It’s perfectly natural, and something that we’ve wanted for some time.  Using the Google login for their online properties was the first step (and not finished mind you), but integrating the GMail address book, and adding basic sharing options is a huge step.

When we talk about social networks connecting people, we rarely take a close look at the tools in question.  Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, Pownce, Jaiku, LinkedIn, Plaxo… these are all tools – and so are the Google services.  Having some best-of-breed, and some adequate online tools be able to provide sharing capabilities is a huge improvement.  It’s much better to add sharing tools to these apps rather than try to build new one’s in someone else’s sandbox.

For me, using Google apps (and Yahoo and MSN/Live apps) every day, I’m looking forward to finding ways to enhance communication and productivity because of these new features.  In my opinion, it’s this type of evolution of “social networking” that will become more useful to businesses as well as individuals.

As business-relevant social networking tools become incorporated into the software that businesses use, that’s when you’ll see perceptions of social networking change.

Via: Steve Rubel – Reader Integrates Google’s Stealth Social Net: The Address Book