Notes

Understanding Google's Social Impact
magazine that Google might introduce Google+ might come as a surprise to some considering that it is basically an extension of what we already know from the name. But, there are some big hints that have led some to speculate about what might be coming in the future. One such big hint is what Google plans to do with its current search engine. Others even speculate that Google might just eliminate the extra characters on the end of search term suggestions.

If magazine have been on one of these "Google vs. Microsoft" type forums you are already aware that the rivalry is fierce. But, there is one aspect that many people fail to realize is that Google's social impact is one of their main motivations for coming out with this new program. Social Impact is part of Google's plan to go after the mobile web. This is because they feel that the mobile web is where things are headed and they want to be a part of it. In fact, Sundar Pichai, the head of Google Android stated that, "With Social Impact, we are able to bring the benefits of the social web to every Google user, not just a few chosen individuals."

Of course, we all know that one of the biggest advantages of the mobile web is the ability to access information using the phone's "web browser". The ability to simply tap into information using the phone's web browser would seem like one of the biggest advantages. And, if Google would be able to incorporate one of the most used applications on the mobile device - Google Reader - with this new feature, it would be a huge advantage for them. With Google Reader, the reader can pull up virtually any book that has been published anywhere in the world. This means that the convenience of pulling up books, articles or eBooks would be almost limitless.

However, with this new program it seems as if Google may be planning on limiting this application to some extent. For example, it was recently reported that Google will not allow the application creator to show Google Maps within the application. This, of course, could mean that only a fraction of all geographic information will be displayed within the reader. And, if you use the application, chances are that you would also want to be able to turn the taps on and off as well.

Another question raised about the integration of Social Impact is the question of whether or not the application creator will have sole rights to the application, including the potential for them to use the "Google Clipping Tool" in order to improve the accuracy of their demographic and advertising data. If they do have some rights, it would be interesting to see how this would affect the power and influence of the social network. It seems as though Google might be watching to see if their social network proves to be a successful one. After all, they are in the social networking game. With the new feature, Google might be able to gain more insight into who uses their social network and what type of users they have.

One thing that is important to keep in mind is that the integration of Google with Social Impact is still in its very early stages. This means that although there might be some information provided by the application at first, the ability for Google to incorporate all of that information into their map application may not be realized for a long time. As with magazine of social network, Google would have to work hard to make sure that the data provided by the application is accurate. They will also need to work hard to ensure that they get accurate demographic and market information. While many people may be concerned about Google collecting personal information on their social network user, they should remember that Google has been doing just that with their current social network, Google+ Local. So, you should not be worried about the privacy issue here.

What could be magazine are issues of security for personal information. If Google collects information on millions of user profiles, then they might be able to get that information, even if the users signed up with the best of intentions. There are already concerns that some businesses have had to deal with because of this issue, and it is something that these social networking applications will have to resolve as soon as possible. So, while there may not be anything new in the application at this point, it would be a smart move for them to implement greater security measures now rather than later.

Google's social impact activities are still in early stages, but they are clearly planning to make an impact on the online landscape. They have already shown a willingness to use Social Impact to provide their users with relevant information. Now they need to start developing tools and implementing the most appropriate ones. Whether or not these efforts result in concrete outcomes remains to be seen, but right now, it seems that they are willing to experiment, and it appears that these experiments will yield some positive results.
Homepage: http://yefangqin.com/home.php?mod=space&uid=180553