The battle against Google Facebook takes a turn more fierce. World number one search engine, revealed, Tuesday, June 28, the contours of its future social network, an area that has always failed to take hold.
Google+ baptized, it will serve primarily to compete with Facebook. But with Google +, the search engine announced that it will readily be distinguished from its rival by emphasizing the confidentiality of data posted by other users. Facebook is the target of repeated criticism of its flaws in data protection. But also the disclosure of certain information to advertisers.
The announcement of Google + is not a surprise. When Larry Page, Google co-founder, took the general direction of the search engine in April, it put the development of social networks top priority. The aim is primarily to counter the dominance of Facebook in this field.
Every month that passes reinforces the dominance of social networks. Internet users now spend more time on the pages of Facebook as those of the search engine. According to Com-Score, a specialist in Internet audience measurement, Internet users in May spent 13% of their time on the Internet at Facebook, against only 10% to Google. Yet in May, more than one billion Internet users consulted the Google sites.
For now, Google is still + testing phase and open by invitation only. The search engine has set no date for a possible opening to the public Google +.
In practice, acknowledged Bradley Horowitz, vice president of Google, the future social network Google has much in common with Facebook. Like its rival, it is also organized around the online, live, photos, messages and comments.
VERSION FOR MOBILE
However, unlike Facebook, Google +, the "contacts" are grouped in circles of friends who share common tastes or passions. Circles of friends independent of each other. Thus, the user can choose which friends they want to share some information. The future social network will be synchronized with other features of the search engine, such as Gmail, but Google Maps and Google Images. A version of Google + for mobile phones will also be available.
+ Google does not intend to direct competition with Facebook. "It would be suicidal," warns Josh Bernoff, an analyst at Forrester Research. According to the latest count, Facebook brings together more than 750 million users worldwide. Bernoff says, Google + "will develop a niche. In this context, there is a chance that this becomes a minor hit." Because Google has already experienced failure. Including Buzz, a service launched in February 2010 and who was also competing with Facebook and Twitter.
The immediate announcement of the test set + Google revived the action of the Internet giant. Tuesday, the Nasdaq, Google the title won 2.25% and rose 10.85 dollars to finish the session at 493.65 dollars per share. Good news for the search engine, whose action had lost 17% of its value since the beginning of the year.
