[MUSING] Google+ vs. Facebook

This will be a rambling of sorts, but I'm going to attempt to limit myself to 30 minutes:

Paul Allen recently stated that he thinks Google+ is already up to 4.5 million users. 
[update: the latest rumor is around 20+ million users, and a more recent post from Allen suggest that Google+ could be currently gaining 2.2 million users every 24 hours]

Google has essentially copied the successful model that Facebook used when launching its platform several years ago.  If you're like me and you were in college when Facebook was in its "college only" demographic phase, you'll remember that the platform's population surged exponentially as soon as it was released to the general public.  This swift adaptation of Facebook easily overtook the former social media heavyweight MySpace, but can Google+ pack the same type of punch against Facebook?

I would argue no. The biggest difference between Facebook vs MySpace compared to Facebook vs Google+ is that Facebook currently has a drastically wider user base .  Anyone from infants to grannys can be found on Facebook and I'm not necessarily convinced that Google+ can easily overtake Facebook because of this wide ranging demographic.

Facebook appears to be doing well in light of these recent announcements.  They strategically announced new video chat features by partnering up with Microsoft owned Skype to counter some of the media hype generated by the announcement of Google+.  Will these new features be enough to keep Facebook users loyal to the product?  I'm not sure, but if the video chat integration was pushed ahead of schedule to compete with Google+, then we might see some scrambling from Facebook and Skype developers.  I've already heard reports that Skype is adding additional servers to handle the workload...

So what does Google have going for it?

Google+ has a cleanly designed user interface (thanks to former Apple designer Andy Hertzfield), and the platform is already integrated into services most people already use (Gmail, Reader, Calendar, Youtube, Blogger, Picassa, etc).  Couple the former with the fact that the Google already has the support of the high-tech demographic and you have a potential formula for success.

Perhaps the biggest challenge for Google right now is to lure the older demographic away from Facebook.

Facebook has already successfully accumulated a somewhat significant portion of this older demographic. For example; almost everyone in my family is using Facebook to share photos and keep in touch (even much more than I do).  Will Google be able to convince these users to switch to Google+?  Its easy for the technically savvy to jump from one platform to the next, but will this older demographic abandon ship after they've finally snuggled in underneath the blue and white blankets of Facebook? Maybe not at first, but I think Google needs to ask a different question entirely.

I think Google should be asking, "How can we get establish a very strong presence among a target demographic not presently satisfied with Facebook's offerings?"

I think the answer to this question may lie with enterprise and education.  Google is consumer, business, and education friendly. This is a rarity. They enable IT in business and education sectors to rollout scheduled releases in a controlled environment.  IT administrators have the ability to roll out scopes and policies within the products that Google are offering.  Google is unleashing a beast, yet they're offering business and education IT the tools they need to put it on a leash for the security of their environment.

Google+ will need to be tightly integrated into Google Apps for Education.   Integration between Personal Google and Google Apps for Education accounts must be enabled.
[to clarify: I'm talking about accounts, not circles - circles solve the problem within the account level]

I can't imagine users wanting to manage two Google+ accounts; I know I wouldn't and its why I've been hesitant to build up my Google+ personal profile.  I'd really like the ability to nest my education account under my personal account (essentially join the accounts but with different permission at the account and circles level). This would prevent me from needing to maintain two separate Google+ accounts.  As more colleges are moving to Google Apps for Education, I think this ability, or feature, would attract the college age demographic to the social platform.

I'll follow this post up next week with my thoughts on the potential of using Google+ for LMS or CMS in higher education.