Google plus (Google+) is a social networking site that is rather new in comparison to the big name social networking sites out there. In the beginning the only way someone was able to join the site was by invite only, but as of recently anyone with a Google account can access Google plus. With that aspect Google plus was very personal, only the people you wanted to talk to could talk to you because either they invited you or you invited them to join. Google plus is based around circles (groups of individuals you have categorized) consisting of anything from friends to family to co-workers to ex-girlfriends. Within each circle you can have conversations and only the people in those circles will see what is being said. For example, you have a business meeting coming up and you need to get the schedule to everyone, just start a conversation in your co-workers’ circle and communicate that out to everyone. The convenience of getting the message out to the exact group of people you want to see it with ease can be easily done by just about any Android smartphone now.
The site also has sparks, "Sparks is like Google
Reader, except it brings content to you automatically based on your interests.
Each topic (tech, kitties, whatever) will get its own 'Spark' page and provide
links to related articles, videos, photos, etc." (Business Insider). The
biggest thing with this site right now is the number of users it has is still
rather low, and for you to get the most out of it, the people you know need to
be a part of it as well. Without the people to back it, social sites like
Facebook will continue to reign supreme in the social networking race.
http://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-google-plus-2011-6#sparks-helps-you-find-interesting-content-based-on-interest-2#ixzz1jqo1ZTJV
3 comments:
Why do you think Google+ has not gained much ground in the social networking world? I think Google+ has a lot of good ideas attached to their social network that are really beneficial such as: the circles and group video chat (before Facebook added that feature too). Do you think it's because Facebook was "first to market" or because Google has not advertised its social network aggressively?
Jordan, I completely agree with your statement that possibly Google+ isn't getting the response it deserves because Facebook was "first to market". Google+ has definitely advertised and in fact pushed the many features of the social network. One contributing factor could be that it is indeed very similar to facebook (including the layout). Many people do not like change and may feel comfortable in their Social Networking setup with Facebook. Or they may possibly think that it is too much work to change all pictures and info to a different SN. Another thing to consider is that Google+ is only compatible on Android smartphones, not on iPhones. Considering the huge market of smartphone buyers, this could be a contributing factor to why Google+ has yet to have the advantage over Facebook. Maybe if Google+ opens availability to more users, it may have a chance.
In my opinion I think Google+ will eventually compete with facebook, and twitter. Google is behind this social networking operation, and have proven to be successful and innovated in the past. As time goes on I think more professionals will adapt/convert over to Google+ and take advantage of their innovated tools.
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