They’ve tried to get some social applications going.
The problem is that Google is not a social platform. It’s just a set of tools.
I can’t picture myself without Gmail, Reader or Docs at this point. They’re world-class tools. They are reliable. They even work when I’m offline, writing on the subway.
But the contacts I have on my Google account have nothing to do with the contacts I have on Twitter or Facebook or FriendFeed.
Social contacts are different from Email contacts.
This is where Google has an uphill battle. Sure, it’d be great if they could use the millions of contacts on Gmail and show them on a map (re: Google Latitude).
But to be honest, I’d like to know where @sarahintampa is located, so that I can finally meet here face to face whenever she’s around New York City.
The problem? I don’t have her on my Google Contacts. I have her on Twitter and Friendfeed.
To me, all other local social networks can breathe in relief. Latitude won’t be an enemy you fight with.
See me remove Google Friend Connect from my blog. The MyBlogLog widget just won that one.
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