8 Reasons To Leave Facebook For Google+

Even though Facebook has had a huge head start in the social networking area of the web, Google+ has some compelling features that put itself above Facebook in many ways.

 
1. Friend management and organizing

Google got it completely right with their “Circles” concept.  It allows you to be friends with co-workers, friends, and family, but still allows you to share certain things with certain Circles.  Facebook does have this, but it’s poorly executed, and is built on.  Google+’s friend management has been there from the beginning, so you have to add friends to certain Circles.  When Facebook copies Google+ in some way, not many people are going to want to go through their many friends they’ve gathered in the last couple of years, and categorize them.

 

 

2. Integration with Google services

One of the biggest pains on the web is being signed up for multiple services, and signing into them all.  With Google+, you’re integrated into all of Google’s existing services – Gmail, Docs, Search, Calendar, YouTube, etc.  Google+ is integrated into the navigation bar, which is one way it will help bring people back to Google+.

3. Mobile app

Google+’s mobile app (currently just for Android) is beautiful, and very easy to use.  The downside, as of now, is the iOS app is not available.  But not to worry, you can still access Google+ on your phone via your mobile browser.  The experience is still just as amazing – mobile app and accessing it on your mobile phone –  is much better than Facebook’s.

 

 

4. Personal data

Let’s be perfectly honest – who do we know that has all of our data, but we don’t care?  Google.  Who tries to have all of our data, but we don’t give it to them because we don’t trust them?  Facebook.  Facebook has been known for lack/ease of privacy settings, and accidents with your “secured” data.

5. Google wants you in control

Google+ allows you to get your personal data back if you choose not to use Google+.  Granted, Facebook allows you to, but the experience is terrible because they don’t care.  Facebook forces you to make some personal data “public,” which makes it difficult to permanently delete your Facebook profile.  With Google+, you simply use to “Data Liberation” tool to download all your data on your Google profile, Google+ stream, Picasa Web Albums, contacts, and Buzz if you used it.

6. Group messaging and video chat

One of Google+’s many nice feature, is the Hangouts and Huddles.  With the Hangouts feature, you can video chat with multiple people – all in the browser.  In Huddles, you basically are in a group text message.  So when you’re looking where to go to lunch with your co-workers, take out your smartphone, and make a Huddle your co-workers.

7. Photo Tagging

Even though you tag people in Google+ similarly to Facebook, Google+ handles it better with privacy.  When you draw a little square around someone’s face, type their name in the box, you see a note that says “Adding this tag will notify the person you have tagged.  They will be able to view the photo and the related album.”  Facebook does not care enough to warn the person of the photo that was added to their profile, or give the chance to remove the tag.

8. Safer content sharing

Google got it right with content sharing– allowing you to choose who to share it with, and making it extremely easy by using Circles.  When you share a “stream” or photo, Google+ gives you the option of who to share it with in your Circles.