Vast Active Library and Information Science blog. From a recent library science graduate in Wellington, New Zealand. A focus on reference and current awareness tools and issues, especially free, web-based resources.

 
News of yet another Google product "leaks" into the world. Apparently, Google Base will be a database that users can upload their own information to. One possible use would be for classified advertising, and there's talk that it will be a challenge to Craigslist or eBay. Techdirt is less sure, suggesting that the real value of Google Base will be to allow people to create their own specialised applications, powered by Google's search tools. This idea isn't unique to Google, Ning has already developed a similar service - but Google is the 800 pound gorilla, and any service they provide will be seen by vastly more people than niche services like Ning.

Ars Technica thinks that the intention is to challenge Craigslist and eBay. On top of that, Google Base will allow tagging - AT thinks that this is will enable Google to build "a kind of universal tagging schema for information and items, which could then be used to classify information across the net" (via Slashdot)

Ars Technica posts the following quote from the front page (which may be down now):

Google Base is Google's database into which you can add all types of content. We'll host your content and make it searchable online for free.

Examples of items you can find in Google Base:

• Description of your party planning service
• Articles on current events from your website
• Listing of your used car for sale
• Database of protein structures

John Battelle covers this briefly, as well.

| posted by Simon at 7:20 pm