An upcoming battle for your time is ensuing on the web, and it’s being fought out right in front of our eyes by two giants of our times. Google and Facebook.
In both of their businesses, critical mass is key. And you’re the critical mass. They need users, and they both have them by the bucket load, just in different areas. ‘Google it’ and ‘Facebook me’ are common expressions and form part of our social lives.
Most Google users don’t sit staring at Google for hours on end; it’s the start in their journey elsewhere. Facebook users sit for hours looking at their social lives. So, Google tried the social network route with its Google Buzz service, and if we’re honest, it was a bit of a flop. Not put off, Google tried again with Google+ and it was more greatly received. The circles were seen as something wonderful for your privacy.
What Google saw was a chance, a buy in to this area. Twitter users mostly follow people they don’t know, and Facebook users follow their friends. Google saw a chance to combine the two, using Circles to control how and who we share our content with. A one stop social networking shop for both friends and people you don’t know, with the option to configure who sees what, easily. Wow.
It certainly hit home with the ‘Geeks’, as more than 25 million signed up for it during the BETA stage alone, and now it’s open to the rest of the public.
Facebook responded, and they’ve gone straight at Twitter as well by creating a feature which allows you to share just with your friends, a custom list or with anyone on the web, rather like twitter. You can also subscribe to their Facebook feed as well without being a friend, you'll be a 'follower' it Twitter terms.
Facebook changes a lot, and to quote the film “The Social Network” (Great film by the way!)
Eduardo Saverin: So when will it be finished?
Mark Zuckerberg: It won't be finished. That's the point. The way fashion's never finished.
Eduardo Saverin: What?
Mark Zuckerberg: Fashion, fashion is never finished.
Eduardo Saverin: You're talking about fashion? Really, you?
Mark Zuckerberg: I'm talking about the idea of it. And I'm saying that it's never finished.
Eduardo Saverin: Okay. But they manage to make money selling pants.
And it’s that last line that matters, Facebook and Google makes LOADS of money helping others to sell pants (plus other things, they aren’t that niche). Facebook wants to get in on this even more. Google places you right in the hands of the sellers, and Facebook wants to do the same, because for them, the rewards could be enormous.
Facebook is linking up with such services as Spotify and movie services to show the content your friends have been watching right inside Facebook. This will allow you to link straight from Facebook, straight to the content without passing GO-ogle and buy it direct.
Companies will pay big bucks to get their products displayed to users within Facebook and target the friends of people who’ve already liked, seen or even purchased one of their products. Just ask Google.
Social Networking is always changing; new concepts and new players appear daily. But what doesn’t change? How important it is to your business. Make your business part of the social world, and it could really help you meet new customers.
Intelligent Penguin can help guide you through this process, helping you to like, huddle and tweet, in all the right places.