With the very loud criticism Facebook has been getting lately about its user privacy policy, coupled with Google calling them out for it, fuel has been added to the rumor that Google is planning to release its own social networking site, allegedly called “GoogleMe”. The rumor started earlier this year when Digg founder, Kevin Rose quickly tweeted, then deleted (see below) about the alleged site.
Still, the rumor persists. Added to that, inside sources have given credence to the rumor, saying that social networking is a high priority for the search giant. Personally, I think that Google would have a lot to gain by entering the social networking arena, and that the rumor is more than likely true. With all the speculation, many people have been talking about what a Google social networking site would look like. Some imagine that it would be a sort of cross between Google Wave and Buzz. While others think that it would end up being a Facebook clone.
In order to come up with any sort of reliable idea of what Google could bring to the table, I think that we have to look at what Google actually does. Since their number one mission is “Don't be evil”, we would have to look at what Google considers evil. Even though they are the number one leader and go-to site for information about anything, they aren't interested in being a quasi data-mining service in the same way that Facebook seems to be.
One of the needs that I would expect Google to address in their vision of social networking is this need for privacy. As more conversations are occurring over these types of sites, people are beginning to get frustrated because when you post something on your Facebook page, it is there for everyone to see forever. With Gtalk, the Google instant messaging service, there is an easy option to “Take the conversation off-the-record”, which means that both parties are unable to save the conversation. Even with Chrome, the Google web browser, you can open a privacy tab or open a private window so that you can browse the internet without leaving any sort of digital trail.
I would imagine that a Google networking site will favor function over form and be more about connecting users loosely, creating a real time sharing and connection site. Hopefully, it will allow users to create circles of contacts with varying degrees of intimacy. Imagine being able to share baby pictures with your extended family, party photos with your closest friends and professional information with business associates without having to share all of this with everyone equally.
A Google networking platform would, in my opinion, give each user a chance to see what information is available about them online. They would have the chance to add that information to their profile or delete it from the search result. It will provide a clear, user controlled, picture of who you are online. You would be able to link with friends, sites you like, add your Twitter feed, your Digg and reddit profile and everything else. My hope would be for a site that allows you to decide how, when and who you are when you connect with others. It might just change everything.
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By Melissa Kennedy- Melissa is a 9 year blog veteran and a freelance writer, along with helping others find the job of their dreams, she enjoys computer geekery, raising a teenager, supporting her local library, writing about herself in the third person and working on her next novel.
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