Tag: Google Me

Google’s Social Layer May Be a Toolbar

Update: A screenshot of what this toolbar might look like has appeared. Google of course says it is always testing features, and has nothing new to announce.

Original Article: There have been a lot of rumors and a lot of speculation around a "social layer" that Google is supposedly adding to many of its products. Little has been known about Google’s planned implementation and the functionality of this social layer, and a great deal of talk has been around the name itself.

MG Siegler at TechCrunch, who learned this week that the product was allegedly being referred to internally as "Emerald Sea", is now saying that the name has already evolved again to "Google +1" according to some sources or "@Google" by others, one of which, he says could end up being the final name.

None of the sources are named so we can only take the suggestions for what they are: rumor. I’m just going to keep referring to it as the "social layer" until we hear something different from Google itself.

What it MIght Be

The name isn’t that important though. It’s that aforementioned implementation and functionality that will really matter, and Siegler claims to know a bit about that now as well, reporting:

In its current state, Google +1 is said to be a toolbar that appears across many of Google’s services. That is said to include their Chrome web browser. Though one source says they believe it will be a Chrome extension, rather than being fully baked into the browser — at least for now. And while +1 should start on Google properties, the idea would be get other sites to implement it too — perhaps like Facebook’s Like button and other social widgets.

Again, we can only consider this rumor for now, and in all likelihood, Google doesn’t even know for sure how it will implement its new social layer. The launch has already reportedly been pushed back to Spring of next year. They want to get it right. They need to.

Assuming that this does turn out to be a toolbar across Google services (and potentially across other sites), is this the right approach? To be honest, I’m not sure how I feel about it. I’m looking around at various Google products and trying to visualize what it might look like, and quite frankly it’s not that great, but I’m not going to judge a product that is just a rumor at this point, based on my own imagination of what it could be.

Google does need to find a way to tie its products together more efficiently and get people to notice that they’re tied together. As far as getting onto other sites, it’s hard to see how they could make this work any differently than they’re existing offerings. They already offer "Buzz" buttons, Google Friend Connect, etc. We’ll just have to wait and see.

On a related note, Google co-founder Sergey Brin is reportedly getting involved with the product.

December 8, 2010
“Google Me” Social Layer Reportedly Called “Emerald Sea” Internally

Update: Google is already calling "Emerald Sea" something else according to a report.

Original Article: It’s been widely discussed for months now: Google is working on some kind of social strategy that would presumably be the company’s latest shot at trying to take on Facebook. Of course the company itself has never presented it this way, but the lines aren’t too hard to read between.

It was originally thought that Google was simply working on a full-fledged social network, but CEO Eric Schmidt would later indicate that this wasn’t exactly the case, and that Google was working on adding a "social layer" across many of its existing offerings. This would actually make a great deal more sense, given that when combined, many of Google’s existing products would make up one giant social network. That and Google Buzz hasn’t exactly set the world on fire.

Google has worked to bring its offerings together for users under a single Google account – meaning if you log in to Gmail, you’re also logged into YouTube and everything else. The new social layer should connect many of Google’s services like never before. However, few details are known about how Google intends to implement such a layer.

The social layer has been known as, and commonly referred to throughout the Blogosphere (since even before it was known to be a social "layer") as "Google Me". That changes now, as MG Siegler at TechCrunch reports that it is now being called "Emerald Sea" internally at Google as it is being tested. He claims to have confirmed this with 4 unnamed sources. There was initially some confusion over whether it was actually "Emerald City" or "Emerald Sea", but it would appear that it is indeed "Sea", which as Siegler points out is the name of a John Ringo novel.

