Google gets serious about social networking in China - maybe

Google, Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) continues to dial up its efforts in the Chinese market. Having increased its position against the country's leading search engine, Baidu (NASDAQ: BIDU), it is now looking to rapidly expand its presence in China's social networking community. Although Google's efforts in social networking really have not paid off in the U.S., that's not the story in China.

Part reality and part competitive trap (perhaps), Google is making the world think that social networking is ripe for expansion in China. At the same time, China's government wants to ensure all these communications are kept under control (it's a communist country, right?), which would make one think this: how on earth can any company bring social networking to a market ruled by an iron fist when it comes to communications?

Kai Fu-Lee, the former Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT) employee who defected to Google recently under intense scrutiny, indicates that the typical Chinese internet user is 25 years old -- making the market perfect for increasing market awareness and share of social networking efforts. But Baidu may be used more often by kids looking for pirated audio and video content more than anything else -- not for "talking and socializing with friends" as social networking is typically described. Is Google really wanting a piece of that, or is it trying to torpedo competitors? Hey, the world's largest internet search company did not arrive where it is today by being stupid.