Google's strategy for social media is annoyingly simple and brilliant.
Google knows that social networks, as they are defined today, are just a media fruit. They're a phase. And in the medium term (not too far away) the Internet itself will be a GIGANTESCA social network. And it's not going to be Facebook, LinkedIN, Hi5, Twitter or Google itself to define in the virtual world who our friends, acquaintances or “related” are. It's all of them!
Google has launched several tools that boost links and knowledge of social networks across the Internet. Whether on Facebook, Twitter, Google Reader, Gmail, Personal Blogs or any created content.
Using the Google Profiles, any user can add their name, websites and social networks to which they are part. From here Google does what you know best: research; research information about who our friends are on social networks and the Internet in general.
Based on this information, the Google Social Search presents results based on the contents and experiences of the people we know.
Again in a subtle way, Google ends up creating more than one feature. It probably ends up creating what will simply define social networks: the ability to search based on the information and experiences of who we identify.
As a consequence:
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** What is the true value of a Facebook?** I am Facebook skeptical... personally Facebook sucks me. Professionally... I care. But I believe that Facebook, today big, risks being tomorrow's AOL;
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- What is the future of search engines that base content on user experiences?* I'm thinking projects like Mahalo …
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- ♪ The end of the ♪ SEO ** and traditional Marketing?** If consumers are influencing the results of research by other consumers, what is the space for the brand to influence using traditional marketing?
Still on Google Social Search, a presentation by Marissa Mayer on the 2009 Web 2.0 Summit on October 22, where he announced the agreement with Twitter:
And to complement the explanation, a video of Matt Cutts: