Today, Cagan pointed me to Google Pages and Infogami.

I had heard of Google Pages a while back, with speculation that it was Google’s entry into the yellow pages space.  I think Google Local Search is more in the YP area.  Google Pages seems to me as an easy way to publish a page on the web, without the need for hosting services and HTML knowledge.  Very similar to any blogging service.  Unfortunately, Google Pages did not let me create an account – apparently, due to demand, they have frozen new accounts.

I was able to create an Infogami page.  For me, with no HTML or web development skills, the interface was less intuitive than that of TypePad.  However, I see that Infogami is a product of Paul Graham‘s Y Combinator, and that it’s organically related to Reddit, so I am confident that they will refine the product and end up successful.

Here’s the bottom line:  When web publishing keeps getting easier, the scope of the web expands.  This expansion feeds the search/find problem, which I see as the biggest challenge on the web (which, in turn, leads to the success of companies solving this problem, such as Google, eBay, Monster and Amazon).  However, when this expansion is fueled by Google, it gains context.  The next step may be templates, or even specific tags, in Google Pages for resumes, music, classifieds, or blogs.  Then we have a huge threat for the first generation of search/find solvers.

If I can use Google to search for resumes, which returns me the Google Pages (as XML files) of candidates meeting certain criteria, why would I need Monster?  Same for iTunes…  If any band can upload their music, tag it as required, it’s available to any searcher.

Connectedness and classification are the two biggest drivers of the next generation of web services.  We keep observing this change on the edge.