If you were involved with Google's OPERATION BIGGER THAN FACEBOOK, what would you do?

[Sampiro]

The Google lords in their halls of stone are supposedly hammering out a new social networking site that is designed to put Facebook to shame. I believe it’s tentative title is Google Me, which is the first thing I personally would change, but if you were involved in the planning stage what would you add or substract from what facebook offers to make it better?
Of course the first thing would be security: I HATE that my facebook page can be as easily googled as it is even with my privacy settings. Other things, in no particular order:

*Better archiving of old posts- if I want to find a post I made or a friend made two or three months ago it takes forever to search it up, especially if they’re busy posters.

*More visible and accessible “Long posts”. If I want to write a rant or an essay or whatever I have to put it in a separate section that’s not even linked to my profile.

*Different tiers of friends with a different visibility level for each tier. I would love to be able to have some “first tier” friends who can read comments and posts that the friends I don’t really know well if at all can’t. (This way I could even have my sister as a friend:D.) Two tiers would be nice, three would be better- First tier: intimate acquaintances/ second tier: friends (bio and virtual) but not as close Third tier: people who are co-workers or friends of friends that you can’t really block but don’t want them to be able to read if you post something political or religious or in my case really gay in nature.

What are some changes/additions/subtractions you’d make?

[msmith537]

@Sampiro

Of course the first thing would be security: I HATE that my facebook page can be as easily googled as it is even with my privacy settings. Other things, in no particular order:

I don’t think that’s correct

@Sampiro

*Different tiers of friends with a different visibility level for each tier. I would love to be able to have some “first tier” friends who can read comments and posts that the friends I don’t really know well if at all can’t. (This way I could even have my sister as a friend:D.) Two tiers would be nice, three would be better- First tier: intimate acquaintances/ second tier: friends (bio and virtual) but not as close Third tier: people who are co-workers or friends of friends that you can’t really block but don’t want them to be able to read if you post something political or religious or in my case really gay in nature.

You can do that in Facebook.

[even_sven]

Maybe you can, but I can’t figure out how to do it.

I’d really like an easy way to block my little nephew from some of my posts.

I know this isn’t Facebook’s fault, but I want it to work in China!

[GuanoLad]

The first thing I’d do is tell Google to not bother. Social Networking was a fad that has already begun to die.

[Reply]

@even_sven

Maybe you can, but I can’t figure out how to do it.

I’d really like an easy way to block my little nephew from some of my posts.

I know this isn’t Facebook’s fault, but I want it to work in China!

Whenever you post something, you can click the lock icon beneath it to set the privacy settings (i.e., who can see it). You can group people into lists, then you can set posts so that ONLY group X can see it or that everyone can see it EXCEPT group Y.

You can also do the same thing to individuals.

[Reply]

@Sampiro

The Google lords in their halls of stone are supposedly hammering out a new social networking site that is designed to put Facebook to shame. I believe it’s tentative title is Google Me, which is the first thing I personally would change, but if you were involved in the planning stage what would you add or substract from what facebook offers to make it better?

Didn’t Google already try this and fail with Google Buzz?

I’m not sure how Google could suck away enough people from Facebook to gain critical mass.

I’d say just do what Facebook does, but cleaner and with fewer limitations (length, tags, picture sizes, whatever)… but also maintain interoperability with Facebook, at least in the beginning. Have their service display all my Facebook friends’ status updates , have my updates be cross-posted (maybe as a link) to Facebook as well as the Google service, etc. Make the transition simple and seamless and then gradually offer more and more features until people start switching over just because it’s better.

In other words, what they did with Gmail and email.

[Gustav]

Cancel the project immediately.

This can only end in either the loss of money or the creation of an unspeakable evil. Lose/lose.

[Justin_Bailey]

@GuanoLad

The first thing I’d do is tell Google to not bother. Social Networking was a fad that has already begun to die.

OK grandpa. Should I get off your lawn first? Or does the phone line to your rotary phone go out that far?

[jjimm]

@Reply

Didn’t Google already try this and fail with Google Buzz?

That was it trying to compete against Twitter.

[Enderw24]

@Sampiro

Of course the first thing would be security: I HATE that my facebook page can be as easily googled as it is even with my privacy settings. Other things, in no particular order:

The CEO of Facebook, who I think is a six year old kid (maybe he’s turned seven), has basically said that Facebook is a social networking site and, as such, its purpose is to allow for social networking. As such, allowing the means for that social networking is a particular goal of the program.
Now, while you and I are free to disagree, he does have a point. Oh, and more views = more ads = more money, which is how Facebook stays in business so they particularly have an incentive to keep letting people view as much as they want.

Google works on the same principle so I highly doubt Google will do things differently. Plus…they’re GOOGLE. Of course they’re going to allow people to use Google in their Google site.

Googlegooglegooglegoogle.