A... B... C... D... Email... Facebook... Google+.

The cyber space is abuzz with the Google Plus hype. Are circles the thing? Is this the end of Facebook? And so forth. The unveiling of Google Plus(G+) so soon (considering my blogging frequency) after my post Freedom of Facebooking kind of warranted that I get to have a one-month take at it. I would like to mention at this point that this is entirely based on my own perception and not on any statistics or analysis.

Facebook has the advantage of being there first. People are used to it and have their accounts set up with all their friends added by now. Familiarity is the key to user experience. It is a happening space on the roll. Unfortunately for Facebook, its main fallibility has been in the area that Google has always surpassed in: privacy. G+ has the advantage of building on the outcomes of the Facebook trial. So its more secure and flexible to start with. Alongside, users not happy with the way they have built their network on Facebook will utilize this second chance to start afresh. Only time will tell whether the early bird will catch the worm, or the early worm will get caught.

It was not long ago that online social networking came into being. So majority of its users are the young or almost young. The concerns for privacy, ranging from cultural inhibitions to identity thefts, has not refrained Facebook users from wearing their hearts on their sleeves. On the other hand, geeks and net savvy users are more appreciative of Google's policies and strategies. While a few products like Buzz may have failed, it is such brand loyalty that led Apple Inc. to being the most admired and most valuable technology company.

G+ is not as viral. To contain privacy, it has done away with the 'wall' concept of Facebook. When you +1 an article/video, it does not show up in your friend's stream, for that you have to manually share it on your profile. You can not go to a friends profile and trace his activity on even common friends' posts. And then there is the option to limit circles for any post. Depending on the type of content, it may stir up enthusiasm when an unexpected friend or friend of friend puts in a comment. After the initial sign-up frenzy, few have stuck to posting on or checking G+.

Circles. Aim: connecting people...on the web as they connect in real life. However the default circles and the literature are really based on how you know a person rather than how comfortable you are with the person. To instigate that circles be formed on the 'source' of the relationship rather than its 'nature' seems rather lame. Of course the tool is there, but users need the right manuals. Humans are complex creatures and their ever-evolving relationships are even more complicated. It will surely be the next big step in AI to find a model capable (at least at a workable level) of replicating human relationships.

So far, almost all content on my G+ stream comprises of users sharing articles or videos available elsewhere on the web. While I prefer Google Reader to G+ Sparks, Hangouts and Huddle still seem to be waiting to be explored. So overall it is less of personal content and more of information sharing. Perhaps this is so only for me or people are still trying it out, or perhaps because the enthusiasts of this simplistic and creative online service giant are of a more serious disposition who want to have some value associated with their actions.

In politically correct terms, of course, G+ not only competes with Facebook, but combines it with Twitter, Skype, blog, instant messaging and all cyber interactions. Events, Groups and Pages are still missing but that may only be a matter of time- the official launch is still to come. While you can put all your eggs in one basket when its by Google, today's capitalism-friendly customer is likely to enjoy the availability of multiple options. So if I really had to predict, I would say that Facebook will remain for the young and frivolous, and G+ will be taken up by the more serious and aware user base. It is indeed paradoxical that a tool with more privacy control and flexibility is used more for sharing impersonal content, and vice versa.