Yeah, I still say it is a flop. Any company with google's resources, should have been able to leverage them much better than they have. Also, if they really thought they would be able to build something compelling, why would they pay murdoch and co all the money they did instead of just building their own/
1. Leveraging means putting it in your face. Anything on Google.com right now will gain quite a lot of leveraging (except for Gpay, I don't know what kind of conversion was attained when that link was on the front page). Google has made it a mission to avoid that because people everywhere will instantly complain and bitch when little notes start popping up asking you to join Orkut.
2. As for paying all that money to News Corp? Maybe the same reason Microsoft is paying all that money to Facebook? They're paying a giant game of expensive keepaway.
Well, as for point number 1, thats what I mean...they are desperate. If they can't leverage current resources and a 200B valuation, how the hell are they going to beat facebook. Oh, and by the way, once FB/MSFT decides to make a push in Brazil, orkut can kiss their mkt share goodbye. Facebook is just that much better.
