The upside:
- Integration: Google is already all over the place. I use their email, their office suite, and their search every day. By integrating Google+ right into this framework, I’m much more likely to come back and continue to give it a shot, even if I don’t see a real need. Those notifications are addicting.
- Chat: I haven’t tried the video chat yet, but if it’s as seamless as it seems, this could get me. I love interacting with people, and since I’ve been in Korea, I’ve used video chat more than ever. Google+ is set up to help us make friends through our friends, which has a natural feel too it, one I think that might get people interacting with others more.
- Search: If you meet someone in real life, there should be an easy way to find that person online, especially on a social site. Facebook doesn’t really let you do that. You have to know a first and last name, an email, or something. Google+ seems more in a position to have open and easy to find profiles while still keeping the users’ private information private.
The downside (it’s the same thing I said in reference to Twitter a while ago):
