The social web is a well reported topic within the media today, and
for good reason. We are in a transitional change with how we communicate
with each other online, how brands reach consumers and how
organisations market to their audience. We are undoubtedly immersed in
the technology age, and our lives, the way we
interact with others, is
changing totally.
The monumental success of Facebook, Mark
Zuckerberg's world leading social platform, has enticed brands,
consumers, investors alike, and the world is continually awaiting for
that 'next big thing'. A likely reason therefore that the majority of
news stories, magazine articles and blog posts on Google's latest foray
into the social web repeatedly draw up comparisons to Zuckerberg's
global giant.
Predicting
the next big thing is often easier than some might think. You simply
have to look at what is already out there, not at who's focusing on
doing something different, but rather someone who's doing it better.
Take
the iPod for example. Certainly not the first digital music player on
the market, but Apple's cult status products have led the way in both
design and function. Google was certainly not the first search engine.
Remember the likes of Lycos, Hotbot and AltaVista? Google simply
developed a product that was faster, cleaner, and easier to use than its
rivals, and they now command a dominating portion of the search market.
Skype
too was not the first online video chat service, but with successful
brand building and fantastic integration with offline communication, it
continues to be the world's favourite online audio/video communication
tool.
Contrary to popular belief, Google+ was never created to directly
compete for people's time on the internet. A simple, ad free system,
Google+ was launched to compete for users' personal data. Becoming the
primary platform for social networking would simply be a bonus.
Speaking
at the Monaco Media Forum recently, Nikesh Arora, Google's chief
business officer said that Google+ is a platform that allows the
bringing together of all the services and products that they currently
offer. It was never 'just about getting people together on one site and
calling it a social network'.
The real power behind what Google
has created comes down to the integration of Google's products, meaning
that as people are using the search engine, they are also logged into
Google+. The combination of that user data and knowing when people are
actively searching for something opens up the possibility of the most
targeted advertising platform in history, and Google are very aware of
the fact.
Contrary to popular belief,
Google+ was never created to directly compete for people's time on the
internet. A simple, ad free system, Google+ was launched to compete for
users' personal data. Becoming the primary platform for social
networking would simply be a bonus
Little over a week into taking
the reigns as CEO, Larry Page prioritised the company's social media
strategy, by directly linking the annual bonuses of over 25% of Google
employees to the success or failure of their social products.
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