The whole world seems to stop. Google has such a hold on the internet that a bit of time down puts the online world in chaos! This doesn’t happen too often, but this morning issues with Gmail, Drive and Google+ have created a mass outburst of social network activity (not on Google+, of course) and people all over the world are left stranded for a while.
The first minutes
Google is the biggest online giant in the world, making its fails very significant. Especially for those of us who’s work lives in the web. I was working here, like any other day, when suddenly I noticed my Gmail was not working. I rush to find a solution and find out my equipment is not the problem! Could this be a Google issue?
Indeed it was. Soon after that my social networks were flooded with people who didn’t know what to do. People complaining, people freaking out, and my personal favorite – people having fun with the whole situation.
Competitors are the first to respond
Gmail is temporarily unavailable pic.twitter.com/KLNxcQ9zUP
— Yahoo (@Yahoo) January 24, 2014
And of course, competitors will not give up any opportunity to show Google’s errors to everyone. It may not seem like a direct attack, but Yahoo wouldn’t just give Google free coverage out of the goodness of their hearts, right?
What happens after?
After all is said and done, we have no option but to wait and try to find other things to do. After all, most times these issues only last a few minutes. It might be the best time for a break, or you could find other non-Google-related work things to accomplish! (Like the lady below).
What am I trying to say?
Hang in there—most of the issues w/ Google services have been resolved. Check the Apps Status Dashboard for updates: http://t.co/p9ChqMyEUn
— A Googler (@google) January 24, 2014
Google, like any other company, has its errors. They depend on technology for their business to work, and technology can be faulty. It doesn’t mean the world is over, your work is done for the day or that Google sucks.
Things are now slowly going back to normal, so you can be sure Google is working on bringing you Gmail and Google+ back. For now, don’t worry! It is not only you. The whole world was having problems with these services. Calm down and celebrate – you survived 2014’s first Google server issues! Or you know, go visit your neighbors. Say hi to old friends.
This whole situation does bring up an important question, though. What the hell did we do before Google?!
