Facebook Seems Worried About Google+. Should it Be?

  In a recent article, we looked at some obstacles Google+ would have to overcome. We also looked at how Google+ might maim (as opposed to kill) Twitter. I don’t think Twitter’s going to die anytime soon, but Google+ is already taking away a lot of people’s Twitter time. Something’s got to give somewhere, and more people simply just have more invested in Facebook – their network of real friends, their photos, games, etc. Robert Scoble says Google+ is already making Twitter more boring. Could it do the same to Facebook?

Can Google+ win over Facebook users? Tell us what you think.

Migrating from Facebook to Google+

Google Developer advocate Don Dodge recently ran down a step-by-step process for getting your Facebook Friends on Google+. Of course you could simply send them invites. We recently looked at how to transfer your photos from Facebook to Google+. Speaking of photos, the Google+ mobile app makes it very easy to use Google as your photo album of choice, with the instant upload feature.

Games are a huge part of Facebook’s appeal for many users. Both Facebook and Google know the significance of gaming to social network success. In a new addendum to Zynga’s (makers of Farmville, Cityville, Mafia Wars, etc.) S-1 filing, it was revealed that games built with any Facebook integration or data must be exclusive to Facebook for the duration of the two companies’ five-year agreement. At SXSW in March, Manny Anekal, Zynga’s Director of Brand Advertising, said that 1 in 5 Americans play Zynga games. I can’t confirm this, but…wow.

Meanwhile, Google has been placing a fair amount of emphasis on gaming itself. Last summer, it acquired social gaming companies Slide and SocialDeck. Chrome users may have noticed some heavy promotion of Angry Birds as well. In fact, there are plenty of other non-Google games making their way into Google’s Chrome web store, not to mention the Android market. Google controls the Chrome and Android platforms obviously, so who’s to say where this could lead in Google+-related gaming. Remember Google+ is largely about the ID element – who you’re signed into these games