Google Orkut – The Newest Social Networking Web Site

So well know that social networking sites seem to be taking over the world. The big social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook are great places to connect to people and market a business. Millions of users are on both and business around the world have been leveraging these sites to the fullest. Everywhere you go, you hear people asking others, “Are you on Facebook?”. It’s like 6 degrees of Kevin Bacon, only it’s 6 degrees of Kevin from your math class in the 9th grade.

Just when thought that the social networking thing might have reached it’s maximum threshold, in steps Google with their latest project – Orkut. It’s a strange word but looks to be a serious contender to the other social networking web sites. Orkut gained big popularity in Latin America and Asia and is now going to make a splash in the United States. Google wants to make sure it becomes a giant in the social networking scence. They want their piece of the pie. Orkut’s following in China and Japan has nearly tripled over the past year to over 11 million visitors a month.

Time will tell if Google’s Orkut can get as big as MySpace and Facebook in the USA. Google knows what they are doing and have proven strong players in a lot of the big markets. If Google can figure out a way to offer more than the other social networking sites – a “better mouse-trap” per se – they can get in on the action.