As we all surf the web, it’s often easy to forget just how many other people are visiting the same sights, many of whom may have comments that they’d like to share. Sidewiki allows anyone to share those insights with fellow users. If you were visiting Google’s homepage, you might see something like this:

Notice that there is a Sidewiki button in the toolbar, as well as a small tab in the left hand margin.

Once one of the buttons is selected, the user has two options: Post an entry or read other’s comments.

Sidewiki – Post an Entry

Posting an entry to Google’s Sidewiki is simple and easy. First, you must obtain a free Google Account, which itself can be set up in seconds. Second, users must log into their Google Account. Third, provide a title and it’s off to the races. Google Sidewiki’s entry interface looks something like this:

Once an entry is published, contributors can share their post using email, Twitter, or Facebook:

If you have a blog with Google owned Blogger, your entries can be posted there as well.

Sidewiki – Reading

Reading others’ entries in Google Sidewiki is even easier than contributing a comment. No muss, no fuss and it’s as simple as reading others’ observations about the page in question. Here’s what I saw recently when checking out Google’s homepage:

There are certainly pluses and minuses from a tool like this.  On the plus side, there’s certainly some social media value in reading others’ comments on the page you’re viewing.  Additionally, the opportunity to share increases your trust when you tweet interesting information you find. On the down-side, people could misuse the tool and spam readers, or competitors can offer negative comments to a company site.

Again, this is a new tool and the full impact is yet to be determined. While some have initially dismissed it, I encourage you to experiment with it to draw your own conclusions. Give it a shot and let me know what your experiences are with it!

Paul Mosenson