[HIB]Google aims to wipe smile off Facebook

Analysts suggest the search giant is seeking a share of the social-networking growth its rival enjoys, writes Sonja Ryst.The tweet sent a quiver through the blogosphere: "Google to launch Facebook competitor very soon." That line, from Kevin Rose, the entrepreneur who founded content-sharing site Digg, unleashed a sense that the online world as we know it was about to change fundamentally.The idea that Google, the world's dominant search company, would soon take on Facebook, the world's dominant social-networking site, intrigued business analysts and bloggers alike. They set out to guess what the service, reportedly called "Google Me", would be like. They predict Google's efforts could yield a "Facebook killer". Google has confirmed so little about its strategy, it's unclear how or what results it might bring. But the speculation has been rampant.

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