Google may have lost the bidding war to invest in Facebook, but it is preparing its own major assault on the social networking scene. It goes by the codename “Maka-Maka” inside the Googleplex (or, perhaps, “Makamaka”).
Maka-Maka encompasses Google’s grand plan to build a social layer across all of its applications. Some details about Maka-Maka have already leaked out, particularly how Google plans to use the feed engine that powers Google Reader (known internally as Reactor) to create “activity streams” for other applications akin to Facebook’s news and mini feeds. But Maka-Maka goes well beyond that.
Maka-Maka will be unveiled in stages. The first peek will come in early November. As we reported previously, Google is planning to “out open” Facebook with a new set of APIs that developers can use to build apps for its social network Orkut, iGoogle, and eventually other applications as well. To recap what we wrote earlier:
Google will announce a new set of APIs on November 5 that will allow developers to leverage Google’s social graph data. They’ll start with Orkut and iGoogle (Google’s personalized home page), and expand from there to include Gmail, Google Talk and other Google services over time.
On November 5 we’ll likely see third party iGoogle gadgets that leverage Orkut’s social graph information - the most basic implementation of what Google is planning. . . . Google is also considering allowing third parties to join the party at the other end of the platform - meaning other social networks (think Bebo, Friendster, Twitter, Digg and thousands of others) to give access to their user data to developers through those same APIs.
We’ve now learned that the original November 5 date Google is shooting for may be delayed. “They need more time,” says one outside developer working on the project. “It is a challenge for them,” confirms another. Still, the expectation right now is that some announcement will be made the week of November 5 (perhaps the 8th or the 9th), and will most likely be limited to Google’s existing social network, Orkut. The APIs will be announced, along with as many as 50 partners that have created applications on top of the APIs. (Most of the top app developers for Facebook will be included—think RockYou, Slide, iLike, SocialMedia, etc.—and a few new ones as well).
All eyes will be on Google, but don’t expect anything too earth-shattering straight out of the gate. Many of these apps will be copycats of what is already available on Facebook (just as the very first apps on Facebook were ported over from other parts of the Web). This first go-round, Google will just be trying to match Facebook’s ante. Remember, even on Facebook, the best apps didn’t emerge on Day One. And now Facebook has a six-month lead.
The bigger challenge for Google in the U.S. is Orkut itself. While there may be 24.6 million monthly visitors to Orkut worldwide, only 500,000 of those are here in the U.S., according to comScore. Cool social apps aren’t much good if none of your friends use them.
That’s where the bigger plan for Maka-Maka comes into play. Maka-Maka is very strategic for Google. Responsibility for it goes all the way up to Jeff Huber, the VP of engineering in charge of all of Google’s apps. Huber is on record as saying that the way Google plans to compete is by using the Web as the platform instead of trying to lock developers into Google’s own platform. One way it will do that from the start is by creating two-way APIs so that any app created for Google can be taken to other Websites. (Whether this will extend to actual user profile data within Orkut or elsewhere inside Google remains to be seen because of privacy issues, but the apps themselves will be portable). And data from other social sites will be able to be imported into Google’s social apps as well.
The bigger vision is to combine all of Google’s apps and services through Maka-Maka. Google already has so much data on you, depending on how many Google apps you already use. It just needs to bring everything together. Your contacts are in Gmail. Your feeds are in Google Reader. Your IM buddy list is in Gtalk. Your upcoming events are in Google Calendar. Your widgets are in iGoogle. And don’t forget about your search history. Overtime, Google will connect all of these together in different ways, along with data about you from other social services across the Web, and give developers access to the social layer tying all of these apps together underneath. The real killer app for Google is not to turn Orkut into a Facebook clone. It is to turn every Google app into a social application without you even noticing that you’ve joined yet another social network.
Update: Google is now planning on revealing the first part of Maka-Maka, its cross-platform social APIs, which it is formally calling OpenSocial, on November 1. This will be mostly for developers. Consumers will see the actual applications that come out of this down the road. More details here.
