Google +...is it here to stay?
Written by Paul Lowe Monday, 08 August 2011 14:54
A lot of tweets and posts have already been made about the new social media platform Google+ so I felt moved to chuck my hat into the ring.
Firstly, Google has taken a massive step, and risk, going up against the social media giant that is Facebook. If anyone can break the strangle hold that Facebook currently has on the market then it is Google and with Google+ they certainly have had a very good crack at the whip.
The simplicity of the design behind Google+ holds a quaint charm to it and the fact that they have basically used the same layout as Facebook for the profile pages shows they are not afraid to acknowledge when something works, so fair play to them for sticking to something that has become synonymous with Facebook and trying to make it their own.
The whole point of going up against Facebook is to offer something different or at least advance on something that Facebook offers; Google have kind of done that.
The Circles feature is a very clever and simple concept that certainly has everyone engaging in sharing content; the concept of sharing content to a specific audience of friends is extremely useful- even more so to the people who want to keep business and personal content separate. This is actually my favourite feature of Google+ as it allows me to share content with a specific group of people who will appreciate it and, on the flip side; it means I only receive content that people think is relevant to me.
The Hangouts feature is a strange one; anyone who had tried it will know what I mean when I talk about the awkward moment of setting up a hangout but I think that this will eventually become more natural and find its feet somehow.
The main thing is that everything that Google+ is offering has the potential to be integrated to Facebook, so the problem that still remains is getting people away from Facebook and onto Google+. Yes there have been reports that Google+ is the fastest growing ever online community but I would expect that in the first few months.
The million dollar question is will people still be using it in five, ten years time...with people having a bank of contacts, photos, videos and music on their Facebook profiles the incentive to switch to something practically similar with a few new features doesn't seem worth the while.
However, so far Google+ is still looking a strong contender and if Facebook don't start to come up with some similar features soon then people may just start to think a change is in order.
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