Oh noo… google+ is dead!
Or is it really?
Recently Stuart Duncan, my favourite G+ user, shared his two cents on why people felt Google+ is dead.
It made PERFECT sense.
Image credit: Getty Image: quavondo
On his G+ status which had been shared more than 270 times. He said:
1. Go to Twitter.com from a fresh browser, ie, not logged in.
2. Sign up for a new account, name it anything you like.
3. Without following anyone, sit and view your stream for a little while. An hour or two should do.
4. Return in a month, view your stream. Does it still look like it did a month ago?
5. Write an article on how no one uses Twitter, it’s a ghost town and a complete failure.”
What he said got me reflect my current strategy on Google plus and how much time I have been spending on it.
- I wasn’t spending time on it at all. I’ll login, spend a few minutes here and there and leave. I find it tough to “stick” to it. Apparently I wasn’t the only one.
According to ComScore, the average users were spending 3 minutes on Google Plus and nearly 7 hours on Facebook a MONTH.
- I don’t share much at all, usually photos or status updates here and there.
- I didn’t have a strategy. (mistake I made when I was on twitter too)
So after giving it another try and of course spending more time on google plus.
Here are my thoughts
- Its beginning to win me over. I had one status which generated over 400 +1’s and 200 shares.
- Some of my post gets better visibility and engagement than Facebook. That is because my network on Google+ is more targeted while my Facebook is more towards friends and acquaintances. Whenever I share something more personal, it has better engagement.
- I like the conversation on Google plus because I it definitely brings a deeper conversation than twitter just like so many mentioned.
- I still like how straight forward twitter is compared to G+, whenever I tweet someone, its for that person.
I’m not saying I adore it so much that I would give up Facebook or twitter, or would share the world how amazing twitter, facebook or google plus is.
I’m just saying, it works if you spend time and effort on it, just like every social networking sites.
What do you think?
Sean Work says
The funny thing about Google + is that they are trying leverage everyone’s SEO fever to get people to use it. If you use Google Plus you can improve your SEO for your content, and you can rank higher in personalized search results. To me this is Google’s strong-arm approach to push their social network. If you don’t join, you lose out on the SEO benefits. I don’t really dig that part…it’s really unnatural.
Rita Dawson says
Google + is really boring compared to Facebook or Twitter. I
can even spend the whole day in Facebook or Twitter while it’s really hard to
spend even 1 hour in Google+. I don’t remember how many months back that I
logged in to my Google+ account. But every one hour I log in to Twitter. 🙂
jimmy says
haha nah man, google + is still dead. who wants to bother with 2 social networks? i already have facebook, why bother reposting all the stuff i post on there on google+? you’re right that people dont get on there and post stuff, but why bother when everything i want to post is already posted on facebook? google+ is dead haha!!
Lisabeth Rosenberg says
Me too. Different community (more geeky techno-freaks too and creatives)
Flávio Augusto says
Google+ is the 2nd biggest social network out there and the one with biggest growing user base and it might become bigger than Facebook in 2015, so it is not dead but you simply don’t know how to use it.
Mr.Lulu says
Google plus is only large because google makes you have a account -_-
Flávio Augusto says
That just makes them smart. A lot of websites force users to have a Facebook account too.
London Media Agency says
Here’s why Google Plus feels dead… because it is. People always make the same old excuses for it… You need to put the work in, it’s not for old friends but for meeting new ones, it’s a social layer… It’s a turkey is what it is. I don’t want to have to put the work in to enjoy a product. You don’t have to put the work in with any other social network and why should you? It’s not meant to be a job, it’s meant to be fun and social.
Flávio Augusto says
Google+ is dead if you treat is like it’s Facebook. If you see the facts and the numbers you’ll see that G+ is far from being a dead social network.
London Media Agency says
What is it with Google Plus users telling everyone they are not using it properly?? People know how to use it, but unless you follow technology religiously or are a photographer, there’s nothing there for you. It ends up being more of a replacement for Google Reader or for Currents than a social network.
Flávio Augusto says
Your argument might be correct but that doesn’t prove that Google+ is dead, because it’s not. Also, there are endless communities about everything there, not only technology or stuff like that.
London Media Agency says
Look, I use Google Plus, you don’t need to convert me, but I’m on my own there. I have lots of people in my circles but they’re bloggers, organisations or people I don’t know. I was on Google Plus pretty close to the beginning. I converted all my facebook contacts to Gmail contacts and sent out Google Plus invitations. Every time one of them joins Google Plus (not necessarily from my old invitations) I get notified. About 20 of my facebook contacts have joined G+ over the last 2 years. That estimate is generous. Of those 20, about 3 bothered to post anything other than “Hello Google Plus”. None of them has become a regular user. None. The only communities that are thriving are related to Android, Google, Chrome OS, Photography and a few others. Google Plus has very vocal, very loyal supporters good for you, if you like it great. Most people have never heard of it, even some of those that are considered users have never heard of it.
