Google Plus has been dominating the news lately. I have been fortunate enough to get an account and it’s been a great experience playing around with the new features. The circles feature has been a most interesting feature for me as I can now group my contacts on the site.
I continue to use Facebook and must say I am quite delighted that Google may be on to something with their latest foray into Social Media? Why would I be delighted by Google Plus. After the demise of Google Buzz and Wave I was very curious to see what Google would come up with.
BALANCE NEEDED- As impressive as Facebook might be with over 750 million users, it is beginning to wield a lot of influence, perhaps too much for the good of the users. There have been a number of concerns over the years with Facebook most notably privacy. Facebook has been trying to share more information about its users while privacy-conscious users are pushing back as expected.
MONOPOLY IN CHECK- I think it would be fair to say that Facebook is close to a monopoly in the personal social networking space. By monopoly I simply mean that there may be excessive control by the company. In a monopoly customers do not get the best deal as they have no viable alternative. We have seen this in many markets especially those with high barriers to entry like telecommunications where customers endure poor service as they have no alternative. Remember what happened in the 1990s when the promising Netscape was neutered by Microsoft. Innovation in that space screeched to a halt. With Windows Explorer, Microsoft had a dominant market share and probably rested on their laurels. Now they are paying the price as there are many excellent alternatives to Window Explorer. Microsoft has responded by improving it’s own offering but was too late for many customers who had to endure many years with a product that could have been better.
INNOVATION – My hope is that Google Plus will continue to grow till it reaches say at least 200 million and 300 million. Facebook has already made it difficult for its users to export contacts to Google Plus. However, Facebook will have to do much more than this to keep people from moving to a network with so many users. They will have to innovate, something that Apple has done so well over the years. Things are by no means decided with Google Plus. Google will have to prove that they have got it right this time.
As highlighted earlier more competition will likely lead to more innovation as Google Plus seeks to make a compelling case to potential users while Facebook seeks to keep it’s crown. Imagine what would happen if Google Plus were to fail in being a viable alternative to Facebook? Combine that scenario with a Facebook that might at some stage have over 1 billion users. What would happen to Innovation? Who would be able to compete with a cash-flush Facebook of such a size?
BIGGER NOT ALWAYS BETTER – I am pretty sure that Facebook reaching a 1 billion users will be good reason to celebrate the company. However, what will the operations and quality of service like for such a huge company? Will Facebook have sufficient resources to ensure an excellent experience for me, just one of their billion users. The tension between quality and quantity is ever present in business. The more companies push for quantity the more likely that quality of service will be negatively affected, generally speaking. How does Google Plus come into this? I am hoping that Google Plus will limit and keep in check the growth of Facebook and I guess that Facebook will do it’s best to hang on to the users it already has.
For the few reasons given above, I am more than happy to see Google Plus growing in leaps and bounds. Facebook will not just stand idly by enjoying the show. The company will flex it’s own muscles and probably improve my experience as a user in the process. Google Plus is good for me as a Facebook user.
I think facebook users is different with Google Plus users. Google Plus users is people aware with SEO, but for facebook user just for fun and enjoy relationship.