Google Base has launched. The new service, in beta testing, enables content owners to easily make their information searchable online. Anyone, from large companies to website owners and individuals, can use it to submit their content in the form of data items. Included so far are links cars for sale, something that has ecommerce and classifieds sites concerned, especially classified aggregators.

Associated Press reporter Matthew Fordahl talked to a few people at organizations that have been testing the service and says the new service might impact eBay and classifieds sites (http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/business/national/13177944.htm).

Danny Sullivan of SearchEngineWatch.com has an excellent in-depth review of what makes Google Base special (http://searchenginewatch.com/searchday/article.php/3564506).

Here's what Google says after you log in and click on the FAQs:
"Google Base is a place where you can easily submit all types of online and offline content that we'll host and make searchable online. You can describe any item you post with attributes, which will help people find it when they search Google Base. In fact, based on the relevance of your items, they may also be included in the main Google search index and other Google products like Froogle, Google Base and Google Local."
http://base.google.com

Many are expecting Google Base to have an impact on eBay and on classifieds website, and sure enough, on the main Google Base page, there are links to cars for sale on getauto.com. Google is also apparently working on an online-payment service.

As far as uploading content to Google Base, it's free, and Google tells users:

• Most types of items (such as products, services, housing, autos, wanted ads, jobs, travel, events, and news) automatically expire after 30 days.
  
  
• We recommend that you send us a new bulk upload each time information in your bulk upload changes or becomes inaccurate. You can send a new bulk upload file as often as once a day.
  
  
• We can't guarantee where your items will appear.
  
  

Google's official blog posted the news at http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2005/11/first-base.html