Facebook and Google should be nominated for award-winning roles in the most dramatic competition of the year. With these two mega-corporations constantly in the spotlight, it’s only natural for fans to feel the need to duke it out in a brawl between popular networking platforms Facebook and Google+. But is there really even a competition?
Facebook Steals The Show
Facebook made its first appearance in the social media market during February of 2004, reinventing the way the world connects. Within a matter of months, Myspacers forgot about their beloved friend and founder of the platform, Tom, and took a huge step into the new age with Mark Zuckerberg. What was so amazing about this new social media platform?
“Facebook was not originally created to be a company. It was built to accomplish a social mission – to make the world more open and connected.”
Mark Zuckerberg
Users enjoyed the ease of connecting with friends and relatives through messaging and sharing capabilities on Facebook, not to mention the sleek design of the site. Facebook quickly grew as a highway for social traffic from image sharing, posting, and messaging. The site now touts a whopping 1.5 billion users; and, despite frustrations with the infinite updates and face-lifts, Facebook users remain steadfast in their ritualistic use of the social media platform.
Google+ Steps Into the Ring
While persons with Facebook accounts busily adjusted to the shifts of the site and tested out other social media platforms, Google began developing and refining its own take on networking: Google+. However, the platform wasn’t exactly greeted with excitement. Before the release of Google+ in 2011, Google had attempted three short-lived trials at a social media platform: Google Buzz, Google Friends Connect, and Orkut. For good reasons, internet-users were more than skeptical about Google’s entry into the field, especially after being led on roller-coaster rides of emotions from eager hopefulness to disappointment with other social media fads. Even critics argued that Google’s late arrival to the social media game, and the population’s existing fondness of Facebook would lead to its failure as a platform,. After all, Facebook had stood its’ ground through the introduction of Twitter, Tumblr, Reddit, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest, Vine, and more. What would make Google+ any different?
Plus 1 for Google+
Google incorporates networking capabilities across several areas: friends and family, colleagues, professional sectors, and even strangers(?). The idea may seem odd; however, this combination of unique groups of people creates an environment for endless content sharing, learning, and opportunities for real interaction. Functions on the Google+ platform offer:
- user organization through “circles” or personalized groups
- management of information via “communities” and pages dedicated to specific subjects
- user interaction and discussions in the form of “hangouts” which may be performed as video chats or messaging
- searching capabilities for users to discover new ideas
- the option for Google Authorship by linking your account and sites
It’s no wonder Google+ is at 500 million accounts and growing. That’s right! In January of 2013, Google+ even passed Twitter in the total number of users with even 235 million users noted as “active” in any given month. Traffic and interaction on Google+ has increased so drastically much over the past few years that analysts even go as far to consider the site as the “rival” of Facebook. But, I find this hard to believe. In fact, when it comes to making real connections, Google+ just isn’t as good as Facebook… It’s better.
Google, Plus an Endless Amount of Other Great Benefits
Before you get upset about this claim; understand that the platforms encompass two very different ranges of people and types of networking opportunities. Facebook may be a great place to connect with your old best-friends from high-school, or to get a good laugh in, but the platform often lacks in meaningful content and all-inclusive networking capabilities. For this reason, comparing Facebook and Google is essentially pointless. On Google+, you can find a variety of benefits such as:
quality information sharing- feedback, interaction, and the development of new ideas
- reputation management
- brand recognition
- SEO benefits through link building, authorship, promotion and a boost in traffic
The list goes on and on! If you haven’t launched your G+ account yet, or haven’t been utilizing it to boost your online presence, you are missing out on an opportunity that’s gleaming with infinite possibilities. But don’t just ask me, try it out for yourself. Come hang out with me on Google+ and you’ll see the difference!
I do have to agree with you that Google+ is better for building relationships.
Facebooks seems very constricted to friends you actually know, and it seems to be the same old stuff, over and over again. Google+ very much encourages communities and sharing. I’ve found myself slowly spending more and more time on Google+ as opposed to Facebook.
Where do you think Twitter comes into play in this argument?
Thanks for the feedback! I completely agree, Google+ harnesses and focuses quality user interaction. It is interesting to compare the different types of content shared on these two very contrasting social media platforms.
As for throwing Twitter into the mix, I think we would find similar arguments. Nevertheless, Twitter does appear to create some opportunities for connecting with people you don’t already know as well as sharing more informational content. It honestly depends how you use it! However, Google+ has really perfected the organization of different areas of content and interests where Facebook and Twitter have more free-range sharing methods.
