Is Google+ Going to be Bigger than Facebook?

Is Google plus Going to be Bigger than Facebook


It is hard to topple something that has been used with good results for so long. This is true either because consumers are afraid to try something unusual or because it is hard to imagine a life without it.

But somewhere along its dominance, a new player will give the old dog a run for its money. This is how social media users perceive the emergence of Google Plus as a formidable competitor against Facebook. But with the prominence of the latter still prevalent, is Google+ going to be bigger than Facebook.

Here are some possible scenarios:

1) Google+ will take over Facebook

When Google’s social media template was introduced, interest about it surged that millions of people created accounts on it. However, the hype was not sustained and people prefer Facebook more again. Yet, Google Plus can get its second wind once people will realize how useful the tool is for business and interaction.

Aside from that, Google Plus has a Trends section wherein related news items or blog entries about a central topic are bunched together so that readers will have an easier time locating that. With Facebook not having this feature, only time will tell when Google will take over Facebook in the social media frontier. Likewise, Circles help a user group contact potential clients, suppliers, friends and family members which are all in one group.

2) Google+ will remain second fiddle to Facebook

With Facebook being embraced by more and more people, it would be hard to imagine Google+ to suddenly become hot and overcome its competitor’s advantage. Possibly, social media enthusiasts still have the stigma of Google being a company with a powerful search engine and a free electronic mail system. Also, the aesthetics of Facebook is sleeker than Google+.

Another reason why more people prefer Facebook is the vast game selection. If this is not true, then just look how Friendster reinvented itself from a social networking website to a games collection portal. Likewise, Facebook is just loaded with more applications, pages and groups. So, is Google+ going to be bigger than Facebook? The former still has a long way to go. But if Google+ opens its interface to third-party developers, the gap can be narrowed.

3) A digital divide between Google+ and Facebook

If Google+ turns out to be a serious competitor for Facebook’s dominance, social media users will be divided with their opinion as to which is the better option. Though ethically wrong, banning Facebook results from Google search pages can trigger an upswing for Google+. However, this may prompt Facebook to develop its own search engine which is geared towards making Google’s algorithm obsolete.

Having that fierce competition between the two will benefit Internet users who are looking for more functionality. More applications will be developed and both parties will outdo each other in creating something beneficial. But as more innovations are revealed, is Google+ going to be bigger than Facebook. Maybe no one will have a definitive answer despite countless explanations. Thus, a digital divide may begin.

The question isn’t so much is Google+ going to over take Facebook, but merely a question of when. Facebook might have over a billion users on their social network and more engagement, but Google is the largest search engine in the world and when they create something people listen.

Google+ isn’t just for people who want to network, it’s going to be the all in one system for anyone who uses Google tools, Gmail, maps, shopping and so much more.

Are you currently using Google+? If not, now is the best time to start.

Image by FreeDigitalPhotos.net.


This article was written by Jessica who is a social media expert and blogs at <a href="http://optimalhosting.com".

Discussion

  1. Tom Ledford on the 22nd April

    Where is this Google+ “Trends” section?

  2. Cecilia Harry on the 22nd April

    I am just now getting warmed up to Google+. I am beginning to see Facebook as my personal interaction space, and I want to use Google+ to engage potential clients and share content. Facebook is becoming less and less friendlier for this sort of engagement strategy, and the more I explore Google+, the more excited I am about it.

  3. Orang Akaun on the 22nd April

    I’ve been using G+ for a while now. I do have 2000+ people that circled me. Based on my experience, G+ and FB even though they’re both a social network, they don’t work the same. It’s like they’re in a different league.

    FB are more into sharing personal stuff, rants and ravings. (profile)
    G+ are more into sharing to public which will somehow lead to discussion. (profile)

    Apart from the ability to post animated gifs, G+ is for me better in many ways than FB. But everything is depending on how you use it, who you would like to meet. Like I’ve said earlier, they’re not in the same league.

    G+ are not a substitute product to FB and vice versa.

  4. Kelly Thomas Mango on the 24th April

    I agree with you, Cecilia. I view Facebook for personal use, but I utilize Google+ for business. Given that Google indexes Google+ posts but is limited in what it can access from Facebook, it seems inevitable that more and more individuals and businesses will turn to Google+ for marketing/SEO purposes. While that will drive up its number of users, it is hard to see Google+ overtaking Facebook.

  5. Alwyn on the 21st July

    The fourth way:

    The only way I can envisage a large amount of people moving from Facebook to a new platform is if Google collaborate with some other big players and create an open standard so social media platforms from different companies can work together. I.e. you change your status in Google+ and your friends using My Space etc can see it and comment. Facebook would also be forced to join in our risk a vast amount of people leaving their platform with the tech savvy picking the best platform to suit them with access to their friends/colleagues on other platforms. I would be surprised if Google hadn’t already thought of this and have it in their road map. They may even release am open standards without consulting anyone else.

    Currently I have a Google+ account that I don’t use because ALL of my friends are on Facebook. Therefore it isn’t even an option for me at the moment.

Add a Comment