Google takes on Facebook

[HotelUser]

http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/28/google-invite-received-we-go-hands-on/

Who's heard of Google+, what does everyone think will happen with it?

[FlyingJesus]

If it can kick off I don't see why it wouldn't work - the features look fine and not overbearing, but like the article says they need to convince people that we need *another* social networking site. MySpace fell because it catered almost exclusively to mid-teens while Facebook started as a university contact site, then branched out towards both younger and older users and before MySpace had the chance to do anything about it, they'd nicked near enough all their users. Gonna be difficult for Google+ to come up with anything to drive people away from FB now without applying some sort of big business pressure and getting stick from monopoly laws

[xxMATTGxx]

I knew there was going to be some sort of social site by Google a few months back when it was rumoured on a number of podcast/livestreams. Hopefully it isn't a fail like Google Wave or Google Buzz as I think they both failed? Let's see, facebook has millions of users and hopefully Google can pull the right strings to make it work and popular. I just wish I had an invite :(

[Jordan]

Looks great can't wait to get in :)

[hamheyelliot]

It looks great but as I recall, Facebook was a lot easier to actually get into in the first place. :(

[Mathew]

Nope, I don't think this is gonna work at all. Facebook has built up such a good reputation over the past couple of years and pretty much everyone, all ages, knows about it. I highly doubt Google (with their track record of failures like Buzz and Wave) will be able to pull off a third attempt at social networking. Not to mention it looks ugly! :P

[Chris]

It's gonna take a lot to match up to facebook, but then again this is google we're talking about. :P

[Recursion]

Won't work, it'll be closed down a year after launch just like Google Wave did IMO.

[Flisker]

I really do hope it will work. I for one will be using it when it launches.

[Shar]

I don't see it working. What does it have that facebook doesn't? Can't see anything yet..

[xxMATTGxx]

I don't see it working. What does it have that facebook doesn't? Can't see anything yet..

You can edit your posts, there's one! It's simple and I quite like it so far. I'm sure Google will add even more features to it, but I shall use it.

[Shar]

You can edit your posts, there's one! It's simple and I quite like it so far. I'm sure Google will add even more features to it, but I shall use it.

I'll be using it, I just hope they add more features!

[HotelUser]

It's really nice, well styled and runs quite well. It's like a Facebook clone. I hope it does well because I like its mobile site better than Facebook's.

[Jahova]

G'warn Google!

[Chippiewill]

I was listening to a podcast last night and it had some google devs on it for a while and the stuff like Hangouts seemed really interesting. It also felt like they'd learned their lessons from Buzz and Facebook and it also really has an edge feature wise, especially in terms of making Circles and how Hangouts are formed. The interesting thing is that Google+ is going to have a much more open API than Twitter and Facebook which means that it'll be federating out which is a very clever thing to do in order to drive traffic, you can post on Twitter or Facebook.. or if you post on Google+ it appears everywhere. That's the kind of thing that's going to make it succeed when it's properly open. I really think that Google are trying to do what Apple did to the phone industry and basically make it really simple to do all these things and have the focus on not piling through settings menus like on facebook and instead engaging with your friends and family.

The circles if done right will add an extra dimension to it because no one has been able to make list making easy to do, so facebook in the effort to get over that just didn't bother, you just had friends whether they're school friends, work friends, family etc. and it'll allow for much more personal communication to different groups and allows you to do that very obvious thing where you act very differently to one group than you do to another.

The instant upload is quite nice too, although I can see privacy issues arising from that eventually.

[peteyt]

Did I read it wasn't going to be one service like facebook but just multiple services.

I think a few people may use it, tech enthusiasts and so on, but the general public will stay to what they know.

Facebook kind of in my opinion can be compared to the Wii. They both took something that in a sense was slightly closed off - gamers play games, tech people use computers. Obviously maybe that's a little far fetched, but the important thing is a lot of people who have/use a Wii would never have played on other games, other consoles, and a lot of people who have facebook would never have used other social networking sites - You wouldn't expect to see parents on myspace and stuff.

I'm looking forward to see what Google do, but I think it will be very hard to pull the majority of Facebook users. Nearly everyone seems to be on there, so the need for another social network for many is pointless.

[Casio]

I am part of it now :) I'm joined :P

[HotelUser]

To add to this, it was on Engadget that Google plans on incorporating games and questions into Google+

http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/30/google-code-reveals-intent-to-unleash-games-and-questions-to-th/

[Wig44.]

No matter how good it is, it will take a long time to get the ball rolling and get facebook users over en masse.

[xxMATTGxx]

I found this a good read to be honest:

http://www.neowin.net/news/all-the-ways-google-isnt-facebook

[Chippiewill]

Well, I'd use it, but Google won't let me :(

It looks to me like they're trying to salvage parts of Wave which worked really well.

[xxMATTGxx]

Some people have been able to sign in on their google account and get access, some people can't. May be worth a shot if you are wanting to use it.

[peteyt]

The big important question I have is simply - what's going to stop Facebook right now taking some of the features and using them.

Before you say its copying, everyone does it. Look at all the browsers that now have stuff such as tabbed browsing, which originated from one browser and was simply copied by others.

I'm not trying to say + won't work, but if facebook can take the good features from it, and keep the members, it could cause a problem.

[xxMATTGxx]

The big important question I have is simply - what's going to stop Facebook right now taking some of the features and using them.

