Early Thoughts on Google+
I have a few thoughts on Google+. I’m usually not too fond of social media, just because there’s so much buzz around it, and entrepreneurs jumping into the mix, when very few can make it. The problem is that most don’t have solid business models. It doesn’t get that way until the company hits critical mass, and for social media, you need A LOT of people.
But Google+ is a bit different. Mainly because you have everything already set. The only thing missing was a social network. Google has built an eco-system, that is now complete with social.
1. Facebook built itself on being social, and data came next, and making money came next. It wasn’t a primary concern. Same with Twitter. Google on the other hand, knows how to monetize Google+ right off the bat. The best thing about Facebook from a business standpoint…is DATA. They know what people like, in which age groups, with which gender, and with which location. Now, Google can build that same data set, and do it even better, through combining search, news, documents, video, etc. And they’ll monetize the hell out of it, because the eco-system is already there.
2. Look at the top bar when you’re in Google+. Documents, photos, reader, web, calendar. Look at any search results, and you’ll see a +1 next to it. Search for news and you’ll see a +1. Want to share a Youtube video? Go to share under the video and you can click +1. It’s integrated already into everything. Want to share a document. Click and click. Wait a few months, and you’ll see it fully integrated into Android phones, Google Chrome, ChromeBook (Google’s netbook). Just as there’s Twitter search, with a “immature” way to see who’s talking about your brand or company, Google will optimize it so it’s a main focus. Google knows how to do business.
3. It’s a combination of Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn, all in one. I can follow the “entrepreneur celebrities” that I admire, and they can follow me too, just like Twitter. But I can have my own circles for people I want to talk to, and nobody has to see anything else. I’ve had a business idea for a little while, where you have an app for just your close friends and you can make plans and post pictures for only for them to see. Most of my friends don’t like putting anything up because Facebook has had to include a much larger circle than what they’re comfortable with. But with circles, you can create your own little group and only talk within them. Facebook has it, but nobody knows about it. Google built off of the concept. So much for that business idea…did I tell you I’m not fond of social?
Overall, it looks promising. Right now it’s full of techies, and it’s a good crowd to be around. We’ll see if it can move past that, but I’m sure it will. I had some doubt about Google, but the foreseeably integration to complete their eco-system seems promising.
