Google+ Invites the World Into Its Social Circles

It appears that Google+ is becoming more than a gnat circling around Facebook's head. Although its numbers are still relatively modest, Google+ just opened its doors to the masses, which is likely to give its membership a bump. That, plus the addition of some impressive new functionality -- particularly for mobile devices, where Facebook is lagging -- may have the much larger social network squirming.

Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) has unleashed Google+ on the world, now completely unfettered by its earlier requirement to join via invitation.

For its debut, Google has added a slew of enhancements as well.
Chief among them is the addition of a search box, which allows people to search for content or other people within the Plus network.

Facebook's Moves

Facebook, for its part, has not been idling watching Google+ encroach on its turf. The social media giant has been releasing its own series of changes -- and will continue to do so if current rumors are accurate.
The company is reportedly preparing to tweak its "Like" button to make it more granular, adding "Read," "Listened," and "Watched." These are expected to be introduced at the F8 Developer conference, according to news accounts. Later, it will launch social commerce buttons, such as "Want."

Variations on Themes

Not that Google+ and Facebook have become mirror images. As they compete, they are subtly creating some differences between that could matter more to certain constituencies.
For instance, Google+ has pushed ahead of Facebook with its mobile offerings, said Ian Palmer, head of marketing at Derycz Scientific.
"In the long term, mobile strategy and execution just might be where the line in the sand is drawn for whomever ultimately emerges as the leader in the social space," he told TechNewsWorld.
"It may also be a key distinction between customer base profiles in addition to key geographic, psychographic and demographic splits," Palmer said.
Facebook's changes will delight its advertisers, Laura O'Shaughnessy, CEO of SocialCode, told TechNewsWorld.
"These new features will uncover new data about how different audience segments respond to different aspects of the platform," she said.