Facebook vs Google+: Is Facebook Afraid of Google’s Social Networking Success Already?

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Google+ is finally a social networking project that works for Google. The company has already announced it has over 10 million Google+ users and we may be looking at the most important Facebook rival yet. Sure, Microsoft is also building some sort of social network of its own, but, as always, it’s late to the show.

Is Facebook concerned it could lose the firm grip it has over the social networking business? With 750 million friends, and counting, I don’t think Facebook should be afraid that Google+ would replace it, at least not anytime soon. The two services will continue to coexist for a long time to come and this Facebook vs Google+ battle will certainly be one to follow in the following months and years.

A recent ZDNet report is suggesting that Facebook is a bit intimidated by Google+ and its rapid growth. Zuckerberg and Co. have recently removed a Facebook ad that has been put up by a Facebook user interested in getting more friends to his Google+ account. Here’s what the ad said:

Add Michael to Google+.
If you’re lucky enough to have a Google+ account, add Michael Lee Johnson, Internet Geek, App Developer, Technological Virtuoso.

Deleting such ads is pretty silly if you ask me, although, if you read the terms and conditions, you may find certain provisions that would backup the ad ban; and yes, every company does, and should have at its disposal means to defend itself, especially in this business. But what’s more annoying in my opinion is that Facebook completely blocked Michael’s ability to post up any other ads. Here’s what Facebook told him:

Your account has been disabled. All of your adverts have been stopped and should not be run again on the site under any circumstances. Generally, we disable an account if too many of its adverts violate our Terms of Use or Advertising guidelines. Unfortunately we cannot provide you with the specific violations that have been deemed abusive. Please review our Terms of Use and Advertising guidelines if you have any further questions.

Like I said, digging through Facebook’s T&C’s you’ll find out why your account was banned, but the response offered by Facebook above is outrageous. I particularly appreciate this bit: “unfortunately we cannot provide you with the specific violations that have been deemed abusive”. That tells me Facebook is worried that many Facebook users, and their friends, may jump ship, sooner or later, to Google+.

But here’s a bit of a news flash for you, Facebook, your users will create Google+ profiles especially if they’re using any other Google services. It’s only natural to want to test the new thing, once you get an invite since you are already registered with Google for using it. And since so many people have Google accounts, chances are that most of them will experience Google+ and, the more they like it, the more they’ll recommend it to friends. And that’s how, Facebook, more and more of your customers may create Google+ profiles. Instead of banning such ads, you may be better off improving the user’s overall experience while keeping privacy infringements down to a minimum, if that’s even possible.

As for myself, well, I wouldn’t really decide in favor of just a single social network, since that’s not really a possibility worth considering. One needs to be able to merge Facebook with Twitter and Google+, wouldn’t you agree?