Google’s leapt feetfirst into the location-aware services pool, allowing users to locate their friends and display their own location in real time using either a smartphone or an iGoogle gadget.

MG Siegler at VentureBeat thinks this is one occasion where Google is one step ahead in the social networking game:

“If you think Google is already creepy with the amount of data they have about you, you’re going to hate this. … But as I see it, this is Google getting ahead in the social networking game, rather than playing catch-up, as it has had to do in the past. While location-based social networking is far from common, it is a potentially exciting new aspect that could change both our online and real world lives.“

Rick Turoczy at ReadWriteWeb is interested in how Latitude fits into Google’s revenue plans :

“For millions of users, Google already knows how they search, what they click, what they buy, who they know, how they communicate, and where they go on the Web. Location enables them to add another critical data point – where they are when they’re performing any of those actions. So if you think Google has too much information about you already, you’ve got another think coming. Long story short, Latitude adds a whole new level of complexity to Google’s understanding of you and your habits. And while we’ll no doubt derive some very interesting benefits from sharing that information, we should hold no illusions about the value of that data to Google and its efforts to run a profitable business.“

Katherine Boehret from AllThingsDigital played with Google Latitude for a week before launch – she reckons its fun though potentially creepy, and not yet something she’d want to rely upon in an emergency.

Elsewhere on the web:

Joshua Benton at Nieman Journalism Labs digs into new digital distribution models, taking a look at Jeff Jarvis’ video book version of What Would Google Do?

Marshall Kirkpatrick at ReadWriteWeb has a guide to using Friendfeed’s new Advanced Search tool to search for social media intelligence.

Mike Butcher at TechCrunch UK has coverage on LinkedIn’s launch in Germany , taking on local social network Xing.

Inspired by Mashable’s coverage of the Christian Bale potty mouth tape, The Guardian’s Bobbie Johnson says no more victories need to be claimed for social media; it’s gone mainstream and he’s giving up.