Okay, the latest news is that GOOGLE has bought social games start-up SocialDeck, the latest in a series of acquisitions that it is currently collecting so that it can compete against Facebook.

It’s on a not-so-secret mission to build an enormous social networking service.

Sorry to rain on the parade, fellas, but yer going to fail.

That’s right folks, you heard it here first, the Google entry into the social media world will be the latest addition to the growing list of Google flops and failures.

As much as I love Google (and truly I do), time and time again, Google falls into the trap of trying to be all things to all man – which is why it fails.

It’s getting to the point where Google simply cannot abide someone else having a decent brand profile on the Internet. Think I’m kidding? Here is some proof.

• Google Answers to take on Yahoo! Answers? The only answer Google got was a Fail.
• Google Video to take on YouTube? YouTube is now owned by Google. I guess it’s a case of buy ‘em when you can’t beat ‘em.
• Google Coupons to take on absolutely anyone else in the coupon business. Ever heard of Google coupons? There. I rest my case.
• Google Checkout to take on Paypal. (Amazing how quickly they changed their mind. eBay, that owns Paypal, and who is the single largest advertiser on Google, pulled its ads in protest.)
• Google Knol - a lukewarm attempt to rival Wikipedia. Never heard of it, mutters most of the planet…
• Google Docs to rival Microsoft Office. Ever in your entire life met anyone that uses it?

That’s not all of course, there was Google Wave that I covered recently, Google Print Ads where Google, bouyed by its success in online ads, tried crossing the frontier into traditional newspaper advertising  and many more.

Now look anyone that knows me knows I’m an innovation enthusiast. When you’re an innovation enthusiast it’s par for the course that there will be successes and failures. The important thing is to get out there are keep innovating.

BUT the thing is Google isn’t innovating.

Google is copying to try to compete against everybody and anybody that has built a decent size brand on the Internet. You can’t ride on someone else’s coattails and win, its doomed from the start.

Google took on (and beat) Yahoo! for search and successfully built its search engine credentials – that’s its core business, that’s what its brand is recognised for and that’s its competence.

But it failed to copy and beat Yahoo’s fantastic “Answers” product; it’s failed to copy and beat YouTube; failed on Wikipedia; failed on Paypal; failed on Microsoft Office…

Starting to see the pattern here?

Look around, see who Google is currently attacking:

• Google Chrome to compete against Microsoft IE, Firefox, Safari and anyone else who has a browser (btw, I think there are good strategic reasons for Google to launch a browser).
• Google Books its attempt to send Amazon, one of my all-time favourite online brands, to the cleaners. (Lots of posts at this blog ab0ut Google books.)
• Google Android and Nexus One because Apple shouldn’t get all the glory with the iPhone.
• Google Music to take on Apple iTunes. (No chance, fellas.)
• And now this foray into social media to take on Facebook…

It’s gonna all end in tears.

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