By Sandy Fitzgerald | Fri Jan 27, 2012 9:52 am |
Google+ is now accepting teens, but the site's added security measures may make it difficult to compete against Facebook.
Google's social network, which began last summer, now includes new features that vice-president of product Bradley Horowitz says "fosters safety alongside self-expression."The new tweaks include displaying a warning sign when a teen shares with the public, and not only sharing with specific people. In addition, only the people who are already in the teen's "circles" can interact with them, and Google+ mutes teens' accounts if a stranger joins one of their video "hangouts," or video chat rooms. Parents and more privacy-minded teens will appreciate the extended privacy measures, but it may take more than security to attract the youthful demographic away from Facebook, which has allowed all people over the age of 13 to join for years. People join social networks to interact with their friends and families, and since most teens who use social media are probably already on Facebook, Google will likely have difficulty drawing them to a newer site where their friends may not yet be. Attracting the teen market, though, could be the key for Google+ to gain traction. The social media site now has about 90 million members, according to Google CEO Larry Page, which is remarkable growth for a service that just began last year. However, Facebook has 800 million members, and teens who are familiar with the site could be reluctant to move to a new site, unless Google convinces them of its benefits. Horowitz, though, said Google+ will attract teens and young adults because "online sharing is still second-rate for this age group." The more-selective sharing available on Google+, Horowitz said, matches well with how teens share with classmates, parents or their close ties. "Over time, the nuance and richness of selective sharing even promotes authenticity and accountability," he said. "Sadly, today's most popular online tools are rigid and brittle by comparison, so teens end up over-sharing with all of their so-called 'friends.' With Google+, we want to help teens build meaningful connections online." Google created a Safety Center parents can use to review with their teens before they start using the service. The privacy features are the main selling point on Google+, but Facebook has also rolled out several privacy features of its own in the past year, including the ability to divide friends into lists, which allows users to share status messages with only the people they choose. Facebook has also been adding several new features that could keep teens and young adults connected and interactive, including the ability to share music, features that Google+ does not have yet. Google+ does have "Hangouts," which allows video chatting and could take hold with some teens, but unless it adds more features, it may not attract the numbers of teens it needs to fully compete with the longer-established Facebook. Adding teens to Google+ will likely help boost Google's ad revenues. There is no advertising on the social network itself, but Google has integrated all its websites and services. With the sites closely integrated, people who use Google+ likely will use the Mountain View, Calif.-company's search engine, watch videos on YouTube, and more. Teens and young adults could not only boost up Google+'s membership numbers, but the traffic on its other sites as well, which would help Google compete against Facebook not only for people, but for ad dollars.
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