The Wall Street Journal announced Google may introduce social features as soon as this week. In Twitter-esque fashion. Google’s newest feature would let users view a stream of status updates from their online connections. The WSJ’s sources said this may launch as soon as this week.
Google eventually plans to incorporate YouTube and Picasa into the new status stream. The time frame for that is uncertain.
Right now, Google allows users to set an away status, similar to instant messenger’s away message.
This is the second time Google made a splash in online news this week. Last night’s Super Bowl commercial “Parisian love” was also a first for the company. The video had been on YouTube since November, but was new to most of the country. Here are some live thoughts:
What do you think about Google’s newest venture into social media? With YouTube, Google Reader, and Picasa already under its wing and Twitter functions soon to be, could Google be the social media hub of the future?