Twitter’s always been a place to build new relationships and have open, realtime discussions. Google Plus probably has more in common with Twitter than Facebook, aside from the ultra restrictive identity policies on G+.I prefer Twitter to FB and G+.
facebook is so limited. Its also the jerry springer of social networks. I frackin love google plus.
No doubt. I like the relation to Jerry Springer, haha. Once you start using G+, it’s hard to go back to Facebook!
I don’t think facebook is that limited. I don’t feel that there are any functions i miss.
But i still use G+ because facebook has all these annoying sponsored posts. The ads are ok, but the sponsored links are very annoying.
Google plus is just generaly more, polished. Both programmatically speaking, design-wise and easier to use.
The Facebook app on my phone takes up 40-65mb of ram at all times when G+ only takes 30 while using it and 0 in the background!
For shallow minded people perhaps— and that comprises about 80% of the world population.
There are different opportunities through Google+ and Facebook. It just depends on what you’re looking for! Unfortunately, not all people are willing to give both a try to really find out what they can achieve on either platform.
Agreed “Google, Plus an Endless Amount of Other Great Benefits” – That’s why I now spent more time on G+
Agreed “Facebook lacks in meaningful content and all-inclusive networking capabilities” – That’s why I now use fb less often
Hi Lauren – Wow, what a terrific article, and even more terrific is the title you crafted because that grabbed me and I was only planning to read it to tell you that you were crazy! Great post! 🙂
Haha the title is pure Linkbait… Lauren knows exactly what she’s doing with this one.
Thank you! I’m glad you read through and enjoyed it!
Yep I agree to the point of having old friends but if Google plus happen to come earlier you can imagine how it will have be. Google plus give real time active interactions. I don’t dispute your point because that is what you perceive it to be but honestly is not as you think.
The Article Is So True Cause I Used To Love Facebook And Use Alot But When I Saw Google+ I End Up Using It More Than Facebook .. I Mean It Has Alot Of features More Than Facebook Which Makes You Enjoy Every Time You Use Google+ ..
Lol… I saw the headline and was almost ready to go to battle… Glad I read it! Brilliantly done Lauren!
Gotta keep things interesting 🙂 Thanks Dustin!
I agree with Christine. Outstanding article and Google+ is better. I agree with Lauren, Facebook has become an extension for “Jerry Springer,” which cheapens the experience. Google+ maintains the informality that characterizes Facebook, while presenting a professional edge. It’s simpler, cleaner and combines both visual and informational capabilities.
Great article. I’m using G+ very actively since 6 months and it’s just awesome, and very integrated with Android(which is my mobile platform of choice), so it’s much much better for me, than FB, too pity all my friends are on facebook and I’m still registered there.
Thanks for the tutorial. Perfectly timed, as well! Works great and very easy to tweak.
nice post Lauren…I am a fb user, i have not created my account on
Google+ but now i am thinking to create one account there to see how it
goes
Great article & prospective Lauren and you didn’t even touch on the YouTube factor & their launch of Creator Academy & the new One Channel format – no wonder Facebook “leaked” their new “TV style commercials” details recently, Google/YouTube got to the racetrack first on that for sure & since they’re (YT) is aggressively pushing their YouTube Pro Series they’ll be the first to dominate (in my humble opinion) the new marketing frontier of WebMercials!
I thought I missed something the first time through.
Zuckerberg changes the FB platform and API so much users and developers waste a lot of time and energy adapting to his whims.
G+ seems to be more seamless, and I can attach chrome apps and feeds via apps to posts more effortlessly.
I can also run forward and reverse linking to one or more other sites more easily.
I could care less what others use or not, really. For my business life, I have to use multiple platforms for effective reach. G+ just makes it easier to do it.
Circles make a lot more sense than groups for client communication, and allow me to tie all of the providers together easily. Plus with Drive set up, I can really keep everything in perspective for al in a transaction more automatically. My phone and computers are acting more like assistants, as I speak to them to let them take dictation of my thoughts. More than that, is that they all work in a cross platform ballet, with greater facility than FB,
I’m just one of those dang propeller-head Realtors®
G+ definitely has a leg up in the sense that you can find everything in one place. Just take a look across the top of the screen and you have all of your email, video, images, searches, and (as you mentioned) drive, right there! It couldn’t be more streamlined.
I do think there are practical uses for both Facebook and Google+. However, the layout and organization of information on G+ is certainly unbeatable!