Being in the space of Social Media, I have been asked time and again, what my feelings are, about Google+. Well, that does go to show the deep interest that this latest launch from Google, has generated. People are talking about it, many are trying it out.
Before expressing my opinion, I must emphasize that as a Social Media agency, even though we may be leaning towards Facebook at this time, we are not “married” to any platform, as such. In fact, we are platform-agnostic. A couple of years back, when our agency, Social Wavelength got started, we did include Orkut as part of our recommended strategies, for many of our clients. But as we saw Orkut declining, we stopped recommending it. We have recommended Quora in some cases, but not all. And so on. In short, we’d love to recommend the right platform and the right strategy, to our clients, and we have no permanent favorites!
Having said that, the early views on Google+ are that, it will not really challenge Facebook just yet. There are many reasons for this view:
1. It is a hard act to take on a 750 mn giant. If Facebook had started off thinking of getting past MySpace (at whatever size it was) or any other network, it would always have looked weak. Whether Google+ is even aimed at Facebook or not, people are thinking in that direction. And it will always come out a poor second, in that situation.
2. Because there isn’t enough compelling stuff happening there, not enough people will spend much time. And if much time is not spent by many people, it will not pick up traction. It’s that vicious circle. People will still spend time on Facebook, put their photos and videos, update their statuses, share fun stuff. That will make their friends stay there, and spend more time there. No serious migration happening.
3. I ask this often when I speak at seminars and conferences: Which is the second biggest auction site after ebay? Most times there is total silence. Even if there is one, who knows? Who cares? That’s the issue. If you become really big, and you keep doing great stuff, especially via technology (as ebay has done in its space), why DOES anyone need options? And everything’s a click away, so it’s not like “this store is closer to me, so I’ll go there, rather than the market leader”. Everything’s a click away. So ebay it is. And Facebook it is.
4. Facebook did not come with an objective to be on Orkut killer or a MySpace killer. It came with an idea of doing some great things for people connected to each other. And in doing that, they kept working on many, many good things that people wanted out of a network of this kind. And during all this time, Orkut and MySpace kind of stopped evolving. And suddenly we had people spending more time at Facebook because it was doing all the right things that they wanted, and in turn, stopped spending that time on MySpace or Orkut. And so the shift began, and Facebook kept growing. And growing. And growing..
5. Google+ on the other hand, seems to have picked the few specific features where it wants to look a little different from Facebook, and offer an apparent advantage. Those few features, or that little bit difference, does not an exodus create. So while it may cause a little intrigue, some trials, some debate, it is not enough to make any serious dent on Facebook. At least just yet.
6. This in fact, is my feedback often to entrepreneurs. For example, in recent days, I have seen 3 different models of recruitment portals. At the entrepreneur’s level, he knows exactly how he is being different from the current leaders. And usually it is about that one feature, or the few niceties. But I ask them, a) are these differences so apparent to the user, as he gives his 10 seconds spin to your site – are they immediately apparent, and b) once he recognizes those differences, are those significant enough for him, to make your site a habit? If the answers to either of the questions is “No”, then the site is not likely to go far. Same questions can be asked to Google+ at this point. And the answer, I am afraid, will be “no”!
7. In fact, there is another parallel I can draw with an online entrepreneur. So the entrepreneur starts a new online service. Something unique. Some new niche identified. And lets word out. One or the other way. And sure enough, there are many who rush in, to try the service. A few hundred, maybe a few thousand. Some of them are excited enough to leave flattering messages on email or on phone. All this tremendously excites entrepreneurs. They feel they are on to something. And they go head long into big investments, more features, etc. Too often though, they get it wrong. This is the classic case of crossing the chasm. There will always be the initial adopters. Some do it because they want to try new things. Some out of intrigue. Some because of peer pressure. But the true test is in longevity and sustained growth. Do people stick around? Is the growth rate exponentially growing? And the farther ahead a competitor is, the growth rate needs to sustain for that much long. In absence of that, it would be yet another interesting new thing that came, people tried, and nobody noticed when it became inconsequential.. Google+ stands this risk again. Whether Google itself takes these early numbers seriously or not, the many Google fans in the world have started doing so. I am afraid we are not even near the chasm just yet, forget about crossing it.
Few other interesting view on the subject:
Social Networking is a Zero Sum Game: Google+ Will Need to Figure Out What Problem It Solves
How are you my dear Google+ and what can you DO FOR ME???
Google Plus (Google+): The Painful Realization
Why Google+ Doesn’t Stand a Chance Against Facebook
Well, I am sure there are other opinions on this. I know there are few different ones within Social Wavelength too 
So these are my opinions, and yet, I am happy to be proved wrong. Will be fun, either ways..
Share your thoughts and opinions in the comments below.. !