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Google Buzz |
Facebook |
MySpace |
Twitter |
| One-Liner |
A dark horse that has big backing and access to existing platforms. |
A mainstay platform that needs to grow out its shell. |
The MTV of this generation is at risk during an ugly transformation. |
Shows opportunity to become utility-like infrastructure, but not a destination. |
| Vitals (see more stats) |
Estimated to sit on a user based of over 100mm active gmail users, they have access to the most popular webpage in the world, google.com. |
Boasting over 400mm users in just a few short years, they’ve saturated Gen Y in US, and show global expansion at record rates. |
Recently reported at 57mm US unique users that are highly engaged. |
Although tracking difficult, estimates indicate 75mm active users, but doubts are emerging about slow down in rate of growth. |
| Strengths |
A large talent pool of engineers to pull from, Buzz stands on top of existing Gmail, mobile devices, and dominant search portal. As Buzz grows, they can integrate with all Google apps –and aggregate the entire internet. |
Rapid US and international growth. Quickly evolved feature set and platform, with success with FB Connect. Talent from Google bleeding to Facebook. |
Big backing by media giant, a super engaged audience, and rich history and reaching media hungry segment. |
Has clinched adoption over media elite, celebrities, and tech influencers. Incredible media buzz, and dead simple features. |
| Weaknesses |
Late to the party, Google has had a series of social networking misfires from Wave, Dodgeball, Orkut their culture shows signs of becoming corporate –like Microsoft. |
Struggles with the conundrum of having promised users a ‘closed’ experience where to be successful requires them to be ‘open’. Historically poor track record in meeting privacy expectations of customers, overall confusing interface. |
In the eyes of the tech world, becoming irrelevant or even worse, niched as a media play –not even lifestyle network. A ship without leadership as it undergoes radical internal changes. |
Although features are dead simple, they are now commodity features –status update features are ubiquitous. Mainstream users confused by usage. Overhyped, the over promised infrastructure has shown strain. Brands generally confused on how to interact. |
| Opportunity |
The more information users share, tag, or create, the more data is created on Google’s platform to organize, giving them opportunity to monetize. |
By integrating Facebook Connect everywhere, the service becomes ubiquitous, and therefore the default identity and default address book for consumer behavior. |
A few hours ago, the CEO Van Natta was let go, a new chief can step up, and lead the recently formed executive team, creating innovation and solidarity. |
Must develop more features to increase the overall value of this utility of the dead-simple status messaging tool. |
| Threats |
Mainstay email companies like Microsoft, Yahoo, and AOL have already shown social features ‘bolted’ onto their email systems, yet success hasn’t been verified. Secondly, Facebook has made notions to develop an email web client “Project Titan” that will threaten tech savvy users competing for Gmail’s attention. |
Facebook is a conundrum. Social networks come and go, before MySpace was Friendster, they run the risk of becoming complacent, losing talent to Twitter and failing to innovate over the next few years. Yet, the biggest challenge is, the more data they make open the more Google can ’suck’ in and monetize as an intermediary. |
Self-implosion from internal instability. In the meantime, media brands develop their own social networking on their own sites, rendering MySpace a duplicate. Worse yet? Cool kids jump ship, and establish a colony elsewhere, leaving MySpace like Friendster. |
Overhype from media leaves Twitter at risk from a burn-out syndrome like a Hollywood child star turned bad. Yet, as it becomes more successful the more strain it puts on questionable infrastructure. |
| Marketing Platform |
Although not fully developed, expect advertising options to appear for brands who want to promote relevant ads wherever Buzz is located, especially on SERP pages |
Confusing and overly complicated. There are too many marketing options confusing brands. It’s not clear if brands should advertise, interact in pages, create widgets or do a combination of both. |
Strong and straight forward. Established team has cut deals with many media companies and has legacy culture of understanding media. |
Nascent. Although promises have been made for branded experiences, analytics, and other premium features, for most marketers it’s being treated like a chat room –not a marketing platform. |
| Future State |
Buzz will aggregate the voices of their users –and those of other social networks, aggregate and serve up monetization options. |
A communications platform for consumers and brands. Expect Facebook experience to be in many public experiences and mobile devices. |
There are two paths: Integrate MySpace into TV and mobile devices or fade into pit of irrelevance like Friendster. |
Like gas, water, or power, Twitter is likely to fade into the background and become a utility that’s integrated into everything –even your fridge. |
| What They Don’t Want You To Know |
The collective already own you –you just don’t know it yet. |
They’re trying so hard to shift from closed to open, it’s tearing them apart. |
Things are falling apart internally, but they don’t want the public to know. |
Not sure what they want to be when they grow up. |
| What They Should Do |
Demonstrate success with Buzz, then quickly integrate into other tools like Search and Chrome. Kill off the confusing Wave, and consolidate teams and effort. Aggregate public content from Twitter and Facebook, intermediate them and monetize their own content. |
Get open now. Build a browser to quickly go transcend the web. Reward users to share more information in public like restaurant or media reviews in exchange for other values. Double down efforts on Project Titan email effort. |
Quickly establish a chain of command and execute based upon a single vision. Have regular talent turnover to avoid complacency. Develop a white label product that can compete with Cisco EOS, Pluck, or Kickapps (client). |
Develop a vision to become the dominant protocol over SMS, where teens and international are already texting heavily. Continue to build out platform for developers to build on top of, becoming a data play, like a utility. |
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