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Is Google+ the third wheel in a Facebook/Twitter lovefest?

LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner  (Source: ibtimes.com)
LinkedIn CEO believes the social network won't fit in very well with what's already out there

Today marks Google+'s three-week-old birthday, and in its short time on the internet, it has grown considerably in popularity. In fact, it celebrated 10 million users just last week. While some predict that this number will continue to skyrocket, others believe the social network won't fit in very well with what's already out there.

Jeff Weiner, CEO of LinkedIn, joined AllThingsD's Kara Swisher and super-agent Ari Emanuel on stage at a Churchill Club event last night and discussed certain aspects of Google+. Swisher asked how many social networks could coexist at once and if there was a limit, and Weiner mentioned that Google+ may not have a place in the online social networking realm.

"Nobody has any free time," said Weiner. "Unlike social platforms and TV, which can coexist, you don't see people using Twitter while they're using Facebook, or using Facebook while they're using LinkedIn."

Despite Weiner's idea that the above-mentioned social networks cannot coexist, he went on to describe that each one serve's a different purpose in a person's life. For instance, Facebook is for family and friends, Twitter is used to "microcast" your thoughts, and LinkedIn is for your professional life.

But Weiner doesn't see where Google+ will fit in. With Google+ serving the same purpose as any of the other networks, one of the others will have to lose in order for Google+ to win. After just using Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn, Weiner just doesn't see where people will have the time for an extra network.

"You introduce Google+, [but] where am I going to spend that next minute or hour of my discretionary time? I have no more time," said Weiner.

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Rea@**?
By Iaiken on 7/19/2011 9:46:44 AM , Rating: 2
This coming from a man who ran LinkedIn into the ground.

Checked my LinkedIn profile just now and it is down from 200+ connections down to a measly 30 since last check (back in March).

In fact, until this post mentioned them, I had forgotten they even existed...




RE: Rea@**?
By Targon on 7/19/2011 10:04:02 AM , Rating: 5
I agree, very few use LinkedIn, and because it never hit critical mass for new people WANTING to join, it is finally fading away. When the CEO or CTO of a go-nowhere company says how there is no room for another player, it just means they are worried that people won't bother going to THEIR web site.


RE: Rea@**?
By amanojaku on 7/19/2011 10:15:20 AM , Rating: 2
Everyone has a different experience. My LinkedIn account continues to add new contacts despite the fact that I barely log in, and my contacts add to their contacts all the time.

I agree with the CEO's assessment that people will only have one social networking account due to the amount of time required to log in to one, but I believe all platforms will have their users. My guess is privacy and customization is where the two sites will differentiate themselves.

And there's a users for any site. People still use MySpace and Friendster. Hell, people still use AOL chat and Compuserve...


RE: Rea@**?
By Iaiken on 7/19/2011 10:25:26 AM , Rating: 2
quote:
People still use MySpace and Friendster.


Those poor bastards...


RE: Rea@**?
By safcman84 on 7/19/2011 10:26:05 AM , Rating: 3
linkedIn is increasing my network all the time, and my connections are adding contacts all the time.

There has been plently of recruitment people looking at my profile as well. If i was looking for a new job, i would have posted my CV on there a while back.


RE: Rea@**?
By Skelum on 7/19/2011 10:34:05 AM , Rating: 5
I personally receive job offers everyday on LinkedIn. I use it only for professional connection and I use Facebook for friends and family.

Google circles are great cause it makes it easier to use it for both.


lol, what was he expected to say?
By MeesterNid on 7/19/2011 10:06:08 AM , Rating: 1
"Errr...yeah, Google+ is awesome! In fact, here, I'm deleting my LinkedIn profile and am going to be using Google+ exclusively from now on!"...of course he's not going to say anything to boost a competitor's product.




RE: lol, what was he expected to say?
By Brandon Hill (blog) on 7/19/2011 10:10:56 AM , Rating: 2
Yet Zuckerberg has a Google+ account... ;)


RE: lol, what was he expected to say?
By Iaiken on 7/19/2011 10:26:21 AM , Rating: 1
quote:
Yet Zuckerberg has a Google+ account... ;)


Know thy enemy... ;)


RE: lol, what was he expected to say?
By acer905 on 7/19/2011 12:20:15 PM , Rating: 3
Knowing Zuckerberg it's more like: Steal thine enemy's code...


RE: lol, what was he expected to say?
By ClownPuncher on 7/19/2011 12:39:19 PM , Rating: 2
I don't think any code was stolen. I was under the impression he just decided to use an idea that wasn't really his, but wrote his own code for it.


By cjohnson2136 on 7/19/2011 4:25:29 PM , Rating: 2
that is correct


RE: lol, what was he expected to say?
By B3an on 7/19/2011 12:12:16 PM , Rating: 1
Has he actually confirmed that? Because anyone can make an account in his name.


Mhm
By bug77 on 7/19/2011 10:13:09 AM , Rating: 3
quote:
"Nobody has any free time," ... Facebook is for family and friends, Twitter is used to "microcast" your thoughts, and LinkedIn is for your professional life.


