7 Things Facebook Are About To Launch To Counter Google +

During the last two months since Google + launched Facebook has been pretty quiet (apart from the Skype video calling and new Messenger app) but all signs are that as early as this week they are about to roll out a whole series of new products and features to firmly reinforce their number one position. For all the early buzz about Google + you can just feel things dying down somewhat now and if Facebook can come in with a blitz of new features now might be the moment to grab back all the hype and effectively kill Google’s chances. If anything Google + will have acted as a bit of a wake up call to show Facebook that even though they have 800 million users they will always have a battle on their hands and as a user of the service we should all welcome competition because it means we get better products. So what does Facebook do next? Here are the 7 things that they have been working on and are coming over the next few months starting as early as this week…

Improved Design

Facebook have made a couple of acquisitions in recent months aimed at grabbing talent from hot design companies to start improving the look and feel of the social network. Facebook can be described as functional at best and the emergence and clean design of Google + only highlighted Facebook’s shortcomings in the design area even further. It’s been a while since profiles, business pages and other parts of the site have changed and even though it always upsets users Facebook will be keen to keep evolving. One of the areas that is feeling a little jaded and not working well in terms of engagement these days is the news feed. Brands and developers are complaining that it is harder to get noticed there and Facebook have been testing new feeds that could help those two groups of people out. A change to the news feed which is Facebook’s bread and butter would need to be carefully managed though.

Launch iPad App

It’s amazing that the iPad has been out for a year and a half at this stage and there is still no sign of an app for it but all signs are that we are all very close to getting one. If any service was made for browsing on a tablet device then it has to be Facebook and it really is amazing that with so many iPads around the world the only way of accessing it until now has been through a browser. When you look at Facebook’s 800 million users though it is only a tiny percentage that actually have iPads but crucially those people are all the tech savvy crowd who have all swarmed over Google +. While the iPad version is not going to help Facebook grow numbers it will help them get some great buzz back.

Image from here

Search That Works

For years the most frustrating part of Facebook and even though there is no concrete evidence of a fix for this on the way Facebook simply have to do something about it very soon. The fact that they have such a strong relationship with Bing and the huge financial benefits on offer if they get it right should be enough incentive to get it right. It doesn’t even need to be a full on social search but just something that lets users find what they are looking for without have to hack around it or go out and use Google search.

Media Streaming

Facebook have been working on their music streaming service for some time and it needs to go live ASAP. The more reasons people have to stay on the site (and music is a pretty good one) the less chance there is of them going anywhere else. Although there are other forms of streaming on the way like movies and live sports it is the social elements of music that will make it fly once it does launch on Facebook.

Improved Mobile Experience

And still we all wait for a better mobile experience. Facebook’s mobile apps have been rubbish for so long now that they simply have to upgrade them all very soon. A good example of how this should be done is Linkedin recently who revamped their entire collection of mobile apps and made their site a whole new experience while on the go. Facebook are taking a long time on this (well over a year) as they know it is so important and they have far bigger ambitions than just a simple app. They did launch the separate app called messenger a couple of weeks ago but it’s their main apps that need the most work so as people start using Facebook on the go in a whole new way.

Project Spartan

Facebook have had tons of developers working on this for close to a year now and it will define where the site goes in to the future. It is essentially their push to take on Apple and have native apps (games, news etc) within the browser on platforms like iOS and bypass the Apple app store. This is why Facebook and Apple don’t get on so well anymore but Facebook knows it needs a way of getting people playing it’s games and crucially spending Facebook credits on mobiles. It’s a stealth way for Facebook to get in to the mobile space and who knows if it will work or not (Apple is a pretty big fish to be taking on) but when it does launch it could change the whole mobile landscape and force the move away from traditional apps towards browser based apps. All the talk is that this project is very close to launching.

iPhone 5

OK so Facebook are not working on this and it’s on the list very much tongue in cheek as it is clearly an Apple product but the rumors all say it is coming in September. One of the biggest problems Facebook had was that the tech press were all obsessed with Google + but the iPhone 5 launch can’t come quick enough for Facebook. As soon as Steve Jobs struts out on to that stage the tech press will be obsessed for the best part of a month and will all forget about Google + and stop writing about it. When the announcement goes out for an Apple event this September Google + will be deprived of some of the Oxygen that the tech press have been giving it and be forced to fight on it’s own merits.