It looks like Google is growing again. The internet giant is ready to expand its social and mobile presence to give big hitters like Facebook and Groupon a little competition. Google’s friend finder “Latitude,” got ‘check-in’ capabilities and perks. Additionally, Google ‘places’ enhanced its program to add hotpot; a place for users to recommend and share services and products they have personal experience with.
Since Google was started in 1996, their mission statement hasn’t changed. The company mission was, “to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.” Fifteen years later, they’re still at it. They have invested in cloud computing, internet search, advertising technology, internet based services and the Android operating system. Plus several other productivity tools for internet and mobile applications.
Google prototyped their “check-in” addition for Latitude, in Austin Texas, and introduced it less than a month later. The Latitude feature lets users see where their local friends are and connect with each other. The only requirement is a Smartphone that is GPS enabled.
Adding the check-in service gives mobile users a reward type program; based on how often they check-in with their favorite retailer. They earn points and status levels, and get rewards like coupons, free items or discounts. Google’s places added hotpot into its business services.
Hotpot lets users rate, and recommend services, businesses and products they’ve used, and share it. Hotpot ratings have all ready had millions of users, and gets around one million places rated a month. There are more than 50 million businesses that have been established into the rating system, so far.
Later, when Google offers its “offers, local deals”, and actively pursues marketing to its consumers; then things could get a little competitive between them and Groupon. Remember Google, “Don’t be evil.”
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