social Networking
Google Launches New URL Shortening Website
Google by introducing its very own URL shortening website http://goo.gl/ has added another service to its swiftly escalating range.With its new goo.gl site, Google joins the likes of bit.ly and tinyurl.com in enabling internet users to shorten long web addresses into more manageable, bite-size links.
The demand for link shortening services has increased considerably in recent years, as users of social networks such as Twitter and Facebook look to discover ways of sharing links as rapidly and in brief as possible.
Google’s new URL shortening tool transforms long links into the much shorter http://goo.gl/, followed by a unique mixture made up of four letters as well as numbers.
Whilst the popularity of goo.gl remains to be seen, the service could have a constructive effect on search engine optimisation. Social networking and SEO are becoming more and more intertwined, so any service that enables quicker and easier link sharing via social platforms is likely to benefit SEO campaigns.
Goo.gl presently consists of just a text box and a click button marked ‘Shorten’.Google software engineer Muthu Muthusrinivasan stated that the beauty of the service lies in its very simplicity.He also added that Google didnt plan to overload goo.gl with features, but that they wanted it to be the stablest, most protected, and quickest URL shortner on the web.
“Google Me” Social Network…a Facebook Contender ?
News that Google is building a Facebook competitor have become more believable due to Google’s CEO Eric Schmidt confirming the launch of the social application ‘Google Me‘ into their products including email, online search, videos and maps.
The proclamation of this launch (in fall this year) comes at a very significant time. With Facebook having suffered badly from recent privacy issues, chances are that Google Me could become an immense concern for Facebook.
Google desires that ‘Google Me’ should not be just another accumulation to the product catalogue but will target at combining all their previous ‘not so winning’ social networking attempts like Orkut, Buzz and Profiles into a victorious social network.
Google CEO,Eric Schmidt recently stated at the Google Zeitgeist Conference held at Scottsdale, Arizona that “We’re trying to take Google’s core products and add a social component.” He also added “If you think about it, it’s obvious. With your permission, knowing more about who your friends are, we can provide more tailored recommendations. Search quality can get better.”
Well, we also need to wait and watch as to how Google can get such huge Facebook devotees to abandon Facebook and turn towards Google Me instead !