Google plug-in makes all sites social

Google has launched SideWiki, a web plug-in that allows you to comment on any site or read comments placed there by others. Now ketchup fans can tell Heinz.com what they really think. Jeremiah Owyang suggests this will be big, as Google integrates the feature with other services and competitors rush to emulate it.

However, other Google attempts to play at crowdsourcing content have stumbled. Google's SearchWiki launched last November with the promise of checking how other users marked up search results, and never took off (perhaps because people search for things once and rarely go back to the same hunt). Google's Knol invited the world to compete with Wikipedia by writing thought pieces, yet didn't gain traction. We searched Knol for "media planning" hoping some expert had defined our own field, and were greeted with copy telling veterans how to negotiate with their landlords.

We'll see. For sites people feel passionate about -- imagine the forum over at FoxNews.com and Whitehouse.gov! -- reader comments will be insightful. Either way, Jeremiah is right: The days of owning your own brand and web site are numbered.