Social networking is what keeps two users connected. So here is the comparison between two of the famous social networking sites i.e Google Plus vs Facebook.
It all had to come down to this eventually. Google has been the numerous of internet companies, single handedly dominating the World Wide Web. Facebook is the biggest social network out there.
No battle of the brains could get any more intense than Google Plus vs Facebook. With a current tally of 750 million active users, who on average use Facebook for a minimum of 40 minutes daily, Facebook sure has a chunk of the internet which it rules.
There have always been competitors, but eventually everyone learned their places, and instead of trying to compete with it, they are rather acting as platforms for more users to join in. Even Google has tried in the past to outshine this behemoth with products like Orkut, Wave and Buzz, which were sadly lackluster. With Google Plus though, the search engine giant seems to have pulled out all its stops.
Orkut met a very sad end. Having seen the peak of its popularity it has now been shunted into the yard and is now a derelict second grade social network. It did not offer anything innovative or new to its fan base, and MySpace with different looks and interface could only work for so long. Wave and Buzz too could not generate much interest among the netizens.
Facebook, on the other hand has dominated the social media sharing scene and its popularity still weighs in its favor in the Google Plus vs Facebook battle. With apps and games working in the pipelines and new thoughts being given to addition of exciting features, Facebook has made sure that it does not stagnate and is constantly moving ahead in this race.
Tech gurus however believe that Google Plus could prove to be too big a bone for Facebook to chew. Initial previews released in the testing stages till now show the potential it has with the invite only membership of this infant social network growing to a whopping 10 million within the first two weeks of its launch. As far as creativity is concerned, this finally looks like a product from Google.
It has a whole lot of features which are not available on Facebook, and probably might never be if Google’s run continues unhindered. To be a judge of which social network is possibly better, let us take a closer; a feature-by-feature comparison of the two colossal social networks on the World Wide Web.
1) Like me, or +1 me?
Facebook: All those of us who have been using Facebook could not have missed out on this “Like” button it offers. Through this innovative inclusion, a person can “Like” a photo, post, feed or any comment he wants to highlight it among his/her friends.
Google Plus: has a “+1” button, which has the same functionality as that of “Like” on Facebook, but before you start calling Google a copycat take a deeper look at a small difference. Google has integrated this project with its search engine. So when a user “+1”s something, he is recommending that content to a much wider range of people. Didn’t think of that, eh Facebook?
2) Form a group and play
Facebook: A person can make customized “Friend Lists”, and while being available to one list, he can be simultaneously offline or unavailable to the other list. A post shared can be selectively sent to a particular group, but it is not very user friendly, as Privacy settings need to be selected and changed every time it is to be done. Moreover, practical functionality of this feature is limited to the Facebook Chat.
Google Plus: Incoming friends get sorted into “Circles” and these circles can easily be customized; you could even make some of your own. It is very easy to share posts and even images with only a select few through circles. No one else would know what you have been up to; you wouldn’t have to worry about your work colleagues looking at that drunken dance performance from a party with close friends.
3) Private Messaging
Facebook: has an excellent messaging service rivaling the best email providers. The messages and mails sent are securely kept in the receiver’s account. Recently, Facebook integrated the messages and the chat conversations, so a unified experience including offline messages make this a total thumbs up.
Google Plus: for the time being, no message sending support. But, Google Plus has Gmail behind it, so we expect that it would help in turning the tides soon, also Gmail will not only be limited to their own clientele like the Facebook messaging system.
4) Chat support and Hangout
Facebook: Facebook chat has been improved a lot recently. With support for group chat, chatting on Facebook couldn’t get better. Video calling through Skype has been added very recently.
Google Plus: Google Plus uses its chat built on the Gtalk platform to extend its chat to the social network users. Even those who are not on Google Plus, but on a person’s Gmail contact list can be contacted through this. Google’s hangout feature is something that Facebook can’t rival as it supports video conferencing with multiple friends by starting a “hangout”, which has only been seen previously in enterprise telepresence systems such as AT&T telepresence, and other high end video conferencing solutions.
5) Brand Value
Facebook: Facebook allows the user to create a fanpage or a business page in order to represent an organization, product or person. It is a really useful feature as it is like a free website within Facebook available to a lot of people.
Google Plus: No such feature like this has been included in the beta version that we’ve seen yet, though a possible integration with Google Pages is imminent which would be a fitting addition to Google+.
6) On the move
Facebook: No dedicated Facebook chat client has been developed for mobile devices. One can see and update posts and feed, but not chat. You would have to use messengers like eBuddy to chat on Facebook through handheld devices. The recent integration of the message system with chat eliminates the need for such a feature. However Facebook’s mobile version still offers a very limited number of its features.
Google Plus: It already has an excellent app for Android devices, which allows superior group-chatting experience and social media sharing experience. The Huddle app for the Andriod devices brings mobility to its Hangout feature. The app also allows the user to instantly upload images and videos, which is not yet a feature for Facebook. A version for Apple’s hand held devices is soon to make its debut as a Google Plus iPhone App too.
7) Where am I?
Facebook: “Facebook Places” is a great new feature. A user can update the location of his posts, and even get notifications from his/her friends who are in the nearby area. But a drawback to it is that a person cannot dynamically update his location through the wall itself.
Google Plus: with “Google+ Location”, the user is just one click away from sharing his location and in turn discovering the location of his friends. Plans to introduce features allowing users to add information and experiences into the locator about their current place are in the pipeline.
8) What have you to ask?
Facebook: the user has the freedom to ask questions and conducts polls on his Wall which his/her friends can interactively answer.
Google Plus: No such feature is currently available for Google Plus, though Orkut did feature something similar, so it’s only a matter of time before this becomes available.
9) Play around
Facebook: Facebook has no shortage of interactive games and apps which one can enjoy with his social network. These apps have given a new meaning to the online-gaming.
Google Plus: As of now, no games or interactive apps are available, but as the social network gains age and allows third party apps from companies (Zynga is one for Facebook), you could expect some gaming action here too.
10) Modification
Facebook: The user cannot modify or control his interaction with Facebook through third-party applications.
Google Plus: Large control has been given to the user. Using Google Plus Chrome Extensions, the user can redefine and even add functionalities to his Google+ profile.
The stage is set for the Google Plus vs Facebook clash and the battle is heating up. Though its too early in Google Plus’s lifespan to make comparisons with a site like Facebook, but it’s success has shown that it is only fair to consider it a threat to the absolute dominance of the social networking giant. Would it be Google Plus, which would bedazzle the Social networking arena just like Android took the phone OS sector by storm? Or will Facebook succeed in standing the trials of time, and yet again be victorious? The battle is on.
Time for some laugh!
Google Plus is currently populated with funny depictions of Google Plus vs Facebook rivalry and as expected, Google+ fanboys are enjoying every bit of it. Now, it’s time to enjoy Google Plus vs Facebook bonanza right here..Take a chill pill!
[Don’t run out of patience as animated GIFs may take some time to load properly]
And guys, don’t forget to +1 this post if you love Google Plus and Share on Facebook if you still think Facebook will remain unbeaten.
Let the battle begin!