Google+ Closing in on Twitter!
In the last decade, social networking sites have taken the world by storm. With Facebook and Twitter claiming large shares of the market, another internet giant is now trying to get in on the game…and the money.
Google’s new social-networking service is gaining momentum quickly. Launched in late June, the service is still a relative infant in the social networking community; however, its future looks extremely promising. In just a couple of months, Google+ has gained around 25 million users around the globe and is growing at a rate that is reminiscent of Facebook’s early days.
Projections estimate that the new service may reach numbers by year’s end that allow it to surpass social-networking kingpins Twitter and LinkedIn and claim the number two spot on the social-networking food chain-right behind Facebook and its 750 million members. The new Google service is not just signing up new members, it is retaining them. A recent survey found that some 45% of new members return on a daily basis.
While this early success is good news for Google, it may spell trouble for the other social media sites. While Twitter and LinkedIn continue to add members, Facebook is projected to possibly lose almost 2% of its adult users this year.
As consumers, how should we feel about this new social-networking opportunity? Although it may not be needed, what is one more fun option to help us pass the time when we should be working? If we believe everything that we learned about capitalism in grade school, then perhaps this new competition is healthy and good. Google+ gives consumers the chance to enjoy a new, high quality social-networking site while forcing older sites like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn to improve, adapt, and keep us coming back.
