Amore e Odio
Le vittime “illustri” del patto Facebook-Instagram
Stampa non gradita
Don’t be evil: Apple contro il New York Times per le accuse di sfruttamento del lavoro in Cina

Why Google Should Not Fear Facebook

Pubblicato il June 20, 2011
Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook CEO) and Eric Schmidt (Google Executive Chairman di Google) during the G8 Summit in France, May 26 2011.

In a recent interview with Google’s executive chairman Eric Schmidt, referring to the inability of Google to confront the growing success of Facebook in social networking, he said: “I clearly knew that I had to do something and I failed to do it” .

Schmidt’s statement was a total admission of guilt, which in recent days has caused the Web to unleash an overwhelming amount of risky speculation on the fate of the war between Google and Zuckerberg’s social network.

The truth is that Google has a strong position that’s unreachable by anyone, even a giant like Facebook. The reason is simple and straightforward. From its appearance, Page and Brin’s creature has done more than any other service to make the Web an accessible resource, arranging the huge amount of information contained in it and making them available to users with precision and stunning speed.

The Internet is not conceivable without Google because Google is the gateway to information on the Web.
Facebook is nothing but a network in the network, a virtual self-contained short-circuit of millions of users around the world that produces only “noise” with status updates that are useful only to satisfy the voyeuristic needs of its users, nothing more.

The mistake that Google must not make at this stage is to persist in its will to attack at all costs, with violence, the market of social networks, because it would be a risky move, an arrogant and dangerous one. A potential failure that would cloud its image: something the most famous search engine does not need. The negative experiences of Orkut, Buzz and Wave have left their mark in Mountain View. Schmidt has summarized this concept well: “the world doesn’t need a copy of the same thing”.

And it is more true now than ever. The Web does not need another Facebook (Orkut) or another Twitter (Buzz) or another “Like” button (Google +1). What the internet can not live without is the ingenious algorithm that seeks out and sorts the information that lurks in its depths.

Google should not fear Facebook. Facebook can be a fad destined to lose its appeal over time. It has already happened with MySpace. Google however, for much longer, will be irreplaceable.

  • Reply
    aditia
    June 20, 2011 at 5:02 am

    google fear of facebook because some advertisers moving from adword to facebook ads

    • Antonio Lupetti
      June 22, 2011 at 1:29 am

      This is also true!

  • Reply
    Dave Sparks
    June 20, 2011 at 5:46 am

    Just because it happened with MySpace is no reason to write Facebook off as a fad, how many times in recent history has something been laughed off as transient or a fad or not relevant and proved people wrong? I think by not underestimating Facebook Google are doing themselves a favour, they don’t necessarily need to head down the same route and copy Facebook but they do need to pay serious attention to those areas where they are open to Facebook stepping on their toes.

  • Reply
    Sandeep
    June 20, 2011 at 10:42 am

    One thing is certain Antonio; Facebook knocked down Orkut badly, what could be more shameful to Google forefather than that? Though Facebook is giving nothing solid but it is giving addiction and it is most dangerous …
    Another thing, you can find any blog or site link on Facebook, if Facebook makes search engine based on those links … I think it can do some wonder.

  • Reply
    Sukhy
    June 30, 2011 at 2:34 am

    decline on adwords to facebooks ads, dumped by FB Orkut has lost a significant base of users

  • Reply
    Miguel
    July 20, 2011 at 11:13 am

    Very interesting article and I agree. Google should be Google, not try to be another social network copycat.
    Though, Google has all the resources and power to do so, its name doesn’t need to be clouded by this.

    However, it will be very interesting to see how Google takes the +1 road. Because despite even he says, “the world doesn’t need a copy of the same thing”, Google +1 is in fact adding into that direction.

    I am a big fan of Google +1 due to its simplicity and easy of use, unlike facebook, which can be very cluttered with crap information and hidden navigation / options. Facebook is doing good for what it is and let Google be unique and different on his way. Though, Google +1 will be seen as a more serious network, while facebook for kids to play.

    Don’t get me wrong, I don’t dislike facebook, I use it, just less and less.