By Hector Cisneros
There is a lot of hype on the Internet, and every product launch brings its advocates and critics. The launch of Google+ is no exception, (read as "Google Plus"). I am a huge advocate of social media and online networking. When a giant internet player like Google says, they are launching a social media platform, my ears perk up, and I pay attention. This article provides a quick synopsis of what Google+ brings to the table. It will show what is different about Google+ verses the current leader Face Book. It will also give you an overview of some of the cool features that only Google+ provides.
The Battle of Social Media Giants
First,
Google+ is new, and new services from a giant internet player like
Google are always news and always require some level of attention.
Google is a powerful rival of Face Book, and this new entry will be a
direct competitor to Face Book and the other social network contenders.
Face Book is currently more than three times the size of it’s next
competitor. In my opinion, competition is healthy for any industry.
Google+ has the real potential to compete in the social network arena.
Google is one of the world’s largest corporations, and they change the
rules of any sand box they chose to play in.
Image by @superamit via Flickr
Don’t
get me wrong, I like using Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. I
joined these social media networks early on when they were at the
beginning stages of widespread distribution. I wanted to see if they
could rival the face-to-face networking I had been engaged in for many
years.
On the other
hand, it has been my experience that when companies mature and reach
high profitability, they stumble. They enter a period of naive thinking
that lends itself to a culture of arrogance, and the belief that they
can do no wrong. Facebook has been implementing many changes to their
network over the last six months without consulting their subscribers.
These changes have angered a lot of it members.
Image via Why Google+?
Whether
Facebook is showing weakness or not, here are several reasons why
Google+ will make inroads this time around, (even if it’s only taking
market share from other networks). First, they have made Google+ very
easy to join and use. If you are a Gmail subscriber, it’s a matter of a
few clicks and filling in your basic profile info. You are not
required to fill out your complete profile. This process only takes a
few minutes to complete, (especially if you are cutting and pasting from Facebook).
Gmail Subscribers Welcome
If
you’re a Gmail subscriber, some of your contacts will automatically be imported for you, and you don’t have to have any technical knowledge of
CVS files or data exporting. Some of names in your contact list will
automatically show up and begin the process of creating your circles of
influence. You will simply drag and drop people from your list into
predefined circles or create circles of your own.
Circles, Circles Everywhere
Speaking
of circles, one of the coolest features of Google+ is their circles
grouping feature. It seems much more intuitive and easier to use than
the one provided currently by Face Books. This interface allows you to
organize your contacts into groups that appear as circles, literally.
There are a few predetermine groups, but you can customize them all you
want and people can belong to as many different circles as you desire.
Image by Magnet 4 Marketing dot Net via FlickrCircles
also allow you to filter your news feed (called the stream in Google+)
so that your circle selection becomes your stream feed control. In
other words, the circle you select can determine whose post your
watching. It can limit your view of which posts are streamed into
view. Changing your view is easy and intuitive. Some of the clean
simplicity that Google+ demonstrates is by design. Some of its clean
and uncluttered look is because Google+ is new, and it is unencumbered
with all the trappings that come with a mature social media site.
Either way, I appreciate the clean, easy to use, and fun interface
Google+ has to offer.Do you like to Hangout?
Image by colmmcsky via FlickrSpeaking
of other fun features, Google+ has two worth mentioning. The first is
Hangouts. Google+ provides a video Chat room for groups of people. You
can video chat, share You Tube videos, invite others and have a real
online video conversation with several people. This is a face to face
conversation. You need a video camera and microphone attached to your
computer to use this service effectively. I believe this will be a
standard feature on most if not all computers. Most laptops and tables
computers come with this as a standard item so that the user can engage
in video chat. This is a cool feature which I am sure it will get lots
of use. I believe the maximum number of people that a Hangout session
will hold is probably limited by your screen size and the speed of your
internet connection. I believe between six to nine people will probably
work well. After that, it will probably seem crowded. I suggest you
check this feature out and start thinking of all the cool ways you could
use this service.Did You Say You Wanted Acclaimed Games?
Another
feature I genuinely like is the games Google+ includes. Unlike
the games used with Facebook, Google+ has a game's menu built in. The
variety of games they offer is extensive. It includes 18 games such as Anger Bird, Bejeweled Blitz, CityVille, Diamond Dash, Dragons of
Atlantic, Crime City, Sudoku Puzzles, City of Wonder and Zynga Poker
just to name a few. All of these games are designed to be shared
socially. Even Angry Birds, let you share your score so you can play
against your friends.
So
there you have it, a quick overview of the buzz surrounding Google+ and
how it compares to Facebook. Google+ is still extremely new, and it
currently does not offer the number of subscribers, features and
maturity that Face Book or LinkedIn offers. Having said that, Google+ is
extremely user friendly, easy to navigate and provides several new,
innovative features such as Circles, Hangouts and the integrated games provide a high
cool factor for most users. Add to this all the other Google
applications and properties
you have access to, (Google is prodigious), and you have the beginnings
of a social media contender. It may not be a Facebook or LinkedIn
killer yet, but its innovative approach and connections to Google’s vast
library of applications and internet properties will help it to receive
rapid adoption and meteoric growth. If you would like to see a video about this subject click here.
If you found this article useful, share it with your friends, families and co-works. If you have a comment related to this article, leave it in the comment sections below. If you would like a free copy of our book, "Internet Marketing Tips for the 21st Century", fill out the form below.
If you found this article useful, share it with your friends, families and co-works. If you have a comment related to this article, leave it in the comment sections below. If you would like a free copy of our book, "Internet Marketing Tips for the 21st Century", fill out the form below.
That’s my opinion, what’s yours?
Hector Cisneros is the director of Social Media Marketing at Working the Web to Win, co-host of the weekly
Internet radio show, "Working the Web To Win"
on BlogTalkRadio.com, a writer, an entrepreneur for more than 30 years, a
veteran of BNI for 19 years and was a BNI director for over five years. He is
still an active BNI member and follows its philosophy of "Givers
Gain." He is the owner of several businesses in Jacksonville, Florida. He
actively coaches business owners in the fine art of online advertising,
business networking and word-of-mouth marketing. He is president of
Website Know How, Inc., a holding company for his business ventures that
include: online advertising, word-of-mouth marketing, real estate holdings,
non-profit training/support, book publishing, health and wellness product sales
and adventure sports. Hector's new book, "60 Seconds to Success,"
teaches business owners how to get the most from word of mouth marketing by
using great 60-second introductions. To learn more about Hector Cisneros,
social media, online marketing or word-of-mouth marketing, visit the Networker's Apprentice workshop or his book's website: http://www.60SecondsToSuccess.com.
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