Remember Cola Wars? Just like that, but with computers. Google wants to go social and that’s driving Facebook to mobilize for war:
Rumors surfaced in June that the search giant was developing a Facebook competitor called Google Me, and the company’s social networking ambitions became even more certain this week with its acquisition of social app maker Slide. TechCrunch has called Google’s efforts a war on Facebook, and said Vice President of Engineering Vic Gundotra is the company’s general.
Now we’ve heard from a source close to Facebook’s plans that the social network is working hard to fend off Google’s plans. Specifically, chief executive Mark Zuckerberg has declared that the company is on “lockdown” for the next 60 days, with the office open on weekends as the company tries to revamp the Photos, Groups, and Events in advance of the Google launch. We hear Zuckerberg even has a neon sign saying “Lockdown” on his office door.
When someone can offer a simple privacy plan with the customization of MySpace, the operability of Facebook, the interoperability of Digg, and the power of Google, they get to win the social networking wars. Until then, it’s their world and we’re just spectators.
