I came across something called Google + in a few different web searches and I was interested to learn more about it. First off, I am a huge Google fan and have never been interested to use any other search engine like Yahoo, Aol, Bing, MSN etc! I really seem to enjoy Google so any new endeavors that the company is trying to promote I would be willing to check out. When I went to investigate Google + it appears that the project is in a test phase and they are only allowing a certain amount of users to try it out. I attempted to sign up but I was then prompted to leave my email address incase any openings become available.
At first I was thinking, this sounds a lot like Facebook with instant messaging, texting, uploading photos, group chat, etc. I was thinking why is Google + any different?
Well Google + is not trying to be just like Facebook, it seems they are trying to do a better job of finding out information about people and their relationships in order to target advertising better.
Google has been unsuccessful in past social media efforts. They attempted to launch programs called Wave, Buzz that did not work out due to privacy issues and unsure users.
Google is very successful in its search results and has had major success targeting advertisements based on the searches, emails and you tube videos of its users. However Google could really improve by getting into social media. Facebook information is not available to Google since Facebook has an agreement with Microsoft Bing. The information that people "like" or "recommend" is available to Bing and then advertisements are altered based on the Facebook information.
Google + sounds different than Facebook, I am not sure if it will be as successful but it may give Google an edge that it needs to get back in the game if it can stick around.
Below is a great article about Google +. Please check it out and see for yourself.
Heather-
ReplyDeleteI have to say that this is a pretty top secret assignment that has generated a lot of discussion about this new program. I hadn't even heard anything about it until this week. During this past week every time I log onto Facebook I see that someone is either asking for someone to send them and invitation to Google+ or saying how excited they are that they received one.
This is a pretty good marketing campaign on behalf of google. People always seem to want something that's a little bit unavailable and mysterious. I haven't heard much about what this program is, but I did find myself "googling" to find out some information! Thanks for providing me with a little more insight into Google+.
I recently set up a Google+ account as someone at work had given me an invitation. I have not had the time to really look at how it works, however, it is on my list. If you haven't already received one and you would like an invite just let me know!!
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