Corey Mattson says
The roll-out of Google+ was atrocious. There are more features now, but why they didn’t wait until they had a viable product is surprising for a company like Google. Maybe I have this wrong, but when it first rolled out, there was no way to create pages for organizations and causes. Having an excellent product from the beginning when going up against FB is crucial.
I_warned_ya says
ooh ooh! Google Plus is alive, but they had to kill YouTube to do it! Don’t fall for the fake Google Plus numbers- People don’t like being forced to sign up for Google Plus, especially when they have to swallow the lie that doing so will fix the YouTube commenting system. Google is pathetic.
Metro Issues :: Louisville says
I may be going out on a limb here, but I think it’s Facebook that’s dying. It’s dying because those of who run pages are unable to engage the likers of our pages like we used to be able to do, unless we continually shell out cash for Facebook. For small businesses and non-profits, this is untenable. Google+ should take advantage of this.
bassnation says
I don’t have to do this on Facebook. Why not? Because my friends, family, lovers, colleagues, EVERYONE is already there.
Being on plus is akin to attending a party full of chest-beating egotistical tech bloggers – and being talked at. It’s overwhelmingly male and it’s boring.
Fair enough, maybe I don’t get it, haven’t “put in the work” (why should I?), whatever, so I left. What really ANNOYS and is ultimately going to result in me ditching many other of their products is being tricked repeatedely into creating a new plus profile by gmail, youtube etc. That’s my definition of malware and this is the point where I’ve really come to loathe this company.
Plus = MS Vista. The point where google finally jumped the shark.
bassnation says
No they don’t.
CaRDiaK says
Too many people just don’t seem to get it. At all.
Twitter = Perceptions
Facebook = People
Google+ = Passions.
They all have their place.
Robdog says
Because on Facebook you get to watch drama play out!
Dot says
Google+ is a platform far more than it’s a social network. It’s an easy way for people to give their personal information to data miners, for example.
duffersview says
i agree that google plus must die
my views are of common netizen as below
http://duffersview.com/2014/05/22/google-plus-must-die/
editor- duffersview.com
Kyle says
Google has clearly been sold and bought by the rich 1 percents that control the world’s wealth and doesn’t give a rats ass what you peons think. They do what they want and only look at *headlines* to see if their product is a success or not.
If the headlines are biased for or against that’s how they make their decisions without reading the fine details.
A biased headline would read “Google’s new Product Y’s Launch Is A Sucess! Click here for details! Google executives only see the headline and maybe the first two paragraphs and think “Well everybody must love it so let’s continue to make more!”
If the biased headline hates it then the headline would read “Google’s Product X is an embarass
primalxconvoy says
Google Minus died ages ago, due to forcing existing Android/Google Play reviewers and Youtube commenters and users to sign up in order to use existing services (which just made those services LESS used by said users), forcing real names (since redacted), forcing google play servbiecs/games to only work with google minus, etc.
Using the actual social network is a confusing mess, with the home screen full of adverts, posts from people you cant block and no easy to navigate menu system. Adding friends is confusing and just puts new users, who quickly leave after joiing (often in the same web browsing session).
Now, with Google Minus getting chopped up, and the idiot in charge of the whole sorry affair getting the boot, perhaps Google can kill it and leave someone else to create an actual comptent, easy to use and secure social nertwork, because Google and Facebook sure ain’t it.
primalxconvoy says
Google Minus is MEANT to be treated like Facebook. That’s what a social network IS. Next, you’ll be saying that it’s wrong to treat betamax like VHS, and that betamax is doing just fine…
primalxconvoy says
incorrect. It’s dead. noone uses it.
primalxconvoy says
Except for something to be “alive” and thriving, it DOES need to be easy to use and should require little or no work. That’s why Google search replaced Yahoo, why Facebook replaced myspace and why noone bothered, or will bother, with Google Minus.
Flávio Augusto says
Give me numbers.
Flávio Augusto says
Facebook = social media but social media ≠ Facebook. You won’t treat Tsu or Myspace like Facebook or Facebook like Twitter, they’re all different.
primalxconvoy says
No need to. Noone I know uses it. That’s proof enough.
Mind you, I’m sure that, of it was relevant, it would be used for this comments section, completely replacing Disqus.
But it won’t, because Google Minus is irrelevant.
Flávio Augusto says
“Noone I know uses it”. Your friends are like 0,00000000000001% of the Internet. Google+ had 320 million active users by the end of 2012/early 2013. Commenting systems, like Disqus are widely used because you can use different accounts to log-in and comment on something using Facebook, Google or anything else, ensuring that a bigger number of people are able to comment on something. I’m not the only one who uses Google to log here for sure. Try again.
