The Google+ Problem
When tech giant Google launched its answer to Facebook in the form of Google+ the reaction was a little mixed. Some saw it as an improvement over the dominating social network while others didn’t bother to care for it. Months later Google would like for you to believe that it has gained millions of active users. While this may be true Google, is still faced with what I call the ‘Google+ Problem’.
What is the Google+ Problem?
The core of this problem is reflected in Facebook. Months after its release Google+ hasn’t even made a dent on the leading social networks users. Google+ may have some features that do indeed outshine those of Facebook. But this is where Google makes their mistake. It is wrong to assume that simply because you have superior features, users are going to flock over to you. The reason people join Facebook in the first place isn’t because of the chat feature or the ability to post status updates and upload pictures. They join because the rest of their friends are on it. No person would want to join Google+ only to find out that they have no friends there to interact with.
Many businesses have joined Google+, but this isn’t an applicable piece of data. Even though Google+ does offer some nicer looking brand pages, it isn’t like businesses are picking it as the alternative to other social media. Businesses get a page simply to be have one and be able to reach out to audiences that may only use Google+. But the matter of fact remains that every business also have a Facebook and Twitter profile and are more likely to use those for promotion to the larger user bases.
The other Google+ problem is the insinuation that people want their social network interconnected with all other aspects of their digital life. For example, Google+ can be integrated with Gmail. As convenient as that may seem it really isn’t to the average person. With the fear of data privacy violation that is associated with social networks, most people probably won’t want their social network also tied to their personal or work email.
Google+ is a fine website, no doubt. But if there is any mistake that it made, it is that it tried to redefine social networking. Google decided to create features that it viewed as crucial for a social network, when really the most crucial thing they need is people and the friends of those people.
About the Guest Blogger: This post is by Kayvon who is a freelancer for WebTrafficROI , a site with blogging tips, news, social media articles, and more.
Which do you like better? Google+ or Facebook? Leave your comments below.