Google's Larry Page
He sent out a company-wide memo last Friday, alerting employees that 25% of their annual bonus will be tied to the success or failure of Google’s social strategy in 2011.
Now there is no denying that Google has, to date, essentially failed at “going social.” But it hasn’t been from lack of effort.
To me, the social web is the next natural evolution of the Internet. In the early days of the web, most people were lucky enough just to be able to access the web, let alone publish on it. In the last ten years, that has completely changed. With social media, almost anyone can be a web publisher. Which means, a whole lot more signaling information for search engines.
Will early adopters have a competitive advantage? Well, maybe. It really boils down to how people are using their social media “street cred.” Just like other forms of communication, some people will learn to harness the power of social media & networking platforms much more quickly and effectively than others. For those early adopters who see the long-term value of developing credibility in their profiles, much like early website adopters, they are likely to enjoy a significant competitive advantage in terms of online reputation. On the other hand, those that see social media as yet another billboard, will destroy their social credibility and find themselves questioning the value of engaging online.
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