Google vs Facebook The Social Network Wars

Will Google ever get Social?

There's no doubt Google has, and will have for the foreseeable future a majority share of the search market. But this is not enough, in addition to Search,Google wants to be the go to place for Social Media. In other words everything online.

Take a moment and consider the products offered by Google which in most cases are free. Free is a big thing when it comes to building a successful and useful Social Networking Platform.

Search: Could hardly leave out the number one reason we visit Google web properties.

Gmail: Not just a personal email product, also integrates with Google Buzz and Business Apps

Google Business Apps: Web-based office tools from text documents to spreadsheets and presentations.

Google Buzz: Google's answer for micro blogging (Tweets) and Social Networking accounts updates such as Facebook Walls

YouTube: Popular video sharing web site

Those are just some of the building blocks of a very interesting Social Media / Networking platform which could be offered by Google. Add to these, over a dozen other services which could be integrated into a Social Networking Platform and Google may just have the recipe to beat Facebook in the Social Networking wars.

It's clear Google wants Social

Larry Page one of Google's founders has a keen interest in being a player in Social Networking. Now that Larry Page resides in Google's CEO's office you can be assured the drive to deliver a Social Networking product is a top priority.

I do have to wonder how much of the Google Circles rumor is actually rumor. A recent blog post by Preetam Kaushik on Business Insider reports all Google personal are to be actively working on Social Networking initiatives. In the case of senior management a percentage of annual bonuses depend on a strong showing in the Social Network arena.

There's no doubt Google is very serious about becoming Social.

Google wants to get social but can't! Why?

Well that's a question I am unable to answer. The company has the technical know how and the framework for a very successful social network. Technical may be the keyword here? Let's face it Google has no shortage of software engineers and others who can comprehend some of the most challenging mathematical calculations within algorithms but ...... Do they have the people required to drive a Social Network? Or maybe its a case of marketing or customer service.

When you consider the size of the company and the amount of marketing it actually does, this may be one aspect that Google is under performing. On the other hand Google has never been very interested in what their visitors or customers have to say. Every tried to contact Google for an Adword's query or difficulty logging into your Gmail?

Google's gets social right

I sincerely hope that Google manages to get their act together and provide us with the winning Social Network. Personally I use Google for most of their services so blending social with these would be very beneficial. What can I say, I am a Google fan and when it comes to Search Google gets it right more often than Bing in my opinion.

What's your opinion can Google get social right?