Google has launched a “Favorite Places” program to jumpstart its local search business. I like the moxy, but the ecosystem is lacking a clear dose of “Why Should I Do This,” at least from the point of view of the business. Or the customer, for that matter. The program has the same “Church lady dancing to rap” feeling that marks nearly all of Google’s socially-driven products.
If Google is serious about this space, they best buy Foursquare, pronto, and let the folks there take over.
Google buy Foursquare?
That would be ironic. They were the original Dodgeball guys who famously left Google because of the lack of attention they were getting from management.
Yeah, I really don’t think they would make the same mistake twice. Clearly the founders want to do something social and Google would rather use the technology for shopping, GPS, or advertising.