Rumor has it that the next project for the search leader taps into social networking, much like Yahoo's photo-sharing service Flickr.Internet search provider
Google wants to capitalize on the social aspect of bookmarks, which are Internet addresses stored in Web browsers for one-click access, according to Google-watcher
ValleyWag.
Search providers have been trying to lure new customers, and keep their old ones, for years by tapping into the social aspect of what they offer, so what Google is supposedly working on is nothing new.
Yahoo's photo-sharing site Flickr is one good example.
But if this is true, Google's competitors and search consumers alike are bound to take notice because of Google's leading share of the Internet search market and its world-renowned brand.
Read more here about Google's latest tool bar.
In response to questions about the rumored effort, a representative of Google, based in Mountain View, Calif., wrote that "we're always exploring opportunities to expand our offerings, but don't have anything to announce at this time."
The representative would neither confirm nor deny that any project was underway.
The ValleyWag blogger mentioned an ongoing project that may be a souped-up version of Google's search history feature, in which Google users' bookmarks can be seen by any other user.
For this project, Google may also tie in its tool bar, the user interface found just below a Web browser's "back" button, which contains many of Google's features. The latest version of Google's tool bar can store bookmarks.
