5 Things Google+ Needs to Learn from Facebook

I recently wrote how Google+ did a few things better than Facebook. In that post I promised to also visit the other side of the argument and find 5 things Facebook did better than Google+. Facebook might not have the best UI or still might not get their messaging service spot on, it does manage to keep people addicted.

#1. The Novelty of Facebook

Facebook has a certain novelty. When it was created, it was meant only for campus students from the U.S. It outgrew that phase and created some simple features like wall updates, relationship statuses and most importantly the ‘Like’ button.

All these things we associate with Facebook and not any other social network simply because of its novelty. Google+ has to find it’s own sense of novelty rather than mirror all the features from competitors.

#2. Facebook Groups

Google+ simply lacks the ability to give users the chance of creating interest groups. I am part of a couple of book reading groups on Facebook and they are extremely useful. It gives the feeling of being in a smaller network within a network.

I am surprised the Google+ does not have a similar feature on it. It does have excellent service called Google Groups and it would be a wise idea to allow some of these Google Group features being merged into Google+. At the end of the day, Google+ users still do not have any options to create their personal small groups within the bit network.

#3. Facebook Comments

I see many blogs allowing users the ability to comment using their Facebook credentials. Google+ only has +1 buttons which can be used on 3rd party websites. I think it would be a great idea to allow people to comment on a blog using Google+.

Facebook Comments is often used to increase the interactivity of a website with readers. Also it is less likely that people leave hate or spam comments with their Facebook IDs.

#4. Facebook API

I am not a developer and hence I won’t be able to write at length about why Google+ taking so much time over releasing its API.  Google+ is now over 6 months old and with lack of API available, there is a real chance that 3rd party developers might simply have lost interest in creating great apps for it.

#5. Facebook is not serious

I am not suggesting Facebook is not serious about itself as a company. But it seems to not take its role on the internet all that seriously, which is actually the truth. It is a great way to  efficiently waste time. When Facebook messed up on privacy, people might have felt outraged but they did not leave the website. The reason was social networks are not that important or critical to people’s lives like say online maps, email or search engines. Facebook gets this part but I doubt Google+ does.

What do your views on Google+ and Facebook? Do drop in your comments.

10 Comments

Govind Choudhary March 19, 2012

Facebook also need to learn few from Google+.These days Google+ is rocking with many awesome features that facebook don’t have like editing of comments even after published,hang outs,creative kit to edit pics,formatting of posts/comments and many more.

Aditya Kane March 19, 2012

Thanks for comment Govind. I have actually written a post on 5 things Google+ does better than Facebook a week ago. Most of your points were included in that post. 🙂

Irfan March 19, 2012

Don’t know if Google+ really should learn from Facebook but Facebook had definitively learned from Google+. and they did, seriously. If you see the photo viewer of Facebook it is been copied from Google+, no doubt. And lot other things which says Facebook is learning from Google+

Indian Homemaker March 19, 2012

I find the ability to comment using facebook account the most useful.

Amar March 24, 2012

Lolz……Interesting Heading
Really Google+ should learn many things from facebook

mahipal @democraticpaper March 26, 2012

true true 100% true
i am agree on every pt man
you wrote the right and true facts

Rahul Pandey April 1, 2012

#1. Novelty
I agree that novelty is embedded in Facebook’s DNA but this novelty has caused uproars in the past – News Feed, Beacon, Timeline, Design changes to the site, etc. I loved the “idea” of Timeline but people had mixed reactions. Still, Novelty – a thumbs up.

#2. Groups.
I believe groups are abused more than used. Every week some guy adds you to his group that is named something like a nursery rhyme or after their blog. I believe you must be facing this annoyance too if you accept friend request from people like ‘me’ 😛

#3. Comments.
No Comments. It is rumored that Google is developing it own commenting system. and i believe this rumor. 😛

#4. API is a boon for the developers but for the 800 “+” million users?
There are many good apps but some apps creep into your news feed and create noise. Why should I know my friends’ daily horoscope by Dhongibaba or various apps that I may not use? And I agree with what Vic Gundotra about APIs in SXSW “Google+ Won’t Let 3rd-Party Apps Post Because “Your Stream Could Easily Be Overwhelmed” link-> http://techcrunch.com/2012/03/09/vic-gundotra-sxsw/

#5. Facebook is not serious. No comments. Agreed.

Aditya Kane April 2, 2012

That’s a very comprehensive comment on my post. Thanks.

Rahul Pandey April 2, 2012

🙂 I really liked you post on “5 things Google+ does better than Facebook.”

Julia Agnes May 2, 2012

hm…I think that Google+ is a copy of facebook.