I don’t like talking about current events much, because they have a tendency to soon be not-so-current. But one in particular may signal the tipping point of a trend that is of extreme relevance to the way you and I find useful information.

The rumor is that Google is developing a true Facebook competitor called “Google Me.” I’m not interested in the details of whether they are, but rather the facts behind why Google needs to.

Why Google shouldn’t?

There are always the concerns when a business gets away from its core, and Google has had its share of outright bumbles. Buzz and Wave may not be great, but they aren’t horrible either. And when you’re the size of Google, you don’t pretend to live in just one box. In fact, you could say the acquisition of Youtube was brilliant, as Youtube is now the world’s number two search engine (behind the almighty G itself.) Youtube might never turn a profit, but there’s no telling how valuable the data under the surface might be.

Which brings us to the reason Google ought to be firing up a major competitor to Facebook: because Facebook may yet provide the greatest threat to Google’s core search business. [Read more...]