Between Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Digg and other B-list social networking sites, the Internet is filled with ways to connect with people in all corners of the globe. This week the field just got more crowded as Google+ went public.
Previously available by invitation only, Google’s new social networking site poses the biggest threat to Facebook yet. Then Mark Zuckerberg and company rolled out new changes to their site in the same week. The timing of the two changes is something that seems a little too suspect to be coincidental.
The new “list” feature on Facebook is similar to the “circles” feature in Google+. Both allow users to organize their friends and separate the various aspects of their lives. Their photo thumbnails are also now as large as Google+’s.
The live newsfeed in the corner of the homepage is reminiscent to Twitter and Google+. Facebook users can now sign up for subscriptions from people and allow users to subscribe to them, quite similar to the 140-character site.
All these changes bring up a question — is Facebook trying to do too much? The case could be made. With 750 million members, the social media giant has a reason to offer numerous services. It can use its size to shut other media companies down.
Then again, the Internet is large enough for multiple social media sites. Google’s version of social networking has some slick features that Facebook lacks. The most innovative one allows users to work on their GoogleDocs simultaneously. Another interesting feature is referred to as Hangout, which allows people to coalesce around a common interest.
These features on Google+ make it much more professional and business-friendly. The clean, crisp look of the site makes helps as well. With so many apps, groups, lists and other items cluttered on the Facebook homepage, it is beginning to look like Myspace.
This is not to say that Facebook will become obsolete almost overnight, as was the case with Myspace, but there is no guarantee that Zuckerberg’s brainchild will be around forever, particularly if they keep releasing new updates that users despise.
Google continues to prove itself as a company in touch with the wants and needs of its users. From their basic search engine to Gmail to Blogger and the Android, the Internet giant dazzles with each new release.
While many companies would have rested on their laurels, Google continues to work its way into our lives, often without us realizing it. But that’s the mark of a good company. Facebook must carefully monitor user reactions to their new updates or people will jump ship to another user-friendlier social networking site, be it Google+ or some yet-to-be-started phenomenon.
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