"We are going to see Facebook work with partners to try to circle the wagons against Google," said Gartenberg. "It does become a little of the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Could Microsoft and Facebook find themselves in competition down the road? Sure. But right now they have a common enemy in the guise of Google."

But despite Facebook's partnership with Skype and Microsoft, Rob Enderle, an analyst with the Enderle Group, said today's announcement does make it look like Facebook is chasing Google.

"Facebook may have started down this path first, but Google made theirs public first, so it makes it look like Facebook is catching up," Enderle said. "Still, both Facebook and Skype have a massive lead in their respective markets and that could render Google+ redundant regardless of how good it is. Facebook and Skype have a massive advantage with respect to customer reach against the very new and unique Google + offering."

Sharon Gaudin covers the Internet and Web 2.0, emerging technologies, and desktop and laptop chips for Computerworld. Follow Sharon on Twitter at or subscribe to . Her e-mail address is .

in Computerworld's Web 2.0 and Web Apps Topic Center.