Oops! In spite of their best efforts to deny it, Google is turning into a portal (sort of). Google's new homepage customization features that were rolled out a few weeks ago are just another step towards becoming a full fledged portal, but if you ask Google, they'll tell you differently.
Back in February of this year I asked Google executive, Ron Carpinella, if they planned to shift towards more of a "portal" type of existence by offering customization features on their site. Carpinella was quick to say no. Next thing I know, Google is rolling out exactly that; portal style customization options for their homepage! But even as Google announced these newfeatures, theycontinued to assertthat this move by no means indicates that they plan to turn into another Yahoo! or AOL. According to Carpinella, their goal is to bring visitors into their site, and thenhelp them find information as quickly as possible so that they can then leave the site.
I have my doubts about this ideal that Google is pitching. While there is no doubt that the Google advertising model is raking in serious cash,I believethe companywill succumb to the temptation of adding portal features that can be monetized and therefore serve asan alternativesource of income. Only time will tell...