Dejected iGoogle Users Create Petitions to Save the Doomed Product

Since Google announced that it’s going to be closing down its personalized homepage product, iGoogle, not everybody has been welcoming of that news. In fact, some are downright angry and upset. ...
Dejected iGoogle Users Create Petitions to Save the Doomed Product
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Since Google announced that it’s going to be closing down its personalized homepage product, iGoogle, not everybody has been welcoming of that news. In fact, some are downright angry and upset. Since Google slipped the announcement through Tuesday afternoon, Search Engine Roundtable’s Barry Schwartz points out that the Google Search Forum section for iGoogle Personal Homepage topics has been inundated with posts protesting Google’s decision to end iGoogle. The original announcement from Googler Conrad alone has 1025 posts and 6040 views. In all, it looks like there have been around 300 posts created about iGoogle’s demise.

As it goes, people apparently really liked having a control panel for all of the Google products they use. Who knew? Here’s what some of them are saying:

  • I am flabbergasted by Google’s decision to drop iGoogle I have used it daily as my homepage since it’s initial launch and have no clue what I might use as a similar alternative.
  • Conrad, please do NOT kill iGoogle. I use it as my browser home page for my office desktop, home laptop, GNex and Android tablet. It perfectly aggregates my feeds and information from my favorite sites – and it how I learned about iGoogle being killed off.
  • I am switching to Netvibes and washing my hands with Google. Time after time they cancel or change services I use and I’m tired of it.
  • What was the point of “supporting iGoogle over the years”, when the “support” of tens of millions of users simply ends up with the plug being pulled?
  • Nice, get rid of the ONE thing I use daily… Good thinking, Google, I love it. What a bunch of dummies.
  • I’ve tolerated a lot of google changes. And not all have been bad. Overall, I think I’ve been pretty accepting of change, but this goes way too far.
  • really bad move google. i will never have a smart phone, so your blithe expectation of me to use apps to replace igoogle is misplaced at best.
  • Incredibly bad move. Have used iGoogle for yeras. Will now try to find an alternative to all google products as soon as I can….
  • Dude, this sucks! iGoogle is my home page on every computer I own and synchronizes everything between work and home.
  • Truly insane. You can’t tell me the meager resources used to keep what is basically a glorified newsreader up and running would seriously impinge upon Google’s other projects. I’ve defended Google for many years, but no longer. It’s a very poor practice to junk a product without an alternative waiting in the wings. Shame on you for basically abandoning users like me.
  • Sad news. I wish they would’ve discontinued Google+ instead.
  • Uh the whole RATIONALE behind retiring iGoogle is ‘eroding’ support. Really, Really, More like you just wanting to push the app store out there.
  • There’s about a thousand other posts just like these, plus all of the other threads that users have created to hawk up their disapproval of Google’s decision. Honestly, I haven’t seen a public display of rejection like this since Cleveland reacted to Lebron James’ decision to skip town and head to Miami.

    What’s more, eight petitions have been created on change.org in hopes of convincing Google to not shut down iGoogle. The most popular one has already reached 949 signatures of its incredibly ambitious goal of 5,000,000. That’s a whopper of a goal to collect, but maybe not that unrealistic given that iGoogle won’t even close down for another 17 months. Who knows, maybe enough disgruntled iGoogle users will band together and at least come close to reaching that goal if not achieve it altogether.

    Even if iGoogle users do manage to rally enough supporters to say, “Hey Google, don’t send iGoogle to sleep amongst Crystal Pepsi and slap bracelets in the Land of Rejected Fun,” since when has Google actually listened to public opinion when it comes to decisions about its products? Google stonewalled everybody about its new privacy policy earlier this year and that public outcry was much, much louder than the iGoogle protest.

    Then again, is iGoogle really dragging Google down? Hardly. What harm could be done by allowing the faithful iGooglers to keep this product? If the iGoogle users want their MTV, Google, you should probably go ahead and let them have it.

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