Google Base – Sell it, keep it, post it, buy it, share it

There’s just so many things you can do with a database. This has been online for quite sometime, but even right before Google launched Google Base “beta” five months ago, there have been rumours that Google was coming up with a Craigslist- and eBay-killer—something that let people put up for sale or want ads. But it turned out that Google Base grew to become so much more.

Calling it Google “Base” may sound weird at first, as it might sound like some extension of the Googleplex, or a military compound of sorts. But “base” is short for database. And this Google feature is just that. It lets you put up for sale and want ads, job postings, reviews, business listings, and blog directories. You can even add images of your item, as necessary.

What’s different?

You may think there’s nothing new with Google Base, given that there are dozens of listing sites out there, particularly the popular Craigslist.org service that had been localized to several areas in the States and even outside. The basic difference of Google Base is extensibility. You are not limited to any category or field type, because you are the one asked to define where your entry falls, and what data types, attributes and information are attached to the item.

Add to that, this is Google! We know how efficient and relevant Google searches are. So count on people getting to find your items faster than you can say “base.”

Labels vs. Attributes?

Google is fond of using labels and attributes as opposed to categories and data types. Owe it all to this great big concept of Web 2.0, but we think it’s great that finally it’s the user who defines this information.

Labels are used to define the basic classification of an item. For instance, an item can be a “recipe,” an item “for sale,” or a “directory listing.” Attributes, on the other hand, are extensible characteristics or descriptions of the item. For instance, you can say “Color: red,” “Location: Bay Area SF,” or “Price: US$ 149.”

Bulk Uploads

Users can even upload several items at once using bulk uploading. At present, users can upload in bulk using tab-delimited formats (TDF), or the ever-popular really simple syndication (RSS).

What else?

With Google Base being extensible, there’s no limit to what you can add and input!