Google gets social
Not content with creating a stir with a mysterious doodle and Google Instant last week, Google will reportedly add social networking features to its existing sites soon.
The search giant has long had social ambitions to compete with the likes of Facebook but has so far been forced to cull its Wave flop, while its social network Orkut is only big in India and Brazil and is even losing ground there. But now Google appears to have changed its strategy.
Google's CEO Eric Schmidt said the company now plans on gradually incorporating ‘layers' of social networking into its current sites instead of rolling out a single Facebook killer, Reuters reported.
In a bid to speed up the process, Schmidt reportedly told attendees of Zeitgeist (a meet-up for Google's partners and leading industry figures)there are plans to step up the pace of the company's acquisitions too.
Google's acquisitions shopping basket has not been empty recently, causing analysts to speculate that the purchase of Slide and offer of $700m for ticketing firm ITA Software point to the company boosting its social networking credentials.
"We're trying to take Google's core products and add a social component. If you think about it, it's obvious. With your permission, knowing more about who your friends are, we can provide more tailored recommendations. Search quality can get better," he reportedly said.
There have been numerous reports about Google developing a Facebook slayer called Google ME, plus plenty of speculation the firm plans to muscle in on social gaming, but Schmidt reportedly did his best to quash those rumours.
"Everybody has convinced themselves that there's some huge project about to get announced next week. And I can assure you that's not the case" he reportedly said.
Of course many companies have recently been making a grab for bargains to consolidate their positions as many analysts believe valuations of some tech firms remain cheap coming out of the recession.
While Schmidt told Reuters he is not anticipating the dreaded double dip, he did warn of very slow growth over the coming years or even no growth at all.
