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VIDEOFive Reasons Google Can't Get Social
By
Michael Comeau
Sep 20, 2010 10:20 am
Social media is increasingly dominating the Web, but the search giant is going to have a hard time getting in on the action.
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If you’re doing business on the Internet these days, you better have the word "social" in your marketing plan because that’s where the eyeballs -- and dollars -- are going.
According to Nielsen, Internet users now spend more time on social networks than anything else, including email, online gaming, instant messaging, and video. Revenues for privately held social-media companies, including Facebook, Zynga, and Groupon, are going through the roof.
See Is It Time to Sell Google?
And Google (GOOG), the company that's dominated the Internet over the past decade, wants in.
Google knows better than anyone that social media is increasingly dominating the Web. After all, the number-one destination for Google users is actually Facebook.
Google’s had one high-profile social-media flop with Google Buzz. If you’ve never used it, be glad, because it's one of the most unusable Web applications I’ve ever used.
There are two possibilities for Google’s next social adventure.
Previously, it was thought that Google would take another shot at making a Facebook killer.
However, according to TechCrunch, Google’s next big social project, Google Me, will “produce an activity stream generated by Google products.” This echoes comments made last week by CEO Eric Schmidt at the Google Zeitgeist conference that the company will be adding “a social layer” to its services.
But whether Google Me is simply an add-on to existing services or a comprehensive Facebook-like application, I see five distinct challenges to Google succeeding in the social-media world:
1. Google Is Reacting
We’re gradually transitioning from a search-dominated Web to a social-dominated one -- a world where Google is most certainly not the boss.
With social, Google’s strategy is being forced by smaller companies that are taking rapidly growing chunks of the online-advertising market.
This is a 180-degree turn because we’re used to seeing Google serve as disruptor. Google’s helped blow holes in all sorts of traditional media and advertising channels -- but now it’s the one playing defense against a massive sea change in how people consume content.2. Google Isn't a People Company
Google is an engineering company. But unlike Apple (AAPL), it doesn't wrap its engineering genius in warm, fuzzy packaging that's easily digestible by the masses.
Google Buzz failed because it required far too much thinking to get started and figure out what’s going on. Google’s employees may simply be far too intelligent to imagine what regular people want and need.
Creating a powerful social-media application starts with an idea, not IQ. Engineering prowess can be purchased as needed, creativity is the real driving force.
3. Google Products Aren’t Much Fun
The idea of an “activity stream generated by Google products” doesn't seem particularly fun or interesting.
If you take a look at Google’s full suite, you’ll see why. Google’s best-in-class products, like Search, Docs, and Analytics, aren’t really made for sharing -- they’re made to enhance your productivity and help you make money.
Everything else is already easily shared via Facebook or Twitter anyway.
4. Google’s Priorities Are Mixed
At Zeitgeist, Scmidt had this to say:
We're trying to take Google's core products and add a social component... if you think about it, it's obvious. With your permission, knowing more about who your friends are, we can provide more tailored recommendations. Search quality can get better.
It’s obvious that Google views social within the context of search, which is a mistake, because the user experience should come first.
Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn have succeeded because each one’s primary function is to connect people -- not to serve as a support mechanism for another business line. Monetization can’t be the primary objective.
5. Facebook Is Really Dang Good
Facebook now has more than 500 million users, constituting a large portion of the world’s Internet-using population, with strong presences on both traditional computers and mobile devices. Facebook Connect, which allows users to connect their Facebook accounts to other websites, is now integrated into tens of thousands of Internet properties.
Facebook has achieved critical mass, and that’s awfully hard to dislodge.
When I was in high school, computers were for nerds only. But in 2010, you’re an oddball if you’re not on Facebook.
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