Currently viewing the tag: "Google+"
I’m trying not to get too excited about Google+.
I remember when Google Buzz launched about a year ago. I was all jacked up, and within a few weeks I felt pretty silly for contributing to the over-hype of what has turned out to be a dud thus far.
And as genuine as my efforts for objectivity are, I can’t deny that I’m a Google fanboy and am cheering for them to succeed in the social space.
So, yes, I am excited about Google+ and here are some of my notes on the new platform.
I hope they help your exploration of Google+ in one way or another. At the very least it’ll be fun to look back on this in a year and measure the accuracy (or inaccuracy) of my assessments and predictions.
Layout
Even though Google+ looks a lot like Facebook (e.g. stream=news feed; +1=Like; comments=comments), it feels cleaner, with less marketing and more original, user-generated content*. Fewer sponsored ads and news-feed stories like, “John Smith is now friends with Bill Smith and 47 other people.”
Google’s new social platform’s likeness to Facebook may serve Google+ well in that people may be more willing to use a new channel if it seems familiar. In contrast, Twitter is such a foreign language to most Facebook users that they avoid it like the plague.
Still, one layout component I would change would be to allow the ability to organize and prioritize the list of circles on the home page rather than having it stuck in an alphabetical sort. A drag-and-drop functionality would be nice.
Circles
For me, Facebook is where I can connect with people I actually know and Twitter is where I read and learn from experts, many of whom I’ve never met in person.
Google+ feels like a place where I could bring both of these groups together, but still keep them organized without a lot of hassle. A hybrid of friendships and content…like Twitter in a Facebook suit.
Still, this is all contingent on people adopting Google+. In addition, there’s a lot of value and weight placed on Facebook friendships and that, combined with the sheer size of the Facebook user-base, and the time that people have spent building up their friends and audiences, means Facebook isn’t going anywhere any time soon.
Twitter, on the other hand, doesn’t have Facebook’s numbers. Also interesting to note that Google is no longer incorporating Tweets into its searches. It’ll be interesting to see how it all plays out, but I can see Google+ as much more of a threat to Twitter than it is to Facebook. However I still prefer Twitter over Facebook and will continue to use all three channels.
Search
Google+ plus does not currently have a search function.
I don’t understand this either, so if you have any idea why Google, a search engine, would not have search built-in from the ground up, please share with the group.
This is one advantage that Twitter has over Google+ and I still find hashtags and trending topics one of the most valuable components of social media for organizing content around a topic, event or news item rather than solely around the producers of the content.
Still, it can’t be too long until Google+ adds a search function.
Businesses and Brands
Google+ has not offered a space for businesses or brands to engage on the platform. They are working on this, but needless to say I’m anxious to see what kind of opportunities their offering presents for businesses and customers to connect.
I really like Ford social media lead Scott Monty’s ideas in this article, which include letting customers choose what kind of content they want to receive from brands through circles and offering group video chats for customers to interact with company experts. Exciting stuff.
Still, can’t argue with Facebook’s numbers. And since most people are going to be on Facebook for a while, I can see Facebook continuing to dominate the business-to-consumer communications while Google+ works to catch up and build its user base.
Your thoughts on Google+?
*This is also taking into consideration that most of the people that I’ve seen on Google+ so far are the early-adopter, social-media-guru type people and thus are more apt to post original content than your average user.
I’ve seen others break down their methodology on various social channels and thought it would be interesting to evaluate what I’m using, how I’m using it and the value therein.
I hope this gives you some ideas for new ways to use these networks, and I encourage you to share your own breakdown in the comments.
Also, I plan to do a post like this every year to see how the industry, and my participation, is progressing.
And to keep me from getting too long-winded or granular in my evaluations, I restricted myself to three sentences on each topic (inspired by a great creative writing blog called Six Sentences that you should subscribe to).
Most of my action on Facebook is for work, managing my company’s page every day. But personally, I rarely post status updates or spend much time reading my news feed (probably scan it about once a day for less than five minutes). My value from Facebook: it’s my job first and foremost; otherwise it’s a good way for me to share new posts on my blog, remember birthdays and contact people when phone or email aren’t options.
I tweet, personally, on average about once or twice a day: usually about social media or current events. I also tweet professionally for my company in a communications/customer service/media relations hybrid capacity. My value from Twitter is in the job (again), the information, the speed, the simplicity, the control and in the unprecedented access it provides, across the board.
Foursquare
Telling the Internet where you are and what you’re doing can be a bit risky. And despite my freak stalker experience, I check-in on Foursquare to promote businesses that I like and activities that I’m doing. I get value from the occasional specials, but mostly by reading tips and menu suggestions from other users.
Completely for professional networking and development. I keep my profile updated and log-in about once a week to check for messages and new invitations (I turned off the email notifications to clean up my inbox), stay abreast of movements and opportunities in various industries and to follow group discussions. Biggest value currently is from these group discussions (for example, I participate in a group of social media professionals in the utility industry).
Flickr
My online photo portfolio and source of inspiration for many projects. It’s a mix of professional and personal photography, but usually I’ll only post my best shots. I find value in the added exposure in the flickr community, the ability to store, display and access high-resolution images online and the aforementioned creative inspiration.
Tumblr
A grab bag of photos, notes, ideas and links. It’s pretty much reserved for more-frequent content that doesn’t make it on this blog or photos that aren’t flickr-worthy. Value of tumblr is in the simple and easy user interface and the comfort of having a self-prescribed creative place with less structure and guidelines.
Google+
Like most people, I’m still figuring out how this new channel is going to fit in with my processes. My initial take is that it looks a lot like Facebook, but it feels more personal and less like marketing-skewed. For me, I can see Google+ serving as one of the ways that I communicate with the people I really want to communicate with, and can see Facebook continuing its trajectory toward marketing and business-to-consumer communications.
Tri for Les 2012: Lavaman
