In a somewhat-telegraphed move, the omnipresent Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) is introducing public profiles for its users' online identities. Google Operating System had an interesting point, "It's not a stretch to see that these profiles are the perfect host for your activity streams and your public activities could become a part of the profile (uploading photos to a public album, bookmarking web pages, posting a new blog post)."

In addition to being able to share things with friends, this move is putting Google strikingly closer to the News Feed that Facebook uses to keep users abreast of what others are doing in their networks.

With Gmail, GFinance, Search/Web History, Google AdSense, Checkout and Analytics on my blog, Calendar, and Google Chat, I'm a heavy Google user. Now, by connecting me with my friends, Google is on its way to creating a social network by aggregating all my web activities and allowing me to share them with others.

I think this is a stronger position for a social network than Facebook's closed garden approach. Facebook needs to have ex-Facebook activity in their network, but its Beacon system seems to have met with a lot of pushback from privacy groups. Google just will aggregate my activity where I'm actually doing it.

Oh, and my profile?

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Zack Miller
Analyst from Jerusalem

About Zack:
Backing the truck up to load up on the GOOG!
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Zack Miller is the managing editor of IsraelNewsletter.com and a former equity analyst for a leading multinational hedge fund. Author is long GOOG stock.

What my Google Profile is going to say originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 16 Dec 2007 18:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.