Google and Facebook are the two most frequently visited sites on the
Web. Nearly half of all Web surfers visit Google or Facebook (or both
sites) at least once a day. For many years, there was not much overlap
because Google’s visitors were mostly attracted to its iconic search
engine, while Facebook appealed to fans of social networking. Google
created a string of social networking apps and websites before Google+
that included Orkut, Jaiku, Dodgeball, Buzz and Wave, but none posed a
serious threat to Facebook’s dominance in this market space. Then, in
July of 2011, Google released the Google+ social networking platform,
which positioned the search engine giant as Facebook’s largest and most
relevant competitor. Many Facebook users also have Google+ accounts and
vice versa; but if you are looking for a single source to fulfill all of
your social networking needs, there are similarities and differences
between Facebook and Google+ that you might want to consider before
deciding which platform is the better fit for you.
According to data compiled by ComScore, Facebook had around 800
million users as of February 2012, while Google+ came in a distant
second with just 100 million users. The raw data clearly shows that
Facebook has a huge edge, but it’s worth noting that the Google+ user
base climbed to 25 million within a month of launch. Facebook needed
three years to build its user base to 25 million. Another point to
consider is that Google+ integrates closely with Gmail, which has an
estimated 360 million users, according to Google Operating System’s
unofficial news and tips website. The ComScore data revealed another
intriguing fact: the average Google+ user spends just three minutes a
month on the Google+ site, while Facebook users spend more than six
hours a month connecting and browsing on Facebook.com.
Text-based chatting is very similar on Google+ and Facebook,
requiring little more than clicking the name of the friend with whom you
want to chat, typing a message and pressing the “Enter” key. The
differences in chat, however, are much more pronounced when you factor
video into the equation. Facebook lets you click on a user’s name and
then click another icon to launch a video call using a Skype plugin for
direct, computer-to-computer video calling without leaving the Facebook
website. If the person is unavailable, you can leave a video message
that he can view on his next visit to Facebook. Google+ uses a very
different video chat system based on the Google Talk platform called
“Hangout,” which allows you to video-chat with up to 10 people
simultaneously and even watch YouTube videos together as a group.
More than half of all Facebook users play games on the site,
according to Maximum PC. Not surprisingly, Facebook actively promotes
the development of games for users and has established strategic
partnerships with major game developers. Facebook users can play
thousands of games, including well-known titles such as “Angry Birds,”
“Dragon Age” and “FarmVille.” Google+ offers a mere 20 or so games at
the time of this writing. However, many online news sites report that
Google plans to promote game development for the platform and the number
of Google+ games may increase significantly in the near future.
Millions of Facebook users share billions of photos and videos on the
site. Facebook lets users upload photos up to 960 by 720 pixels, and
the site’s video display system supports clips up to 20 minutes in
length as well as movies shot in basic 720p HD resolution. Google+
allows its users to post basic images up to four megapixels in
resolution, and they can link to Google’s picture sharing site, Picasa,
to display photos of unlimited resolution. Maximum video length on
Google+ is only 15 minutes, but users can upload and display true HD
video in 1080p resolution. On both sites, viewing pictures and videos
uploaded by friends is as simple as clicking the person’s profile link
and then clicking the photos or video links.
Facebook and Google+ both offer Android- and iPhone-compatible apps
for viewing and navigating with a smartphone. Facebook, being the more
seasoned platform, also offers many apps for the iPad and
Android-powered tablets. Mobile Google+ apps for the iPad and tablets
are still in development at the time of this writing. Mobile apps for
Facebook and Google+ are similar in design and allow you to browse
miniature versions of the sites much as you would on a standard Web
browser. The Google+ site offers a simpler background and interface on a
browser, which normally translates to a slightly faster loading time on
most mobile devices. Nevertheless, you can accelerate the load time
with Facebook apps by setting options to view a text-only version of the
site, and you can prevent the display of the Facebook timeline when
connecting from a mobile device.
Viewing and accessing friends on both social networking sites is
relatively simple and straightforward. Google+ allows you to add and
manage friends in “circles,” while Facebook uses a simple “friends
list.” You can view all of your friends by clicking on the “All Circles”
(Google+) or “All Friends” (Facebook) link. Likewise, both sites let
you control who sees your profile and the media that you post. You can
make your profile, pictures, uploaded videos and status posts visible to
the public at large, only friends or only selected friends.
Alternatively, you can make certain elements of your profile or media
you share invisible to certain friends in your circles or friends list.
Both platforms require that users sign up using their real names.
This gives some individuals who wish to keep their identities private on
the Web cause for concern. Facebook and Google+ both offer privacy
setting options that allow you to control who can and cannot view your
profile, posts and media. The system of circles in Google+ makes sharing
certain items with certain groups of friends or family intuitive. For
example, circles might consist of coworkers, college buddies, book group
members and the like; and users can choose to share relevant items with
specific circles. Facebook users now have similar options for grouping
their friends and family, although for some time users could select
visibility options only as granular as Friends, Friends of Friends or
Everyone.
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