Google Plus - Google's Response to Facebook

Google + vs. Facebook - public domain image

Now that Google has implemented Google + in the effort to compete with Facebook's social popularity, I am still wondering whether Google will be successful in the endeavor. A few months ago, the rumored name of the project was "Google Me" - Read my early post on the new social network, here.

As was in the beginning of Myspace and Facebook, access is limited to those who have personal invites from current users, but that will soon change. Soon, everyone will be able to join Google +.

Google has expanded the ability of internet marketers to market both themselves and their products. Whether or not this is seen as a good thing will depend on your point of view.

In all honesty, I have mixed feelings. I love Facebook for the ease of communication it provides. I love the ability to create private groups and I have done so in the interest of maintaining communication and news in my spread-out, but very close family. I love the photos my friends and family puts up, and I love the ability to follow my favorite entertainers and authors.

But I dislike the amount of privacy one must give up in order to be a Facebook user and I believe the privacy issue will be even bigger when it comes to Google +.

My name, opinions, blogs, and articles are already out there for people to see and I suppose if I had wanted to keep those things private, I would never have posted anything. I am not afraid of what people will say about me as I am not all that interesting - at least not when it comes to scandal and intrigue.

It is the IDEA of privacy-loss that bothers me. Does it bother me enough that I won't join Google + when I receive an invite or when it opens to the general public? I am not certain.

I love the idea of creating different circles and then communicating with each circle separately, but I already hate the apps on Facebook that force you to either click that you like a site, product, or person before it will give up the information you have asked for by clicking on a link. This results in mass "likes" that encourage friends and followers to "like" the same thing because, after all, YOU "like" it -- even if you find that you do NOT "like" it at all.  Google + has similar tools for marketing. As to whether this will be done with more discretion or not remains to be seen.

More about Google Plus.