Stay on target

Facebook’s 800 million users give the social networking giant a huge trove of information that allows it to develop highly targeted ads. For example, advertisers can pitch products to specific interests, activities, age groups and locations. Google does the same with search queries, gmail content and YouTube hits, but the social data from Plus gives this information even more depth.

Growing pains

How beneficial this data will be to Google and its advertisers depends on how Plus is received. To date already 20 million members have signed up, and the recent opening of the site to sign ups outside of invitations has seen these numbers explode. While Google’s two previous ventures, Buzz and Wave, died quick deaths, the company seems to be throwing its considerable weight behind Plus, which means greater precision advertising is on the horizon.

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Featured: Google: @google, Facebook: @facebook

Article by Dan Kuseta @dankuseta, @smkapac