Phoenix Ares says
I actually like Google+. I don’t get what the uproar about it was when it first launched though I can understand people not wanting to use real names. I do believe users should be given the option to use screen names. There are many reasons why someone would NOT wanna use their real identities. Though I feel one should use common sense when posting things, still I feel you should be able to express yourself in your downtime without worrying about repercussions from your job or whatever–but that’s just my opinion. What annoyed me was constantly being asked my real name when I don’t like my full name out there. This is why I don’t have a Facebook acct and never will. Anyway that aside, I think Google plus isn’t all that bad. I’ve been pretty impressed with it.
SortingHat says
Since Larry Page took over and made Google focus on mobile first Google has been dead ever since with not much progress.
I remember when street view was the best and now it’s hardly talked about unless someone rents their equipment out and does something once in a while like the upcoming Montana University *outdoors* or going under the ocean in some spots but it’s third party groups renting it. No longer google paid employees.
SortingHat says
Google Plus was Google’s big attempt to focus on Android users and make it be Face Book or CIA Book 2.0.
Ever heard of this? http://www.google.com/maps/about/partners/businessview/ Before Larry Page took over it was all the rage and then along came Android and it’s half broken apps in a dick move to make people throw out their computers which mostly the young demographics and parents who hate computers who didn’t know any better did if they ever had a computer to begin with.
Microsoft tried to imitate that with a software package called Windows 8.0 which didn’t fly too well to put it politely and they then just recovered from their Windows Vista mess during the 64 bit conversion which almost screwed the PC industry during the Vista crisis.
SortingHat says
Maybe you are not fooled but the G employees are just young punks who buy any bull shit feed to them to feel good which trickles down further to the common lowest denominator who works there.
It’s all about da numbers man! Don’t you know? Numbers never lie……………right?
SortingHat says
Ever since FB went to live feeds BOTH services have washed down the train. We need a third party that can come in and fix up the plumbing issues the web is plagued with. Hire me and I’ll do it!
Away goes troubles down the drain. Roto Rooter!
SortingHat says
If it’s going to be a chore there then how about pay me to post? I’d do it in a heart beat!
SortingHat says
Sadly most blogs now focus on a google plus account to be able to comment.
This is what I think about Google since Larry Page took over:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UG6fo7FMOsY
Quote from Logical Journey of The Zoombinis Pizza Pass level where you build a random pizza to some stupid tree stumps.
SortingHat says
There’ something on that I don’t like! MOOOORE TOPPINGS!
My feelings about Google since 2008.
SortingHat says
Because Google is an ad company and focuses on mobile shopping and marketing! They don’t give a rats ass about serious users.
These quotes from Logical Journey of the Zoombinis PC game describes my feelings about Google since Larry took it over and decided that computer users are no longer worthy to use it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UG6fo7FMOsY
Pizza Pass or The Totally Awesome Pizza Machine as I call it.
There’s something on that I don’t like! MOOOOOOOOOOOORE TOPPINGS!!!!! Some of that stuff is yuck!
SortingHat says
789. Get it? Seven Ate Nine! Never mind. You wanted numbers so I gave them to you.
SortingHat says
How’s your Google pay cheque coming? Are you buying up those smart phones and tablets to be hip and cool?
SortingHat says
Remember when MS put out IE for free and that killed all the competition browsers?
Once all the competition was killed IE was slow and buggy as hell until along came Fire Fox and Opera and now those are more glitchier with IE becoming better over time now being called Microsoft Edge I think.
MS got a whole lot of lawsuits from the government since it’s illegal for a business to charge nothing to put out competition and MS divided up their teams and I think that lead to the Xbox because that was less riskier.
At one time MS had their own in house products such as MS Kids and serious boring software too for adults and even information software such as Encarta.
The lawsuits broke up MS development and I think they decided to go for the console market which is less riskier to them and one way to get ahead *they thought* was to buy out a company called Rare Ware due to them being competitors to MS working for Nintendo.
Rare made a lot of good games using expensive chips for it’s time and that was a direct threat for Microsoft.
SortingHat says
Don’t you see? Google is now doing the same thing and once MS is done *especially if they screw Windows 10 losing a chunk of serious users* Google will then do nasty schemes and be worse then anything MS does.
It’s a shame both companies are actually dirty.
SortingHat says
Yeah they do but it’s MSM sites that cater to that and people who have ties to media who really get into that face book stuff hard trying to be *flashy* about it.
Sites that do that hardly have any comments on their articles.
SortingHat says
I still remember the Vista crisis. Google Plus is a good or bad recreation of it depending on how you look at it.
I think Google will do a Windows 7 style of it hopefully as I seriously doubt they will ever axe all the work put into it because their payroll relies on it so much and they have paid agents that go around promoting about their products that will otherwise lose marketing jobs
Some of them are even on here but I won’t say any names so the knee circle jerk shit won’t happen. You know who you are!
SortingHat says
I hope Google pulls a Windows 7 on their network which fixed a lot of Vista issues.
Google Plus is their version of the Vista crisis with a lot of half broken stuff so whatever comes out next will stabilize it like Windows 7 did for MS.
Flávio Augusto says
Ehm… I don’t even use Android. Nice try.