You may have started to see the little box with the +1 in Google search results. This is Google’s latest stab at social media and it is called Google+

Google+ is now in limited beta. So if you want to run out and check it out, forget it (unless you get an invite from a friend. Remember how Gmail got so much buzz with this tactic.) But from what I can see they’ve done a few smart things with this product.

First they’ve done their homework in that they’ve looked at the competition (Facebook), and seen where they are vulnerable. Facebook’s failings are with clutter and privacy.

So they have built Google+ to be the anti-clutter social media solution and the hyper vigilant privacy protector.

The clutter issue is a big one for me. As an Internet marketer I have to use Facebook and frankly it is a mess to work with. It is always a chore to slog-through their very over-built interface and their very unnecessary menus and links. One exception is when you want to do Facebook advertising. They’ve made that very easy to find and use (Grrrrrrrr!).

Their lack of respect for people’s online privacy is well documented. But they have taken steps to fix many of the problems. Even though Facebook is built on getting as much personal information out of you, so you can be more finely targeted with ads. Privacy will always be an issue with them.

So Google+ attacks these vulnerabilities well and I hope they give Facebook a run for its money. We need more competition in social media. And Google desperately needs a viable social media option for users. I just hope people will be as bugged with Facebook as I am and make the switch.

When I talk to business owners about their Internet strategy and plans they always quickly bring up the subject of Facebook and how they must . . .  ”get something up on Facebook so people will know about us.” Obviously this is a valid objective but Facebook done right is so much more than that.

700 million users are hard to ignore. And not being on Facebook can be a mistake for many businesses. But how a business does make their presence known and how they interact with users on Facebook can mean everything.

First and for-most people don’t go on Facebook to get sold by some clueless company. People go on Facebook to connect with other people. And they want  genuine interactions with other people. Any company who wants to use Facebook to their advantage must take this issue to heart.

A company that plans to have Facebook in their marketing plan, and really plan to get some value out of their presence, must have a person who can dedicate a portion of their time being part of an appropriate Facebook community. And that doesn’t mean this person just spews company boilerplate dribble. They must have a personality and be friendly and helpful when someone does want to be helped. Striking the right balance and tone can be an art. So a company’s Facebook person must know the rules of the road for online communities.

Related to your Facebook strategy is the tactic of Facebook advertising. Here is a useful web site to know if Facebook advertising is for you. This provided by Perry Marshall, my guru on pay-per-click advertising.