There are a lot of key battles going on in the digital world today: Apple versus Flash, Google’s Android versus Apple’s iPhone, and Facebook versus the Government. Each of these fights ultimately benefits the consumer, when companies jockey for the consumer’s dollar through oneupmanship, the consumer is the one that wins.
The competition between these companies has a ripple affect on the producers that use the various platforms provided by Facebook, Google, and Apple to promote their products. With these companies constantly tweeking their products, the producers need to be changing with them as well.
This is, for example, why all companies need to be aware of the Android versus the iPhone battle. One of the main points of competition comes from the companies’ stance on Flash. Google allows flash to be played on their system, but the iPhone does not. Now each company, as a result, has to decide whether they want to keep Flash integrated on their site or use a different alternative.
There is another war brewing on the horizon, as drastic as those mentioned at the top, between Google and Facebook. The battle is not between Google’s Buzz and Facebook, but rather which service consumers use to search on.
Facebook Versus Google
It stands today, that when one wants to find information about a product, company, or recipe they often turn to Google to provide them with a website that gives them the information they need. Also, it is socially acceptable to tell someone to “Google it” when they are asking a question you may not know or want to give the answer to.
However, if Facebook has its way, people will be searching their website for information about these same companies, products, and recipes. Facebook’s new Open Graph system has begun to allow for this transition.
If you go on to Facebook today and type in the name of a restaurant the restaurant’s fan page comes up. When you do a full search for a particular restaurant you will be given links to a particular restaurants fan page, their yelp page, what your friends are saying about the restaurant, search results from Bing, and more. Facebook’s search is by no means perfect but when it is, why would you ever leave the Facebook page?
One of the primary issues that Facebook faces in getting people to use their search engine is moving people away from Google being the default startup page for browses.
A seemingly daunting task, yet Facebook has started to chip away at it. Facebook has given its top users the option to click on a button that will make Facebook their homepage (though anyone can still do this the old fashioned way by changing their settings).
If your browser starts on Facebook, (the most visited website online) and serves as a substitution for Google, why would anyone ever leave the site?
What does this mean for companies?
Regardless if Facebook ever surpasses Google as the leader in search, companies need to adapt their brand for Facebook search.
Firms must create a Facebook fan page that is just as good as or even better when it comes to their website, as consumers may solely base their decision on one’s fan page.
Facebook is allowing for companies to make the most of this by giving firms the ability to sell items, create subpages, and adding applications. In addition, Facebook’s layout allows for these fan pages to look good on mobile phones (the same cannot be said for most companies webpage).
Companies cannot afford to ignore this. They must embrace both their homepage and their fan page.
Social Media Musings 
[…] There are a lot of key battles going on in the digital world today: Apple versus Flash, Google’s Android versus Apple’s iPhone, and Facebook versus the Government. Each of these fights ultimately benefits the consumer, when companies jockey for the consumer’s dollar through oneupmanship, the consumer is the one that wins. The competition between these companies has a ripple affect on the producers that use the various platforms provided by Faceb … Read More […]
Thank you for your feedback.
You are right people are not finding all their needs through a single computer platform, and I don’t think it is possible that they will ever be. There needs to be multiple options to fit various consumer preferences. It is why their is Mac and PC, Burger King and McDonalds, and Coke and Pepsi.
The article is not supposed to be black or white comparison between Google and Facebook, but rather to provoke thinking about the potential that facebook’s growth means for others.
Very refreshing article.
I’d like to see this expanded into Social acceptance and uptake of FaceBook’s services outside of North America – specifically in China and in India! Where those countries are concerned – where social reform has had a long hold on the populace – these citizens see FaceBook as a gateway to freedom; especially since Google has been locked out and limited for global unadulterated searches.
I give FaceBook less than 6mths to overtake Google in searches in either China or India and more than 20% growth in the 2QTR timeframe; then they’ll go public.
Security issues are profound in North America; however there its the opposite, for now.
Donny, thank you for the feedback. And thank you for the topic idea, I will look into writing about social networks reform in countries outside of the United States, especially with Pakistan’s ban coming to the forefront.
I disagree with your statement about Facebook overtaking Google in searches in China, because China actually bans their citizens from Facebook. Students have to use different proxies to get on Facebook. I do now know what the case is with India.
What do you mean it is the opposite? I think security issues are prevalent in all the societies you mentioned, but the purpose behind their reasons differ drastically from the ones we abide by.