When we're talking about social networks like Facebook and Google+, the signal-to-noise ratio is the ratio of useful, on-topic posts and comments to useless, off-topic posts and comments. I like Google+ more than Facebook because the signal-to-noise ratio can be controlled better. It's still not a perfect social network and I don't think there can ever be a perfect social network.
Useless Posts
Uselessness (or usefulness) is in the eye of beholder, obviously, but when a post appears as a single comment about something you have no clue about, what would you consider that? I have relatives complaining about someone or something and without a common reference, what purpose does it serve to just blurt it out. Posting lyrics to your favorite song (that isn't everyone else's favorite) also makes no sense whatsoever.
Perhaps it's the ease at which people can post to social networks. I'm sure Google+, as it progresses in its beta stages, will offer the same or similar functionality as the mobile features of Facebook. While being able to post from your mobile phone is a good idea some of the time, I think the people that benefit from this most are the mobile service providers and the fees they collect.
Useful Posts
Again, what's useful to one person is useless to another. The ability to mute posts and their corresponding comments in Google+ is quick and painless and gives you the ability to focus on the conversations that matter to you. Facebook, when it works right, has similar functionality, but it doesn't seem to work quite right – at least most of the time – and that may be because of all the options presented when you want to remove a post from your stream.
I don't want to call this a "Facebook vs. Google+" feud, but that's basically what it is. Google's had plenty of time to study social networks in general and pick up on the best features while ignoring the worst. As Google+ continues to grow at breakneck speed (and it's not even completely open to the public yet), I anticipate Facebook fighting back with both improvements and lawsuits.
Competition is a good thing. If Google+ does something better than Facebook, then Facebook needs to improve… and vice-versa.
Noise-to-Signal
I'm using the e-mail notification feature of Google+, rather than actually spending a lot of time there. I'm finding the signal-to-noise ratio already favoring noise. It's the same thing with Facebook. I get notifications from the groups I belong to by e-mail because the noise is already way too great over there.
I'm trying to be social, really I am. Unfortunately, the things that interest my "friends" don't interest me at all. Perhaps it would be better for me to create "interest" circles on Google+ (vs. grouping of people), something I can't do on Facebook. Well, at least I have that flexibility there.
Similar Articles:
- The Google +1 Button Vs. The Facebook Like Button
- Is Facebook a Threat to Google or other Online Services?
- Photo Albums on Facebook
- Floundering on Facebook
- Be Wary of Building your Business on Facebook
This article is published as: The Social Network Signal to Noise Ratio
Names containing keywords only may be deleted during moderation. If multiple names are used for the same website URL, those may also be deleted during moderation. Those retained will likely be changed to "John Doe" or "Jane Doe" as the name.
If you wish to leave anchored links within the comments -- you're allowed to leave one anchored link if you don't let a CommentLuv link appear