Google + and Facebook

Whilst Google emphasises that its slowly-burgeoning ‘+’ service is in no way intended to be a competitor to Facebook, and rather an addition to the ubiquitous social network, its similarities with the social network are numerous. What Google + is built around is the idea that the various contacts we may add on Facebook may be built around a wealth of different relationships, such as close friends, family members, workmates and distant contacts. Whilst Facebook already allows the user to post updates to certain pre-determined groups, the emphasis on types of relationship as acknowledged by Google + is bigger, and makes the adding of contacts to adaptable ‘circles’ much more straightforward than that of Facebook.

A Medium Between Facebook & Twitter?

It is fast becoming the norm that content is shared rather than searched for, especially after a user has subscribed to a feed; it’s a case of waiting for updates and links to arrive than actively searching new developments out, and Google + forms a happy medium between the more personal Facebook, and Twitter, where a user is far more likely to follow an unmet opinion former who directs their disciples to reams of interesting content – though in a short, truncated, 140-character restriction. Google + also incorporates ‘hang-outs’, a video-chat friendly service they recommend is best used when several people are hoping to arrange something, advantageous over sending multiple messages to each concerned party.

Yet to Take Off

Though Google + was launched in June, and uptake of the service was colossal, actual activity on the service remains humble thus far, but with ‘+1’ buttons appearing increasingly on more and more web pages, it seems that Google + is to be a slow-burning juggernaut.

The Google experience is increasingly personalised, with results now tailored to your existing search history, and it is now possible to even ‘+1’ mobile apps, and view recommend ad-like recommendations from people in your circles when logged into Gmail. Picasa has also been integrated into Google +, acknowledging the fact that people are more likely to share photos with certain types of people than others.

Google Messenger, formerly Huddle, enables multi-person live chat, which is a service not entirely unlike the new additions made to Facebook, where distinctions between the inbox and the chat window are now rather ambiguous. Meanwhile, Google Sparks enables tailored-recommendations based on your interests and activities, though the experience could arguably become complex and saturated, in an online world that can be eye-bleedingly cluttered anyway.

Transparency & a Potential Key Business Tool

Google stress that their maintenance and stance on privacy is transparent, and this arguably sets it apart from Facebook, who have a chequered history in this field – yet it remains to be seen whether the service will become the success it aspires to be. In any case, with its emphasis on sharing and promotion, it appears less personal than Facebook, but has the potential to be a strong marketing tool for businesses around the world, and seems set to become more and more formidable as Google cement its identity as a networking platform in its own right, with its move into mobile potentially making it even more omnipresent as a tool.