Why You Shouldn’t Abandon Facebook and Twitter for Google+
Posted: August 16, 2011
There’s little doubt that Facebook, Twitter and Google+ form the ‘Big Three’ of the social media world. While Facebook and Twitter have been around for a while, Google+ is a recent phenomenon that’s growing at a scorching pace. In this post, I present my case on why you shouldn’t abandon Facebook and Twitter for Google+.
There’s little doubt that Facebook, Twitter and Google+ form the ‘Big Three’ of the social media world. While Facebook and Twitter have been around for a while, Google+ is a recent phenomenon that’s growing at a scorching pace. While I strongly believe that all of these social networks operate mutually exclusively, there’s been no shortage of social media experts and critics who’ve drawn Google+ vs. Facebook and Google+ vs. Twitter comparisons.
Ever since Google+ launched, several public personalities and celebrities have openly announced their intention to abandon Facebook and Twitter in favor of Google+. Several polls (such as this one) indicate that a substantial proportion of users will abandon Facebook for Google+. Similarly, there’s no shortage of Google+ admirers who all of a sudden feel that they don’t need Twitter any longer.
As a social media veteran, I strongly believe it’s foolish to abandon Facebook and Twitter in for Google+ as they cater to specific social media needs. In this post, I present my case on why you shouldn’t abandon Facebook and Twitter for Google+.
It’s still early days!
As much as I admire Google+, it’s still early days. Google+ is close to 20 million members and it’s got there fairly quickly. However, it’s still got a lot of catching up to do before it can challenge Facebook and Twitter in terms of user base. Facebook has more than 750 million members and continues to grow at a scorching pace. While Twitter doesn’t’ show skyrocketing numbers, it still appeals the most to a large number of business users.
Google+ has been around for a month. In contrast, Facebook and Twitter have been around what seems like an eternity. They are the ‘been there, done that’ boys of social media which can’t be written off easily.
Business appeal
Nobody knows what Google+ business profiles will offer. In one of my earlier posts, I presented my thoughts on how Google+ could try to tap the business segment. On the other hand, Facebook and Twitter are proven business success stories in the social media world. From a business perspective, it makes little business sense to abandon your Facebook fans and Twitter followers in favor of a currently unknown phenomenon.
140 Characters!
Twitter is and will always be known for its 140 character limit. Though it initially comes across as a limitation, it is actually a blessing in disguise for Twitter users as they are enforced to use meaningful words to comply with the 140 char limit. That is what makes Twitter simple and effective to use. In contrast, Google+ offers an eat-all-you-can approach where I’ve been posts which are several paragraphs long.
Advertising
Facebook is the big daddy of advertising in the social media world. It would be a brave assumption to make that Google+ will match or better Facebook’s advertising might. Facebook recently announced ‘Facebook for Business’ – an indication that it is no mood to rest on its current laurels and it’s well prepared for the Google+ challenge. Despite its phenomenal growth, it would be challenging for Google+ to match Facebook’s advertising strength.
Biz Tip Source: Smedio
About the Author: Douglas Idugboe, Digital and New Media Marketing Strategist. Founder and Editor in Chief of Smedio! A Canadian Bestselling Author, Marketing Strategist, Speaker and Trainer, Who Loves Technology