Why isn’t Google+ Popular?

Google+ launched at the end of June, 2011, just over a year ago. The social network received a range of praise and criticism (mostly criticism), not yet captivating the public like Facebook and Twitter.

Alex Fitzpatrick, reporter for Mashable, however, says that Google+ is a must for small businesses.

“Google+… gives your small business two advantages over the competition,” says Fitzpatrick. “Better search rankings and an impressive array of internal communications features. Why wouldn’t you join up?”

His points are valid. Businesses on Google+ have an increased visibility through other Google services, such as Google search and Google Maps. Not to mention, Google Hangouts allow users to hold conferences without being in the office.

But for those outside the realm of small businesses, what can Google+ offer? It seems to me as though Google has taken the best aspects of social media and put them all together. Facebook’s profile, Twitter’s constant stream of information and Skype’s video chat.

The only problem is, each of these media networks is too strong to be overturned. Social media thrives off of popularity. The more users a network gains, the more it encourages others to join. Google+ is by far the greatest all-around social network, but it simply came too late.

Just imagine if Google had been first.

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