Everyone has been buzzing about Google+, the latest Facebook contender to appear on the playing field. What’s different about this new entrant is that Google actually did an excellent job of developing a platform that is both easy to use and sophisticated in scope.
By now you’re probably somewhat familiar with Google’s approach and terminology. Rather than groups or lists, you have Circles. Rather than topics or interests, you have Sparks. Rather than group chats, you have Hangouts. And most importantly to many, rather than a convoluted set of Privacy Settings on Facebook, Google+ offers privacy controls that are easy to use and understand.
There are a lot of benefits to using Google+ instead of Facebook or Twitter, a few of the highlights being:
- The ability to create/share any kind of content, and then decide who you want seeing it.
- Integration with other Google products that will surely only get better with time. Do you use GMail for email? I do. Do you use Picasa for photos? I do. Do you watch videos on YouTube? I do. Google will undoubtedly be making it incredibly easy to merge and share across all of its products.
- Unlike Twitter, you can actually share rich content. You’re not limited to 140 characters.
- Unlike Facebook, you can follow and be followed. It’s not solely about connecting with people you know in real life.
- Better privacy controls (as mentioned above).
Though Google+ has yet to launch a solution for brands (though it says it is in the works), it’s clear that they will find a way to bring Google Profiles toward the top of search results. So, brands need to keep an eye on these developments, if only for search engine optimization (SEO) reasons.
Here’s where the other shoe drops. As much as I appreciate the platform, there is one key problem. Most of my friends and family are on Facebook and the majority of my industry network is on Twitter. I’ve tried to be active on Google+, but if no one that I interact with is there…what’s the point?
It’s also my belief that most people (not including those of us that live at the forefront of digital tech) only have mind share for one major social network. Now that Aunt Joan is finally on Facebook, do you think she’s really going to shift so quickly to a new platform? Now that industry mavens have acquired millions of followers on Twitter, will they be so quick to jump, thereby spreading themselves thinner?
In summary: For all of the advantages Google+ has, it’s still a network-reliant product, meaning that its value is only as large as the number of people using it. While there is a huge potential for success, it’s difficult to foresee if/how/when Google+ can displace Facebook, Twitter, and others as the primary social network.
Have you tried Google+? What do you think? Leave a comment below.
Photo Credits: Antonio M. Rosario
