Everyone who likes to make their opinion known on the Internet, which happens to be most people who use the Internet, have made their opinions known about Google+. Thousands of media websites and publications have published reviews of what Google+ is so far – in fact, an article ran in The Crimson White’s opinion page last week.
That is why I don’t plan on writing much about what Google+ has that
Facebook or Twitter also have; I’m going to focus on what Google+ has that no other
site seems to have anymore – and that’s potential.
According to Wired.com, the release of Google+ comes from a focused effort that includes a lot of other Google products, hundreds of engineers and a focus on making Google more “people-centric” by new CEO Larry Page. Google, who will have to play catch-up to get anywhere in social networking, is determined to do it right this time, with four failed attempts behind them already.
There may, however, be a huge benefit in having to play catch-up. The obvious being that eventually all social networks are replaced with new ones. Xanga gave way to MySpace, MySpace gave way to Facebook, somehow Facebook and Twitter learned to cohabitate, but eventually someone will overpower at least one of these two big players.
That someone could easily be Google+. The limited release that the public saw last week was more limited than most people have realized. Other than having to be “invited” to the Google+ party, which isn’t really that exclusive because people seem to be willing to invite just about anyone, Google seems to think they still have some game-changers up their sleeve.
Apparently, there are more than 100 launch dates on their calendar pertaining to this latest project. If these releases are greeted with the same enthusiasm, or at least intrigue, as these first ones were, then Google is setting itself up to gain new users with every launch.
Whatever these launches may be, and wherever Google sees Google+ going, they have the benefit of being new and exciting so that no other site can capitalize on anymore.
When Facebook was first released, it was exciting because it was exclusive. As everyone and their mother (literally) joined in on the fun, using it became less about its exclusivity and more about its familiarity. Now, every time Facebook makes a change, they are mostly greeted with annoyance in having to figure it out all over again. I can’t remember an “improvement” Facebook made that was met with excitement and a renewed love in the site.
With Twitter, there isn’t much room for improvement. The website is simple: impart your words of wisdom (or stupidity) on the world in 140 characters or less. It gained momentum when Kelso from That 70’s Show (Ashton Kutcher) decided the idea was revolutionary. Since then, it has connected us with people we want to know in a way that no other website has been able to do before, and for that, Twitter is here to stay.
Whether Google plans to connect us with people we do know or people we don’t know, the exact future of Google+ is going to remain in the air until the product is released in its entirety. In the meantime, don’t be surprised if Facebook comes out with an “update” that looks similar to Circles – after all, their last update made the site look suspiciously similar to Twitter.
