#Google+, #SocialSearch and #Internet Domination: Pay Attention

Google + is the new kid on the block in regard to Social Media. The platform still, in fact has that oh so new smell to it.   People want to peak and explore a bit but they are reluctant to dive in.  I remember in the early 90′s when there was another new kid on the block that was thrown into the Search fray with the, then heavy hitters, Dogpile, AskJeeves, Looksmart, Metacrawler and Yahoo. That new kid on the blog was Google and as the new kid on the block, pre acquisitions, were very different than they are now.

I did, in fact age myself by voluntarily admitting that I do remember when there was once NO Google. Can you imagine?  Back then, we did not Google anything we searched.  That we now, GOOGLE and NOT search is an indication of the power of Google. I would even venture to say that Google IS THE INTERNET. Yes I said it.  As a person that remembers the time before Google became a powerhouse, I tell you now not to minimize Google+.  People that have been around the Internet since the early 90′s and Internet Marketers totally understand what I am saying. The youngin’s may not understand so let me provide a few facts.

Search is now dominated and OWED by Google, which has traditional Google search which remains the #1 avenue to search and YouTube which is #2 in search.  So, when we go online we automatically go to Google, the same goes for video and YouTube. If I started naming the additional services that Google provides, I would be typing forever and you all would probably get caught reading this while you’re suppose to be working.  We all know that Google is a  force to be reckoned with and that they are practically unstoppable in Search. We also know that past attempts at Social Media were not so successful.

Social Media as we know it is relatively new and has really taken off beyond anything that we could ever imagine. Zuckerberg is, I’m sure even surprised by the way in which people have embraced Facebook. So needless to say, I’m sure Google had a “What the Hell” moment for quite a while. A huge powerhouse like Google had to be reeling at the popularity of Facebook and the shift in the attention toward Facebook and away from search.  As most powerhouses go, they could not allow the shift away from their platform, so Google came up with an answer. They initially, failed horribly and tried to answer again, and I’m sure to their surprise were again reeling at the continued failure at moving into the elusive Social Media Marketing that Facebook had continued to dominate.

So the “regroup and game on” movement started with Google moving into the realm of social media. The first power move on the part of Google that was pretty much minimized by most, was the addition of the +1. People were like what the heck???  However as a strategic marketer and person that has continued to acknowldege and admire the brilliance behind Google I stored the +1 in the back of my mind, knowing somehow that it would indeed be important. Internet users and marketers became accustomed to seeing the +1 along side of the “LIKE” the we all just LOVE.

Then all of a sudden BAM, (yes I just said BAM ) Google pushes out Google+ , Internet Marketers and most industry people that have been around since the 90′s recognized the power play and scrambled to be a part of the new social platform. Early adopters moved toward Google plus with purpose, set up their space  and recognized history in the making. Yes I am being very dramatic!  Think about this, Social was the last area in which Google had NOT dominated, now they push out Google+ and it is NOT a failure like past attempts.

Google had a chance to work through the failed social attempts, analyze what is working with different social platforms, what is failing with others and build upon that knowledge to create the social media platform of the future. Yes I said it!

As a strategic thinker you MUST think about the big picture Google search, YouTube, Google Analytics, Google Adsense, Blogger, Google Chrome, Google Chrome Books, Picasso and more.  The +1′s are now integrated into Google+, The +1  will be showing up in search results, Google+  is fully integrated into Search and I anticipate more Google Services to be integrated into Google+. Just picture some of the service that we know of, integrated into one platform. It would be like Facebook on steroids.  Imagine accessing your computer, having access to your friends, all of your Google Services, Video and more easily at your fingertips in one platform. Most importantly, as a Internet Marketer or business owner, consider the integration of your social media engagement factoring into the elusive search algorithm. This is what Google+ has the potential to bring to its users.

None of this is said to minimize the importance of Facebook because I think its a very important social media platform and I think it will continue to play a huge role in engagement and social interaction. However I believe that Google+ is the future of Social Media, with the merging of the power of all Google products/services, search and social.  The future of the Internet is Social Search and Google+ IS SOCIAL SEARCH.

Take a look at the chart below, this will give you and idea of how HUGE  Google is, the amazing acquisitions they’ve made and how powerful a platform these acquisitions could make if only a portion of them were integrated within the Google+ platform.  I’ve said it before and I will say it again, do NOT make the mistake of focusing so much attention on Facebook, Twitter and the other popular social media platforms that you ignore or minimize this powerful social platform in the making. Facebook is the present, but Google+ could very well be the future.

