Eric Schmidt said at the Google Zeitgeist conference that Google will add social features to the existing services, but it won't launch a standalone product to compete with Facebook.
"We're trying to take Google's core products and add a social component. If you think about it, it's obvious. With your permission, knowing more about who your friends are, we can provide more tailored recommendations. Search quality can get better. Everybody has convinced themselves that there's some huge project about to get announced next week. And I can assure you that's not the case," said Eric Schmidt, according to MSNBC.
Google's CEO also said that "the best thing that would happen is for Facebook to open up its data. Failing that, there are other ways to get that information."
Wall Street Journal speculates that YouTube is one of the services that will add more social features. For example, you'll be able to see when a video is watched by many of your friends.
Ever since Google Profiles has been launched, back in 2007, Google added social features to services like Google Maps, Google Reader, iGoogle, but failed to create a compelling interface that integrates all these features. The most important attempt to integrate Google's social services is Google Buzz and Google should focus on improving Buzz, create a standalone interface for people that don't use Gmail, adding more privacy features, introducing reciprocal friendship and building a meaningful social graph.
Until Google users can answer the question: "who are my Google friends?", Google will never be able to develop successful social services. Are they the Google Chat buddies, the contacts from the Friends group, the people you follow in Google Buzz? Google ignored for many years Gmail's contact manager and automatically added entries to the address book when you replied to Gmail messages. The problem was only solved when Google launched a business version of Gmail and users wanted to sync their contacts. Now Google will have to solve the friendship issue.
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Buzz got a lot of things right, but the privacy row was a bit of a distraction.
ReplyDeletethe new Twitter.com redesign basically updates Twitter to be more like Buzz. I prefer using Buzz but it's just not as well tied into other Web services (such as Tumblr). it works fine with Google stuff but that's about it.
as Eric himself says, Google needs to tap into the data on offer from Facebook. but I'm sure Facebook want to keep that to themselves (and their advertisers).
google has no social graph and it is now too late to build one. I think the best is for google to sell its company to Facebook and let that idiot mark zuckerberg run the combined company
ReplyDeletegoogle's products look like shit as well. facebook might not be a designers paradise, but its way beyond what google typically comes up with. google's sites scream engineer.
ReplyDeleteGoogle does look like (and was) designed by engineers. It's relatively uncomplicated and works. FB looks like it was designed by people over-eager to do something just because it's possible even when it doesn't add to the product. It's overly complicated. hard to tailor, has limited personalization and often very intrusive.
ReplyDeleteGoogle is a tool. Facebook is a toy.
@steeleweed
ReplyDeleteI love what you've said "Google is a tool, Facebook is a toy."
Yeah, I've got lots of solid leads and many customers from Facebook. Interacting with current clients, who I haven't seen/talked to in a while plus making connections with new people who become clients. This is my kinda "tool!" ;-) Clyde Lerner http://www.ITMComputing.com
ReplyDelete@steeleweed
ReplyDeletedon't get me wrong i like functionality, but they could make it looks a bit nicer. right now most of there stuff has the design sensibility of something from the mid 90s.
I have there is an option to turn all this stuff off, I am the least bit interested in this.
ReplyDeletefacebook's reign will be even shorter than google's reign. That is just the nature of the internet. I wouldn't put it past Apple to beat both google and facebook in the final game for domination
ReplyDeleteFacebook is not fully secured but is facility providing thats why is used... and if we come to security level, then there is no security.. can't you see what hackers do..
ReplyDeletegrabbing private info and then selling it,,
"the best thing that would happen is for Facebook to open up its data. Failing that, there are other ways to get that information."
ReplyDeleteI think if that happened, there would be a mass exodus out of Facebook. Facebook is popular precisely because it is private. I don't want everyone in the world knowing that I'm going on vacation, but I want my friends to know. If Facebook opened up all of my data to the open web, I would stop posting things on it.
oh, so it's just what yahoo did
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ReplyDeletegoogle dying ha ha
ReplyDeleteWe're [not all] waiting
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ReplyDeleteWell, that could help. Social media is in demand so better google will add or update their features too.
ReplyDeleteIs google me any good? I haven't tried it yet but I'm curious about it.
ReplyDelete"Google is a tool. Facebook is a toy."
ReplyDeleteNicely put.
Someone mentioned that Google has no social graph, but they actually do. They have been using the open XFN standards to build their social network. Some tools have been developed to explore this social network. These demos can be found at: http://code.google.com/apis/socialgraph/docs/examples.html
ReplyDelete