I’m not familiar with the novel, but here is Amazon’s product description of it if you want to take a crack at drawing conclusions for Google’s choice in name:

The fast-paced sequel to There Will be Dragons is a rollicking adventure above and below the high seas with dragons, orcas, beautiful mermaids-and the irrepressible Bast the Wood Elf, a cross between Legolas and Mae West. Duke Edmund Talbot has been assigned a simple mission: Go to the Southern Isles and make contact with the scattered mer-folk-those who, before the worldwide collapse of technology, had altered their bodies in the shape of mythical sea-dwelling creatures. He must convince them to side with the Freedom Coalition in the battles against the fascist dictators of New Destiny. Just a simple diplomatic mission. That requires the service of a dragon-carrier and Lieutenant Herzer Herrick, the most blooded of the Blood Lords. Because New Destiny has plans of its own.

Is Facebook the "fascist dictator" in Google’s scenario? Maybe. It’s interesting considering the recent public disputes over data exporting between the two companies. We don’t know for sure if the book is what Google even got the name from. In fact, we don’t even know how reliable Siegler’s sources are, but it is what it is. Make of it what you will.

Earlier this week, it was reported that Google has pushed back its launch of "Google Me" or "Emerald Sea" or the "social layer" (whatever you want to call it) to Spring 2011. Chances are it will not be called "Google Me" or "Emerald Sea" once it’s actually announced. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if it was more a gradual sprinkling in of social elements to Google products as opposed to a main launch anyway. One could argue that this has already begun.

If a main push is indeed coming in the Spring, that gives Facebook that much more time to continue to build on its head start in owning online and social identity (which the company appears to really be pushing for based on this Facebooker’s call for an end of online anonymity).

December 2, 2010
Report: Launch Of Google’s Social Project Delayed

Although rumors surrounding something that might be called "Google Me" have swirled for months, few onlookers have claimed to know anything solid about Google’s social media effort. Now there seems to be a good reason why: conflict within the company is apparently rather intense.

Ben Parr reported earlier, "Mashable has learned that Google’s big social play could debut in March or April, a far cry from earlier rumors that pegged a 2010 launch date."

Then here’s the key point, as a postponement could have occurred due to Google waiting out Christmas or applying polish: Parr later added, "So what is causing the delay? The likely culprit is disagreement on the design, purpose and execution of the project. One of our sources told us that he/she has heard ‘tales of disorganization and too many different teams working parallel or in conflict.’"

That’s not great news for Google. The company’s had enough trouble in the social arena even when it had absolute faith in its products (remember all the hype surrounding Wave?). Show-stopping quarrels over something can’t constitute a positive sign.

We’ll see what happens, in any event. And perhaps Google will actually start to share a few details as the project moves further along in development.

November 30, 2010
“Google Me” is Probably Already Bigger Than Facebook

The world discovered a little bit more about this mysterious "Google Me" project this week, when Googlers, including CEO Eric Schmidt opened up (just a little bit) at the company’s Zeitgeist event.

The main thing that has been revealed is that Google Me will not be a new social network from Google to try and compete with Facebook, but rather a "social layer" added to existing Google products. If you think about it, this strategy makes more sense, as Google already has many of the features of a great social network in its various properties. As I’ve said over and over again, integration among these is the key, and "Google Me" just might turn out to be that integration that connects Google’s offerings, effectively making Google itself the social network.

Who has the competitive edge? Facebook or Google? Share your thoughts here.

Michael Arrington at TechCrunch was able to pick up one specific detail from unnamed "sources who’ve worked with Google on the product". They say that Google Me will produce an activity stream generated by all Google products, and that Google Buzz has been rewritten to be the host of it all.

I’m guessing the existing Google Profiles, which already host the Google Buzz content will be central.

Nick O’Neill at AllFacebook thinks photos and videos are going to be key elements in the competition between Google and Facebook. He writes, "Between tagging and the feed exposure, photos account for the largest percentage of Facebook users’ time on site. While video is also increasing, photos were responsible for most of Facebook’s initial growth. In fact Facebook Photos now has more market share than all the competitors combined (including Google-owned Picasa). Google also clearly has another massive weapon in their arsenal: YouTube. The video site is by far the most popular of all video sites in the world."

