In the past Google has tried to compete in the social networking world, but has fallen short to websites such as Facebook and Twitter. Now Google is creating a new social networking service known as “GoogleBuzz” which will allow users to post short messages, videos, and images on the web for others to see. This platform is very similar to Facebook and Twitter; however Google has an advantage with its superior individual advertising powers. Google is an expert in using IT to target people’s behavior and match advertisements to them. Google’s strategy is to open up the Buzz service to Gmail users which will show up as a feature in their inbox. Douglas MacMillan suggests that the way that GoogleBuzz could flourish is through advertising. Google is planning to sell ads that are more relevant to the individual user than Facebook or Twitter has sold in the past.
Google’s use of IT in advertising is a definite strength in the potential growth of GoogleBuzz. Google will gain revenues with the advertisements that it shows which will allow Google to add more features to its new social networking service. Google’s strong IT allows them to gain information on what their users likes and dislikes are by what they are viewing on the web. By connecting this service with their Gmail this further increases the IT strength when users receive advertisements via email. Google will be able to use the lack of advertising ability that Facebook and Twitter have demonstrated to their advantage by focusing on their own advertising. According to the article, despite all this strength Google is predicted to not take users away from Facebook. Gmail’s demographics focus on the 25 and younger more tech-savy crowd while Facebook has gained popularity in older generations and people that have little knowledge of technology.
I think that it is very important for Google to focus its efforts on advertising for GoogleBuzz if it wants to compete with social giants like Facebook and Twitter. Google will gain immediate support from Gmail users because the service will be readily available to them in their inboxes. Google announced that there will be a feature called “Recommended Buzz” in which the user will receive recommendations on other friends' posts that people found amusing. The strength of Google’s IT field will help them gain information on their users and allow them to recommend posting based on their and their friends' interests. The introduction of GoogleBuzz to the social networking world will just increase the market size of social networking rather than take some of the shares away from Facebook and Twitter. I agree with the author of the article, Douglas MacMillan, when he says that GoogleBuzz will not take users away from Facebook. However, I think that many users will find GoogleBuzz to be another tool in their social networking.
MacMillan, Douglas. "Google Buzz Won't Weaken Facebook." BusinessWeek. February 10, 2010. http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/feb2010/tc2010029_989050.htm.
I chose to read this blog because I had never heard of Google creating a social networking website before. I agree with you and MacMillan that Google will not only be able to steal Facebook users, but even compete with Facebook and Twitter at all. I feel that the social networking market is extremely hard to enter when giants already exist such as Facebook and Twitter. The blog also comments on a feature called the "Recommended Buzz." This feature that Google plans on offering is merely the exact same thing as your Facebook newsfeed. In addition, I do not think the advertising scheme will work because social networkers do not get online to view advertisement, but to get in contact with close and distant friends and family members. In the end, I do not think GoogleBuzz will be able to compete with Facebook and Twitter. It is simply to hard to compete when users are already committed to other social networks.
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