*WARNING* this column may be a little wonky and techy.

The last week has seen some serious escalation in the battle between the internet search engine giants and the social networking behemoths.

Specifically, Google and Facebook are playing chess with the tools you use every day to learn, share, and market your lives and businesses.

Within the last week, Google has announced the Google+ platform in a direct effort to wound Facebook. In turn, Facebook will be rolling out advancements and new features to their offerings…beginning with today's Skype integration and, probably, ending soon with the release of the long-rumored Facebook phone platform.

What does all this mean for us here in the Mid-Missouri market? I didn’t think much immediately until I read the KRCG Facebook stream and saw the number of false rumors and fear-mongering comments posted there.

To set the record straight, Facebook will always be free. Google will always be free. It’s the marketing channels and user demographics that make these companies money.

Here is my take-away, first on Google:

1. Google is a verb. You don’t search for something you Google it. It is as ingrained in our lives like Mom, Chevrolet, and Apple Pie. If they release a tool that combines social communication, search, peer reviews on products, and simple integration they will immediately claim a large piece of the social landscape as their own.
2. Google owns the Android phone platform and Android has taken the majority share of mobile device sales from iPhone and Blackberry. Everything is headed towards abandoning desktops for mobile integration. This gives Google the footprint they need to grab Social Media market share.
3. I've lost count but I think this is Google’s fourth attempt as Social Media. Maybe efforts like Wave were ‘warming up in the bullpen’ for Google+. Some users, mostly industry leaders, ooh-and-awed at the previous attempts but the public didn’t bite. This time will probably be different.

Now for Facebook:

1. With 750 Million users they can’t be wrong…right? There is a decent-sized group of users who have grown apathetic towards the system due to perceived privacy risks, lackluster improvements, and the growing reach of marketers on the platform. The youth demographic has grown stagnant while the 35 years old and plus market has increased in strength. Advertisers like people with actual income to spend.
2. Video-chat integration, Facebook phones, and other new developments may be too little too late. The thing to remember is Facebook is preparing for an IPO sometime in the next 12 months. Any downward trending in user use, user growth, and public opinion is going to severely damage this possible future $100 Billion Day. All of these are happening now.
3. Facebook Ads versus Google Adwords. Facebook’s Ad network is amazing for being able to target prospects. With the right information you can target an ad to one specific person. Unfortunately and for the most part, the Facebook Ads are static white-noise. They are seen but not clicked. This is why FB touts impressions over clicks in their reports. Google Adwords work because people are actually searching for the item being advertised to them. This drives the click-through-rate and drives the revenue. My guess is Facebook will open up even more channels for marketers to communicate with users (good for companies like mine) which will drive even more users away from Facebook (bad for Zuckerberg, et al) because they don’t want to be sold like that.

In the end, both platforms will survive and will not resemble their current form and function a year from now. When it comes to the user experience a year from now, you will probably see more people Google Plus-ing about the lunch they had, the car they bought, or the bad customer experience they just went through than you do today. Just after they post on Facebook about it and tweet about it.

Things won’t change that much we’ll just have another channel to share on.

These are just my thoughts…what are yours?

Thanks for the time-

Gus