Why I'm Rooting For Google+
I don't get it.  Isn't anyone else as creeped-out by the idea of a Google social network as I am?<p>I'm definitely not thrilled at the idea of Facebook being the One True Social Network, but the idea of a Google social network makes me sad, and more than a little nervous.  The fact that Google is trying to exploit their search dominance to funnel people into a Facebook competitor screams "anti-trust violation" to me, and the information-control consequences make me a little woozy -- I'd rather that Facebook dominate the space completely than give Google any more of my personal information.  Google+ may not be evil, but it isn't exactly lily-pure, either.<p>I'm hoping that this is another classic case of Nerd Blindness (much like Rob Malda's famous proclamation that the original iPod was 'lame'):  Google has an exceptionally good technical reputation, so techies are foaming at the mouth to get access to their newest plaything, while <i>everyone else</i> just sees this as an attempt by a gigantic company to destroy a good service that it sees as a threat.<p>Cheering for Google to win in the social network space seems to be to be a bit like hoping that IBM will take down Microsoft.  When giants fight, I can't summon up any other feeling than fear that the rest of us are going to get squashed.