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Original post by former Foolproofer Dan Sorvik.
So, I jumped on board the Google+ train. I filled out my profile, added some people to circles but now what? What can Google+ (G+) offer that other networks (namely Facebook) donât?
Hereâs my interpretation of where G+ currently compares to other social networks in some key categories:
Although Facebook allows you to create lists, no one does it. Itâs time consuming and people donât see the benefit…until now. You know that post you donât want your colleagues or your mom to see? You can create lists and circles in both Facebook and G+, but G+ really emphasises the use of circles both when adding people and when posting. This means you know exactly which groups will see your content every time you post.
Well, Iâve already found them on Facebook and at least on Facebook I have to accept their âfriend requestâ. On G+ they add you more like Twitter, meaning they can follow you automatically (you can still block if you really want to). G+ is currently 20 million early adopters strong. The pace is slowing and getting non-tech innovators to come into this space will be a painful process. Also, there is no one on G+ thatâs not on Facebook, at least not in my network.
You cannot create pages for your company in G+ at this stage. They wonât be rolling this out until later in the year. Instead, some brands are being linked to a single person. For example, I wanted to follow Mashable, but instead Iâm following some guy called Pete Cashmore. This really confused me the first few times I saw him in my stream. Where Twitter and Facebook allow companies to have their own voice, G+ does not… yet. They are currently trialling a few brands and will open this up to all companies later this year.
This could be a great networking tool, but the employment information and access to skill sets and experience are not as robust as LinkedIn and so far you will only find tech savvy early adopters. If thatâs what youâre looking for, great! This also ties into the idea of targeting posts, as you can be sure your work people canât see posts about job hunting.
Twitter has strong control over this side of things. We know that twitter can be a great way to explore brand sentiment because of the amount of content that is being produced across a wide demographic. Like tweets at a UX conference, itâs an echo chamber. Why tell everyone around you about whatâs happening around you? I want new ideas from all corners of my networks! Until the demographics of this network shift from early adopters to the general public, this will continue to be the case.
The +1 feature on G+ is just another version of âLikeâ or any of the other sharing sites (Stumbled Upon, Digg). About time you joined the party Google. Furthermore, from what Iâve been seeing over the last few weeks, all the content that is shared is reflective content about the platform itself. I want to see embarrassing photos of my friends, funny kitten videos and rants about whatâs happening in your life, not the latest news on G+.
Something that has been a contentious issue for Facebook. And what is Googleâs response? You must have a public profile or youâre kicked out come July 31st. A little bit of a tough stance if you ask me. But donât worry, all privacy settings can be changed and amended in a slightly more user-friendly way than Facebook, but no profile can be hidden completely.
One of the main unique selling points for G+ is the video conferencing tool, âHangoutâ. I have to give them some credit for offering such a great service…But I would need more people online to use it. I could see this being useful for both the workplace and for friends. But wait! Isnât that Skype I see in Facebookâs back pocket? Watch this space…
Overall, I think G+ is making a good attempt and is gaining traction with the techies. I think they have a good chance if Facebook is slow to respond with easier to create lists and video conferencing. Also, the population growth for G+ will need to continue to expand beyond early adopters and move into the mainstream â how they promote this will be interesting to watch over the next few weeks and months.
As Programme Manager, I am responsible for the companyâs larger programmes of work, using 7 or so years of IT and digital marketing PM experience to provide assistance ...
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