"YouTube is so popular that it ranks just behind Facebook in Alexa’s ranking of the most popular online sites," he adds. "YouTube is also a relatively social experience to begin with, however there is most definitely plenty of room to grow."

YouTube is easily the greatest asset Google has in terms of social media. You may recall that YouTube began requiring all users to have a Google account. That’s no coincidence, I’m sure.

So let’s compare Google (as one big social network) to Facebook, feature by feature.

Facebook has the news feed. Google is reportedly working on the activity stream. Facebook has chat. Google does too (text, voice, and video). Facebook has photos. Google does too, with Picasa Web Albums and various other complementary photo-related offerings. Facebook has videos. Google has YouTube (and Google Video). Facebook has notes. Google has Blogger. Facebook has Pages. Google has Profiles. Google has email. Facebook may at some point (MySpace just added it last year). Facebook has games. Google is working on getting more. Facebook has news publications setting up Pages. Google has Google News. Facebook has the Open Graph. Google has search (all kinds of search…and maps).

Facebook has Facebook Ads. Google has AdWords, AdSense, and Doubleclick. Facebook has applications. Google has Google Apps, the Apps Marketplace, Android, the Android Marketplace, Chrome, Chrome OS, the Chrome Web Store, Google TV which will support Android apps and web apps. Google is also trying to get a music service off the ground. And let’s not forget Google Calendar and Google Reader – two very user-personalized products.

That’s not everything, but I think that covers a pretty big chunk of what people want to use social networks for. I’ve got to say, on paper, I have to give Google the advantage. When you combine all of Google’s offerings, I wonder how that user base stacks up to Facbook’s 500 million. Yahoo claims 600 million. I’m guessing Google’s number is pretty high, but unfortunately, we don’t know what that is.

People have often talked about Google’s "social media failures", but Google just may have the biggest social network of all, so I’ll reiterate: it’s all in the integration. Google just needs to make it happen in a way that people can clearly see it all come together and actually use it all together.

Speaking as both a user of various Google products and a user of Facebook, I’m fairly certain that they will co-exist just fine.

Will Google finally get social right? Tell us what you think.

September 22, 2010
Facebook Places, the Competition (Including Google) & Your Business

A great deal of attention has been put on what Facebook Places means for the future of other check-in apps. This discussion has been around as long as the rumors of Facebook launching a location feature, which have been swirling for quite some time.

Will you check in with Facebook Places? Let us know.

A lot has also been made of the increasing competition between Facebook and Google, Facebook Places adds a whole other dimension to this battle.

Google Places and Facebook Places

Greg Sterling at Search Engine Land compares Facebook Places to the similarly titled Google Places (a comparison that will draw a lot of attention going forward as the competition between Google and Facebook continues to heat up). As Sterling notes, businesses can claim their pages on both and use them for promotion. He writes:

"Facebook’s Chris Cox told me that the company has created Places pages for local businesses (hundreds, thousands?). Eventually Fan Pages and Facebook Places will merge in a majority of cases. And, as mentioned, Facebook Places pages will live on the Web as well in mobile, though the locus (so to speak) of activity is bound to be mobile.

Facebook Places will replace Facebook Fan Pages for local businesses once a business has claimed its Facebook Place page. All of these pages and the product itself relies on the Localeze database, which is also at the core of the much-less-developed Twitter Places.

Businesses should win regardless, as now they have more massive places to market their businesses online and via mobile that will potentially reach a lot of people.

Bing Maps and Facebook Places

The graphic Facebook showed in its blog post announcing Facebook Places showed Google Mps, but Bing Maps has a great presence throughout the feature. Facebook uses Bing Maps to pinpoint everyone’s location-based experiences.

"Select the Places button, find the location where you are and check-in," says Chris Pendleton of Bing. "Just like that, the check-in will flow to your profile on Facebook.com complete with a Bing Map, a pin of your location and any commentary you’ve added to your check-in."

Bing gets to pick up its nice bit of branding here, which could help it in its own competition with Google

Effects for Fousquare (and other check-in apps)?

