When two giants end up fighting the earth shakes. It can lead to a lot of upheaval and there can be a few unexpected casualties. In the tech world these giants are Facebook and Google with is new social product Google Plus.
Google Plus seems to have been created with a lot of care and a single-minded focus on a goal. That goal being to get Google a popular and first class social product.
Google Plus is powered and made more potent thanks to all their various products. Here are 5 online services or companies that could be seriously hurt in the future with the rise of Google+.
#1. Skype
Skype was bought recently by Microsoft, and it is a good video chatting client.
Google Plus has something called Hangouts. This allows group video chatting for free. This stands in stark contrast with Skype which charges for group video chatting.
Skype is backed by Microsoft and unless Microsoft does something spectacular, there is a good chance that Google+ will gobble up Skype users slowly but surely.
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#2. Yahoo
Yahoo it might be argued is going downhill considering they have gone from being a $100 billion company down to $22 Billion over the last decade. But its demise could be hasten with Google Plus which might challenge their popular services like Flickr.
Picasa never took off but now as part of Google+, it has got a new lifeline and might dislodge Flickr. With a coming together of all Google Products in Google+, might simply be too much for Yahoo to survive.
#3. Linked In
Linked In is a professional network and has great advantage over Facebook and other social networks because in it’s niche there is none like it. Linked In is a must for anyone who is a professional as it becomes your professional social network.
Google+ and its rise is also promoting the idea of Google Profiles. Not many people took interest in creating Google Profiles but it automatically comes to the fore with Google Plus.
If Google+ becomes a place for putting up professional resumes, then there is a good chance it might challenge Linked In over the next few years.
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#4. Twitter
Twitter is a gold-mine of real-time reactions from literally millions of people around the world. It has become a news source for many. The big plus for it is that is so easy to use with mobile phone, which has driven its growth exponentially. Google+ is also targeting mobile users aggressively and also follows the Twitter model of separation of following and followers (unlike Facebook where both contacts have to accept each other as ‘Friends’).
The early rise of Google+ might not wean away people from Facebook as much as it could from Twitter.
#5. Facebook
The big fish of social network, Facebook may not become extinct or may not be defeated by Google Plus anytime soon. But last year, Facebook has tried to branch out into messaging. This was feared to be Gmail killer and Google must have felt nervous.
With Google+, the issue is settled. Gmail will not be threatened by Facebook as it will have to keep improving essentially as a social product to stave off competition from Google+.
This might be good news as Facebook was taking its users for granted with privacy and design changes. Next time with Google+ around, it might be that easy at all. Also competition is always good for the end users, that is us.
What are you views on Google Plus? Will it seriously challenge these companies? Do drop in your comments.
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