Gotta catch 'em all!
Let’s forget the Facebook V Google+ story, the realname gate and the delayed business pages fiasco (if you’ve been hiding you can catch up on this here). It’s not so much a question of will Google+ become mainstream any more it’s more a question of why?
First of all, let us not forget that Google is the undisputed king of search. In fact 85% of internet users already use Google for search. They even own YouTube!
The more that Google+ is integrated into your browser experience the more it will just always be there. The 1d button is now faster, easier and slicker than tweet this or like this buttons. Using Google+ is not like opening and closing Tweetdeck or Hootesuite, or logging into or out of Facebook, it’s just there.
Google has already been monitoring your activities for years, using your browsing history and this has given them more information about you than any other social platform. Now that Chrome is so slick and extensions come out almost daily to make your experience quicker, slicker and less time consuming, many Firefox and Safari diehards are going to make the leap. Google is using Chrome to enhance Plus’s functionality, it also makes using all of their other services just a click away. Currently Chrome users make up 23% of, I’m expecting this figure to grow very quickly.
Let’s not forget the importance of Mobile, they even have a piece of the mobile pie, monitoring the activity of all the android users. Android will grow in popularity as it will evolve into the best mobile for social networking environments. Google Android is already approaching 50% market share whilst Apple is at 19%. If that isn’t enough watch out for the fast developing Linux based Chrome PC operating system. So gradually Google are becoming the masters of both the operating system and the software, and there is also Google TV!
Though Google plus is about user experience, the amount of information they have about your behavior and interests makes any marketing tool that Google may offer, capable of delivering more relevant suggestions. See what Google already thinks you are interested in. Not only that, if it’s relevant to you it will probably be relevant to your social circles and if sharing that content is the faster most convenient using Google+ then that is going to be what most people will use. Just three days ago Google bought Dealmap, there is no space left on the internet that Google cannot conquer.
+1′s on websites and pages are already influencing personalised search on Google. Google already shows you if your friends have +1′d pages in your results. See what Google knows about your Social Network here.
Businesses cannot afford not to use Google+, with the new business pages on the horizon were just on the brink of another explosion. People are using personal profiles to represent business already.
So If you haven’t already, set up your Google+ profile, ready to promote your new business page when it becomes available. Put the +1 button on every page of your site. Become an early adopter while you still have the chance because Google+ will form a big part of the future of social networks and social search.
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Written by Heather Buckley on Google+ for Silicon Beach Training (on Facebook).
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Great response from Anthony Leaton on LinkedIn
If done smart yes, they can rule.
Here’s how. Set up G+ business and the rest will follow.
1. Allow businesses to talk to businesses and set up a SEO juice factory by adding businesses into DMOZ which is virtually defunct. Companies that share, interact get prioritized.
Result: Big incentive.
2. Use G+ as an internal communication WIKI and external communication tool. With Friends and Acquaintances, you can upload pics, docs, vids to share with the staff [privately] and then message publicly.
Result: Big business incentive
3. Where is your profile for company name now with G+. My name is number 3 in G+. Wow.. instant domination of SERPS!
Result: No brainer
4. Social / Pro mix: FB only really has personal ID’s. G+ I hope will have business ones. So.. your personal profile doesn’t castigate others, it looks like you’re still friends without all the various blocking with FB has.
5. If G+ rolls out business one quick, and if it integrates with people from work allowed to use both for business and pleasure, then people will integrate them both. In effect, people sneak on FB at work.. if they’re allowed as it’s a WIKI / social private network interface [as I pointed out in point two above], they’ll get take up by natural attraction, not attrition.
Result: MEGA TAKE UP!
6. Facebook’s tedium and privacy woes: I have photos on Picasa I want to share, I have to download and upload with FB or just share one link which tells others there’s more photos in the album. G+ just has the one or more photos to share in the album. Genius.
7. As it stands FB’s privacy policies about owning data shared is a big woe.. In terms of efficiency and user interface it’s harder than G+’s. Additionally, at times they introduce new functionality [like only showing active user's posts with you, vs. those who aren't so active]. Means I miss my uncle’s message to me. G+ sorts out messages and priorities, a lot like twitter’s groups!
Result: Never miss an important message again = productivity. Don’t worry that the incriminating photo of you drink is going to haunt you for life.