Google tests new service
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/9819288/
- Google is testing a new service that could eventually propel it into new markets on the web in competition with a wide range of existing internet companies, from ecommerce giants like eBay to online listings sites.
News of the test, which Google would not discuss publicly, spread quickly around the internet on Tuesday and contributed to a 4 per cent fall in eBay’s shares.
Known as Google Base, the service would let internet users submit information about a wide range of personal items, free of charge, to a publicly searchable database maintained by Google.
The information could include things like a “listing of your used car for sale” or a “database of protein structures,” according to Google’s test site. The website was not publicly available yesterday, but screen shots were posted on a number of blog sites.
Google Base to Impact Newspapers
[u]Editor and Publisher[/u]
- NEW YORK Though still in the early stages, Google’s entry into the classified market could seriously impact newspapers, said a report from Banc of America Securities released Tuesday evening.
Google confirmed Tuesday that it’s testing Google Base, a database that will include classifieds supported by keyword advertising.
“If Google offers the service for free, the sole revenue stream will be derived from keyword advertising and it will likely take share from other players, compressing growth rates,” said the note.
Google Base goes far beyond Ebay
[u]Vnunet.com analysis[/u]
- The mystery Google project called Google Base is likely something very different from the Ebay competitor about which many media and bloggers started speculating earlier this week, industry analysts said.
It is more likely that Google is planning to create a vast database for all kinds of information that software developers can use to power their applications, suggested Whit Andrews, a research vice president covering web services for Gartner.
“If it were me, I would be creating an online database such that that online database could feed other online applications,” Andrews told vnunet.com.
Such a database could allow local meteorological enthusiasts to share the weather data that they collect, which a software developer could then use to create an application that helps farmers plan when to harvest their crops.
Bird watchers could mark which birds they saw when, and that data could be used for scientific research. Andrews cautioned that he has no special knowledge of Google’s plans and only based his ideas on the screenshots that started circulating online on Tuesday.
The screenshots in question showed a forthcoming Google product dubbed Google Base. The page displayed a service that offered individuals to “post” information to one of numerous categories such as vehicles.
The phrasing in part suggested that the service would be used as an online classified service that would compete with Ebay. Speculation was further fuelled by earlier unconfirmed reports that Google is looking to create called Google Wallet, a payment service that could compete with Ebay’s Paypal.
Both bloggers and mainstream media including the New York Times and Wall Street Journal jumped on the news. Some wrongly predicted that the product would be unveiled on Tuesday or Wednesday.
Google was quick to counter the speculation.
“We are testing new ways for content owners to easily send their content to Google. Like our web crawl and the recently released Google Sitemaps program, we are working to provide content owners an easy way to give us access to their content. We’re continually exploring new opportunities to expand our offerings, but we don’t have anything to announce at this time,” a spokesperson for the company said in an emailed statement.