Welcome
For those that have known me for over 5 years may recall an online newsletter I used to publish called the "Chronicles of the Bored". As it turns out, what I really was doing was sharing a mashup of news articles I found interesting (long before the Web 2.0 was invented). So now that the technology has caught up, I've decided to revive the CotB using Blogger and Google Reader. Enjoy!
Buried under several settings and account menus within Google's products is the ability to create a "Google Profile". Up until now, the extent of your Google existence was your status message on Gmail and the various pieces of content that you've uploaded to Google's products, such as Picassa and YouTube. While this may have been out for a while, this is the first I'm seeing on this. In the explanation of Profiles (
http://www.google.com/support/accounts/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=97703): "A Google profile is simply how you present yourself on Google products to other Google users." From your profile, you can:
- Send and Receive messages without revealing your email address
- Share photos on your profile
- Create a page about you
- Add contact information
- Show your location
I don't know about you, but this sounds a lot like what Facebook does, doesn't it? Facebook started essentially as a page that defined who you are, and then developed modules to better define yourself through pictures, events, and groups. Google, on the otherhand, is starting with several products that define you, and creating a profile to tie these products together to define who you
are. Starting with Picassa pictures and Maps location for now, just wait until Google starts to allow users to integrate YouTube, Blogger, Calendar, Docs, Finance, and more into their profiles. Just thinking about how many Google products I already actively use, and Google's initiatives with OpenSocial, Facebook may be in store for a war to dominate the social web.
No comments:
Post a Comment