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FYI, “Maka” in Hebrew means “a hit” or “a punch”. When you say a guy made a “maka” in Israel, it means that he made a great deal and earned a lot of money, really fast.
Isn’t maka (or maybe it’s maca) a South American herbal remedy for boosting the female libido?
db
While all this sounds great Erik –> Google’s biggest downfall will be that not every user wants to have all of their information in one system.
Google is going to have rapidly change its privacy policies if it thinks that 1000000000000 users are suddenly going to give every piece of information to Google, knowing full well that Google will spin that information into Advertising dollars.
I would suggest that Google could gain an immediate tactical advantage over Facebook through the use of sub-domains. Much like what Google Apps has done with allowing one to use their personal domain with email or as Feedburner has done with the feed domain, Google could do with its social network.
Your Maka-Maka account could have a domain of http://social.yourdomain.com That would be risky for Facebook to attempt.
Also, allow users to have the choice also between hosted and self-hosted accounts. Now that would truly “out open” Facebook!
How attractive would it be to be able to leverage all of Google’s tools but still maintain the control of using your own domain and hosting all the data on the server of your choice?
@Timothy: you probably want to take a look into http://noserub.com/
You don’t have the Google tools, but a true dezentralised social network and can aggregate all external data, that comes with a RSS-Feed.
And you can install it on your own server, so you *have* full control over your data and your social network.
Social networking is a dying fad… if anybody can make something out of this sector, it’s Google.
Jon
This is gonna be crazy. Two way APIs. Can’t wait to see the future. The matrix is out to get you!
Is it just me, or does this sound unimpressive and a little scary? I don’t think I want Google to use my gmail/gcal/google reader data for “social” purposes. Especially not if all I’m going to get out of it is something similar to what I already ignore on facebook. I’m hoping google really comes up with something new when they finally do their social network because I don’t think we need any more of the same old things.
Fine posting and valuable informations. Congratulations and thank you
Google is always works in a niche way and it had proved all the time. Now its clear why Google didn’t go desperately on the bid with MS for Facebook.
http://blogkatt.blogspot.co
RELEASE JOTSPOT ALREADY!!!
RELEASE JOTSPOT ALREADY!!!
RELEASE JOTSPOT ALREADY!!!
I think the name ‘Maka-Maka’ is really stupid. Google could have choosen a better name. It reminds me about the German word make, which means you are stupid
“I think the name ‘Maka-Maka’ is really stupid. Google could have choosen a better name. It reminds me about the German word make, which means you are stupid”
Maka-maka is just a codename while the project is in development. Just like Longhorn. In fact, makamaka.com is owned by a japanese individual.
As far as the project. It is going to be cool..it is good to know that we are progressing as far as internet innovations. For a while, I was getting sick of facebook and social networking sites as every Tom Dick and Harry were coming up with one.
And of course the platform is going to have a privacy feature that’s not going to allow any info that you do not want to be fed (feed) such as your email, gcal and so forth. Besides who would want to release their gmail in the first place. That is like saying here take my car key.
I used to be a fun reader of techcrunch, but I feel techcrunch is more and more biased, with strong preference to Google and treats MS/facebook as enemy by claiming them evil in last post on MS/facebook deal and their user-targeted ad. There is nothing wrong about it, what google does is essentially same under a better disguise. The google’s privacy policy is not very friendly either. Whatever google does would get applauded here, lucky that we can see and post comments of different view.
In any case, it is good that google to release these API to enrich the developer community and hopefully it brings better user experience.
I hope that’s not the name
We all know it’ll be called something like “Google Social”.
My request? Figure out a way to merge two existing Google accounts. For this to work, they’ll need a way for people who have several Google profiles on various properties to merge them into a single profile. A simple feature like that will win over corporate users who have you@yourcompany.com Google logins and personal Google logins.
Not 100% sure but It seems that Google is working on something similar to the Object Oriented Web vision:
http://blog.kindalab.com/2007/.....-networks/
Wow!
