Google Vs. Facebook: Can Two Social Networking Sites Stay on Top?

Social networking sites are extremely competitive business in the world today. Google vs. Facebook is the popular topic in the news. Facebook and Skype recently announced forming a partnership in reaction to Google Plus, a social networking site very similar to Facebook.

Before this month, when Facebook users logged in to their accounts, they could share photos, comment on statuses, write on friends’ walls, and more. Facebook now offers the option to add video chat. To launch a video chat, simply open the chat window, click the small video icon in the upper right hand corner of the chat box, and begin a video chat via Skype. It is possible there is no icon on your screen as Facebook released this feature to only some of its users and more are added each day.  

The new video chat feature does have some bugs that need to be worked out. When another person is ready to video chat with you, a box will pop up on your screen. There’s no audible signal of any sort, so if another window is displayed in front of Facebook, you could easily miss the call. Also, once video chat connects, Facebook doesn’t offer many adjustable settings (such as mute call, share screens, etc.) that Skype provides when a video chat is launched outside of the Facebook setting.

Facebook and Skype’s new alliance could mean trouble for Google Plus. In June of this year, Microsoft bought Skype for $8.5 billion. The combined forces of Facebook and Skype mean that Google Plus must compete against two huge companies (Microsoft and Facebook).

Though Facebook and Skype’s partnership was a smart and strategic move, can Facebook keep up with Google Plus? Google Plus offers a number of features that Facebook doesn’t have, with one significant advantage in its group chat. Google Plus, the new social networking site from Google, offers users a way to “hangout” with friends. This new connections called “Hangouts” involves a group video chat, in which multiple people are video chatting all together at one time. There are also many other features available not offered by Facebook’s Skype, such as linking  friends to YouTube videos.  More so, Google Plus offers free calls to landlines and cell phones across North America. Skype, though, charges extra for these calls.

In the business world today, change is the only thing that remains constant. New competitors appear while major companies die out and become a thing of the past. Ultimately it will be Google vs. Facebook, and one will fade away. With Google Plus as a new major competitor for social networking sites, will Mark Zuckerberg be able to keep Facebook on top? Or will Google Plus become the new king of social networking sites? Time will tell.  

Author: Liza Rutledge