Musings on GoogleBook: What if Google were a social network?

This post has been sitting in my Drafts folder for the last six weeks. Given Arrington's scoop today, I thought I'd throw it out there to see if it sparked any conversation.

What they have:

• A personal front page (iGoogle)
• A web application framework (Gadgets)
• A lot of knowledge about my "networks" (relationships), namely
  1. my domain (via GAFYD)
  2. my groups (via Google Groups)
  3. my address book(s) (Gmail/Apps contacts)
  4. my "buddies" (via Gtalk)
  5. the events/meetings I'm attending (Calendar)
  6. subscribed calendars (Calendar)
  7. my stocks (Finance)
• Communications conduits (Gmail, Groups, Gtalk)
• Photos (Picasa)
• Videos (YouTube, Google Video)
• Blogs (Blogger)
• Classifieds (Base)
• A payment system (Checkout)
• An ad system (AdSense)

What they don't have:

• a Twitter/status app Google just bought Jaiku (9-Oct-07)
• a "Wall" app
• and most importantly: a way for apps to spread virally ("BJ just added the 'FOO' app", "Invite your friends to add the BAR app", etc.)

Discuss.

Comments

[Susan Scrupski]

Google still doesn't have a "sticky" user interface. Most things Google are kinda plain, no? I suppose they leave it to the individual to dress it up, but as you've seen even in our EI group, that doesn't happen much. I know Facebook sometimes is taken to task on the same criticism, but FB even with its current look and feel provides a nice user experience.

And, come on, even you don't believe Blogger counts, do you? ;-)

That being said. Definitely. This is a piece of cake for Google for the reasons you've outlined, if they can make the customer experience attractive. Worth the jump... for those of us who are Google loyalists anyway.

[Charlie Wood]

Susan,

Facebook certainly has a more cohesive UI, while some Google properties obviously get more attention than others. But I tend to think Google does UI very well when it cares enough to focus on it.

As for Blogger, it's recently gotten a lot of attention and upgrades after languishing for several years. And maybe most importantly from a Googebook perspective, it's already integrated with Google accounts and sports a full GData API.

Now if Google would just get around to opening an API into Gmail contacts...

-c

[Freedom of Choice]

Google should launch a networking site as millions of upset users of Facebook are now looking for an alternate site to use; not appreciating the new FB layout and the way they have been treating the users asking to maintain the old layout or at least the choice to choose between the two.

Below is an explanation of the situation:

The new layout has way more cons than it has pros...
The old layout was perfect and much more customizable..

All they had to do was add more security features on the back end... but they decided to get greedy and change the layout in a way that forces users do a lot more clicking, which means a lot more page views than before in order to accomplish the same thing.

Furthermore, the presentation of the application boxes on the "wall" page can no longer be customized like they used to... they are tiny and can no longer be expanded or minimized...

you have to load a bunch of whole new pages just to view what you used to be able to easily view on your one page.

VERY VERY ANNOYING CHANGES!!!

We now have to click a lot more times just to be able to see what we used to be able to see easily, all on one page... and mixing the wall with the mini feed: a really bad idea... it looks much more messy now...

But anyway... As we know the true motive is $... more page views = better ranking for FB = FB can ask for more money when companies want to place adds on their site ... right???

So why should they care if it is more practical or not for the user ? Their primary aim is the money they make off our clicks...

What if 30 Million users all disabled their accounts on OCT 1rst 2008 for a whole month? No more clicks on no more ads...Hum... Do you think FB would care then? Would they realize that they are making a big mistake?

That they have transformed a fuser friendly social environment into a dull, cold sectioned and much lest customizable environment where users now feel more like they are on a simple listing ... As pawns whose information can be easily and quickly extracted to then be sold to private companies for advertising or "Big Brother' purposes...

They have taken away the user's ability to give personality to their page and thrown the apps boxes on to a separate tab... No one is ever going to go click on that tab... apps such as "I like this song" are what gave a little more personality and life to profiles. While you can still add the box to the wall page, it is so small and ridiculous that you can hardly see even 1/5 of the content.....

Truly... They have simply reduced the users customizing powers over their chosen content ...

So not better, worse!!! No wonder MILLIONS are upset...

People are not against change... they are against BAD change... It is simple, if you give them more options (the add-on of the application bar at the bottom is a good plus so is the possibility to comment on "users' status") people will be happy, on the other hand, if you take away liberties people enjoyed and had grown accustomed to... of course people will be angry... It is logical...

Respice, adspice, prospice...Qui tacet consentire.

Thank you for reading.

Best regards