Or you can use circles and do everything in one place.




RE: Mhm
By nafhan on 7/19/2011 12:26:47 PM , Rating: 3
The funny thing about the "nobody has free time" quote is that, if true, no one would be using FB or Twitter ever . Anyway, it's pretty obvious that people in more developed countries have a ridiculous amount of free time (at least historically speaking).


RE: Mhm
By icanhascpu on 7/19/2011 3:23:15 PM , Rating: 2
You know who else put their friends in circles?

Dante.


RE: Mhm
By Lazarus Dark on 7/19/2011 9:58:17 PM , Rating: 3
Personally, I was thinking:
Myspace was high school,
Facebook was College,
and now Google+ is for adults.
G+ is social networking grown up.

And free time has nothing to do with it. I've actually been shocked at the number of people who feel as I do: Facebook sucked, thier privacy policies sucked, they had ceased to innovate, and a LOT of us were only there because there seemed no other alternative. 10 to 20 million have already jumped ship to G+ (in fact, ALL my friends are there and I've abandoned facebook, leaving only a warning to my family that I am deleting my fb profile in 3 months whether they come to G+ or not)

As far as Twitter: I don't know a single twitter user who did not also use tweetdeck or similar to crosspost everything to facebook. In truth, Twitter was always superfluous, and G+ makes it even more unnecessary.


but why?
By shadowamazon on 7/19/2011 10:29:27 AM , Rating: 2
Why do social networks need to co-exist? What about Google+ comes in, clean the plate, and you Linked-in gets nothing? why not explore that possibility?




RE: but why?
By Camikazi on 7/19/2011 11:19:23 AM , Rating: 2
Cause then you get the competition and the government screaming monopoly, even though it's just having a better product :P


RE: but why?
By Kakao on 7/19/2011 12:44:38 PM , Rating: 2
There are still plenty of people out of social networks. Still lots of space to grow.


Google+ for real business contact
By Danger D on 7/19/2011 10:29:56 AM , Rating: 3
I've already got a handful of professional contacts in my Google+ account in a separate "business" circle, and I actually interact with them. It allows me to keep track of those relationships, since they're in the same place as my drinking buddies, family, etc.

I never log into LinkedIn except to accept a connection request, so that account is nothing more than a contact tally to show where I rank in the business popularity scale. And most of those contacts aren't people I really know well.




By Turrbo on 7/19/2011 5:02:13 PM , Rating: 2
Of course linkedin is worried, Google is competition!

Turrbo
http://www.alnoualeacer.ro


In need of a standard
By Skelum on 7/19/2011 10:31:34 AM , Rating: 3
I've said it before and I'll say it again... Social networks need a standard so that people can consume their friends news from their tool of choice.

Basically a post on Facebook would be viewable on LinkedIn or on Google+.

If it doesn't happen, the winner will eventually be charge with monopoly or if it's evenly split, some products will emerge to do that merge of news. (Some already exist...)




RE: In need of a standard
By Skelum on 7/19/2011 11:01:30 AM , Rating: 2
Another Wiener in the news
By Spoogie on 7/19/11, Rating: 0
RE: Another Wiener in the news
By The Raven on 7/19/2011 12:33:44 PM , Rating: 2
It's Weiner, not Wiener. And I know that it now must be hilarious to you that he is WEINing about something ;-P


Enemies
By medavid16 on 7/19/2011 10:13:23 AM , Rating: 2
I love Facebook, spend way too much time on it... I can tell you right now, if the world was evenly split between Google+ and Facebook, I'd be on Google+. There's a place if it can supplant.

And as someone noted already, in some ways LinkedIn is already forgotten to some and Google+ is in it's place.

Apple is not going to say Windows is great and vice versa. However, I think it's foolish to play a blind's eye. Keep your friends close, your enemies closer.




aggregation tools FTW!
By mike8675309 on 7/19/2011 11:16:02 AM , Rating: 2
Google+ has a long road ahead. The other products in the space are mature with 3rd party support. If I post something using TweetDeck I can have it hit 3 different services, none of which are Google+. But saying Google+ isn't necessary makes a lot of assumptions, one of which is that all the others out there are all good enough.

As google+ matures I can see pushing family and friends over to it due to the improved security and clearer walling off of friends/family.




user base
By Paj on 7/20/2011 7:24:34 AM , Rating: 2
One thing this guy is foregetting is that once Google+ goes public, anyone with a gmail account (which is a metric dickload of people) are, in effect, already members of Google+.

The powerful thing about G+ is that it ties into already existing Google services, like Maps, Docs, Calendar, etc which already have well established user bases. They will come up with new ways of sharing information through all these services using G+ as the aegis.




Rea**$?
By rburnham on 7/20/2011 7:15:02 PM , Rating: 2
That's funny. I just questioned the need for LinkedIn, decided I had no reason, and I cancelled my account.




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