Acquisitions: Provided by Wikipedia

Number	Acquisition date	Company	Business	Country	Value (USD)	Used as, integrated with
1	February 12, 2001	Deja	Usenet	USA		Google Groups	[1]
2	September 20, 2001	Outride	Web search engine	USA		Google Personalized Search(iGoogle)	[2]
3	February 2003	Pyra Labs	Weblog software	USA		Blogger	[3]
4	April 2003	Neotonic Software	Customer relationship management	USA		Google Groups, Gmail	[4]
5	April 2003	Applied Semantics	Online advertising	USA	$102,000,000	AdSense, AdWords	[5]
6	September 30, 2003	Kaltix	Web search engine	USA		iGoogle	[6]
7	October 2003	Sprinks	Online advertising	USA		AdSense, AdWords	[7]
8	October 2003	Genius Labs	Blogging	USA		Blogger	[8]
9	May 10, 2004	Ignite Logic	HTML editor	USA		Google Sites	[9]
10	July 13, 2004	Picasa	Image organizer	USA		Picasa, Blogger	[10]
11	September 2004	ZipDash	Traffic analysis	USA		Google Maps for Mobile	[11]
12	October 2004	Where2	Map analysis	AUS		Google Maps	[12]
13	October 27, 2004	Keyhole, Inc	Map analysis	USA		Google Maps, Google Earth	[13]
14	March 28, 2005	Urchin Software Corporation	Web analytics	USA		Google Analytics	[14]
15	May 12, 2005	Dodgeball	Social networking service	USA		Google Latitude	[15]
16	July 2005	Reqwireless	Mobile browser	CAN		Google Mobile	[16]
17	July 7, 2005	Current Communications Group	Broadband Internet access	USA	$100,000,000	Internet backbone	[17]
18	August 17, 2005	Android	Mobile software	USA	$50,000,000 est.[18]	Android	[19]
19	November 2005	Skia	Graphics software	USA		Android, Google Chrome	[20]
20	November 17, 2005	Akwan Information Technologies	Search Engines	BRA		Internet backbone	[21]
21	December 27, 2005	Phatbits	Widget engine	USA		Google Desktop	[22]
22	December 31, 2005	allPAY GmbH	Mobile software	GER		Google Mobile	[23]
23	December 31, 2005	bruNET GmbH	Mobile software	GER		Google Mobile	[23]
24	January 17, 2006	dMarc Broadcasting	Advertising	USA	$102,000,000	AdSense	[24]
25	February 14, 2006	Measure Map	Weblog software	USA		Google Analytics	[25]
26	March 9, 2006	Upstartle	Word processor	USA		Google Docs	[26]
27	March 14, 2006	@Last Software	3D modeling software	USA		Google Sketchup	[27]
28	April 9, 2006	Orion	Web search engine	AUS		Google Search	[28]
29	June 1, 2006	2Web Technologies	Online spreadsheets	USA		Google Spreadsheet	[29][30]
30	August 15, 2006	Neven Vision Germany GmbH	Computer vision (Face detection, Facial recognition system)	GER		Picasa & Google Goggles	[31]
31	October 9, 2006	YouTube	Video sharing	USA	$1,650,000,000	YouTube	[32][33]
32	October 31, 2006	JotSpot	Web application	USA		Google Sites	[34]
33	December 18, 2006	Endoxon	Mapping	CHE	$28,000,000	Google Maps	[35]
34	February 16, 2007	Adscape	In-game advertising	USA	$23,000,000	AdSense	[36]
35	March 16, 2007	Trendalyzer	Statistical software	SWE		Google Analytics	[37]
36	April 17, 2007	Tonic Systems	Presentation program	USA		Google Docs	[38]
37	April 19, 2007	Marratech	Videoconferencing	SWE	$15,000,000	Google Talk	[39]
38	April 13, 2007	DoubleClick	Online advertising	USA	$3,100,000,000	AdSense	[40][41][42]
39	May 11, 2007	GreenBorder	Computer security	USA		Google Chrome	[43]
40	June 1, 2007	Panoramio	Photo sharing	ESP		Panoramio	[44]
41	June 3, 2007	FeedBurner	Web feed	USA	$100,000,000	FeedBurner	[45]
42	June 5, 2007	PeakStream	Parallel processing	USA		Server (computing)	[46]
43	June 19, 2007	Zenter	Presentation program	USA		Google Docs	[47]
44	July 2, 2007	GrandCentral	Voice over Internet Protocol	USA	$45,000,000	Google Voice	[48][49]
45	July 20, 2007	ImageAmerica	Aerial photography	USA		Google Maps	[50]
46	July 9, 2007	Postini	Communications security	USA	$625,000,000	Gmail	[51]
47	September 27, 2007	Zingku	Social networking service	USA		Google Mobile	[52]
48	October 9, 2007	Jaiku	Microblogging	FIN		Google Mobile	[53]
49	July 30, 2008	Omnisio	Online video	USA	$15,000,000	YouTube	[54]
50	September 12, 2008	TNC (Tatter and Company)	Weblog software	KOR		Blogger	[55]
51	August 5, 2009	On2	Video compression	USA	$133,000,000	WebM & YouTube	[56]
52	September 16, 2009	reCAPTCHA	Security	USA		Google Books	[57]
