From TechCrunch – Google’s Response to Facebook: “Maka-Maka”
Maka-Maka encompasses Google’s grand plan to build a social layer across all of its applications to compete with Facebook.
Google already has so much data on you, depending on how many Google apps you already use. It just needs to bring everything together. Your contacts are in Gmail. Your feeds are in Google Reader. Your IM buddy list is in Gtalk. Your upcoming events are in Google Calendar. Your widgets are in iGoogle. And don’t forget about your search history. Overtime, Google will connect all of these together in different ways, along with data about you from other social services across the Web, and give developers access to the social layer tying all of these apps together underneath. The real killer app for Google is not to turn Orkut into a Facebook clone. It is to turn every Google app into a social application without you even noticing that you’ve joined yet another social network
Now I don’t know about you but I think there are enough social networks online. Just last week I deleted all my personal info from my myspace account because I don’t want to be a participant in that joke of a site. I’ve recently joined Facebook though just like everyone else because well, since my friends are there I have to be there too. Facebook is a lot more professional and actually works. I’ve only received a few errors on Facebook compared to the multiple errors I receive every time I am on myspace when doing simple things like responding to an email or comment.
There is only so much time in the day to devote to social networks so there has to be only one. Will facebook win out over all others? Only time will tell.
I think it about time social networks became more niche, Ning.com is doing the right thing. Facebook is too broad and hard to monetise.
chris
I think Google has more than merely good change to compete with Facebook. The main problem is time. When a new social network is ready, there’ will be new type or even new concept of social networking at all.