Google wants to destroy Facebook?

When it comes to consumer web applications, Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) wants to always be the #1 player. However, as for social networking, the company has been lagging.

But, according to a recent post on TechCrunch, it looks like the search giant is devising plans to take on Facebook. Basically, the grand plan is to have a completely open system. Of course, there will be the leverage of properties like Orkut, iGoogle, Gmail and so on.

Will it work?

I had a chance to interview Phil Edwards, who is the business development director at lonelyceo.com (which builds Facebook applications). According to him:

"Google may be able to improve their own offerings through the contributions of developers, but I just don't think they have as strong of a connection with their users as Facebook. Google is utilities. Facebook is friends. Those identities won't change overnight, and despite the calls of internet evangelists to turn everything into an open graph, most people don't view their friendships so abstractly. And if a developer wants to tap into Orkut's base, they'll have to know Portugese- Google dominates Brazil, but it's got a while to go in the social sphere before it takes over the US, et al."

Tom Taulli is the author of various books, including The Complete M&A Handbook and The Edgar Online Guide to Decoding Financial Statements.