Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Hot on Facebook
Man Tries to Order Priciest Starbucks Drink Ever Total cost: $23.60 »

Making Web More Social Has Google, Facebook Less So

Friend Connect threatens social-networking business model

By Laila Weir,  Newser User

Posted Jun 3, 2008 3:35 PM CDT
Email

(Newser) – Though Facebook cited privacy concerns in pulling the plug on a partnership with Google aimed at making the Web more social, dollar signs are more likely behind its withdrawal from Friend Connect, the Washington Post reports. "What Facebook is after really is control over their users," one analyst says of the threat to the company's advertising hold.

The rift that opened just days after last month's Friend Connect launch raises questions about the future of social networking. Such efforts to let users network on multiple sites as they surf the Internet, rather than only within a closed site, threaten revenues for Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn and their competitors. These sites will need "to evolve," said Google’s engineering director.

What Facebook is after really is control over their users, one analyst says of the social-networking site's decision to pull out of an agreement with Google over the Friend Connect feature.
"What Facebook is after really is control over their users," one analyst says of the social-networking site's decision to pull out of an agreement with Google over the Friend Connect feature.   (AP Photo)
What Facebook is after really is control over their users, one analyst says of the social-networking site's decision to pull out of an agreement with Google over the Friend Connect feature.
"What Facebook is after really is control over their users," one analyst says of the social-networking site's decision to pull out of an agreement with Google over the Friend Connect feature.   (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma, file)
Google said it gave Facebook a chance to review how Friend Connect before its launch; Facebook denies that, and has pulled out of the attempt to make the Web more social, citing privacy concerns.
Google said it gave Facebook a chance to review how Friend Connect before its launch; Facebook denies that, and has pulled out of the attempt to make the Web more social, citing privacy concerns.   (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)
Katie Stanton of Google Finance, Alan Murray of the Wall Street Journal, and Scott Drake of CNBC Digital attend the opening bell ceremony at the Nasdaq MarketSite on June 2, 2008.
Katie Stanton of Google Finance, Alan Murray of the Wall Street Journal, and Scott Drake of CNBC Digital attend the opening bell ceremony at the Nasdaq MarketSite on June 2, 2008.   (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)
The Facebook logo is displayed at a news conference in New York in this November 6, 2007 file photo.
The Facebook logo is displayed at a news conference in New York in this November 6, 2007 file photo.   (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle, file)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
To report an error on this story, notify our editors.
A snapshot of the day's best news stories.
 
COMMENTS
Be the first to comment on this story.

Google, Facebook face off over users' data
Wired

 
social networking • Google • MySpace • Facebook • LinkedIn • Friend Connect

More Newser Stories

When Is A Facebook Friend Just A Friend?

Web 2.0 Firms Taking Slower Route to IPOs

Yahoo Gets Deeper In Bed With Facebook

Tax Collectors Use MySpace, Google to Find Deadbeats

Nearly Half of Employers Screen Social Media Profiles
NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS
Other Sites We Like:   24/7 Wall St.   |   Betty Confidential   |   BuzzFeed   |   Cracked   |   Fark   |   Timelines   |   The Frisky   |   Geek Sugar   |   NewsOne