Where the tech' views are 667% more interesting than the tech' news itself…

Tag Cloud

• Recent Articles

  • Serious Science: the search for immortality
  • When social media and censorship collide
  • Democratizing the future of energy
  • Microsoft’s Bing beta lacks search badda-boom
  • Apple risk chipped ‘n’ flashed iPhone hardware
  • Building a social web workflow
  • Technology: how Apple builds a better widget
  • Facebook’s 5 missing features
  • 1 million reasons why Twitter is no better than a street corner call box
  • Microsoft looks for cool clue while Zune sings last song

« Doin’ it and (nearly) Diggin’ it! — Pownce to be leapt upon by RIAA? »

Social Media: Google Shared Stuff

Friday, 21 September 2007 — by Wayne Smallman

Make no mistake, Google getting into Social Media is a big thing. With their weight, eye for simplicity and their one-feature-to-rule-them-all philosophy to their software, Google Shared Stuff will make a significant impact on the Social Media scene…

Only yesterday did I make mention of that other significant – dare I say bold – entry, this time into Social Networking by Digg:

“Having friends on Digg is one thing, but if we can’t draw those friends out into the wider web, introducing them into our conversations and dialogues elsewhere, then we’re in some what of a Social Networking cul de sac.

So the recent changes to the user profiles on Digg are a good – if obvious and overdue – step in the right direction.”

So news of Google stepping into the fray tells you one thing – Google is serious about Social Media. But, will Google go far enough, or maybe too far? They certainly have the means and the wherewithal to make a significant mark in the Social Media space:

“You see, here’s Google raking in all of this data. Much of this data is tagged to a person in particular.

If you’ve got a Google Account, then Google know (sorry, see) what you’ve found.

If you’re making good use of your Search History, then Google knows what you value.

If you’re on Google Groups, chances are that you’ve voted on something, which adds even more value to the structure and the relative weighting of the content.

So with all this wealth of data, with contextual values associated with this data, Google should be able to stab at much better guesses as to what floats your boat.”

You know, if only Google thought like Microsoft. Just imagine that…

Google Shared Stuff in action

Once you’re signed up (easier if you’re already signed up to a Google Account) you get to add a photo and a bunch of links to your stuff.

To get the ball rolling, you need to drag the Share button into your browser tool bar, which lets you Share stuff from wherever you find it on the web.

Crucially, you’re not limited to sharing stuff just on Google Shared Stuff. Oh no, this baby plays nice with all of the other children in the Social Media kindergarten.

And this is where Google differs crucially and fundamentally from Microsoft, in that they’re not precious about playing fair and giving a doff of the cap to the competition, by working with rather than competing head on.

The stuff you’ve shared is listed in chronological order, with the most recent at the top.

What’s missing from Google Shared Stuff

Currently, there’s no ‘front page’, like you get with Digg, del.icio.us et cetera, for the stuff you’re sharing, which is weird. A glaring omission, if nothing else.

Granted, if you’re sharing stuff out to the major Social Media players, they handle that. But there’s no option to see what other people using Google Shared Stuff are up to.

Most of the main Social Media players players are present, with the notable exception of StumbleUpon, but it’s early days. They, along with others might be added at later date.

Curiously, only the first item in the links from my profile is listed. And my profile looks no different when viewed: “As I see it”, or: “As everyone sees it”, which may be a known issue.

One thing that puzzles me is, why did they not use the Google Toolbar as the vehicle for Google Shared Stuff? In one fell swoop, Google would have scooped up the 4 million or so who downloaded the Google Toolbar:

“According to download.com, the number of downloads since late 2006 are climbing toward 4 million.”

In any case, Google is here, and be it an experiment (in beta form, which there’s no indication of on their website) or a fully-fledged release, this is a major development.

And finally…

What we have here is the makings of something of a powerful first move into Social Media by Google. Only time will tell whether Google Shared Stuff will be a success, but either way, Google’s entry into Social Media adds dignity to the whole space, something that’s bound to prompt others to give more consideration to the marketing implications of Social Media.

And as typical with all things Google, they never quite go the whole distance. Either by design or lack of imagination, they always seem to leave me feeling as though there’s something missing.

Maybe this is just me? Either way, care to share?

Recommended reading

• Google Wants You To Share Stuff
• Vote for Google!
• Doin’ it and (nearly) Diggin’ it!
• If only Google thought like Microsoft

« Doin’ it and (nearly) Diggin’ it! — Pownce to be leapt upon by RIAA? »

Regulars

• Snow Vacation: Well, well, well The problem of immortality was disturbing the bright brains of great scientists for...
• Buzz: As an IT administrator, Google still delivers for me every time where as “Bing” would prefer to...
• Ollie: Hey Wayne, Great plugin, I will try it later
• Nommo: Yeah - I think ‘me-tricity’ could be a possibility in the future… I wouldn’t like to...
• David Bradley: I believe Sainsburys in Solihull has one of those kinetic ramps in their carpark, it’s...