Reply kick by a punch!
looks that I was wrong about techcrunch’s google-mania, just saw the last post about google strike. I am more worried about google’s dominance and stealth privacy practice now.
Someone made a flash film about the future of the web.. it’s worth a watch if you haven’t seen it yet and really fits into all of this: http://robinsloan.com/epic/
RE James
“I used to be a fun reader of techcrunch, but I feel techcrunch is more and more biased, with strong preference to Google and treats MS/facebook as enemy by claiming them evil in last post on MS/facebook deal and their user-targeted ad. There is nothing wrong about it, what google does is essentially same under a better disguise. The google’s privacy policy is not very friendly either. Whatever google does would get applauded here, lucky that we can see and post comments of different view.
In any case, it is good that google to release these API to enrich the developer community and hopefully it brings better user experience.”
What the hell are you talking about? Techcrunch kisses FB ass more than any other site on the internet. They post about the most minute things regarding FB to keep hyping it up–to the point that regular readers even think they have a financial incentive to do so. I like FB, but TC’s coverage is so biased and I hate seeing a daily dose of FB ass kissing every time I visit TC.
Hmm, you could already mine social graphs data by using XMPP, didn’t you?
I mean, you could log in a client into XMPP with priority below 0 (to not to disturb normal gtalk experience), and ask for roster from at least 3 php libs and much more else.
Actually, these details are kind of disappointing. I was hoping for something much more far-reaching than something to string together Google’s offerings in a social way.
FB is in a industry which has a very low entry-barrier. on top of that FB has not done much to create unique differentiators for them..which could be difficult for others to create..or atleast a differentiator which would take its competitors time to build say 4-6 months…
that being said..anybody can get into FB territory …within a period of 30-45 days…and if a stalwart like google wants to do that….it may take lesser time…
now is a tough time for those to-be investors who are valuing fb at 14-25 BN..
every investment has a risk factor….and now one more risk factor is being added to FB.
hope now the valuations would be more practical..
http://www.meetingflex.com
Social Networking + Video
This sounds dangerous. I wonder how Facebook will counter.
“Maka-Maka” ? this is a crazy Name: This is better: Makoogle
The big three (MS, Google, and Yahoo) should absolutely be held to the highest standards in this category. Something as simple as building a social layer in an application should obviously occur with this group. Really, isn’t it about time Google has stepped up? Microsoft and Yahoo have been exposing the social layer in a solid fashion for the past 12 months.
The standard of accountability for this group is off the charts, and we must hold them to it. Innovation, open platforms, data-in-data-out, security and rights management policies.. simply the fundamentals, yet easy to lose sight of. Don’t praise the smallest moves as being in the right direction. Always say that it’s not enough.
It’s nothing special, this social layer, yet so critical. Some may boo and hiss this group for focusing on a non-corecompetency horizontal, and they may be right. Should this group be in the social application market? Should social be a part of everything? These guys are nothing but an address book, right?
what about orkut?
@omg wtf : I think orkut is general dan this one is college and google as usual will vs them in the ring ! the winner stays just like the rule of nature
Mmmmh!Battling against the giants is a mammoth task. We are watching in the sidelines.
Maka-Maka,
Maka-Maka,
Maka-Maka,
Maka-Maka,
Are these people serious?
Maka-Maka,
http://fakesteveballmer.blogspot.com
Interesting post. However, I agree with this post regarding the holy grail needing people search. It is great to collaborate by building a social layer on top of the apps, but you still need to find people to collaborate with.
http://senithomas.wordpress.co.....incubator/
dudes, i’ve been talking about this for ages…but how come nobody fucking listens? (it was picked up by profy.com too)
Did you know that Maka in Jamaican means a bush with pricks/thorns/pointy needles. “Maka jook you” or ‘Thorns stick you”
http://www.jamaicans.com/speakja/patois_m.shtml
thus a thorn in Facebook side
As for the name of Google’s eventual social service : perhaps there won’t be a name. If Google is serious about integrating social networking into all its applications, why would they need a special name for it?
