Google Offers, Facebook Deals. Facebook Like, Google +1. Google Gmail, Facebook Messages. Do you see a pattern here?
It’s no surprise to anyone that the rivalry between The Big G and Super F has intensified in recent months, especially with the new Google Plus platform poised to steal market share from Facebook. The rivalry hits home to anyone who has recently tried to find Facebook friends by syncing with Gmail contacts. That option was restricted by Google in late 2010 after Facebook didn’t allow Google users to do the reverse using Facebook contact data. While some of the petty play between the two companies ends up short-changing consumers, ultimately the rivalry will prove to be beneficial to the social networking world for a few reasons.
Innovation
Competition is the great driving force behind the speed of innovation. While Google-Facebook is no Cold War space race, it may drive the two companies to create interesting solutions that benefit consumers. And who knows? With Google Plus, Google may have finally figured out how to do social and Facebook may be pushed into anything from search to mobile. Who knows what they’ll come up with?
Privacy
Privacy concerns between how Google and Facebook collect, store, use, and distribute personal data have only increased. One of the reasons that Google Plus appears to be gaining favor is merely on account of the bubbled-over discontent with Facebook’s use of opt-out settings and privacy changes. It’s possible that either company will try to use privacy issues to combat the other and hopefully end users will benefit by more transparency and attempts to appease the masses and avoid controversy in this area.
Advertising
With Google and Facebook competing for advertising dollars, there’s heavy scrutiny about which ad platform delivers higher returns and lower CPAs in a scalable way. Facebook has some major benefits in terms of user data, but ultimately Google knows more about searchers than they will ever admit publicly. Rivalry could produce better, more targeted ads and better retargeting as each company tries to outperform the other.
Tech Drama
What’s not to love about tech drama? Facebook has already admitted hiring a PR firm to strategically smear Google in the news. While I doubt that neither Larry Page nor Mark Zuckerberg would fare very well in a fistfight, I also doubt that either is about to roll over and die. Look for some exciting bob-and-weave tactics and left-hook jabs to ensue as the stakes get higher for these contenders.
It’s easy to see why both companies feel threatened. Take a look at this infographic and see how the two companies have appeared to be on a collision course for some time. Regardless of what happens, the Internet and end users will hopefully end up the winners in the end.
18 Comments
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Bishwajeet
July 22, 2011 at 4:07 pm
Facebook Google+ rivalry will help the end users getting better products.
Nawaz
July 22, 2011 at 6:28 pm
In case of monopoly end users suffers a lot but in case of competition,end users always get benefits.
Andrew
July 26, 2011 at 11:50 am
I agree with Nawaz. Google will soon start rolling out targeted ads within google plus. Google will try to add more and more features too that will obviously benefit us. And the ranking advantage that Google plus can offer will force businesses into using Google plus over facebook.
Liz
July 23, 2011 at 1:00 pm
I have just read that Facebook is losing 500K users a month globally with 100K of them in the UK alone .Is this correct? and if so does this mean Googles offering comes when there may be a tipping point in our appetite for social media.
Liz in London
kevin
July 25, 2011 at 5:44 am
their competition equals better service for end users.. very true..
Ankush
July 25, 2011 at 9:21 am
Google Plus is terrific. I don’t think it will ever be more than the Pepsi to Facebook’s Coke, alas, but it’s much slicker and better designed. It’s too bad that the service has sacrificed a pile of goodwill over the last week by repeatedly publicly shooting themselves in the foot.
reeha
July 26, 2011 at 12:12 pm
This rivalry will gives chance to another social tool to come up and above both of them. these both search engine got potential but Goggle + is better in security and privacy that every marketer wants from social media
terry
July 27, 2011 at 1:49 pm
Yup… the one with the better features of everything would win.. which is why the competition makes the service even better for all of us..
Naked Crook
July 27, 2011 at 4:33 pm
Personally…I despise facebook. However, after Google+, I would have to say innovation is a major player now. Facebook is suddenly coming out with all these features now. Mostly rumors, but we will see if Facebook can stand up to the big boys, or if the name Mark becomes the new Tom.
Frits
July 28, 2011 at 12:37 pm
Well I guess users are the winners feature wise, but what if half of your friends are on fb, while the other half is on G+, do you need to maintain both accounts, upload ur photos to both platforms etc etc, than I wonder if the users will benefit.
jorge
July 28, 2011 at 3:52 pm
Hello Frits..
Well that’s something to think about.. but if you maintain only one account on fb for example then you might just benefiting from the continuos innovation they are making.. and maintaining 2 accounts is not that hard too..
kuan from social media planner
August 2, 2011 at 2:14 pm
There’s no doubt that the users are getting more options and features thanks to the constant attempts at one-upping one another. The more the merrier.lol
arthurprudentt777
August 4, 2011 at 3:38 pm
Hi there,
as for me the main concern is definitely google + as my sites traffic depensd on google more than on face book. But as soon as the dust settles we will see real advantages.
Regards. Arthur
Saravanan
August 10, 2011 at 7:01 am
Google and Facebook, both has equal competition. But when it is about deals, Facebook has some better offers than Google. At last, both makes consumers fulfilling and happy.
briant
September 23, 2011 at 3:52 pm
This is so becoming true right now.. talk about changes and competitiveness of these two.. it makes their services dynamic.. kinda annoying sometimes..
joe
September 25, 2011 at 9:52 am
I know what you’re talking about.. they are making it too dynamic if you ask me..
Susan
September 30, 2011 at 2:40 pm
There’s a healthy competition between the great giants Facebook and Google plus. Before its launch there was a great buzz about Google Plus, which kept people anxious and anticipating it. It began with a reach of over 10 million active users, whereas Facebook is an established social networking website with a global reach of over 750 million as of 2011. However, Google has an edge over Facebook because with Google Plus you get other services like Adwords, Adsense, etc. But only time will tell who packs more muscle power!
Shuvo Noor
October 20, 2011 at 4:46 pm
Google plus and Facebook both has benefited us. See how facebook and google plus differ with one another at:
knowledge-base24.blogspot.com/2011/10/facebook-google-plus-why-to-use