“Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer.”
That infamous idiom, most widely attributed to Michael Corleone’s character in “The Godfather II,” could be said of Google’s newly born social networking site, which ranks its social network rival as the most followed.
According to several media reports, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg beats out Google’s own CEO, Larry Page, on Google+, the search giant’s recently launched social network.
Despite the fact it’s nearly impossible to decipher whether the profile belongs to the “real” Zuckerberg, a PC Magazine report said that the Facebook CEO recently confirmed his Google account in a text to tech blogger Robert Scoble.
“Although there’s been some question as to whether the Zuckerberg profile on Google+ really belongs to the Facebook founder, tech blogger Robert Scoble (No. 5 on Zanten’s list) has apparently confirmed that it’s genuine. Scoble tweeted on Sunday that Zuckerberg had responded to a text, saying ‘Why are people so surprised that I’d have a Google account?’”
Zuckerberg holds the top spot on the Google+ list, according to socialstatistics.com with 29,543 followers.
Google’s Page holds the No. 2 spot with 19,878, and Google co-founder Sergey Brin is fourth with 15,636. Vic Gundotra, senior vice president of social for Google, is No. 3.
“The rest of the list reads like a who’s who of tech geeks and media people, with This Week in Tech’s Leo Laporte, TechCrunch’s MG Seigler, and Mashable’s Pete Cashmore all placing in the top 25,” the PC Mag report said.
Google+ is currently in beta testing, and reportedly bears some resemblance to Facebook in structure, with profile pictures and newsfeeds forming its central core. With Google+ though, a user’s friends or contacts are grouped into very specific circles of their choosing (such as “College Friends,” “Family” or “Coworkers”) rather than a large, single pool.
Google is also releasing mobile apps of Google+ for Android smartphones and iPhone, with special features like group messaging and cloud-based photo storage, Reuters said.
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Erin Harrison is Executive Editor, Strategic Initiatives, for TMC, where she oversees the company's strategic editorial initiatives, including the launch of several new print and online initiatives. She plays an active role in the print publications and TechZone360, covering IP communications, information technology and other related topics. To read more of Erin's articles, please visit her columnist page.Edited by
Jennifer Russell