The search giant makes a belated attempt to take on the social-networking site

FOR years Google has stayed on the fringes of the social-networking industry, leaving the field largely to the likes of Facebook and Twitter. Now, however, it is making a determined foray into online friendships. On February 9th the search giant unveiled Buzz, a networking service that will be closely integrated with the firm’s e-mail offering, Gmail. Google no doubt hopes Buzz will help it catch up with the leaders of the networking world—but the chances are slim.

Google’s move is a sign that the world of social networking and that of other online services, such as e-mail and search, are rapidly converging. Social networks such as Facebook, which boasts over 400m users, have become popular tools for communicating online and for posting information on a host of subjects. Google and other search engines have begun to incorporate content from social networks in their results. …