What a bizarre topsy-turvy world we will have in our near future with Facebook doing search and Google doing social networking. But how can Facebook expect to steal any of the serious search traffic from Mr. Google and likewise, how can Google expect to hang with the kids in anywhere near as natural unforced manner as Facebook has achieved?
Unless you haven’t heard already, Facebook looks as if it’s gearing up to have a go at doing search a bit more seriously, using their Open Graph. This would bring more actual wider web search results into Facebook search results and would pave the way for Facebook SEO. This would mean instead of ‘link building’ you would need to start ‘like building’ in order to rank in Facebook’s social brand of search.
While in the Google camp, they are rumoured to be readying the launch of a social networking service called ‘Google Me’ in the near future. You would think they had learned their lesson though after the failure of Buzz and Wave, but to be fair, they pretty much have all the information they need on you to make a page without you now so they may as well do it officially.
Now, in all seriousness Facebook can’t really think they will ever be a rival to Google for search. Would you trust results Facebook brought you for your research project based on the things that people ‘like’, when the most popular video on YouTube is of a kid biting another kid’s finger? The only way Facebook’s semantic search will work is if it uses its huge following to produce a powerful extra search dynamic for its partner search engine. If Facebook keeps to what it knows, people could have two completely separate ways of searching. Serious search and fun search. But you and I both know, the two monster companies will never settle for anything short of complete world domination.
‘Google Me’, if it is real, will never work. You can’t build a bespoke social hang-out next door to an already established one which has been building loyal members for several years and expect them to migrate next door. People love Facebook. And you can’t buy love.
The best outcome we can hope for in the midst of this misty standoff, is that Google get better at social and semantic search, as this really is a valuable search field, if not always an accurate one. And that Facebook’s service improves its less than useful search function. But if either really thinks they can take on the other and win, then they are just pure crazy.
Stick to what you know boys!
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Chris Lang
28 Jun, 2010
I highly disagree. Let’s look at it from another angle.
Google Wave did not fail, it was marketed incorrectly as a social platform to Twitter and Facebook users. That was a big mistake Google. It is now fully available in Google Apps for businesses and getting great reviews from those who need a collaboration platform. Gwave is not for the average Internet user though, you are right about that.
However, 3 million college kids come back to school this fall and every one of them have a Google Apps account. Google Wave will be highly used in higher education. It is already very popular there now. 3 million users out of 8 million college students in the US alone will be using Gwave as part of their classroom tools.
Google Buzz got bad press but it is now gaining ground rapidly as a discussion platform. We are having awesome success with Buzz and build a huge following rapidly. Buzz is not Twitter or Facebook, it is more like a forum.
But as far as claiming a platform that we have not even seen a failure may be short sighted.
They said the same thing about Gmail, the thought of advertising where our newsletters are read had everyone up in arms 6 years ago, now it is the best of the online clients.
Look back to the blog posts about Twitter and Facebook when they were launched on TechCrunch. Everyone hated the idea of Twitter and Facebook. TC even predicted failure. Look at them now.
Also consider Google made $2 billion in profits the last two quarters. Twitter and Facebook have yet to post a real profit. Advantage Google.
Very visible and famous tech gurus like Robert Scoble and Leo Leport are using Google Buzz highly and creating interesting threaded conversations.
You just have to know where to look to see that Google has a different slant of social interaction. If you would like me to recommend some links just let me know.
The question is, can Google bring something new to the table with Google Me?
Total Comment by Chris Lang: 1
Adam
28 Jun, 2010
Thanks for your comment Chris.
It is clear from your comment and from your website that you have much invested in Google and its social features, so I am not surprised that I have touched a nerve. While I appreciate that Google Wave and Buzz have a following and have something different to offer people looking for alternative ways to interact and collaborate, Google’s end goal was clearly to take on Facebook at their own game, and so far they have failed. Hence the new attempt with ‘Google Me’.
Google Wave may have uses, but with coming up on half a billion users, Facebook trumps Google’s 3 million Wave using college kids, who probably all have Facebook accounts anyway.
‘Google Me’ will fail to make any significant ground on Facebook because it has been done. The fact Facebook user numbers are still growing in spite of the recent privacy debacle shows they have built true brand loyalty, something which is hard to break. Google just wishes it had got in there first. People were sceptical about Facebook and Twitter when they first arose was because they were something new and people don’t always trust new things. However, they blossomed because they were original and people enjoyed using them and have grown to love them. Even if Google do manage to come up with a better slant on social networking, then they will still find it hard to get anywhere near Facebook’s numbers.
You mentioned profits. What people don’t seem to understand is that people don’t go to social networking sites to be sold to, especially not ‘secret‘ ones. They go to escape and connect and share with friends and family, not buy shoes. While there are plenty of ways to sell things through social networking, it needs to be more subtle and engage with users first and foremost. Facebook may or may not make a profit in the future, but for people who use social media for what it was intended, won’t care either way.
Can Google bring something new to the table with ‘Google Me’? Probably, but everyone will be too busy on Facebook to come to the table.
rocky
29 Jun, 2010
check this cool Facebook ‘like’ stamp http://alturl.com/tpsc
Total Comment by rocky: 1
pj
1 Jul, 2010
I sure hope Google Me lets us design our page with a background and has music like myspace does. There’s no way for us to express ourselves creatively on facebook. It’s frustrating and boring in that respect.