Google rumoured to be prepping social network

Google is reportedly developing a social networking service to rival Facebook.

Reports from a pair of Silicon Valley executives have pointed to the company launching a social networking service known as 'Me' which may soon be launching.

Kevin Rose, founder of news aggregation site Digg, cited unnamed sources he classified as "very credible" in reporting that the company was preparing to launch a Facebook competitor by the name of "Me."

The report was soon seconded by former Facebook executive Adam D'Angelo.

The one-time Facebook chief technology officer said in a posting to his Quora web site that the impending service was not merely a rumour, but in fact a 'high priority' project at Google which would seek to compete with Facebook.

"They realized that Buzz wasn't enough and that they need to build out a full, first-class social network," D'Angelo wrote.

Such a network would not be Google's first venture into the social networking space. Since 2004 the company has operated Orkut, a social network which has seen little success in the US or Europe but has enjoyed popularity in developing nations such as Brazil and India.

Earlier this year the company made further motions to move into the social networking space with Buzz. The service linked Google's Gmail platform with the company's other properties such as YouTube, Blogger, Picasa and Twitter.

The service received a less than stellar reception from users and privacy advocates, who accused the company of violating user privacy by automatically activating the service to Gmail users.