Why Google+ Can Still Beat Facebook - pughposion

Now that Facebook has gone public and is nearing an astounding 1 billion members, it's a blast to ask in whether Facebook's main equal, Google, butt compete in the friendly networking stake.

Google said in April that 170 million users had "upgraded to Google+," but the caller has been coy when it comes to specifying how many of those people really use the social network on a rhythmic basis. Some observers possess suggested that it's mainly Google employees and explicit Google loyalists World Health Organization actively use the service today.

I calm down think Google+ can win unsuccessful against Facebook in the long run. But to do that, Google must learn how to play to its own strengths.

A lot rides on whether Google can pull that off. For ad targeting, Google can hoard the data it needs from the subjects of people's Web searches and the content of email, simply that data isn't nearly as personal and valuable as the stuff populate volitionally provide to Facebook each day. Elite network data is far more item-by-item and predilection-homeward-bound than other kinds of targeting data, and the semipermanent fight of Google's advertising business (96.5 percent of its revenue) may depend upon Google's ability to get that data.

If anybody has a battle plan for Google+, it's Larry Page. The Google cofounder and CEO has given some commodity reasons wherefore Google+ will become a challenger, but his reasons seem highly theoretical at this point.

'Circles' Many Tight Resembles Real Life

Page says that the "Circles" structure in Google+ offers a great way to orchestrate your friendships. Atomic number 2's right: The Circles designing is immediately intuitive; information technology's easily comprehendible, and IT works because it replicates the way we manage relationships in real liveliness.

Crisscross Zuckerberg stresses that you potty throw "groups" in Facebook to organize friends in the same way. Just that functionality was not part of Facebook's original design; the service of process bolted information technology on later. And that's why grouping your friends in Facebook is a far clunkier process than it is in Google+. The Circles construct is central to Google+–in fact, Google+ was in the first place titled "Google Circles."

Integration With Other Products

The biggest edge that Google+ mightiness have over Facebook hasn't been exploited nearly A much as it could be. Google's original project was to build Google+ multiethnic networking features and tools into virtually all of its existing online services, from search to Docs to picture (YouTube).

Google+ is already integrated into the navigation bar at the top right of nearly all Google products; this system lets you monitor all Google+ events (updates, messages, and the like) as well as share content with friends without ever leaving the Google service you happen to cost using. And the Google+ client for Android makes IT really easy to upload, automatically, any photos you fritter away connected your earphone to a private album on the Google+ servers.

Beyond those features, however, not much has happened since the Google+ land site launched end summer. In July 2022, Google was asking users how it could integrate aspects of Google+ into Gmail, and vice versa. What happened therewith? I've seen no more major integration moves proclaimed between the two products. Can I easily launch a Hangout session without leaving the Gmail app? No. Butt I invite Gmail inbox notifications in Google+? Not yet.

Millions of the great unwashe use Google's assorted complimentary services (Gmail, Docs, search, etcetera). For Google+ to flourish, Google must bind those services and Google+ functions together. You need to be able-bodied to break into an extemporaneous Hangouts video chat session involving the people you'ray collaborating with to build a Google Docs spreadsheet. Your searches, where appropriate, should be much many driven by your social networking preferences and those of your friends.

To compete with Facebook, Google mustiness integrate Google+ with its other cause of death services so tightly that going away the Google attribute you're in and going to Facebook becomes a hassle.

I think Google will eventually execute on this vision. And when it does, it testament start to win users out from Facebook. This is a zero in-sum spirited: Well-nig hoi polloi simply don't take up board in their lives for deuce separate social networks, a factor that's helping Facebook tremendously right at present.

Approach to Privacy

People are decorous increasingly aware that large companies like Google and Facebook are aggregation the data they enter online, and using IT to target ads Oregon selling it to third parties. The constant media coverage of Facebook's notoriously poor stewardship of personal data has done a lot to draw consumer attention to the for the most part hidden ecosystem of companies that call for, buy, sell, and trade physical data.

For example, Facebook makes your name, gender, visibility picture, networks, friends, "Likes," wall posts, photos, and profile details world by default, which makes those facts or so you searchable.

Previously, you put-upon to be able to Set the public-past-default profile picture to private. You zero longer can–nor can you shift the setting for your refer, your cover photos, your networks, your grammatical gender, and your Facebook username and user ID.

Facebook has steadily selected more user information as public selective information because its advertising partners can utilize the in the public eye lug to target ads on the Facebook situation. This information will very likely serve to target Facebook ads on other sites in the near future. And if you don't desire to make these data points public, Facebook says (effective) that you can't use Facebook.

The fact is, Facebook is more parasitic on personal social networking data than Google+ is. Google is highly reliant on personal data as well, merely does non need to collect everything in a social networking setting. As people become more aware of the uses of their personal data, they may reckon the Google+ privacy approach as a reason to flip.

Data Portability

It's very backbreaking to delete your Facebook information if you determine to cease the military service. You can erase your profile, merely Facebook makes no promises that it volition delete the personalised information about you that information technology already stores connected its servers.

Google makes it comparatively easy to permanently erase the data you've banked at Google+, and pass away. You accomplish this through a Google+ tool titled Google Takeout; with just a few clicks, you can download data from your Picasa Web Albums, Google profile, Google+ stream, Buzz, and contacts.

The Battle for Personal Information

Naturally only time will tell whether Google can take the social networking throne. The idea of Google+ having anyplace near As many users as Facebook seems a bit far-fetched suited now. But I still believe that Facebook is non immune to the shifting tastes of social network users. MySpace seemed unstoppable for a fewer minutes, but slid downhill quickly after Facebook became the aplomb place to network.

Google has to purchase its obvious advantages to pinch up with Facebook. IT must put substantial energy into expanding Google+ functionality into all of its most popular services. It must advertize killer features like Hangouts to refreshing audiences (much as small businesses). It may need to evangelize about how it is more respectful of personalised information, and more trustworthy therewith data, than Facebook.

Google might also have to induct some of its great wealth to promote Google+. I placid haven't seen a Google+ commercial connected TV, nor have I seen Google offer any rewards for citizenry who cancel Facebook to come concluded to Google+.

Careless, Google's need for identity and taste information may soon compel it to take dramatic steps to compete with Facebook.