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11Jul/111

Will Google+ beat Facebook?

google plus 150x150 Will Google+ beat Facebook? technology blogging  social plus network mobile google facebook application Android

So a week ago I have managed to get hold of a Google+ invite, and I managed to play with it for a while now. I am also a quite "greedy" Facebook user so it was a good occasion to find out if and why I would like to move to the new service:

Thumbs up for Google Plus

Seamlessly integrates with phone: so yes, I own an Android phone (HTC Desire HD) and of course I love the fact that Google+ is working perfectly with my phone, with push updates and all the goodies
Straightforward privacy approach: although the actual functionality is not "revolutionary" (as in, you can pretty much achieve the same level of privacy / re sharing with Facebook), the usability of the Circles interface is far more simple and straightforward than the dungeon of privacy ticks, groups etc... which you can find in Facebook
Interface: apart from the "Circles" feature, the interface in general seems to me less bulky and quite user-friendly. Main reason being probably the opportunity for Google to redesign it from scratch and attempt to get it right from the start, trying to address what are regarded as basic "flaws" in Facebook (such as, for example, the complex settings / privacy flags in it)

Thumbs up for Facebook

It's already there everyone knows it, it's part of mass culture already and even my dog has signed up for it and is showcasing a Facebook profile
More features altough Google Plus is still in beta and you would expect them to integrate quickly a lot of features (for example, they could integrate the Calendar as an "Events" function, which is missing ATM), Facebook takes the lead at the moment with the number of features offered. However, sometimes it could also be a drawback (for instance, do you really need Farmville and all the annoying updates coming from it)

So, in short:

  • Google Plus it's the novelty, it's cool because "it's from Google" and just integrates seamlessly with your Android phone (a strong plus for Android users such as me)
  • Facebook it's the mainstream option, everyone has a profile already and everyone is used to it. Will it be enough to keep the lead?

What do you think? Have you tried Google Plus? Do you hate it already or are you planning to move across to it?

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  1. i use both the social media site..and i like both of them…


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This work by Paolo Tagliaferri is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.