Guy Kawasaki wrote a book, What’s the Plus, that explains why users and businesses should use Google+. The author used Google+ to test this book. He asked 1.1 million friends to try the book. 240 responded, and 100 helped him edit and improve the book. One key point Kawasaki makes at the start of the book is that Google+ will exceed Facebook and Twitter.
So far, my experience in Google+ has exceeded my expectations. This view is vastly different than it was one year ago. At the time, only 50 – 100 contacts were connected on Google+. Today, there are 14,300 adding my profile to user circles, many communities to join, and ever-growing interactions with users based on interest.
At the core of content creation and sharing, Google+ allows for things not offered by Twitter or Facebook. This includes:
- Bold font
- Italics
- Strikethrough
- Underline
- Animated GIFs
Despite offering more ways to display information, Twitter still brings more clickthroughs for shared content. One advantage of sharing on google+ is that it may impact page ranks. As the “social” online matures, page rank score integration with google+ sharing data will become even more important.
The question becomes, is Google+ important for your business? Google+’s Local tab is not yet well-integrated with communities or with pages. Without this tight integration (at least on the desktop), the site may be not yet be the best way to promote your business.
If, however, your business is about photography, or may be promoted in a way that is very visual, Google+ could be used to build a fan-base. deviantArt and Google Play are only two examples that could be used to illustrate how to most effectively promote a business offering.
Looking back again at Google’s competition:
Twitter Could Be Publicly Listed
In 2013, Twitter could become a public company. This will give the company funds to expand and improve its offerings.
Facebook’s Big Event
There is no denying that Facebook lost its luster. On my stream, the modifications done by Facebook clearly show that content for feeds dropped drastically. Changes include:
- Changing your profile picture back to an older one will show up as an “update” on feeds
- All friend posts have a comment box with your profile picture, begging you to post something
- Wishing users a happy birthday is all-too-convenient
- News feeds never show game activities (all activities reside in another tab)
New initiatives by Facebook drift away from the site’s core competency: VoIP calling, gifts, and a possible new initiative illustrate this. Will Facebook be able to renew interest in Pages for businesses? Higher user activity?
The answers to these questions will be clearer better very soon.
