It seems like social networking is a new hot business and top giants do not want them to be left behind. It is now Google who launched social networking site named Google Plus.
Social networking as a business has been evolved from connecting with friends, sharing photographs, video and text chats, broadcast message among groups.
Social networking as a business has been evolved from connecting with friends on Friendster, building groups on MySpace to creating communities on Orkut and then to another world like Facebook which has set many social networking standards to the different levels. Recent time Facebook became the alternate of social browsing.
I now strongly believe that Facebook renovates and Google innovates, meaning Facebook has done vertical integration or growth by building various features into single product, but Google is about acquiring new trends and doing a horizontal growth with multiple product lines. With series of products Google has proved their innovation. This will lead them for a long term business strategies where all a end user needs, Google has options to deliver them under a single umbrella of applications.
But now with the launch of Google Plus, it seems they have built a product which can work on Vertical growth strategy like Facebook. Even though Google has started it as an invite only launch but they surely will use the PUSH Strategy soon to divert the users to the Google Plus.
Facebook has been successful to attract large amount of people from different geography, different language speaking people, almost all age group people. This is because of the range of functionalists it provides. Gaming zone attracts children and teen to be a part of it. While updating status and sharing videos keep adult busy to keep in touch socially.
Why Google Plus:
Unlike Facebook or twitter where your content is searchable on internet, Google plus will have more secured networking features. Furthermore the Google already have a large user base on the products like Gmail, Orkut, Picasa or Picnik; the integration of it will create ease for users to easily adopt Google Plus as their friends will be some-how connected to it.
Google’s vast reach to the online users will give them great advantage over other it’s competitors such as Facebook and twitter.
Google Plus overcomes on Orkut Minus?
Google plus has already migration in action for its existing users. You can chat just like you go in Gmail, include your Picasa web albums with Google plus and many more. Google wave is also configured along with it.
Other then Google’s own products you can link your Facebook, twitter account with your profile.
Facebook’s concept to write on wall is little been different in Google plus. You post your status on your own page and then share it with circle. This provided more secured broadcasting then Facebook.
Managing your contacts is easy as you add them into your circles like the real life where you have friend circle, family circle, business circle.
Well I differentiate Orkut (and many be now Google Plus) and Facebook by two simple words. Orkut seems to be ‘Social Networking’ and Facebook looks like ‘Social Browsing’. Orkut had a defined purpose of networking whereas the Facebook has changed it to Social Browsing, where the purpose is not defined. To make it simple, let’s look at it like this I open Facebook and then decide what to do now? Do I want to see the pictures, play the games or to try different apps. While in Orkut you have minimum options to either message someone or be a part of the community.
Like Orkut, Google Plus may also keep the Social networking away from Social browsing. Hence they might keep features which are networking relevant only. But it seems like Google plus has to overcome of the limitation of Orkut to be only Social networking.
Having well integrated Google apps, managing your accounts is quite an easy task. This would be the driving factor to encourage people using Google plus.
What next now?
I still believe apart from social networking, giant will required to look into other social activities making them online. May be matrimonial, dating, online class rooms, movie and video reviews, medical rooms. We might see these due to upcoming tough competitions.
But where is Microsoft among all these? This is like a burning question. Every step that Google takes to lead Internet word keeps greatest like Microsoft away from the next world.
