I like Google´s services and although I´ve mentioned earlier that there really is a battle between data vs humans going on, Google vs Facebook with all it´s implications for people, society and marketeers - I´ve always believed Google would try to go social something that´s been pretty obvious so no kudos to me for that... As I´m an avid user of services like Google Reader, Shared Items, Youtube, Gmail, Wave - yes I do use wave - it´s a great collaborative tool although still in it´s early stages (and probably is going to be emulated or taken by other companies), still the main question for mainstream adoption is as Steve Rubel points out;
"However, here's the big question - will consumers set up their Google profiles? And, if they do, will they link them to their social networks? If they are tech adept, yes, they will. But what about the rest of us? I am not so sure. This has to get as easy and as elegant to use as Facebook."
Google is way behind on this issue. There seems to be a knowledge gap that Google is not aware of. So although they launched Google Social Search which is awesome, for people, there seems to be a lack of understanding of contexts. Facebook Connect is a brilliant move from Facebook and enables a more rich communication at the moment. It allows for awesomeness for creators and participants. It allows for people to keep keep connected and inspired and meet new people within a relevant context. However Facebook is still much like a walled garden whereas Google is more diversified.
The question Google should understand people are asking themselves is not "What´s in it for me?" but "What´s in it for my group?"
Steve Ruble post.