Sidewiki’s Ups and Downs

On Wednesday, Google launched Sidewiki, a new comment subprogram. Using Sidewiki, users of Google Toolbar can post comment and discussion to any Web page they are drawn to. The comments appear in a sidebar column. Intimate

The release has sparked conflict, between those who view Sidewiki as a potentially valuable tool, and those who view it as Google reducing the value of web site content by, in essence, “outsourcing” comments to Google’s domain. Whatever the opinion, there is the additional caution of the perhaps-unmanageable hassle Google may endure in monitoring and administrating such a vast network.

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