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Google Tapping Into Social Media?

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Google is expected to tap into the world of Facebook and Twitter through its highly popular Gmail service which will allow users to post similar status updates and other items.  According to CNN.com the company planned an official announcement for earlier today at about 1p.m. in California.

The search engine leader has recently emphasized social media by altering it’s search function allowing easier access to social media sites. If all goes as planned however, Google’s version will differ from Twitter’s in the fact that status updates and posts will remain private by default. The sites also plans to sound off when a user posts something such as a video or picture to related sites such as YouTube.

This is not the search engine leaders first attempt to connect with evolving technology. The company recently helped create Nexus One, a smart phone, and Google’s first attempt at the computer hardware market. Last month Google announced that users could change their accounts to make results related to co-workers, friends and other members of social networking sites appear above all other listed results.

This feature called the “social search feature,” was first introduced last year and was made available to all through beta testing on January 28. This will be the first step Google is taking to ensure that “web search is always as social as the website.” An instructional video is available for viewing on the site’s official blog.

Jess Smith

Comments

2 responses to “Google Tapping Into Social Media?”

  1. Patrick Harris Avatar
    Patrick Harris

    Jess,

    After reading your blog titled Google tapping into the social media, I found this blog extremely interesting. I believe that what Google has done will increase our social media, thus allowing for easier access into sites like My space or Twitter. I Also think that all status updates should remain private, except for those who are acquaintances of a person.

    In my opinion this important news release corresponds with our class room discussions in IMC. We are constantly talking about in class how we are a “branded Nation” and specifically religion. Something that would be interesting to me would be to see how social networking could work with ones religion. Would it make or break that person, or would no one care?

    Social Networking is something that has exploded over the past five years, I think it would have been great to see this “Branded Nation” with out all of this access to social networking, and then see how and if our nation would have been looked at as a “Brand”.

    Patrick Harris

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  2. Kathryn Miller Avatar
    Kathryn Miller

    As an inconsistant roleplayer in the growing social media world, I found out about this leap google is making from word of mouth. I really can’t see how we, the main components of these successful social websites, are supposed to keep up with those competing for the top of the social media hierarchy. It blew my mind to find out that Google, my home page and side e-mail account, is now entering this social realm which pushes my support away continually. Look back ten years from now, where cell phones were on track to gaining popularity, and dial up was still widely used. I can’t help to feel that I’m putting up a barrier from these sites so I, too, don’t get swallowed up by this technological consumerism. I do use facebook to keep in touch with family and friends, and used to have a myspace account. In no way will I be caught twittering, I can only pray, and for a search engine to switch it up for social popularity, I hope Google the best. I hope google doesn’t push me away as many other social networks have, I like the simplified gmail account I have. Social networks are taking over the world, run! Instead of going online between classes, go for a walk instead of seeing who you can chat with online.

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