Google+ in India: Not Quite Facebook But Not Falling Behind Either

By | 10 February, 2012

Google+ remains an enigma to me. It got everything you expect in a Social Network but it’s not quite like Facebook. Maybe it boils down to the human tendency of not able to adapt to new things. Whatever may be the case, Google+ is behind Facebook in India. Facebook has 44 million users and Google+ has 12 million users. But Google+ might catch up as Google is damn serious about its new baby.

Google has pulled all stops to promote Google+ in India. It has 90 million users across the world and has used celebrities to gain a foothold in the Facebook-dominated social world. In India it has cajoled Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan to hang out with his fans. That he did. And quite a few people hung out with Shah Rukh too.

Just like Facebook, 87% of the users are in the age group of 18-34. Other demographics of Google+ are just as interesting.

Students are the top group using Google+ followed by Software Engineers (click images to zoom in).

Wipro, Infosys, IBM and TCS are the top employers on Google+ profiles. This data is gathered from the profile information wherever the employer details are shared. In fact almost 12 of the 15 employers on the list are IT companies.

State-wise, Maharastra tops Google+ followed by Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Delhi.

Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore are the top cities for Google+.

Google is trying really really hard to negate Facebook’s first-mover advantage. If I were given Facebook and Google+ today and asked to choose, I would probably pick Google+. But that’s not what Google is battling with. It is battling with a behemoth. And like any competitive company Google has tried its bit.

It started off with celebrity showdowns by showcasing the hangouts. Once that wave cooled off, Google has pulled the biggest trick of all. Google now includes public posts from Google+ on its search result pages. This is Google’s way of telling “If you have a web presence then you stop fiddling with Facebook so much and get on to Google+.”

Has it worked? Would Google make a dent in Social Universe? We would have to wait a while.

Via PlusDemoGraphics



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