It's January 2012. Facebook will have 1 Billion users in just a few months.
Google just zoomed by 90 Million of it's own. Bloggers and writers are opining about Timeline, how to use G+ Hangouts, and trying to sort out what works and what doesn't for social business.
So, I decided to do a "test."
The purpose was simple: To compare the engagement levels by users on
Google+ and Facebook.
DISCLAIMER: I am not saying that Facebook is dead, that Google+ is a savior, or anything related. Some are convinced that Google+ is for technical people (snobs and elitist) and Facebook is for "real" people. My goal is to just share what I have found. I wish I had the
API data (hint, hint Google) so that I could show you more complete data and analytics, but I think you'll find this intriguing.
For the record, on
my Facebook page I am maxed out at 5,000 friends and on
Google+ 13,378 have me in circles.
So here we go.
I took into consideration the potential arguments that would arise based on the content and user base of each platform. I agree that Google+ appears to be more technical in nature and that Facebook seems to focus on more simple or personal topics. Therefore, I chose to post something that was a) not technology oriented, or that 'would be perceived to favor the Google+ audience', b) was not about my puppy, which could be equally argued to favor 'the Facebookers', c) With the interface of Facebook Timeline and Google+ in consideration then, I chose a single picture, and a simple question that would be used similarly on both platforms, posted at the same time I committed to interact with both sets of people as they engaged.
Here are my findings - the numbers tell the story. (These snapshots were taken this morning, one right after the other)
First, engagement on Facebook was only 4% in relation to the engagement on Google+. Even taking into consideration that I have over twice as many "followers" on Google+ than on Facebook, that would still mean that the numbers would 92% to 8%. Advantage: Google+
Using Google+ Ripples, was helpful in analyzing 'how' the public posts migrate through the channel. Here's a snapshot on this specific public Google+ post:
Drilling deeper, you'll see Sandra Parlow as the key amplifier, with 30,108 who have her in circles. It makes sense that she would be number 1 since she enjoys such a large audience.
One final statistic to note from my "test": Who were the most influential folks on Google+? Was it a bunch of technology chums of mine? Nope. Was it followers of
CrushIQ? No. I was pleasantly surprised to see the engagers make up a very well rounded audience. The overwhelming majority on Google+ just interacting and getting to know other people.
Nice!
Question that I have unanswered: Why is this? Are Google+ users starved for humanity? Is this why photographs are so popular on Google+? Are Facebook users beginning to tune out? Will this replicate? I don't have the definitive answers, yet. I am simply posting my findings and my genuine (knee jerk) response/surprise and leaving the interpretation and analysis to you.
I look forward to your thoughts, and if you like this, please share it via the channels below.
Thank you.
Tim