Larry Page MIA on Google+, Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg popular
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Where’s Larry Page?
Google+ launched a new communication age for Google’s famously reclusive founder and chief executive.
The man of few public words has notched more than 300,000 followers, sharing everything from vacation photos to Google’s acquisition of Motorola Mobility.
But about a month ago, Page retreated from his company’s new social networking service. He hasn’t posted anything, at least not for public consumption, yet he’s one of the people Google+ suggests users follow.
It’s possible that some of his private Circles are getting regular updates. But why would he be so selective when Google is placing a giant bet on the success of Google+? And if he’s simply not using the new service, why is he asking millions of users to make time and bandwidth in their lives for yet another social networking service?
Asks Paul McNamara: ‘Google+ is not for everybody, of course; certainly not for every CEO. But if that’s the case with Page, why not just come out and acknowledge it instead of going through the motions of creating an account, participating in the early weeks, using the forum for public relations, and continuing to suggest that users follow him?’
Good question.
In the meantime, Mark Zuckerberg has picked up more than 5 million subscribers through a new feature that Facebook rolled out Wednesday. The feature allows a user to follow anyone’s public updates even if they are not Facebook friends. It’s akin to following someone on Twitter or adding someone to a Google+ Circle.
The Facebook founder and chief executive didn’t just make those users materialize out of the ether. He converted fans of his old Facebook Page into subscribers to his personal page. Neat trick.
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-- Jessica Guynn
Photos, from top: Google founder and Chief Executive Larry Page (credit: Justin Sullivan /Getty Images); Facebook founder and Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg (David M. Barreda / San Jose Mercury News)