Google has held the title of the Internet's number one site for as long as most people can remember. But as with anything, you can't stay on top forever-especially if you aren't keeping up with (and staying ahead of) the latest trends. Over the past few months, Facebook has actually knocked Google out of the number one position and done so on more than one occasion. By settling for anything less than the number one spot, Google stands to lose millions of dollars in revenue, and never mind the reputation factor.
As the purveyor of all Internet statistics, Google was in a unique position to analyze the reasons for this. Enter Google+ ... Google's answer to social media. Since it's first mention, there's been a lot of talk about whether Google+ will be able to overtake Facebook as the resident social networking king. What makes it different is that it's a lot that Facebook is not. Google+ offers 'circles' which allow users to segment their connections. Users can share information, photos, comments and chat with only those that they choose at any given time. They offer video chat. Facebook does not.
Technobomb has come up with THIS amazing at-a-glance infographic:
Whether or not Google+ will become popular is still anyone's guess. Yes, Google has a stellar reputation. But it's as a search engine. Their past not-so-popular ventures like Google Buzz, iGoogle, Google Wave and even Google Chrome to some extent, haven't had the results they had hoped for. Whether or not Google+ will suffer the same fate remains to be seen.
I have confidence in this latest Google venture. Over the past few years, the motives of Facebook's owner, Mark Zuckerberg, and the Facebook website in general have been (very) publicly called into question. Skepticisms of it's tactics have reached a feverpitch. Tales of viruses, breaches in security and privacy concerns have caused many once-avid Facebookers to jump ship. Google, conversely, has created an excellent reputation as being trustworthy and reliable. This is what Google will likely leverage to promote their new social hub.
And there's the question of change. Change is tricky. For the most part, people don't like it. But it depends what sort of change it is. When it comes to a website they have become accustomed to navigating, people are resistant to change. It slows them down. They have to relearn the dynamic of the same site they had just become familiar enough with to make it second nature. This is where Facebook has continued to err, in my opinion. For whatever reason, Facebook feels the need to reintroduce an altered version of their original format regularly. I have yet to see members clamoring for changes or happy once a change has been instilled.
Google, on the other hand, seems to have perfectly grasped the concept of change and uses it to their advantage every day. By offering a new snippet of information daily in their logo they offer some trivial fun for searchers. {If you hover over their logo on the homepage, you'll discover fun facts .} You've likely noticed they display graphics of some significance to the day and integrate their logo into the design. There is a mini-cult following of people who make a daily pilgrimage to the Google homepage in order to see their design and fact du jour. This ability to demonstrate change without altering the integrity of the website or the way it functions is a fundamental difference between the two giants.
A lot of people have spent a lot time building their friends, adding photos, joining groups and making Facebook a habit. Yet another giant hurdle for Google to surmount. It goes back to change. Are people upset enough with Facebook's policies to leave altogether and changes to take a chance elsewhere?
Has Google positioned itself as a formidable opponent to the social media giant? Facebook has had a huge head start on Google in regard to positioning. Facebook is a social network and Google is a search engine. Google will have to figure out a way to reinvent itself so that it, too, can become synonymous with social networking as opposed to only a search engine.
Not surprisingly, Google+ has created quite an impressive buzz. The question remains, however, will it be enough to draw people away from Facebook? Those with a more technical penchant will be the most likely to jump ship. They are more readily able to see the value than your average Facebooking Joe. But there's nothing to say that Google+ won't catch on, and do so quickly. Google's stellar and trustworthy reputation have no doubt helped Google+ to leap so quickly onto the social networking scene.
Right now, Google+ is getting some very good press and everyone seems to be clamoring for an invite. While it's in its Beta stage, Google claims it is market testing the new site with some select users. Additional users must (currently) be invited by existing users. This is set to change once the bugs have been worked out. There is some skepticism regarding this tactic, but from a marketing point of view it makes perfect sense. First, by limiting access they are adhering to the tried and true rule of supply and demand. Second, it allows Google to manage the site on a smaller scale and work out any bugs before there is a giant influx of curious users.
Will Google+ be able to live up to it's expectations? Time will tell. But for now, I have joined and am thusly, very impressed. If you would like an invite to see for yourself, email me and I'll send you one. See you over there!
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Copyright Melissa Bolton | Copywriter and Internet Marketing Strategist | Designherbrands.com
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