Is anyone else confused these days? I’m sure I’m not the only one wondering what is the intention/ purpose of Facebook’s graph search, Google+
Local Listings, Apple maps and more. It seems as if the major online players, Apple, Amazon, Facebook, Google, etc. are progressively trying to become, well, each other. In fact, that is truly the case today.
While each of these dominant companies have secured their stronghold on their core offerings, each is actively pursuing new strategies to create an all encompassing platform of product offerings. For instance, Google’s entry into the social arena with the introduction of Google+ was followed by Facebook’s attempt at search delivery with their new Graph Search capability. At the same time Amazon.com has introduced their own mp3 download store and their Kindle reader to compete with Apple’s iPad launch.
What was most interesting, and received little discussion, was Apple’s attempt to enter the mobile local search category. Coinciding with the release of the iPhone 5 and the iOS6 upgrade was the launch of their Apple Maps application. It was no surprise Apple wanted to have their phone users not really upon a Google product. What was striking about this was the integration with their voice-activated personal search tool, Siri. If Apple maps had succeeded, as hoped, Apple would have successfully pushed the envelope on how we search. Rather than typing in search terms in a browser, Siri could serve up local search results from Apple Maps in response to voice-activated queries by mobile iPhone users. The gross number of inaccuracies that existed with Apple Maps doomed it’s adoption. Though, I assure it will be back with a focus on driving search queries through Apple’s platform instead of Google apps, creating a viable ad space channel for search marketers.
What’s next? Look for more changes from Facebook and Google in the social search realm to come to fruition. What I am waiting to happen soon is Amazon’s same-day shipping announcement, potentially diminishing any convenience advantage of brick and mortars retail stores. Also, potentially watch for Amazon to release competing electronic gadgets to the ipod and possibly an e-commerce driven phone. Rest assured, each of these companies quests for digital world domination will continue to get ugly.
The Social Media Frontier 