It’s a well known fact that Google has wanted to be top social media dog for years. But in reality, the entire wing of a pet cemetery could hold the remains of Google’s attempts at past social media platforms (eek!). However, it seems as if Google has gotten some serious traction with the stealth progress of Google+. Wait, what? Isn’t Google+ a “graveyard”(too many cemetery references?). Well, think again. Technically, Google+ is larger than Twitter already, with over 343 million active users, and it’s poised to accomplish great things in 2013.

With the rapid growth Google+ is currently seeing, it’s surprising Google keeps the platform on such a tight leash, instead of say, taking a healthy shot at social media giant, Facebook. But this may be done on purpose, or so says, JD Rucker, editor at Soshable. Rucker wrote an article last week theorizing that if Google were to simply open up its API (application programming interface), it might beat out Facebook already.

Rucker wrote about Google stating, “They have one major flaw that they still consider a strength. By keeping their API access limited, they’ve been able to keep most of the automation, some of the spam, and all of the posting problems that Facebook has to deal with on a regular basis due to their integration, with just about everybody. You can post to Facebook using literally thousands of different apps, websites, and methods. On Google+, you can only post through the tiny array of approved tools like Hootsuite and Viral Heat. It keeps them safe and protected, giving them a limited number of entries to monitor as they grow the service. It also holds them back tremendously.”

While the Internet is heavily content-driven, Rucker feels that Google+ is doing itself a great disservice by not integrating with content giants like Instagram, Pinterest and Tumblr, or even with social media management tools that allow simultaneous postings across multiple platforms. Allowing Google+ to display integrated content,  could be the decision that allows it to “hit the tipping point of adoption that has still evaded them despite their growth.”

Do you feel that isolation sets Google+ apart, or would integration allow it to become the most effective social media marketing tool out there?

Sources: If Google+ Opens Up its API, It Might Just Beat Facebook ; Google+ Beats Twitter…

© 2013 – 2018, Contributing Author. All rights reserved.