Google is feeling the heat from red-hot social network Facebook.
The search giant is upgrading its Gmail program to add social-media tools similar to those found on Facebook. Google will incorporate photo and video sharing within the Gmail application, along with a new tool for status updates. Google will hold a press conference at its Mountain View, Calif., headquarters today to show off the new features.
Google (GOOG) is still far and away the No. 1 most-visited website, with 173 million U.S. visitors in December, according to measurement service ComScore Media Metrix, up 16% from the previous December. But Facebook is close behind.
Facebook was the fourth-most-visited site in December, with 111.8 million visitors, up 105% from the prior year.
“If Google can get you to do more things in Gmail, they can sell more ads, because you’ve spent more time there,” says Danny Sullivan, editor of the Search Engine Landblog.
That Google would feel the heat from Facebook makes sense. Many former Google executives now work at Facebook, including Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg, who at Google helped build the lucrative AdWords pay-per-click ad program. Facebook has a similar pay-per-click program now.
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http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2010-02-09-gmail09_ST_N.htm
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