web services were not even a glimmer in your father’s eye. In 1996 nobody envisioned transforming from operating system-based applications to in-browser-based applications. It was simply unheard of!

Fast forward to 2009 where much of what we do is in our web browsers. Email is by far the most utilized web-based product available today. It is ubiquitous. But there are a metric ton of additional web-based products used by millions of people each and every day. We have calendaring, task lists, photo galleries, photo editing, word processing, databases, spreadsheets, financial applications and more, all just a few keystrokes away so long as we have a connection to the grid.

For most of us, we establish our web-based services usage around our web-based email provider. This appears to be the most significant factor in our decision to use additional web-based products – if our email experience is good, then we are more apt to engage further offerings from our email provider. We find ourselves more comfortable sticking with a single provider rather than multiple.

Is putting all our eggs in one proverbial web services basket really a smart idea?

There are certainly benefits of sticking with a single provider. I recently spoke about how I consider myself a Google addict, so I have firsthand knowledge of this type of mentality – from one perspective at least. I also use a variety of independent web products, so I am not stuck on one provider.

What are the benefits of sticking with a single provider?

• Integration across products is probably the prime reason for sticking with a single provider. By having a number of different products run by a single provider, it is easy to offer integration across said products, thereby increasing the value of each product to the end user. There is no need to cut-and-paste data between disparate products because integrated products understand the data types and can offer the end-user useful ways to manipulate the data easily.
• Unified access to data is a feature we crave but are never really capable of properly articulating. We want to be able to access all our data from all the products offered by the provider. Unified data access is similar to integration, but differs in that it does not solely refer to integration across products. We desire the ability to access all of our data no matter where we are or what devices we are using.
• Interface familiarity allows for near-instant productivity – something not normally found with dissimilar products. By using products from a single provider, we know what to expect, where to expect it and the types of responses the products offer. That jarring feeling you get, which you may not necessarily acknowledge each time, is no longer present because the change from one application to another is not so drastic.

I think most of us like the idea of a singular provider so we unknowingly do our best to try and use all the products offered by, say, Google, Microsoft, Yahoo! or Apple. From a subconscious point-of-view, it just seems like the right thing to do even if it may not be in our best interests. But is it?

There are some good reasons for not using products from a single provider, but are they strong enough to be true detractors?

• Data loss is probably the number one reason. If Google goes under, and you primarily use Google products, then you can kiss all your data goodbye. This is the epitome of the “eggs in one basket” metaphor – simply put, if your provider were to disappear tomorrow so will your data!
• Inferior products are productivity killers. Your desire to use a particular product merely because it is a Google creation may be destroying your efficiency because there are superior products available from the competition. Does Google Calendar truly offer the better feature set than MobileMe or Yahoo! Calendar?
• Usage limitations, while similar to inferior products, may be an additional hindrance to a particular product. While you are enamored with Gmail and Google Calendar, you may find yourself severely restricted by the miniscule 1GB of storage offered at Google’s Picasa Web Albums. Usage limitations are a huge obstacle to overcome because additional storage or features do not come easy.

So what about you – are all your eggs in one web services basket? Do you find yourself more captivated by a single provider’s offerings or would you rather use an array of products from disparate vendors? What web services do you find yourself using more so than others?