Google+ versus Facebook

A while back I ventured away from Facebook and started exploring this whole other world called Google+.  Now I know Google+ has been around for a little while but compared to Facebook it is a bit of an up-and-comer.  When it comes to comparing the number of folks participating in each, it's pretty much a David vs. Goliath kinda thing.  But let's not forget how that played out.

So what's the big difference between Google+ and Facebook?  Discretion.  Facebook is pretty much the land of "TMI".  Every excruciating, boring, non-sensical detail and rant about our lives gets played out on the pages of Facebook.  No filters whatsoever.  I suppose one could look at Facebook and say that's our 1st Amendment rights hard at work.  We take our cyber soapboxes and say whatever we want.  Now don't get me wrong, I like that frank openness and free sharing of information.  I personally find the inspirational posts very meaningful and it's something I look forward to reading every day.  Facebook is also a great way to keep up with family and friends, to see what's going on in everyone's life.  I mean seriously if it wasn't for Facebook how would we know that someone's kid graduated college or that someone was moving or that a loved one needed some prayers to get through a hard time?  When's the last time any of us sat down and WROTE, with pen and paper, a letter to someone?  I'm ashamed to say I honestly can't remember other than a few Thank You notes in response to birthdays and holidays.

Now Google+, on the other hand, is a whole different cyber playground, at least the parts I delve into.  There's very little personal rants  or musings that I've ever come across.  Google+ is mostly made up of "communities", virtual gathering spots for folks with similar interests.  There are some well established communities plus you can also create your own.  The benefit of that is you keep your interests only within the circle of people in your community.  Folks that aren't into pottery won't see all your posts of the different pottery fixtures you share.  Another cool thing about Google+ is the absence of "Friending" which gives you the ability to view every post, send messages and chat online with your friends.  As you all know Facebook is all about growing the number of friends you have.  It seems to be a badge of honor that a person can have over a thousand "friends".  Really?  Who the hell has a thousand friends?  On a good day I probably have a couple dozen real friends and perhaps only about five of those are considered really close friends.  With Google+ it's all about adding people to your "circles".  For example I've created a few different circles related to things like photography, inspiration and faith.  People I've added to those circles are folks who's work or ideals mean something to me.  They don't need to accept me as a friend which would then give me inroads into their lives.  It's just me following their posts.  There's no messaging, no private conversations, just viewing and commenting on posts that they share publicly.

Still not sure what I'm talking about?  Let me give you an example of the difference between these two social media giants.  Scenario:  A photographer is out doing some landscape photography.  He comes home, processes a few photos and gets ready to post his experience online.

This would be a typical post in Google+...

"I was just south of Breckenridge looking to capture some Fall photos.  I shot this photo with my Canon 5D Mark II using a 17-40mm wide angle lens.  I set my ISO to 125 and my f-stop to 20 which then required a pretty slow shutter speed so good thing I had my tripod with me.  I took 5 bracketed photos and stitched them together in Photomatix Pro, making some slight adjustments to the shadowed areas around the trees.  After that I made just a few more enhancements in Lightroom v5 and cropped the photo into a panorama."

Now, here's how it would sound in Facebook....

"OMG!  Totally nailed this shot.  Can't believe how pretty it was up in Breck.  It was a bitch hiking to this spot but what the heck, it was worth it.  Some asshole with a dog almost knocked me off the trail.  GET A LEASH IF YOU CAN'T CONTROL YOUR DOG!  Whatever.  Sweet brewery in Frisco.  Drank way too much.  Lucky I didn't get pulled over driving home.  BTW, waitress was SOOOOO hot.  ;-)"

Hey, I'm not saying one social media site is better than the other.  There are plenty of choices out there to suit your desires.  I definitely think there is good in all of them.  You just have to decide how much you want folks sniffing your dirty laundry.  So pick your poison wisely.  You never know who might be watching.