I gave Google Page Creator a try today. It’s new, it’s slick, and it’s a 100% ‘Web 2.0′.
Remember Yahoo GeoCities‘ PageMaker online web page creation tool? Google Pages is strikingly similar, except implemented using a different web technology, and with a lot more restrictions than the already-restricted GeoCities. Then again, it’s ‘Beta‘.
You can see the quick page I whipped up here. It’s all ‘artsy’ and stuff. Well, it’s simple: a reflection of Google Pages itself.
In fact, I found it a little too simplistic - although the visual interface is clean and elegant, albeit slow, the major qualm I have about using this service is the frustrating inability to customize your template, not even the layout of text boxes. Sure, you can add images in them to spice things up, but there’s no way to rearrange them, nor any way to put images outside of the content boxes. Provision of 41 different themes does give the user some liberty to choose, but Google’s other hosting service, Blogger, already allows infinite customization with some simple manipulation of code - it’s no sweat to host a static page on blogspot.com.
Speaking of code, Google Pages does have a nifty feature for you to view the HTML formatting of your content boxes. But that’s only for your content. Unfortunately, the lack of editable CSS implies no changing of design elements.
About the slow interface: since this service is hosted entirely online, and you have full access with nothing but a web browser, you’d expect it to be a little sluggish. I only found the lag affecting performance when images were being processed. As everything needed to be downloaded, the large PNG files I uploaded were taking a while to load. I’ve since replaced them with more connection-friendly JPG images, and what a world of difference it makes. I’d suggest anyone trying to use Google Pages to skimp on bandwidth-intensive photograph or other media. I’m not quite informed about what file extensions are supported yet, though - but PNG and JPG images work well enough.
I can’t see where Google Pages fits in with Google’s burgeoning plethora of online tools - its other services, notably Blogger, are already capable of its output product. The only new ground it breaks is with its merits as a page editor - it’s fully online, yet functional enough for simple online publishing, user-friendly, and relatively fast (compared to Geocities’ editor). But isn’t it ironic, then, that this brand-new ‘Web 2.0′ tool only facilitates the creation of decidely first-generation, static, simple (not to mention boring) webpages? I doubt Google Pages in its current state (restrictive, un-innovative) is useful enough for the tech-savvy masses, who are already using (and enjoying) Google’s other services, to adopt. Somehow, I don’t envision newbies using it much, either.
Is it a white elephant? What do you think?
EDIT: I’ve found out that sites created with Google Pages can also be accessed at http://username.pagetastic.com/. For example, here’s mine. I’m not sure what are Google’s intentions for this, maybe some sneaky new marketing plan?
Tags: Google Pages, Google Page Creator, Google, Web 2.0
