There are plenty of debates about social networking programs. But none are quite so polarizing as those between Facebook and Google Plus users. Unlike other sites such as Twitter, LinkedIn and Pinterest, people are far less likely to both have and frequently use both Facebook and Google Plus. They tend to prefer one of the other, especially for a singular purpose like marketing or personal use.
Why is the topic so contested? Probably because the two have many things in common, and yet have other features that are vastly different. Creating matching, but not identical, social sites that cater to the tastes of their users.
You couldn’t really say one was really better than the other, as a result. However, we can break them down by their pros and cons, in order to find out which one would appeal more to your own preferences.
The most popular (and wealthy) social media platform on the web, Facebook walked in the footsteps of Friendster and Myspace, and completely changes the game. It is the site that has had some of the biggest changes through its history, has its avid fans all over the world.
The Pros:
- Allows for thorough profile customization, such as Timeline covers, profile photos, a ton of information, likes and dislikes, plus simple tagging for family members by relationship.
- Has both pages and groups, which offer varying levels of control in who is granted access to specific content.
- Provides affordable advertising services that cater to people of any budget.
- Most people have one.
The Cons:
- However much Zuckerberg tries, Facebook has never properly entered the business game. Storefronts flopped, and while you can buy gifts from different companies directly through your profile, the applications to it are still minor.
- Privacy issues, including ownership of all content falling under Facebook’s terms of service. In other words, everything you upload is free for them to use as they will.
- Scammers are everywhere on Facebook, including phishers.
- Verifying a device is like pulling teeth.
Google Plus
Google Plus is the final attempt from Google to create a social media platform. A number of tries proceeded it, and each one flopped horribly. G+ has become rather successful, however, partly due to its adoption of more mainstream social media designs and a familiar interface, unlike past attempts that tried to create something entirely new.
The Pros:
- If you have a Google account, you already have a G+ profile waiting to be customized.
- Integrates with other Google services, such as Google Authorship and YouTube.
- Has a heavy business focus.
- Google pretty much invented online marketing in its current incarnation, and so you can tajke advantage of their many tools.
- It has become increasingly visual, such as allowing for image enhancement during uploads, and even provides storage for you to auto upload all of your photos from your phone or desktop, keeping them private by default.
The Cons:
- They do not have the members they say they do. While many profiles exist, a great deal of them so not appear to be active.
- It is Google, which means privacy is 100% non-existent.
- The company has a bad tendency to try and bully you into revealing personal information, such as your full name.
- Their interface just isn’t as clean or functional as Facebook.
Conclusion
So, what can we conclude from this rivalry? Well, both are great services for marketing and business use. Both have many applications for direct advertising. Both are great for social platform use, such as keeping up with friends and family. Both can be valuable tools for sharing content, especially visual content of different kinds.
When it comes down to it, what you use will be based entirely on your own needs and tastes. Since Facebook and Google Plus have very similar styles and features, you are mostly going with your gut feeling, or with which platform has more of the people you like to keep in touch with.
Which platform do you prefer? Have you been able to utilize both equally, or does one occupy more of your time than the other? Let us know in the comments.
