Seven Killer Features Google Me Needs to Face Facebook
The rumor is out. Ever since Digg CEO Kevin Rose slipped the juicy gossip about Google Me, speculations and predictions about Google’s latest foray into social networking have run wild on the Web. Will this alleged social platform be an innovative standout like Gmail was? Or will it just be an amalgamation of Google’s previous social letdowns – Profiles, Buzz and Wave?
So many questions… But this much is clear: if there’s a company with the resources and talent to develop a real Facebook-killer, it’s Google. And given that social has proved to be the hardest nut for Google to crack, we have a few suggestions for those genius Google developers to consider if they are, in fact, building the next “super social platform”:
#1: Give it your best and seamlessly integrate Google’s greatest tools in Google Me
- Photo sharing – Allow users to easily upload photos to their Google Me profile via Picasa or previously established Web Albums
- Tap into Google’s renowned Search capabilities – utilize search in a more meaningful way by giving users deep, individualized results drawn both from the web and also within users’ personal networks… Searching on “New Zealand Vacations”? Results should include not just the typical tourism and travel agency sites, but also suggestions to contact friends and other personal network connections who’ve mentioned New Zealand in their profiles. Rich.
#2: Get granular for the gurus
- Analytics – give advertisers deep insight into traffic on their profiles or fan pages
- AdWords – provide advertisers with granular control over their audiences
#3: Play well with others and give users the ability to connect with their existing assets on other social networks. Allow users to quickly and easily import info, photos, notes, friends, etc. from their profiles on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and Flickr etc. With so many people already deeply invested elsewhere, Google Me should let users try something new without starting over.
#4: Create clique-ability and let users easily establish groups for a variety of purposes – work groups to collaborate and share documents, mommy groups to share photos and parenting resources, team sports clubs to share schedules and workouts, etc.
#5: Keep good design in mind – Dear Google: we are so over your “Leisure Suit Larry” era icons. If you want us to socialize with you, please invest in some fresh design. Thank you.
#6: Be concerned with privacy and make privacy profiles simple and understandable. We’d love to see the ability for users to set up multiple privacy “identities” for designated types of connections, such as colleagues, neighbors, dart buddies, college friends, etc.
#7: Put ‘mobile first’ and deliver equal or enhanced functionality for mobile. Make sure there’s seamless interaction between Android (and other mobile devices) and Google Me. We want to see anything that can be done on Google Me online being done on a phone/tablet and flawless sync between web and mobile.
Still, even with all these features, it will be a tough battle for any new social network to face-off with Facebook… And convince loyal users to make a switch.
What do you think? What features would you like to see on a social platform from Google? What would make it worth your while to change networks?
Related articles:
- More Fuel Added to Google Me Rumors (mashable.com)
- Google Me, Facebook Competitor, Confirmed by Former Facebook CTO (The Huffington Post)
- Google Me to be the Googlish answer to Facebook? (engadget.com)
