At the Allen & Co. Media Conference in Sun Valley, Idaho on Thursday, Search Engine Giant Google’ Chairman Eric Schmidt told journalists that he disagreed with the idea that an exodus is necessary to enjoy multiple services at the same time.
He talked of an Utopian world, where multiple social networks coexist with users maintaining several accounts simultaneously.
In line with the Chairman’s views, on Saturday, for a matter of 80 minutes, Google faced shortage of disk space due to a high number of users. This is an indication that, for the present, Google does not have the resources to cater to the millions who are interested in getting a Google Plus account. It also reinforces Schmidt’s views that there is room for more social networks in the web world.
In a world full of cynics, this sentiment is only backed by a recent Slate essay by Farhad Manjoo, which claims that the best social networks (like Ravelry) cater to different facets of a user’s identity, like their passion for knitting.
The trouble is that both Google+ and Facebook are targeted at the masses though they view the web in different ways.
Though Schmidt admitted at the Conference that Facebook with its 750 million users is too strong for competitors, it is a fact that if anybody can take on the Social Media Giant, it is Google.
When Google+ launched last week to insiders and bloggers, Google, managed to put away its disastrous past attempts to arrive in the social media via Buzz and Wave . Google Plus got mostly positive reviews and the result was a groundswell of users clamoring for invites.
Speaking with the media, Schmidt said that Google would “love to have deeper integration with Twitter and Facebook.” However, talks to renew a deal with Twitter for Search fell through, while talks with Facebook to allow friend importing went nowhere.
Though there are attempts at overtures from Google to Facebook and Twitter, at present what is obvious is their one-upmanship efforts to be a leader in the Social Media Network. This battle among the troika has only one victor – the user and it is likely to remain like that for a long time.