Google is working on a Snapchat Discover like feature called ‘Stamp’: WSJ
Google is working on the idea to implement it in its own way.
Snapchat took the millennials by a storm when it launched, but gained even more popularity from 2014 onwards when the company brought some interesting features to it. The instant photo and video sharing feature was lauded by many, and soon others started copying it.
Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp all three have individual features to take on Snapchat, and Skype recently launched ‘Highlights’ supporting stories. Now, Google is also joining the bandwagon very soon with a feature similar to that of Snapchat Discover.
If you don’t know about Snapchat Discover, it is basically one stop shop to be up-to-date with publisher stories, from let’s say CNN & Fox News, shows, and other news. It allows all these large publishing companies to show their content to people using Snapchat.
Using its AMP mobile optimization technology for web pages, Google is calling the feature “Stamp”. It is expected to be released by as early as this week and will integrate Vox Media, Time, CNN, The Washington Post and more, according to TechCrunch.
“The WSJ describes the product as offering slideshows composed of ‘swipeable slides’ incorporating text as well as photos and videos, which is basically what you get out of Snap’s own Discover stories in Snapchat. Stamp stories would be available broadly on the mobile web, and surfaced directly in Google search results, which could help considerably in terms of increasing their appeal vs. platform-specific products like Discover that require a user to already be within a specific app,” says TechCrunch.
Since this feature will be built right into the search feature, it will be visually more appealing to readers, and is definitely going to bring more revenue to both Google and these publishing companies.
One thing to note is that Google is not trying to blatantly copy Snapchat here. It is simply picking up an idea and implementing it in its own way. In no way is it even trying to pull people from Snapchat to its own platform because Google and Snapchat do not have anything common in this scenario.
However, Google is trying to make people use its search engine more, and by doing that is letting its users rely less on other social media networks where information is also available. This route is also easy for Google to attract more attention to its platform through interactive news.
