Future of Google+

Future of Google+

Recently, everybody is buzzing about Google+ and people are talking about how new circles, cubes and squares are so cool. The real question remains, will Google+ fail or succeed? Only time can predict that but my prediction is not in favor of Google+. Time will tell.

Let's face it. Facebook announced that is has 750 Million active users. Who knows how much is that true but let's say, they have over half a billion active users. Google also has almost every user out there and that number may also be 750 Million.

So who is Google actually targeting? Facebook users? Twitter users? LinkedIn users? Gmail users?

How many of us really want to move to a new website? Probably not too many if this is just another Facebook like website. Many of us already do not like Facebook and moving to Twitter or LinkedIn.

Twitter users are not likely to go to Google+. They are totally different animals.

LinkedIn users are more professionals and focus on their business only. So there is definitely a no there.

Unless Google does a great (or even greater) job at the user interface and usability, they are most likely to fail. This is not their first attempt on social media. Some failed products like Orkut and Google Buzz are already out there.

Google also do not do good job marketing their products. They think, everything can be done by word-of-mouth like Google and Gmail did. They need to do better job at user interfaces. Recently, Yahoo has done a great job at their new mail interface. Gmail interface still sucks. Sometimes I get so confused with Gmail interface, I hate it. As soon as I get Office 365 setup, I am going to leave Gmail.

I am not sure how successful Google+ will be? I see new users who are joining Gmail or other Google products, will probably be forced to Google+. Some frustrated users who do not like Facebook and have no interest in Twitter and LinkedIn, will go to Google+. Some users will move to Google+ to have one more account, just to have it. I hope Google+ is not just another product by Google that will diminish slowly like Orkut or Google Buzz.

Over the years, however, Google+ has an advantage. It has seen what people like and what dislike after watching Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn grow. May be, Google+ will focus more on that and give people what they really like and ignore features they do not. Google+ is adding business profiles.

Time will tell. If it succeeds, this will not be the first time, my predictions will fail. I wrote about iPad and thought who would buy it but apparently I was wrong.

Have you looked at Google+ yet? Are you willing to move to Google+?

Time will tell!