A connecting principle
Linked to the invisible
Almost imperceptible
Something inexpressible
Science insusceptible
Logic so inflexible
Causally connectible
Nothing is invincible
Synchronicity, The Police, 1983

Techmeme, reminded me that it has been ten years since the launch of Google+, the doomed-from-the-start social networking effort by Google, and a supposed competitor to Facebook. I was skeptical of the service at the launch, to put it mildly, but I totally understood why Google had to take a swing at it. Looking back, Google managed to deliver on the “why” of its goals, but not the “how.” 

Today, search is not just about pages, but also about people and the relevance of the information to them…Google needs to adapt, and getting social and location signals is important for the company. Search is now search relevant to you in the context of your world. 

My argument (even before the release of Google+) was that the only way for Google to beat Facebook was through Android, its mobile platform. Social networks were (and still are) all about communication, and communication tools are necessary for cementing relationships. Google, I thought, could create a platform of interactions that might give it a significant leg up on Facebook. 

To me, interactions are synchronous, are highly personal, are location-aware, and allow the sharing of experiences, whether it’s photographs, video streams or simply smiley faces. Interactions are supposed to mimic the feeling of actually being there. Interactions are about enmeshing the virtual with the physical.

Interactions were (and (Read more...)