Google+ Does it add up?

According to the Wall Street Journal dated July 22, Google+ has added 20 million users in three weeks. What’s all the ruckus? Should Facebook be worried? As education marketers, do we see opportunities?

Let’s start with what Google+ is. It’s really two things. First things first, it’s a +1 button that appears on YouTube videos, Google affiliated web sites, blogs, etc.

The +1 button allows social networking users to recommend certain products, videos, blogs, articles, etc., to their contacts and friends by simply clicking on the button. After doing so, a pop up appears with the referring person’s name as someone who likes the recommended content. This then appears in related content all over the web, and with permission, in the Google Profile. This makes the search engine experience much more a social function.

The second thing that Google+ is hits much closer to Facebook and it is most intriguing. To help explain it, watch this video.

As the video showed, Google+ gives you more control over your social network. Circles lets you put people into groups in ways they fit in your head—college buddies, BFs, Vegas weekend, whatever. You can be your different self within each Circle. Or if your message applies wider, you can combine Circles or send it to everyone.

There are other cool tools, like Hangout for group videoconferencing and Huddle for group texting. These are two tools that could prove popular with students especially. Will we have the opportunity to advertise to them? Not yet anyway. Google+ isn’t open to advertisers yet. As one of our account people put it recently, “it’s not client ready.” But where people gather, are advertiser ever far behind? Time will tell.

Does Google+ add up?

If you’re on Facebook but wish you could be a little more selective with who sees what or you like making recommendations to friends, getting on Google+ and using +1 should be a priority. If all this is news to you or programming your DVR is a head scratcher, let others take the leap first. You can even get a dig in. “How’s that Google TV working for ya?”