Foursquare has pretty much dominated the check-in app space up to this point, but half a billion users is going to be hard to compete with. Here’s what CEO Dennis Crowley told Silicon Alley Insider:

We already allow users to publish their 4SQ checkins into the Facebook News Feed and we’ll eventually going to allow users to push them into the Facebook Checkin Feed. I’d imagine we’ll prob pull FB checkins into 4SQ too. We’re in the middle of a redesign and some new feature launches, so we’re going to get thru those before getting started on FB integration.

Foursquare (and other apps in this space) still might be in trouble. The phrase "check-in fatigue" has already been thrown around a lot. Whether or not people will continue to use other services in addition to checking in with Facebook (assuming that they do use Facebook’s feature) remains to be seen.

It does seem interesting that there is a 4 inside of a square in Facebook Places’ logo (above right), as Alexia Tsotsis points out.

When asked about a potential Android release for Facebook Places, a Facebook representative would only say, "At this time, the Places application is available to people in the United States with mobile access to the Facebook application for iPhone or touch.facebook.com. Places is also available on browsers with HTML5 Geolocation, which is supported on devices like the iPhone, iPod Touch, Android devices and the Blackberry Torch. Places will be rolled out more broadly and to other mobile devices and the web in the future."

For more on how Facebook Places stands to benefit your business, read here.

Do you like the idea of Facebook Places or do you think it’s a waste of time? Share your thoughts.

August 27, 2010
Google Wave – Ahead of its Time or Just Another Failure?

Google Wave may be going away, but it is highly unlikely that the web has felt its presence for the last time. As Google said in its announcement, the company will "extend the technology for use in other Google projects."

Were you able to find a reason to use Google Wave? Tell us about it.

It will be interesting to see if the technology still goes by the name "Wave", but I have little doubt that some of the innovations we’ve seen in Wave will be popping up in various Google offerings in the form of new products and new features to existing products.

Google’s aim with Wave was to replace email. That didn’t happen, and frankly, I have a hard time believing that too many people bought into that one, but that didn’t change the fact that Wave did some interesting things. One only had to watch a demo or two from someone who knew what they were doing to see its potential.

The question is where will Wave fit into the Google universe if not as its own product? Gmail? If replacing email was the plan, it would make sense that some Wave-like features appear in Gmail, especially given Google’s penchant for adding features (and labs experiments) to it.

How about "Google Me"? It’s still unclear what Google is up to with this rumored social media project that everyone has been considering the company’s move to rival Facebook, despite no announcments from Google or any real evidence. Wave certainly has social (not to mention realtime) elements that could factor into a broader social networking plan.

Here are a few significant moves by Google that may also contribute:

– Google is getting into gaming. Besides a reported investment in Zynga and talks with Playdom and Playfish, the company has reportedly agreed to acquire game company Slide.

– All YouTube users will be required to have a Google account

– Google is letting users sign into multiple accounts at the same time from the same browser. This could be big for businesses wanting control over multiple accounts more conveniently.

– One of the biggest trends in social media right now is that of checking in. Well, Google is focusing on that too with its Google Places API.

Of the company’s social media plans (apparently being run now by Vic Gundotra), Eric Schmidt says that Google isn’t looking to create another Facebook. "Facebook versus Google…We’re not trying to do what Facebook does. The world does not need another Facebook," he is quoted as saying.

Well, some privacy advocates may disagree with that (though Google’s reputation for privacy doesn’t exactly have the best track record). Either way, regardless of how Google pitches whatever strategy it has (not another Facebook), the fact remains that Facebook is eating up much of consumers’ time online, and that is no doubt time that Google would prefer be spent with their properties. So from that standpoint, Google vs. Facebook is very real. It’s about mind share, and ultimately about advertising. If Facebook ever uses the Open Graph to build its own AdSense-like network, then it will really be real.

But back to Wave’s role in Google’s future. How about Chrome? Wave functionality from the browser? Chrome OS? Wider adoption could be more easily achieved from the browser or the operating system. Any of this could be tied to whatever "Google Me" turns out to be, as long as it is connected by a Google Account.

