Google+, Circles and Stuff
Well this is my first post on the blog since joining Bronco a couple of weeks ago so I guess I’d better introduce myself quickly before my rant. Hi, I’m Steve. Introduction done. Now…
I got an email newsletter type thingy yesterday titled: “Google+ Proclaimed Dead. Is This a Fair Assessment?”
I have no idea on usage and maybe it’ll just take longer for Google+ to become accepted and grow, I don’t know. But it wouldn’t surprise me if it was dead, and that’s just down to my own experience with it.
I didn’t join straight away, I kept putting it off as there were always other things which took priority. Sure if it suddenly became essential for SEO work then I’d jump straight in but despite some commentary to that effect, it wasn’t/isn’t so I waited.
When I had a bit of spare time I decided to give it a try (this was only a couple of weeks ago by the way). I spent about 20-30 seconds dragging and dropping people into circles, one of them didn’t seem to move and the whole thing seemed really pointless so I just stopped and moved on to doing something else. I thought to myself “Well, I’ll go back and have another go later!”
But I haven’t so far, and I probably never will unless everybody else starts using it. So it got 20-30 seconds out of me, and in that time it didn’t impress enough for me to bother anymore. This is silly really, you can’t tell anything in 20-30 seconds; you certainly can’t tell how useful a piece of software is, or how good a social networking platform is in that time. But, like everybody else I’m busy, I have lots of things to do each day and I’m impatient. Unless it’s needed for work at that time then I need it to be instantly clear or I won’t bother, I’ll move onto something else that is clear. It’s like that web usability book by Steve Krug called “Don’t Make Me Think!”. I already have to spend a lot of time thinking for work and life in general so I don’t want to for a new and unnecessary (for me, at that time) social site.
I wonder if that’s the problem for Google+. I wonder if peoples’ busy schedules mean that they simply don’t have the time and patience for it. It’s probably actually quite simple given a little time but to me in that brief period it was circles that could be created, with people that could be dragged and dropped into them, and then some people couldn’t be and remained at the top, and then… nope, that was it… something didn’t work exactly how I thought it would, so I had to think and it would cost me time, so I went. I’m sure there’s an easy explanation, something like that person wasn’t signed up to Google Plus but was there because they had a Google login maybe. I don’t know, but I didn’t care. It was going to cost me time and thought processing power which is not what I’m looking for unless it’s for work (and it could well become for work in the future, but for then, it wasn’t).
So there. If it is dead then that’s my theory as to “part” of the reason why (I’m sure there are plenty of other reasons, probably more important ones too but this is just my two cents).
Henry 609 days ago
I agree in part with what you’re saying. The set up process is a bit complicated for g+, especially if you compare with facebook, where you register and.. that’s pretty much it.
To be honest, I think the main reason why Google+ hasn’t hit the masses it could have is the silly ‘field trial’ that was going on for the last three months (it’s over today, by the way). You don’t create a successful social network by restricting access to it.
Andrew 605 days ago
Errrr, that’s exactly how Facebook started – they restricted it to colleges, 1 at a time. Seemed to work ok for them
David 609 days ago
http://daytripmedia.co.ukWell, been as I’m not particularly into SEO and tech stuff, I’m yet to even show my face at Google + or try Chrome, despite their mass of advertising. If they can’t get me interested enough to even go and look / get an invite, then how are they going to get my computer illiterate parents, family and friends to go.
In fact, why would they when everyone they’d want to talk to is on Facebook? They don’t have Google accounts and have no need for them as they’re not webmasters or tech-heads. Another product that will be dropped this time next year I’m guessing, due to lack of people. Shame they didn’t spend their time and effort sorting out the shopping, sorry, the search results.
John Callaghan 608 days ago
http://www.upliftmedia.co.ukI don’t understand why it’s expected that Google + will be adopted by the masses so quickly. Are there any examples of comparable services that have had a similar growth curve? Google +, like Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, Bebo etc will need time to grow. Granted Google will seek to oil the wheels but there is no escaping that the nature of Google + predicates long term organic growth.
steve 608 days ago
You’re probably right John… Facebook had been around for ages before I finally caved in and signed up. I’m just not sure anybody really needs another social network though… everybody has just gotten so used to FB and people aren’t keen on change, look what happens when FB changes its interface, everyone complains and wants it back how it was. So those people changing to a whole different platform with a completely different interface is unlikely in my opinion… but like you say, maybe it just takes time.
John Callaghan 608 days ago
http://www.upliftmedia.co.ukI remember consigning numerous Facebook invites and emails to my junk mail folder before I finally joined too. I think what makes Google + different from Facebook and Twitter is that Google have the means to effectively monetise it from the get go and the infrastructre to use Google+ to add value to other Google products. I agree that people are habitual creatures and a transition over to Google + looks unlikely. However, the commercial potential of Google + coupled with Google’s existing user base and marketing prowess suggest that Google + will be successful in some definition of the word, it’s just a case of when.
steve 608 days ago
Ah… there you have it. I didn’t even consider that to be honest but yes if they incentivise joining and using Google+ through their other products, that people already use/will definitely use, then yes I see what you mean.
Calum 608 days ago
http://www.polr.co.ukGoogle + is quite cool and as far as social media sites go I think it’s easily a match for what Facebook does. The problem though? It doesn’t have a usp other than it’s owned by Google. I’ve been asked by friends why they should join Google+. I have no answer for them. It’s just another social media site nobody needs.
John Callaghan 607 days ago
http://www.upliftmedia.co.ukThe same could’ve been said for Facebook and all other social networking site when they were start ups. As the saying goes “if you’re not paying for it; you’re the product” and Google + needs to expand it’s product range to become a via competitor to Facebook. When it has done their USP will be how personal data, relationships, content and behaviour is leveraged to evolve functionality and serve content. Google as an organisation has unparelled experience doing so with the search product so I’m confident they’ll succeed with Google +, particularly in the context of the points I made previously.
DijitulDave 607 days ago
http://www.dijitul.co.ukWatching all this very closely, so far I am not digging this Google Plus that much…
Let’s see where they are in 12 months time..
Chris 606 days ago
http://www.metapilot.comYou and I spent almost exactly the same amount of time on G+ doing exactly the same thing. Any chance you’re in the above 30 years old category?
Steve 604 days ago
http://www.bronco.co.ukActually yes I am 30… that’s a good point!