Rumor has it that Google are building a Social Media Site to compete with Facebook. It could be called GoogleMe
My first reaction to this was why? They aren’t really competitors are they?
However, there are some compelling arguments to suggest that Facebook is becoming a legitimate competitor to Google and that the logical thing for Google to do is to build a Social Media site.
There is no question that Google pays great regard to Web 2.0 sites in general and in particular, the bookmarking of sites by Social Media users on site such as Facebook.
Don’t ask me to explain Google’s search engine criteria to you in detail, I’d have more chance of discussing the ancestry and mating habits of the Peruvian Fruit Bat. However, some industry sources suggest that Search Engines themselves (including Google) run the risk of being compromised by large corporations simply buying page rank through back linking. The same industry sources suggest that the Search Engines have no real way of filtering out the practice.
If the trend continues, Search Engines run the risk of being seen by web browsers and consumers as Corporate advertising space.
If this were to occur, Facebook and similar sites become much more attractive to web users as the place to seek information and not just socialize.
Hence Google and other Search engines are providing more authority value to Web 2.0 sites.
But Google may be taking the next step and creating its own Social Media platform – if anybody could do it and challenge Facebook – Google has got the muscle to do it.
But…..
It strikes me that the really cool thing about Facebook (I’m not a frequent user) is that it grew naturally and people instinctively adopted it as a great way to communicate with their friends. The challenge for Google would be it’s comparative (and this is ironic) old staid image. How does a search engine giant present itself as a better Social Media outlet than the people who have branded themselves as THE Social Media place to be?
The question for the Internet Marketer is where will the traffic be in twelve months to two years time?
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I love this topic Mark. I’ve been following it closely for a couple of months now.
While I don’t think Google really has a shot at being a competitor for Facebook, I do think their site (if a reality) will be popular. There are so many Google fanatics, and I honestly really love some of Google’s tools. If they had a social media outlet for it’s Google fans, I really think it would be welcomed.
Facebook has been under scrutiny for a while now for the constant violation of privacy. I use Facebook almost daily, as do most people, so obviously the blatant disregard for privacy and ethical practices haven’t hurt their business much. But, I do think there needs to be a balance, another site with social potential that hopefully will be more considerate of their users’ privacy.
All that being said, I don’t think Google has a chance to knock Facebook out of the game… they’re a little too late to the social networking party. Google Buzz is lackluster, and unbelievably slow. Hopefully the project managers of the “possible” GoogleMe create an experience that is more user friendly and reliable.
Great post!