Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Facebook Diehards Launch Anti-Google+ Movement

written by: Nick Kosmides
As it turns out, Google doesn't like it when you figure out a way around their rules.  A group of random Facebook users are determined to prove this can be done from within Facebook.  The challenge for them evidently came from Circles, the Google answer to everything wrong with Facebook.

The problem is when you post something to Facebook, all your friends see it.  The Facebook definition of friends is anyone you allow into your Facebook world.  Outside of Facebook Groups which is not the most user friendly experience like Circles, there is no way of disallowing your boss and coworkers from the posts about most useful sexual position or your awesome frag-fest on Call of Duty until 2am and how you will call in sick to play more.  There is no way to post a clip of your most recent hunting trip without your vegetarian friends from seeing it.

The solution in Google's eyes is called Circles.  Make as many circles of friends as needed and when you post a comment, link, image, whatever on Google+ you can choose which Circles will get the awesome privilege to see it.

The group claiming to have the solution on Facebook has come out in droves to show as many users as possible that they won't make the switch to Google+.  They've kept their solution a mystery until the right time arose, and that time is now.  The group claims their secret weapon trick is to make only post which cover all the demographics of their friends.  If they cannot make this happen, then they say the only solution is to unfriend those that don't fall inline with their views.

When asked for an example, they showed me a picture of a puppy holding a shotgun with a speech bubble that read "Puppies don't kill puppies, guns kill puppies.  Pro-life.  Save Greece.  Fish are friends, not food."  At first I didn't get it.  The puppies kill puppies part was funny and relevant to the image, but the rest was a blur.  The anonymous socialite explained that the picture was altered to include other views shared by nearly all her friends.  So in a way, the post was meant for everyone in her Friends list, and not one group or another.

When asked for further comment she ran away peeing so as to throw off her scent.  It actually made it easier, I found her within 5 minutes behind the counter of the local Starbucks serving lattes.

Is there really a Facebook group claiming to have dissolved the need for Google+?  What would their answer be to the other social features within the Google+ umbrella like Huddle, Sparks or Hangouts?  We may never find out.  My gut tells me this is a smoking gun.  I'll just wait here where its dry while you go run in the rain to get the car.