Google+: A Plus to Social Media?

It was a day all interested in social media and search engine marketing were waiting for: Google’s answer to Facebook.

What would it look like? Would it change the face of social media, and make Facebook the new MySpace? Would the Google Buzz disaster repeat itself?

Then it rolled out …

The Google+ Project. “Real-life sharing rethought for the web.” The service currently isn’t open to the public, but two WebDrafter.com (@WebDrafter) staff members, lead developer Kevin Crider (@WDKevin) and Internet marketing head Thom Casey (@WDThom), managed to get their hands on invitations.

Despite the service not being open to the public at large, Google+ has gotten a lot of buzz (no pun intended). Is it the “Facebook killer”? Will people leave the nation of Zuckerberg to align themselves with the republic of Page and Brin? Kevin and Thom decided to tackle this question, as well as give an overall review of the search engine king’s newest offering.

Comparisons with Google Buzz

Thom: “Google Buzz came and went without much fuss, except the privacy issues. I never used Buzz that much, and it’s now being replaced by Google+ and the +1 button. I don’t think it’s fair to compare Plus and Buzz, except they’re both used to share content. Hopefully, Google worked out all the privacy kinks and Google+ won’t suffer the fate of its older, less liked brother.”

Kevin: “I disabled Google Buzz the day it went live. I never used it, never had the desire.”

Design

Thom: “Google is the perfect example of a ‘Keep It Simple Stupid’ company. The default profile theme is atypical Google: black text on a white background. Google themes allow users to make it look anyway they want – yes, including giving it a Facebook look – so if one of your gripes with Facebook was the look, then Google’s newest addition might better whet your Internet palette.”

Kevin: “It's been said before, but I absolutely love the new look and feel. Google has done 'just enough' to make it right. It's strikingly similar to Facebook, yet different enough to establish its own identity. The concept is close enough to Facebook, with a Twitter twist thrown in, that it just might succeed.”

Usability

Thom: “I’ve used Facebook since college, so I’m too used to expecting all social networks to operate the same way. I’m not quite getting Circles, which allows users to organize people into groups. However, I give the developers credit for seamlessly integrating most of Google’s offerings in here, including +1 and GTalk. The Sparks feature is interesting as it will feed you news related to your interests, almost like a hashtag or RSS. The overall navigation is very easy to use, even if some of the features are confusing.”

Kevin: "I find the interface to be strikingly similar to Facebook, but when you're taking on a conglomerate as big as the ’Book, too much change will deter the 500 million-plus users you are targeting. Google+ has done it right, so far. They have capitalized on the weak points of Facebook, while improving upon the stronger points. Circles is a way to categorize your different friends, but that's only the beginning. Google also allows content sharing based upon these Circles, as well as so much more. The main difference is the lack of a friendship request. You can add anyone you want to your circle, a lot like following them on Twitter."

Is Google+ the Facebook killer?

Thom: “As of this moment, no. Could it be? It’s possible. No one thought MySpace would lose its footing as king of social network mountain. Facebook has over half a billion users, and while Google might be the authority on search engines, it still has a long way to go when it comes to social media. Facebook’s appeal is that brings everyone together. Until Google+ comes up with a feature akin to Facebook pages (be sure to like the WebDrafter page), it will never truly compete with Zuckerberg’s monster.”

Kevin: “There will be no motivation for most people to switch with the sheer amount of children and older people using Facebook. When Facebook launched, it was targeted at college students, who make up the majority of the trendsetters in today’s eWorld. Soon after, the kids looking up to them wanted to join and the grandparents wanting to stay in touch followed suit, and that demographic created the desire for everyone to be on Facebook. If Google can continue to capitalize on Facebook's downfalls while outdoing them at what they've done right, it absolutely could be the Facebook killer. Until then, we wait.”