[joelhaus]

more info: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/09/technology/companies/09soc...

The meat:

The Gmail move signals that Google remains serious about becoming a social media force at a time when some of Silicon Valley’s younger start-ups have stolen some of its thunder.

"It might look like a minor feature advance, but this is another blow in the war against Facebook," said Jeremiah Owyang, a partner at Altimeter Group, a technology consulting company.