People will call Wave a failure and stick it in the box of past Google social media failures, but Wave (or at least some of the concepts behind it) will be felt in the future.

"We liked the (user interface) and we liked a lot of the new features in it (but) didn’t get enough traction, so we are taking those technologies and applying them to new technologies that are not announced," CNET quotes Google CEO Eric Schmidt as saying. "We’ll get the benefit of Google Wave but it won’t be as a separate product."

Is it just me or does Google seem to be pulling the plug on Wave a little early? Could they already have a specific new strategy in mind for it that they’re already moving forward on?

What do you think about Google Wave? Sad to see it go or good riddance? Share your thoughts.

August 6, 2010
Google Users Can Sign Into Multiple Accounts

Alex Chitu at Googler Operating System has spotted a new Google feature that should please a lot of users. Some accounts now have an option for multiple sign-in, meaning they can log in to more than one Google account from a single browser at the same time.

This is likely more than just a test, because Google has information about the feature in its Help Center. It is probably just a matter of time until all users have the option.

At this point, it looks like the only Google products that support the feature are App Engine, Google Code, Google Calendar, Gmail, Google Reader, Google Sites, and Google Voice, with Google Docs support coming soon. Other products will simply default to the first account you signed into from the browser.

Multiple sign-in will affect any offline activity you have connected to a Google account. Google offers the following warning:

Enabling multiple sign-in will disable Offline products like Offline Gmail and Offline Calendar, as well as any browser bookmarks you’ve set to link to your accounts. If you use Offline Gmail, make sure to sync your offline mail before enabling multiple sign-in so you don’t lose any messages in your outbox. If you would like to continue using Offline Gmail, Offline Calendar, and browser bookmarks linked to your accounts, do not enable the multiple sign-in option. If you have already enabled multiple sign-in, you may disable it.

I’m only speculating here, but this feature could play a significant role in Google’s rumored "Google Me" social network initiative. Being able to easily operate multiple accounts would make it easier for users to manage multiple business-related accounts, while keeping them separate from personal accounts – like being able to control your business’ Facebook Page while being logged in as yourself. Google also recently announced that all YouTube users would be required to have their accounts tied to Google accounts.

Google has yet to officially announce the multiple sign-in feature, but we can probably expect that they will do so shortly. More info is available here.

August 3, 2010
Have Google’s Plans Fallen Into the Wrong Hands?

According to Michael Arrington, an unnamed Faacebook engineer attended TechCrunch’s party the other night and bragged to a group of people that Facebook "knows all about Google’s social product plans". This person evidently said or implied that Facebook has obtained copies of internal Google documents that outline the company’s social strategy.

This whole "Google vs. Facebook" thing may get real. As Arrington notes, neither company will comment on this, so there’s no real confirmation that any of this is true. It could’ve just been a Facebook employee messing with people. Or maybe it’s true and these companies are about to go to battle on a different level.

If it’s the latter, and the cat is really out of the bag, it’s surely going to have to be addressed. Some are already speculating that a lawsuit will ensue, but it’s certainly early in this story to jump the gun on that.

Either way, as if Facebook didn’t have enough to worry about between never-ending privacy complaints and lawsuits (frivolous or not), they may have a new problem on their hands.

Google hasn’t revealed much about its social strategy outside of the products it has already released, but rumors have been rampant that the company has some things in the works aimed at rivaling Facebook. It looks like games will be a significant part of that.

August 2, 2010
Google Focusing On Check-In Services with Google Places API

Google is placing a great deal of emphasis on check-in services, with regards to Google Places. This could mean some interesting things for businesses.

"We have been delighted with the enthusiasm we have seen for the Places API, and the innovative ways in which developers would like to use it," says Google Maps API Product Manager Thor Mitchell. "We have seen applications that offer check-in to places and need to identify an individual place at which a user is currently located, applications looking to show a user Places around them, and applications looking to offer a search and browse experience for Places similar to that offered on Google Maps."

