Facebook or Google+ … That is the Question

by Sofia Trotti

There’s a contender still lurking around the social media space, yearning to be embraced as the new and improved version of Facebook. Some of you might know her as the search giant’s sister, while others might simply know her as Google+.

With Google controlling the majority of search advertisement in the US, it’s a no-brainer that Google+ had an obvious advantage in capturing the tech savvy minds of millions of early adopters in such a short amount of time. And the fact that it was built by software developers on the idea of creating an even greater social media platform than Facebook, which was built by college students in a dorm room, gives it that much more of an advantage. Let’s face it, working off the idea of an already-existing social media king is much easier than starting from scratch.

Because of this, I can’t deny that Google+ will be around for some time, but will it ever overtake Facebook?

Although Google+ had over 50 million users in its first 88 days of life, Facebook will always be ahead of the social media game. At this point in the game, it’s no longer about who has the best design, it’s about where you’re friends are.

People turn to Facebook because it is the place where more of their friends are sharing photos and updates on their lives.

As Mark Zuckerberg puts it, “Facebook is and always has been about social networking. Google already has its fingers in a million pies — search, advertising, online video content, music, mobile phones, and on and on — and is trying to add social layers on top of them.”

Perhaps Google is best off sticking to what they know before they forget how to do it. Trying to be all things to all people is never the way to go… just ask AOL.