When it comes to social networking sites, functionality and user experience can make or break the site. That’s why it’s interesting to see that Google+ (also referred to as G+) isn’t simply mimicking other big social networking sites, but cutting its own path based on user feedback from its 100-million active users. “There is a common perception that Google+ is competing with Facebook,” says Ade Oshineye, Google+ advocate in London. “It’s not about competing with Facebook, it’s about taking the existing Google experience and improving it.” To this end, Google announced in mid-March that the feedback of South Africans has been heard and Google+ is now available to its users in Afrikaans, Zulu and 18 other languages (and some functions are even supported in Latin and Klingon).

G+ says it hasn’t added more languages simply to make its site bigger and better for the sake of it, but rather to create the best possible user experience. “Focus on the user and the rest will follow,” says Oshineye. G+ has recognised the intrinsic value users place  on conversing in their own language and has recognised there are enough Afrikaans and Zulu users to warrant the new translations.