"We are going to focus initially on check-in applications," says Mitchell. "These are the applications that we feel the API currently caters to well, and we are excited to work with developers building these applications to understand their requirements, and ensure that we are offering them the best possible experience."

Google says it has been reaching out to developers who have expressed interest in building check-in apps using the Places API. This includes developers working on client apps for the Buzz API.

Check-in services are gaining a lot of attention, and are creating new and interesting opportunities for brick and mortar businesses that just weren’t available before. Combine that with the power of Google Maps and Google’s increasingly heavy push of Google Places, and this has the potential to be very powerful. With Google’s APIs, the consumers are going to have many more access points, particularly from their mobile devices.

It would also not be surprising if this was heavily tied to that "Google Me" project that has been speculated on so heavily in recent weeks.

Earlier this week, Google updated its Maps for Mobile on Android devices, making a Places icon available. This essentially turns Places into its own app for all intents and purposes.

July 30, 2010
Google to Use Games in Battle with Facebook?

Google has been expected to get into gaming for sometime, but now it looks like the wheels are really in motion. The Wall Street Journal reports that Google is in talks with Playdom, EA’s Playfish, and Zynga.

Google was recently reported to have invested a significant amount of money into Zynga, and CEO Eric Schmidt told the WSJ to expect a partnership with the game company. Yesterday, Disney announced that it has agreed to acquire Playdom.

Any efforts in gaming that Google is making are expected to be part of the broader social networking service the company is rumored to be working on (often referred to as "Google Me"). Google Me is supposed to be Google’s answer to Facebook, though Schmidt told the WSJ, "the world doesn’t need a copy of the same thing." Interestingly, Schmidt also said, "Facebook users use more Google products than any other users."

Gaming isn’t the only factor in Facebook’s success, but it is certainly a factor. Hitwise recently pointed out the status of the "games" category when it comes to downstream traffic from Google:

ImageCredit: Hitwise

It makes perfect sense that Google would go after gaming. Integration with Google’s "social network" would have implications for a number of other Google products. For example, as the WSJ suggests, Google Checkout could be heavily involved (in terms of virtual goods payments). Obviously Google has numerous advertising options that could come into play. Google accounts in general could get a boost (YouTube users will also be required to have one). Google profiles, which have become more heavily featured in search results.

On a related note, Bing has also introduced some new games.

July 28, 2010
YouTube Users Already Part of Google’s Rumored “Google Me” Social Network?

Over a year ago, Google announced that it would start requiring all people signing up for YouTube usernames to have a Google account. Now they’re going to start requiring all users of YouTube that signed up prior to that to connect their accounts to Google accounts as well.

Are you already part of Google’s new social network? Share your thouhts here.

Here are the reasons Google gives for connecting YouTube accounts to Google accounts:

– Improved account security. The Google Account system is robust and will help reduce spam across the site; users will get a slew of security and safety features that Google has spent the past decade developing.

– A single account system. This may not mean much to anyone outside of the YouTube engineering team, but behind the scenes it’s extremely complicated to support two different account systems. Having all users on the same account system not only simplifies matters, but more important, it makes it much easier to use Google technologies to keep the site running smoothly (over two billion views a day and counting), as well as introduce new functionality.

There has been a lot of talk about Google working on a new social network (often referred to as "Google Me"). We still don’t know exactly what that’s going to be all about, but when people assess the success/failure of Google’s social media efforts, they often overlook that Google owns YouTube, which is essentially a giant social network (albeit one that revolves around video). Not everyone uses YouTube as a social network, but the more people that have Google accounts, the more people Google will be able to claim as part of its broader "social network".

As we have discussed numerous times, Google itself could really be seen as one giant social network, with different products representing different features. If you have a Google account, you are part of that social network, regardless of what "features" you may or may not use.

Do you think Google is using YouTube to bring its broader social network together? Comment here.

July 19, 2010