Google is racing ahead in many ways, but in areas like blogging and RSS it lags.
Why is that? The reason, I submit, comes to one person — Evan Williams. (Picture of Ev by Nick Denton.)
Ev is doubtless a nice guy, a good writer, a regular blogger, and as co-founder of Pyra an historical figure. But as an executive he’s in the way.
What are you doing, he asks? Oh, that’s interesting. Let me write about it.
That’s not what executives do. They don’t have dinner with their competitors, pretending to be journalists, then actually perform journalism. They get reports from others, then give orders aimed at out-doihg those competitors. They strategize, they manage, they’re pro-active. Journalism, for the most part, is reactive.
Ever since Google bought Blogger, however, Evan Williams has remained at its head. That means he’s the company’s man on blogging, and he’s the company’s man on blogging-related technologies like RSS.
I have written before that he needs to move on, and Google needs to bring in someone with a Clue, and with the executive chops to get something done.
I’m asking again. I’m asking this of Larry Page and Eric Schmidt and anyone at the Googleplex who might listen. Why are your competitors racing ahead while you supposedly have the best piece on the board?
Make Evhead rich, and give his portfolio to someone who will do something with it.