Facebook Should Focus on Product, Not Hiding Google+ From its Users

Facebook should focus on continuing to deliver a solid product rather than worrying about ads on its site that promote rival social networking service Google+.

According to International Business Times, Facebook removed a user-created ad that invited people to connect with its creator on Google+. Web developer Michael Lee Johnson suggested anyone “lucky enough” to be in Google’s field trial should add him to his or her circles — before the ad was pulled.

Facebook ads allow any user of the site to create advertisements that target people based on location, age and interests for fairly reasonable rates. But its advertising guidelines say it can remove an ad for any reason, including if it promotes a competing product or negatively affects Facebook’s business or relationship with its users.

It appears that Google+ is a beast that Facebook can’t ignore.

The new service, which is still in a field trial, has already attracted 10 million users and will likely become a force to be reckoned with. It’s no surprise that Facebook’s war against the service just got a little heated.

Has the social network really sunk low enough to eliminate what is essentially a paid plea for networking from its site just because it mentions an up-and-coming rival service?

It would seem that Facebook is on edge because of Google+’s success and wants to do everything it can to retain its massive base of users.

While it had the right to remove the ad, Facebook’s action just makes the company look weak and unconfident. At this point in the game, Facebook, with 700 million plus users, has no reason to have either one of those character traits.

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