Google Plus is the newest online social project designed by Google to rival the ever popular facebook. This has not been Google's first attempt at social networking having introduced Google Buzz and Google Wave in previous years. Each of those projects had its noted success; however, Google Plus has the potential to make a dent on Facebook's online population. Google Plus introduces similar applications to that of Facebook however each of these applications has an added edge to their design. Google Plus is still by invite only, but for those who were lucky enough to gain early access to the site you would have seen a very familiar layout that resembles a Facebook homepage. There are many differences andsimilaritieswhen comparing the social networks of these two online giants.
On Facebook you are able to group your friends so that you can send out selected messages, status updates and links to specific individuals. On Google Plus 'Circles' is essentially the same thing, however, Google plus makes this application more simplistic and user friendly. By clicking on a circle, you are brought to an entirely new page, showing what you share with this specific circle instead ofintegrating into a general news feed. On Facebook, your interests are generally stated. When adding a new friend, you are able to see if they share some common interests. Google Plus aims to bring out a higher level of interactivity with respect to your favourite type of music, blogs or movies. This is known as 'Sparks'. It essentially grabs all the information that you are interested in and keeps it on a specific tab. This is very much like 'tags' on blogging sites such as Tumblr. In addition to this neat feature, you are able to share articles, videos, news and more with your specific circles.
Hangout on Google Plus is essentially a video conferencing platform to interact with your circles. This feature can integrate up to 10 individuals in a specific 'hangout'. WhenGooglehad announced its video conferencing application, Facebookimmediately launched its integration with Skype a week after. The major difference is that you can only video conference with oneindividualat a time on Facebook.
The final feature on Google Plus called 'Huddle' is similar to that of 'Places' on Facebook. The application allows your friend to know where you are throughout the day. However, with the lack of efficient GPS technology in Trinidad and Tobago, this feature may not be used as much on a local scale. Most blackberry curves that Trinbagonians own, do not allow for GPS technology and as such, the whole idea of Places and Huddles may not be as effective. However, there are some mobile devices that work well in identifying your location in Trinidad and Tobago.
Will Google Plus take away from Facebook? There is definitely a good possibility. Google leads with respect to itsusability, whereas Facebook leads with respect to the time spent on the site by eachindividual. Google Plus has great potential to grow, since other Google features may be integrated in the future, such as YouTube, Google Reader and Google Maps. Facebook users are generally becoming unhappy according to popularitystatistics. Trinbagonians are social people, so if Google Plus boasts of higher socialising standards, I am sure we will be migrating; from Hi5 to Facebook, and very soon, to Google Plus!