Yes, Facebook has a huge head start in social compared to Google, but because, honestly, it's a great -- albeit very different -- product .

Unlike Facebook, Google+ is where you're more likely to engage with strangers -- many of whom reach out from countries around the world.

Just this morning I had a Google+ chat with a blogger from India who, even though he uses both Facebook and Google+, was only able to reach me through the latter where in seconds we were having a conversation about the merits of both social networks. Such contact wouldn't have happened on Facebook because my Facebook friends are all in the U.S. and most of them know me personally, which means I keep my chat disabled because I don't want people I haven't seen in 20 years messaging me every time I check my stream.

, a molecular and cellular neurobiologist, is another person with whom I've connected through Google+.