Before you say its copying, everyone does it. Look at all the browsers that now have stuff such as tabbed browsing, which originated from one browser and was simply copied by others.

I'm not trying to say + won't work, but if facebook can take the good features from it, and keep the members, it could cause a problem.

They can copy it if they want, theres already rumours that skype is being integrated onto facebook for some sort of "video chat" already. Some people just don't like facebook and they may like Google+

[HotelUser]

Well, I'd use it, but Google won't let me :(

It looks to me like they're trying to salvage parts of Wave which worked really well.

If there had been desktop applications for Wave I think I would have liked it better (or maybe there was and I wasn't aware).

[HotelUser]

To add, "Facebook to launch in-browser video chat powered by Skype? (http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/02/facebook-to-launch-in-browser-video-chat-powered-by-skype/)"

Wonder what influenced that decision :P

[peteyt]

They can copy it if they want, theres already rumours that skype is being integrated onto facebook for some sort of "video chat" already. Some people just don't like facebook and they may like Google+

Which will happen with anything. But even if facebook annoyed me, I'd still use it because the majority of people used it. The problem is I could move to Google+, and if the majority of people I talk to don't use it, then it would be pointless. There's also the hassle of operating it, facebook and everything else e.g. Twitter at once, which makes me wonder if Tweetdeck will add google+ in the future.

Some however will just want one social network and I do think its going to be tricky trying to get a lot of Facebook's older audience onto it, due to a lot of them still getting used to new technology. I'll definitely try it though.

[xxMATTGxx]

We will have to see what kind of API's Google will release in the future. I could see them making it possible sharing everything we say on Google+ go onto facebook, twitter and other sites. Although it just needs to fully open up for people to get an account as it's still on a limited invite basis but it is a test field at the moment, hopefully they will add some more features to it.

[HotelUser]

We will have to see what kind of API's Google will release in the future. I could see them making it possible sharing everything we say on Google+ go onto facebook, twitter and other sites. Although it just needs to fully open up for people to get an account as it's still on a limited invite basis but it is a test field at the moment, hopefully they will add some more features to it.

I don't understand why they did that. Surly the whole point is to be the most popular - but I assume they have a plan here anyway :P

[xxMATTGxx]

I don't understand why they did that. Surly the whole point is to be the most popular - but I assume they have a plan here anyway :P

Don't they do that with most things they do? Remember when Gmail was invites only? I do see your point though.

[HotelUser]

Don't they do that with most things they do? Remember when Gmail was invites only? I do see your point though.

Yes, they did with GMail (I traded Habbo items for an invitation back then!) - The whole point of a social network is to add friends and be sociable, so it's kind of hard when you're limited when it comes to who you can add and socialize with in my opinion. I still really love the user interface though, and plan on continuing using it.

[Chippiewill]

If there had been desktop applications for Wave I think I would have liked it better (or maybe there was and I wasn't aware).

There was going to be, at the launch they had a really cool CLI interface for it, but they never got round to adding "Federating" to the service so it couldn't happen.

[Marbian]

Hello,

I am looking for a invite for Google Plus. It looks really good and it's making me mad! It would be great if someone could invite me. (H)

Thread merged by Infectious (Forum Super Moderator): To main discussion thread

[Chris]

Registration is closed, even with an invitation. You'll have to wait until they open it again. :(

[Fiendly]

It looks like a business version of Facebook from the Youtube video I watched..

[Robi]

Looks promising but you never know eh?

[Casio]

They may be closed but can still get around it ;)

[Maatt.]

I've heard about this. It looks great, but it dont think it will be competition.
:)

[Aaron]

It's gonna take a lot to match up to facebook, but then again this is google we're talking about. :P

Yeah I agree, it would take a lot to win against Facebook, although it's Google a very popular used site.

[Flisker]

I've been playing around with Google+ and I really think it will pick up and gain users. I can see it rivalling Facebook, maybe not overtake Facebook in terms of active users but it will rival them not far behind.

[Shar]

I see it being fair competition now because of its "hangout" feature which is pretty cool stuff :)

[ben]

got into it earlier

[peteyt]

I got an invite and it's not bad but it's still early days.

But right now being locked in Beta and not many users I don't see much I can do with it. I can post something on my wall, and who's going to see it with most of the people I talk to on facebook.

And facebook is now linked with skype, surprise surprise.

[Fiendly]

Well I've got invites to hand out if anyone needs it.

I don't mind the layout of it, but it's just not for me at the moment.
Can't wait to see what happens next with it.

[HotelUser]

Well I've got invites to hand out if anyone needs it.

I don't mind the layout of it, but it's just not for me at the moment.
Can't wait to see what happens next with it.

I quite like the layout - I think it's not very Google like but I also think it's quite clean :P

[Adam]

Well I've got invites to hand out if anyone needs it.

I don't mind the layout of it, but it's just not for me at the moment.
Can't wait to see what happens next with it.
I'll have an invite if you don't mind.

[Fiendly]

I'll have an invite if you don't mind.

PM me with your gmail account :)

---------- Post added 12-07-2011 at 11:08 AM ----------


I'll have an invite if you don't mind.

PM me with your gmail account :)

[GommeInc]

It seems better designed than facebook, everything is integrated. The security and account settings do not need to be accessed through a special page, you just simply click a section and edit, and then play around with privacy settings. Seems good so far, but not too interesting with limited testing at the moment.