Is Google Trying too Hard?
Monday, February 8, 2010
Most of us are very familiar with the concept of a status update. We are accustomed to everyday conversations about someone's Facebook status. Twitter uses a similar concept with its Twitter updates.
The idea behind Facebook statuses and Twitter updates is to notify predetermined friends or followers what a person is doing at a certain time.
That same idea has now piqued the interest of Google. According to the Wall Street Journal, Google will announce the addition of a new feature on Gmail sometime this week. This feature will be similar to a Facebook status update. Gmail users will now be able to inform their e-mail contacts of their whereabouts and recent news.
A problem with this feature, according to Mashable's Adam Ostrow, is the simple fact that a Gmail user's contact list may not be who they would normally choose to receive their status updates and vice versa.
With the addition of Facebook and Twitter in the competitive world of social networking, it is without a doubt becoming difficult for email services to maintain existing users, while appealing to potential ones. The addition of a new Gmail feature is just another way that Google is trying to stay on top of the competition.
