Google Base, the over-hyped classifieds offering from the search giant, is nearing its second birthday. Like it or not, there’s not much to show for it. In light of having over 3 million jobs in its database, for example, I have yet to hear one person cheer its service as a driver of either big or qualified traffic.

The Base Blog is rarely updated with anything newsworthy, A-list pundits aren’t buzzing anymore, and the whole effort just seems uninspired. So, is it time to ask “Is Google bored with Base, or worse, giving up?”

Since launching Base in November 2005, Google has jumped into video with the acquisition of YouTube, and seems much more energized about its RSS reader and reviving social networking site Orkut, jealously looking at the growth of Facebook and MySpace. No question these are all sexier initiatives. And since Google’s work environment allows for engineers to work on whatever projects they want, it would be no surprise if there was a mass exodus from Base to other things.

Granted, it may be a bit early to count it out. With the emergence of universal search, Google could start plugging in classified content right into actual Web search results, making things a little more interesting. There is a lot of money in classifieds, although it probably pales in comparison to what video and social networking might bring to the table. Plus, online classifieds will always be there if and when Google’s ready. The other initiatives represent a rapid race for market share.

Until sexy’s back, Base will celebrate its November birthday as a turkey.

This entry was posted on Thursday, September 6th, 2007 at 2:10 pm and is filed under google. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.