We have all seen the headlines of the unrest over recent API changes for Twitter. TFX has had a couple ourselves in that regard. The one thing that has surprised me is that Google has not seized this opportunity to grow their homegrown social network. Google Plus is ripe for the challenge. Google just needs to open the gate.
The thing that Twitter has seemed to forgotten, is that 3rd party developers flocked to their API when it was first released and built some very solid clients for the network. Twitter was a small company in the beginning and needed these engineers to solve the problem of getting on every platform, as well as challenging Twitter on what a good client for their service was capable of looking like.
I don’t understand why Google has not released a fully public API for Google Plus to date. They could capitalize on the missteps of Twitter and truly challenge Facebook for the top social network. I know Google has done a decent job of selling Plus as an Android experience, but Google is a data company at heart. To offer this on multiple mobile operating systems would help their bottom line.
I can see Google not wanting to be challenged on Android, but the need for good clients on Windows Phone 8 and BlackBerry are ever present. Just because users haven’t chosen Android should be no reason to not offer the service. Google could open up the API and allow 3rd parties to fill this void for them. It’s still using their backend services with a little help on the front end.
New ventures like AppDotNet have shown that people are growing concerned with Twitter and searching for an alternative. While I like where ADN is coming from, and they have already spawned some pretty great clients, they don’t have the brand recognition of Google. People are more apt to gravitate towards a name like that.
All you have to do is open the gate Google. Allow the devs in these great communities to make Google Plus what you want it to be.
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