Google revealed its long-awaited social product via the Google blog earlier this week. At present, it’s in a closed trial which has resulted in a flurry of pleading tweets from people requesting invites from those who got their foot in the door early. The exclusivity of its release and the fact that it is a Google product has captured the attention of many influential people in the digital industry. Due to the nature of this industry beast and the extensive use of social media platforms by SEOs, marketers and media darlings alike, the online hype around Google+ has been extensive. But will the huge amount of attention surrounding the arrival of Google+ be warranted in the long term, in its use and proliferation? Will the everyday user be drawn to Google+?
Google+ = what?
This new social media platform consists of four key areas that revolve around your Google profile:
- Circles – This is the core product for the other Google+ activity. Effectively, you create groups of friends/family/contacts. You can then share relevant (safe) content with certain people, but not others. This trumps Facebook and its clumsy use limited profiles.
- Sparks – They dub it as ‘geeking out, together”. You create topics of interest and can share that interest with friends or circles. Google then provide you with a constant stream of content relevant to your ‘spark’ that you can discuss with your friends.
- Hangouts – Basically it’s a group video chat within your ‘circles’, where people can join or leave whenever they like.
- +Mobile – Is a range of features, including:
- Add your location to updates you make – not sure whether this is through Google Buzz, or whether it’s through Google+’s own update system
- Instant upload – lets you instantly upload and share your mobile camera photos.
- Huddle – a bit like a group chat for mobile.
The ‘F’ Word
Many folks have been checking out Google+ over the last few days. Principally, the success of Google’s latest attempt to jump on the social media bandwagon seems to revolve around the keystone of “if you have a Google profile”. Google has made itself a household name based around its capacity as a search engine, branching out into Gmail and moving into the mobile world with the acquisition of Android. This latest product and most comprehensive attempt to enter the social media world seems to be the most convincing challenge to date. This brings us to the ‘F’ word – what is argued to be the main barrier to the success of Google+ … Facebook. However intuitive the technology and useful its features, what is the incentive for users to folk to Google+ over Facebook? It succeeded for many reasons that Google can’t simply replicate – but chiefly Facebook began as a social networking tool. And with other products like Twitter and LinkedIn firmly entrenched in our online practices, Google has a lot of work on its hand if it is market and distribute Google+ successfully.
Hats off though to the guys who have created this code which makes Google + look like Facebook…
Social Search (1up)
In terms of SEO, it remains to be seen as to how Google+ will impact initially. The Search industry has been alight with speculation and projections, but Google will most likely use the social signals and sharing data to improve their search results from Sparks (and to help the Panda update evolve further). It also serves to compliment Google +1. Aside from that, Google+ isn’t really a search product – it’s a pure social networking platform, integrating many different elements of Google profiles into one hub.
The two features of Google+ which seem to have everyone most excited are Google circles and the mobile capability. With so many users on Facebook, most people will have a combination of friends, family and colleagues which can be a delicate social balancing act. With circles, you are able to be more selective about who you share what with. And with Google’s operating system Android and the wide proliferation of smart phones, as well as the increasing emphasis towards “social search”, Google+ may evolve in the future to be natural extension of user search behaviour.
Have you had a chance to play with Google+? What are you impressions of it thus far? If you need a Google+ invite, let us know.
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