Google+ looking to piggyback off Gmail; integration aplenty

By Larry Dignan July 11, 2011, 1:00pm PDT
Summary
Google is looking to leverage Gmail to integrate its Google+ social networking tools and plans several integrations ahead between the two services.
Topics
Google Inc., Google Gmail, Google Plus, Integration, Striebeck, Google Apps, E-mail Providers, Internet, Larry Dignan

Larry Dignan is Editor in Chief of ZDNet and SmartPlanet as well as Editorial Director of ZDNet's sister site TechRepublic. He was most recently Executive Editor of News and Blogs at ZDNet. Prior to that he was executive news editor at eWeek and news editor at Baseline. He also served as the East Coast news editor and finance editor at CNET News.com. Larry has covered the technology and financial services industry since 1995, publishing articles in WallStreetWeek.com, Inter@ctive Week, The New York Times, and Financial Planning magazine. He's a graduate of the Columbia School of Journalism and the University of Delaware.
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Google is looking to leverage Gmail to integrate its Google+ social networking tools and plans several integrations ahead between the two services.
The tidbit, posted on Google+ by Mark Striebeck, engineering manager for Gmail’s front end, highlights how the search giant is pondering how to leverage its email service as a social conduit. The idea has Techmeme all aflutter (we’ll overlook how the tech crowd loved Google Wave integration too).
Striebeck’s homework for the masses is to ponder what email features best work with Google+, integration points and making Gmail more social.
Google is walking an interesting line with the Google+ and Gmail integration effort. Too much integration and you have a complete mess on the user interface front. But with good connections between the two services Google+ can leverage the Gmail installed base.
One interesting point from my Google+ page: “Imagine having Google+ be the primary interface for all of the Google apps.”
Google seems to be thinking along those lines. And why not? Google has a massive installed base. As noted previously, here’s the installed base Google can leverage to bolster its social networking standing via comScore statistics.
Related:
Google+ spurs margin worry, questions about ROI for search giant
What do Google execs know about Google+ privacy that you don’t?
Facebook tries to box in Google+ as so five years ago
Is Google+ about to transform the Web?
How to try to get a Google+ account
Google Voice: a cheapskate’s guide to cheap VOIP
Invite your entire Facebook graph into Google Plus
Five Things to love about Google+
CNET: Google+ invites no longer so scarce
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