Exploring Google +
By Odessa Fernandez
Is Google’s fourth attempt at competing with the king of social media (Facebook), finally worth taking a second look at? Well, maybe you should ask one of the ten million users that signed up for Google+ in just two weeks, making it the fastest growing social network in Internet history. And if it is in fact a force to be reckoned with, what does this mean for small and big businesses alike? Here are a couple of thoughts on how Google+ may be more conducive for the average businessman than its other social network rivals.
Simplicity:
Not everyone is technologically savvy, and Google definitely kept that in mind when they created a simple, clutter-free interface that users can easily maneuver. There are no ads bombarding the borders of the site, and the social network boasts of easy drag-and-drop features when it comes to privacy settings. So what does that mean for business owners? The fact that it’s easy to set up a homepage makes it appealing to individuals that have minimal computer skills. There are also occasional tips and pointers that come out while the user explores the site, so it makes it a lot more easier to transition from one page or feature to another.
The biggest and most attractive feature of Google+ that might lead Facebook users to become Google+ believers is their take on managing privacy settings with the introduction of ‘circles’. These ‘circles’ allow users to manage their ‘circle’ of friends, acquaintances, coworkers, etc., from the very beginning of a Google+ friendship. This means that the owner of a business could ultimately use Google+ as a means of organized communication for each sector of his/her business. For example: If Bob was about to open a brand new paint store and had different tasks assigned to different sectors of his business that needed to be completed, he could message them all independently without spamming each group (He could message his employees to complete their online training before the grand opening, and he could message his accountant to have all the numbers figured out before Friday). By having the ability to sort out each group with these ‘circles’ saves time and effort on Bob’s part, and we all know that time is money, so Google+ would have saved him plenty of it.
Solid Relationship Building:
A great feature that deems promising is the group chat feature that Google+ offers, which they call ‘hangout’. What that means, is that a Google+ user can video chat with up to 10 users at once, which adds a new meaning to ‘chat sessions’. To business owners, this Google+ feature not only helps people communicate within the company, but it provides a platform where solid relationship building with clients and employees can take place. Business meetings, video conference calls, and last minute phone calls to change agendas, are all vital calls that can happen right in front of a laptop or desktop computer without moving an inch. There’s just something about being able to talk and see the person in front of you that makes video chatting so successful for businesses. With this feature, there would be minimal miscommunication between a company and client because everything would be heard and seen firsthand—every disappointed sigh, every snide remark, and every rise or fall in voice level. Google+ presents a personal yet formal way to build these relationships with the client, and that in itself is an immeasurable value to a business.
Marketing companies would definitely have a field day with this feature. They could conduct focus groups out of their own home and save the company thousands of dollars by eliminating costs of food and beverages for the focus group participants, parking, markers & paper, focus group space, and etc. Being able to do this would change the format of focus groups entirely and in turn could also lead to businesses investing in these marketing companies because it wouldn’t be that costly to them.
Even though Google+ is currently not open for business owners for a few more weeks, that didn’t stop 36,000 companies from signing up to be one of the elite few to have a page once Google does release it to the public. Critics everywhere are seeing the benefits of the new social network—it’s LinkedIn + Facebook (without all the clutter), but the $1,000,000 question is— will Google+ be able to dethrone Facebook? Well, with Facebook at a ginormous 700 million users and still going strong, there’s no way they’re going anywhere.
