It was only a matter of [little] time before Facebook countered Google +. Thus far, the most appealing feature of Google + is Google Hangouts. A feature in which you turn on your webcam and the people in your circles can have a live, visual chat with you.
In this morning’s conference from Facebook’s headquarters, there were three new features launched, including Group Chat, a list of online contacts which unfolds from your browser’s side and the day’s starlet: Facebook + Skype plug in. It pretty much does the same thing as Google Hangouts or regular independent Skype, however, you ignite your live chat with a friend with a visual aid of yourself.
What was most curious for me, or funny rather, was the fact that Zuckerberg added the ultimate cherry to his presentation, something like this “unlike companies that want to do it all, companies that focus on a single thing will alway be more successful”. Implying that the big G represented little competition to his own creation.
Now what I was waiting for was definitely the Q&A section. Who would be the reporter bold enough to directly ask about G+? And voilá! First reporter to be picked out from the crowd, first one to pop the question. Mashable’s representative went “and I got to ask, what do you think about G+ Hangouts?” Zuckerberg went ahead and answered the special new features with Skype and finally answering the direct hit. He said there was a definite trend towards sharing more and more every day, to the point that in a year from now, we’ll be sharing 32 times more than we do now. Zuckerberg explained that if Facebook didn’t do something like the Skype plug in, there would always be somebody else that would do it. It’s a general trend, not Facebook ruled.
His diplomatic answer was better thought than the implied rock throwing he had stated earlier. Thus far, the plug in works perfectly fine, as does Google’s hangouts. It’s just a matter of fans? What other influences are there? Take your pick.