> Google will build their social network in typical Google style -- a big, monolithic, overarching, ugly, centralized, database Actually they are working hard

> Google will build their social network in typical Google style -- a big, monolithic, overarching, ugly, centralized, database Actually they are working hard on pubsubhubbub, activity streams, portable contacts, salmon and all the other federated web stack protocols in order to make facebook (and twitter) features available to any apps (wordpress, diaspora, status.net, gnusocial, buddypress already implemented those). They are trying to make social something open, in other words they are trying to pull an android on facebook by making it irrelevant or at least not as needed as all websites will get the same features. You will be able to communicate with/share photos with/follow your wordpress friends from blogger.com or diaspora or status.net or buzz. Only time will tell if it will be as successful as Android. I think this is a good strategy, google can't beat facebook at their own game by creating a facebook clone just like they could not have beaten the iphone with their own phone. Making all of facebook features an open/easy/distributed/federated stack and attacking facebook with the help of the rest of the web seems like a much better strategy.