Another Way Google+ Could Win

Clearly a lot of the geeks are preoccupied with playing around on Google+ and figuring out if it will become a significant player for business. Most of the energy so far has been on comparing it to Facebook. That makes sense due to the apparent rivalry and the scale at which these two companies play. Sure Google has fast "growth" - 25 million users registering for the service is one thing but true adoption is another. Will they gain actual users who post significant content in the Stream? It may not be Facebook users it needs to win over but, rather, professionals.  

Google+ for Professionals

We have been using more and more Google services lately. My team uses Google+ Hangout for our North America leadership meetings. Our entire company is shifting over to use Google Mail (which ironically will not let us create Google+ accounts but I chalk that up to big company (Google) lack of integration), We use GoogleDocs to track against our plan. 

With just a few more features, Google+ could really become the domain of professionals and eclipse the super-resume site, LinkedIn. We are so used to focusing on consumer services as the way into business that we forget that there are plenty of technologies that are designed for business that themselves get adopted everywhere (e.g. RIM).

Google+ could become a platform that connects professionals in both their business and personal lives. I can form Circles and Sparks around "gamification" or social brand management - two examples of professional interests. Video Chat and Hangout (video conference room) lets me quickly connect with colleagues in pretty much the most friction-free way.

I love Circles and the easy to use interface to group people. I have done more with Google+ Circles than I ever did with Facebook publishing permissions (jeez, what is the name of that function anyhow) and Twitter Lists. I like Sparks but I don't really know what I am getting beyond super-clean search results. 

 

Imminent Advantages: Search, Data, Usability

Beyond these great features, the big, obvious advantages for Google+ revolve around search, data, usability. I am not sure these advantages have been played out yet or at least, Google+ is not effectively communicating what they are doing with each that is terrific but I trust that will come. Facebook search sucks. LinkedIn has gotten better but is also wanting. I want to have  great search inside Google+ that returns real quality wall content as well as content that may have been collected in Sparks. 

Google is also promising a more open approach to managing data. They half-jokingingly created the Data Liberation Front to signify their commitment to helping users feel more in control of their data. I presume when Google+ re-opens the floodgates to brand pages, this open-data policy (Google Takeout) will be a strong selling point for the most sophisticated marketers who want to be in partnership with a company that puts a premium on the brand controlling the data. I am not sure this is the way it will turn out but Google is certainly playing this card against Facebook for the moment. 

Many have commented on the simplicity of use and the elegance of interface elements like Circles. I am pleasantly surprised by these features. Google is known as an engineering company and there has always been  lot of tension surrounding the status and influence of designers in their culture. Still, the commitment to simplicity (e.g. think of the core search interface that made them famous) is there. Loyalty is not born from delighting customers so much as it is in simplifying their lives. If you can reduce the number of button clicks or screens I must pass through to accomplish a task, I will love you more. I am pretty sure Google+ knows this and routinely breaks a sweat to reduce user "friction."

The Next Advantages: Things that may strengthen Google+ for Professionals 

Profiles - the current About Me page is pretty frail. I am all for simplicity and do not believe that Google+ has to mimic the old resume rubrick that drove LinkedIn. Still, a full, searchable profile with all my professional experience and something akin to the "27 Skills" now available in LinkedIn would help me connect with others with a shared interest in 'social experience design' for example. 

Feeds - let me aggregate my feeds into my page. If I could anchor my blog, Twitter handle, I would feel better about the time and attention investment in publishing within Google+. 

Super Analytics - the Facebook Insights view keeps getting stronger. Twitter's analytics view for paying advertisers is pretty useful. We all want rich yet usable data. If anyone can pull off a truly great analyics and insight view it should be Google+. A great PR move would be to create a Google+ dashboard that delivers aggregate data and trends that anyone can tap into. It would be displayed on billboards outside media companies (when advertising creeps into the pages).  That would trump the opaqueness of Facebook instantly. 

Relaunch for Brands - a lot has been written about the Google+ decision to dial down business pages. The net result will be a terrific set of expectations from brands once they do launch. Many brands will leap onto the platform emboldened by their comfort level from work with Facebook. It will be a while before the service has a critical mass of actually engaged users to get beyond an innovation purpose for brands. 

For now, I remain committed to my LinkedIn account. As I adopt more and more Google and Google+ services to help me run my business, I just may start using the Google+ platform to get professional business done in much bigger ways. 

Comments

[Ehud Furman]

This is an excellent overview and analysis of Google+. We've been trying to determine how Google+ can be best used for online reputation management and public relations. I think this article really helps hash out some of the pluses and minuses. If you're interested in some other ideas related to Google+ you can check out our post as well at: http://blog.lookuppage.com

Best,

Ehud