53	November 9, 2009	AdMob	Mobile advertising	USA	$750,000,000		[58]
54	November 9, 2009	Gizmo5	Voice over Internet Protocol	USA	$30,000,000	Google Talk	[59]
55	November 23, 2009	Teracent	Online advertising	USA		AdSense	[60]
56	December 4, 2009	AppJet (EtherPad)	Collaborative real-time editor	USA		Google Wave, Google Docs	[61]
57	February 12, 2010	Aardvark	Social search	USA	$50,000,000	Aardvark	[62]
58	February 17, 2010	reMail	Email Search	USA		Gmail	[63]
59	March 1, 2010	Picnik	Photo Editing	USA	$5,000,000	Picasa	[64][65]
60	March 5, 2010	DocVerse	Microsoft Office files sharing site	USA	$25,000,000	Google Docs	[66]
61	April 2, 2010	Episodic	Online video platform start-up	USA		YouTube	[67]
62	April 12, 2010	PlinkArt	Visual search engine Mobile start-up	UK		Google Goggles	[68]
63	April 20, 2010	Agnilux	Server technology start-up	USA			[69]
64	April 27, 2010	LabPixies	Gadgets	ISR			[70]
65	April 30, 2010	BumpTop	Desktop environment	CAN	$30,000,000	Android	[71]
66	May 20, 2010	Simplify Media	Music syncing	UK		Android	[72]
67	May 21, 2010	Ruba.com	Travel	USA		Google	[73]
68	June 3, 2010	Invite Media	Advertising	USA	$81,000,000	DoubleClick	[74]
69	July 1, 2010	ITA Software	Travel technology	USA	$676,000,000	Google Flights	[75][76]
70	July 16, 2010	Metaweb	Semantic search	USA			[77]
71	August 2010	Zetawire	Mobile payment, NFC	CAN		Android	[78]
72	August 4, 2010	Instantiations	Java/Eclipse/AJAX Developer Tools	USA		Google Web Toolkit	[79][80]
73	August 5, 2010	Slide.com	Social gaming	USA	$228,000,000		[81]
74	August 10, 2010	Jambool	Social Gold payment	USA	$70,000,000		[82]
75	August 15, 2010	Like.com	Visual Search Engine	USA	$100,000,000	boutiques.com	[83][84]
76	August 30, 2010	Angstro	Social networking service	USA			[85]
77	August 30, 2010	SocialDeck, Inc.	Social gaming	CAN			[86]
78	September 13, 2010	Quiksee	Online video	ISR	$10,000,000	Google Maps	[87]
79	September 28, 2010	Plannr	Schedule Management	USA		Google Calendar	[88][89]
80	October 1, 2010	BlindType	Touch typing	GRE		Android	[90][91]
81	December 3, 2010	Phonetic Arts	Speech synthesis	UK		Google Voice, Google Translate	[92]
82	December 3, 2010	Widevine Tecnologies	DRM	USA		Google TV	[93]
83	January 13, 2011	eBook Technologies	E-book	USA		Google Books	[94]
84	January 25, 2011	SayNow	Voice Recognition	USA		Google Voice	[95]
85	January 26, 2011	fflick	Social networking service	USA	$10,000,000	YouTube	[96][97]
86	March 1, 2011	Zynamics	Security	GER			[98][99]
87	March 7, 2011	BeatThatQuote.com	Price comparison service	UK	£37,700,000	Google Advisor	[100][101]
88	March 7, 2011	Next New Networks	Online video	USA		YouTube	[102]
89	March 16, 2011	Green Parrot Pictures	Digital video	IRL		YouTube	[103]
90	April 8, 2011	PushLife	Service provider	CAN	$25,000,000		[104]
91	April 26, 2011	TalkBin	Mobile software	USA		Android	[105]
92	May 23, 2011	Sparkbuy	Price comparison service	USA		Google Product Search	[106]
93	June 3, 2011	PostRank	Social media analytics service	CAN			[107]
94	June 9, 2011	Admeld	Online advertising	USA	$400,000,000	DoubleClick, Invite Media	[108][109]
95	June 18, 2011	SageTV	Media Center	USA		Google TV	[110]
96	July 8, 2011	Punchd	Loyalty program	USA		Google Wallet	[111][112]
97	July 21, 2011	Fridge	Social groups	USA		Google+	[113]
98	July 23, 2011	PittPatt	Facial recognition system	USA		Android	[114]
99	August 1, 2011	Dealmap	One deal a day service	USA		Google Offers	[115]
100	August 15, 2011	Motorola Mobility	Mobile device manufacturer	USA	$12,500,000,000	Android, Google TV	[116][117]
101	September 7, 2011	Zave Networks	Digital coupons	USA		Google Offers	[118]
102	September 8, 2011	Zagat	Restaurant reviews	USA	$151,000,000	Google Places	[119][120][121]
103	September 19, 2011	DailyDeal	One deal a day service	GER	$114,000,000	Google Offers	[122][123]
104	October 11, 2011	SocialGrapple	Social Media analytics service	USA		Google+	[124]
105	November 10, 2011	Apture	Instantaneous search	USA		Google Search	[125]
106	November 14, 2011	Katango	Social circle organization	USA		Google+	[126]

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