McCann

Earlier today, I noted how Google's latest volley in the social networking arena reminded me of Seattle startup Gist. Well, interestingly enough, when I caught up with Gist CEO T.A. McCann this afternoon he happened to be on the Mountain View, Calif. campus of Google meeting with teams from Gmail and Android.

McCann said his trip had been planned, and he had no prior knowledge that Google was going to drop the Buzz bombshell today. But the entrepreneur, who previously founded the question-and-answer community HelpShare and worked in Microsoft's Exchange Server Group, doesn't look at Google's new offering (which adds social networking features to Gmail) so much as a competitive threat.

"We see ourselves as data Switzerland. We are not really picking sides," said McCann, explaining that the Gist service ties into various email programs (Outlook, Gmail, Lotus Notes) and social networking platforms (Twitter, LinkedIn).

In fact, it is Gist's independence -- along with its focus on business users -- that McCann thinks his startup can chart its own course.

McCann -- who for several years has been preaching the benefits of marrying email to social networking services -- said that Google's entrance in the market actually is a "good thing."

"It is validating our strategy," he said.

Furthermore, he pointed to distinct differences between Gist and Google Buzz. For one, McCann said that Gist is "enterprise-centric" while Buzz is "consumer-centric." Furthermore, he said Gist is more about "consuming" content rather than publishing or sharing it to one's network.

But, perhaps most important, is McCann's "Switzerland" comment. Since it holds no alliances with any of the major tech giants now circling, McCann thinks that Gist can bring a true "360 degree view" to what is going on inside a person's network.

"It is really a significant superset of what Buzz is," said McCann.

We've been down this path before, and perhaps that speaks to the market opportunity in front of Gist. Back in May, we asked whether Google's Wave would crash Gist's plans. And then a few months later, after Microsoft announced that it was integrating LinkedIn and other social networks into Outlook, a TechFlash reader wrote "Buh-bye Gist."

I am sure there are readers out there thinking the same thing today now that Google has unveiled Buzz, especially after Google co-founder Sergey Brin gushed about the service and suggested how it might resonate with business users.

Asked directly about the competitive threat from Google, McCann said that simply goes with the territory. "I think that any of us startups going after a big opportunity is going to play in the land of the giants," said McCann. "We have a valid strategy" and if the tech giants "invest modestly in the space ... that is very, very good for us at the end of the day."

Gist raised $6.75 million from Paul Allen's Vulcan Ventures and Foundry Group last May.