Some great thoughts again Eve but little I can agree with, really. This, I can.

“No matter what applications Google develops or acquires, its core business can be summarised in one word: Advertising.”

Yes, it ALL about Ads and on a Global scale. And as an investor I have been following the “space” now for quite some time …. But it’s not just Facebook that Google should be concerned about. And for many “seeing is believing” and I guess the 2001 revelation in “The Disclosure Project” is a prime example.

http://www.cosmicparadigm.com/DisclosureProject.html

My research has told me of many Global Ads Networks that have been “forming” for (at least) 2 – 3 years or, more now and are possibly about to “launch” (I feel) in conjunction with the highly anticipated announcement of Facebook’s “own” Ads platform, they have called “SocialAds”. (November 6th)

Huge (Multi billion dollar) Co’s are involved and much has been written over here, (at IV), where I regularly post of “day to day” developments, as such. My “blog”

http://www1.investorvillage.com/beta/smbd.asp?mb=3240&pt=m

In relation to your headline “Facebook and Google: Who should worry?” (and in closing), I’ll quote to you the last line “thoughts” from within today’s (Cnet) news.com article, on the very topic …It says:

“The rumored “SocialAds” event will be the biggest announcement out of the company [since Facebook launched its developer platform in May], and its placement in the middle of New York’s AdTech conference guarantees that it’ll be high-profile.

There are few companies that could divert attention from Google. Facebook, unfortunately for Mountain View, is one of them.”

http://www.news.com/8301-13577_3-9806517-36.html?tag=nefd.blgs

Cheers! (LC)

Personally I loath FB so I do not care if MS gets to invest more and absorb FB to the point that it evaporates from view.

As for Google, the previous days have seen them do some very strange downgrading of top bloggers sites because of their rules around paid links.

The way I perceived it is that Google is beginning to flex its muscles in a very Orwellian 1984 way.

And this is definately not good at all.

Good point about the market, although the ‘Marketplace’ in Facebook isn’t too popular at the moment……….yet

I guess with Google’s billions, it’s only a matter of time……

@Jackie: Facebook can be used to just find people you lost touch with, or it can be used as a powerful network/communication tool. Just this week, I have have had two high powered meetings with people who happened to be visiting SA and with whom I connected via Facebook. Both meetings, I believe, will be very lucrative. So I guess it all depends on how you use it.

Also, you can block requests for those annoying applications so you are not invited to a Zombie party ever again

Ahhh…. depends on how you define ‘novelty’ and how you define ‘useful’. How much time did you spend on YouTube yesterday? And how much time do you spend logged into facebook? And how many friends have you reconnected with because of Facebook? And hey, remember *I* am one of those friends.

Google IS going to push strongly into social netorking, since it seems to the one sure thing that is NOT a passing fad. It obviously won’t be via Facebook, so Orkut it is.