Google Plus Nips at Facebooks Heels
February 14, 2013
It looks like victory is approaching for Google. The International Business Times reports, “Google Plus Becomes No. 2 Social Network After Facebook, Knocking Off Twitter.” I guess that’s what mandatory registration will do for a social network.
The article cites a recent report from Global Web Index, which found that the number of Google+‘s active users grew by 27 percent in the last quarter of 2012. On top of that, Google’s property YouTube came in at number three. This was the first time that site was included in this social-network tracking study. Facebook maintains its healthy lead, though, with nearly 693 million active users to Google+’s 343 million and YouTube’s 300 million.
Writer Dave Smith points out that Google+ and YouTube both benefit from their close user-base integration. He notes some other smart moves on Google’s part:
“Not too long ago, Google Plus was against the ropes, struggling to maintain traffic and momentum after its public debut. The site, at the time, looked very plain and lacked any real key differentiator from Facebook, besides its video chat offering, Hangouts.
“In about a year and a half, Google has done many things to beef up its social offering, giving it a new design, new technology and a really sleek mobile application. But the best thing Google did in the last 16 months — something its competitors should learn from — is learning how to seamlessly integrate its services.”
Smith believes that capturing the second and third spots stands as a declaration of Google’s Internet dominance. He also praises Google+ as a (now) well-designed app. See the article for more of his observations on the resurgent social network.
Cynthia Murrell, February 14, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
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