Google coming after Facebook, again

Google is unfazed, apparently, with the weak response to its Twitter-esque “Buzz” service.  Recognizing that social media really does present it with a direct threat to domination of search and — therefore — access to advertising dollars, Google is trying yet again to gain a foothold.  So what type of unique experience will Google provide, and what does this mean?

My guess (which is shared by many others) is that the platform will be game focused.   Social gaming is already huge, and will not be going away any time soon.  It would be the smart play for Google, which has already made significant investments in the space.

So what does that mean for the rest of us? It means that social gaming is probably about to become an even larger part of social media, and it means that companies that are not currently doing anything in that market should consider whether their business model will necessitate some kind of involvement in the space (even as an advertiser or a co-marketer).  So don’t think this has nothing to do with you because you don’t make or play games.  Your customers almost certainly do, and you need to reach them through any means available.

Well, if Google is really going to pour significant resources into a social media platform (unlike Google Buzz, where the effort seemed half-hearted), then it could push the space into a whole new stratosphere.  As many users as there on Facebook, many are barely there and don’t really use the platform for anything substantive.  Conversely, everyone on the Internet uses Google, almost every day.  If Google can transform these power-uses of its service into something stickier, then Eric Schmidt might soon be printing dollars out in Mountain View.