Google to Add Social-Network Elements
Google Inc. this fall plans to infuse its core products with elements of social networking, said Chief Executive Eric Schmidt, ratcheting up the Internet giant's rivalry with Facebook Inc. — Speaking Tuesday at the Google Zeitgeist conference in Scottsdale …
Context & Ripple Effects
Google had been signaling a social push since its 2010 approach to social, following earlier hints about a social-network plan in 2007. July coverage framed the effort as development of a Facebook rival, while August coverage raised the question of whether Google could execute in social networking.
The stated plan shifts the emphasis from a standalone rival toward embedding social features in Google's established products. That makes the contest with Facebook one over product integration as well as a separate social destination.
First-order effects
- Google users will encounter social-networking features across core Google products, making social activity part of services they already use.
- Facebook faces a more direct challenge from Google, whose planned rollout extends the rivalry identified in coverage of Google's Facebook-rival effort.
Second-order effects
- Google's product teams must coordinate identity, sharing and social features across core services rather than treat social networking as an isolated product.
- Facebook must defend user engagement against a competitor able to place social features inside widely used Google products.
Third-order effects
- If integrated social features gain traction, the market will favor platforms that use existing products and user touchpoints to distribute social interactions rather than relying solely on standalone networks.
The trend: Internet platforms are moving social functions from dedicated destinations into the broader product suites where users already search, communicate and share.