Imagine opening your webmail and having the option of seeing feeds, profile changes, etc about everyone in your adress book, just like facebook. All that’s needed is some ajax and an API implemented by most mail providers.
I imagine most people would rather maintain one friend directory instead of two, and throwing away email is not an option for them, because their mail/phone adress book still contains more of their “social graph” (yuck!) than their facebook friend list.
The risk of facebook being disintermediated is very real.
You need to understand that these social networks follow “ebay” pattern. We all know it is not difficult to duplicate ebay’s technology and in fact Amazon,Yhoo,MSFT,GOOG - all of them tried out to build their won auction sites but none of them have succeded - not because of inferior technology but because people just did not want to leave - they joined ebay, started buying and selling
With that said, Facebook is slightly different, in that, people like it not because it is good social hangout place, but because its evolving applications are really really good. That is where I see there is a chance for Google ,or for that matter for anybody , to compete with Facebook and still win. However goog needs to rush in, Facebook could get too big to beat with technical superiority, as they at that stage could simply live with copying features from others.
Google is capable of producing wow products but then again, they have long history of failed products as well.
Well, that’s nice, but http://www.b4uparty.com has so much more community spirit to offer than Facebook
The real Facebook killer from Google is nicknamed “makikukakamadafaka.”
i go on the internet to email and buy stuff..and so do most people in the world..make that easier and forget the rest of this bullshit? okay?
Interesting concept - it will be interesting to watch how Facebook Apps get pushed in from all directions.
In terms of the code name. There was once an old telephone company commercial (maybe AT&T) and had some guy in the phone both calling Fiji and would say something like “Maka Maka Vee Say”.
So with that in mind, potentially it is Fijian in Nature. Could be like:
Maka na leka = “No Worries” in Mali dialect of Fijian
No ku’u makamaka = “For my Friend”
In hebrew the meaning of “Maka Maka” in slang is “a big hit” it can go in both directions, assult / grant.
like: “wow, he made a fortune! “maka-maka” eh?
or: “they are going down big time! they will get “maka-maka”!
so.. google thinks they will make more money? or just good old revenge?
Orkut = boring UI and full of spammers to boot.
local time : Monday 29-Oct-2007 20: 06: 42 CET
last modified : Wednesday 20-Jun-2007 18: 30: 21 CEST
domaine : maka-maka.com
request from : 208.187.80.135: 57189
domain: MAKA-MAKA.COM
owner: EK
person: kroczynski eric
address: 120 rue camille groult
adresse: vitry sur seine 94400
adresse: FR
phone: 33.611114639
fax:
erickroczynski@mac.com
admin-c: ke2020-ovh
tech-c: ke2020-ovh
bill-c: ke2020-ovh
nserver: dns10.ovh.net
nserver: ns10.ovh.net
created: 2007-06-20 18: 16: 13
expires: 2008-06-20 18: 16: 13
changed: 2007-06-20 18: 20: 40
nic-hdl: ke2020-ovh
person: kroczynski eric
organisation: EK
address: 120 rue camille groult
address: vitry sur seine 94400
adresse: FR
phone: 33.611114639
fax:
erickroczynski@mac.com
created: 2007-06-20 18: 11: 20
changed: 2007-06-20 18: 11: 20
powered by GNU/Linux
Maka-Maka (manga)
Genres: Comedy, Romance
Age rating: Adults only! (Contains explicit sexual content)
Plot Summary: A modern, all-color adult manga about two girls who appear to be “friends with benefits”.
I hope all these social networks keep dishing out boring improvements and fighting eachother by copying ideas that are already old.
It might give me a fighting chance when I launch my ideas one day.
The Hawaiian dictionary at wehewehe.org lists makamaka as “Intimate friend with whom one is on terms of receiving and giving freely; pal, buddy; host.”
Also, didn’t anyone else make the immediate connection between the now-familiar Hawaiian wikiwiki and the unknown makamaka and think, gee, that sounds Hawaiian?
best of luck google.
MakaMaka is Polynesian for “Whale’s Vagina”
Sounds way too close to Macaca, just an idiotic name all around.