Techcrunch, PC World, and several other websites have been reporting that this news broke on Twitter when Digg CEO Kevin Rose stated, "Ok, umm, huge rumor: Google to launch facebook competitor very soon "Google Me", very credible source."
That definitely sparked interest in the topic. Apparently Google has had this project in the works for awhile, suspecting that eventually Facebook's growth and fanbase would die down. But guess what? It hasn't. Oh snap!
At 500 million strong, Facebook has got the market locked up. So if these rumors of a possible contender are true, it would certainly be a David and Goliath kind of tale. Furthermore, as the article points out it will probably take a lot to get Facebook users to switch to another provider after they've invested so much in Facebook. Google Me will likely have to target those that aren't on social networks yet to build up a fan base. And Google's other past forays into the social media world haven't proved as viral as they assumed they'd be (Ex: Google Wave, Buzz, Orkut).
For my part I know that it's very unlikely for me to ever switch from Facebook. For one thing all my friends use Facebook and the whole point of a social network is to connect with friends. So unless there is a mass exodus from Facebook to Google Me, then I'm thinking it's not worth my time (assuming of course that these rumors are true). Not to mention all the photos and other content that I've spent time putting on my Facebook profile.
But who knows? Maybe Facebook will pull something dumb and upset a lot of people. Then there could be Google Me standing by in the wings with open arms. And frankly, that's where the advantage lies. Up until now when Facebook does something stupid (i.e. changing privacy policies) that elicits outrage, people can voice their opinions and protest, but they're unlikely to actually leave because there are no other better alternatives. Google Me could be that sole competitor to reach out to disgruntled Facebook users. Hmm well there's some food for though!
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3 comments:
It's true, Facebook is still thriving, but people are starting to get fed up here and there. What if the new Google Me had an application that helped you to move all your content from Facebook to Google Me? Cell phone providers help people switch carriers by handling the cancellation process for you, allowing you to keep your old number, etc. If Google Me had something about it that made it better than Facebook, had a better privacy policy, and would convert my content for me, I would switch.
Great post. I feel like all the talk to monetize Facebook and their disturbing privacy issues means that one (granted GIANT) misstep could lead to revolt if the new platform is superior. But considering the disaster that was Google Wave, I don't think it will happen anytime soon.
I agree - I can see annoyed Facebook users moving to Google Me if it had a better privacy policy, and I would count myself as one of them. However, I would probably still maintain a profile on Facebook just in case my friends didn't make the switch.
Allison and Professor Kumar mentioned that it would probably take a big mistake by Facebook to push users to Google's social network. I don't know if this is quite the blunder that would do it, but the latest post on Mashable is claiming that Facebook is "testing face detection technology" so that users can tag photos more easily. And while facial detection isn't the same as facial recognition, those commenting on the post are already up in arms, calling it "creepy" and anticipating privacy problems. You can read more here: http://tinyurl.com/3xw782o
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