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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.
Last week at work, I showed some nonprofit organizations a few best practices and tips for social media.
Most of the discussion focused on how an organization would best operate Twitter or a Facebook page, but some of the takeaways can be applied to personal use as well.
For this blog post, instead of hammering out a long-winded explanation of the social media tips that were imparted at the workshop, I responded in haiku to some of the most frequently asked questions from the workshop and other recent, related conversations.
Granted, I could say a lot more than 17 syllables in responding to these questions, but my goal with the haiku format is to cut the fat and give you a quick, easy and cadenced look at the most important tips. Here they are:
What advice would you give an organization starting out on social media?
Establish a goal.
Plan out your content. Provide
fresh, fun, value.
How do you go about growing an audience?
Content drives convo.
Convo raises exposure.
Exposure grows fans.
When is the best time to post content?
Depends on fan-base,
but whenever newsworthy.
For me: lunch, weekend.
How do you protect against Facebook spam?
Don’t click on weird links.
Resist sense of urgency.
Don’t sign-in again.
Do you recommend automatic posts or linking social media accounts (e.g.Facebook posts feed Twitter account)?
Not if you’re not pressed
for time. Auto-anything
is anti-social.
How do you not get burned out on social media?
Sign out of Facebook.
Check Twitter regularly,
but not round the clock.
Why don’t I see all of my friends’ status updates?
EdgeRank cut it out.
News Feed don’t show all friends’ posts.
Sorry. Deal with it.
How do you measure value of social media efforts?
Qualitatively.
Track what you can: follows; tone.
Numbers aren’t errthang.
Would you respond differently to any of these questions? What issues did I leave out? Comments in haiku get bonus points.
We’ll all remember where we were the night of May 1, 2011, when President Barrack Obama announced that Osama bin Laden had been captured and killed.
I was eating dinner at home with my girlfriend. We sat, glued to the TV, and talked about how that moment felt like one of those scenes in a movie where an entire nation, and many parts of the world, was united, hanging on every word of a news broadcast.
But the TV screen wasn’t the only source of news and commentary for us. That night, like so many other nights in the past few years, laptops and mobile phones were positioned on dining room tables so we could see the latest from our Facebook friends, refresh our Twitter searches and send text and instant messages as the events unfolded.
And while many people celebrated, others found the celebrations to be inappropriate. One person of the latter group’s persuasion was Pittsburgh Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall. He voiced his feelings on a personal Twitter account:
“What kind of person celebrates death? It’s amazing how people can HATE a man they have never even heard speak. We’ve only heard one side…”
and
“We’ll never know what really happened. I just have a hard time believing a plane could take down a skyscraper demolition style.”*
In the hours that followed, the media latched on to these controversial (and arguably insensitive) statements and Mendenhall soon found himself at the center of a PR crisis. His employer issued a statement, distancing the franchise from the player and a sponsor canceled an endorsement contract.
Mendenhall has issued an apology and deleted the tweet that implied there may have been outside factors that played a role in the World Trade Center’s collapse. But the damage had been done.
Now, obviously this isn’t the first time a public figure has suffered negative consequences as a result of social media use. But what alarms me is that this issue led some to argue that athletes should be banned from using social media to prevent this from happening again.
Social media is not the issue here. A public figure’s irresponsible use of social media is.
And it’s disappointing to see these stories continue to focus on the publishing medium rather than the producer of the content. For some reason (maybe because social media is still so bright and shiny) we continue to blame the messenger (Twitter) and not the sender (Mendenhall).
Do you really think that banning players from using Twitter is going to solve the problem of athletes inadvertently casting a negative light on the franchise?
A: There’s no way to enforce it. B: Celebrities have been acting irresponsibly way before Twitter came along. So if these bad apples don’t get in trouble for being stupid on Twitter, they’re probably going to get in trouble for being stupid somewhere else. Deal with it.
Why don’t we see headlines about Steve Nash, Grant Hill or Jared Dudley getting in trouble on Twitter? Because they generally stay out of trouble off of Twitter too. And they probably think before they tweet and understand the weight that every one of their public messages carries.
If franchises are so concerned with image, they need to address the real issues at hand: character, education and accountability. Choose personnel wisely, train staff to handle the ever-expanding public spotlight and drive home the importance of self-censorship and thinking about the reactions your messages may cause.
Of course, professional athletes aren’t saints (well, maybe one was) so these issues aren’t ever going to go away. Just like Twitter (and all that it represents) isn’t going to go away.
So instead of giving up and trying to avoid burns by smothering social media, teach safety, plan ahead and steer the flames so that the social media blaze works in your favor and casts the right light.
*I have not seen this second quote posted on Twitter, as it was deleted by the user. I found the text on various websites, including ESPN.com.
This article by LZ Granderson on ESPN.com echoes much of my sentiment (or maybe I echo much of his) in greater depth and detail.
My mom asked me a while ago to show her how to use social media better. After I rolled my eyes and said something snobby and confusing like, “Well…what do you want from social media?” I realized that it’s a great question for her to be asking.
I sometimes forget that despite the massively over-publicized explosion of Facebook and Twitter users, there are a lot of people who are still unsure of how to get any value out of social media for themselves.
In my Mom’s case, she knows how to find her way around on Facebook, and she has a blog, but Twitter is still a scary, somewhat hairy animal. The more I thought about her question, the more it made me realize that I know a ton of people like her, who are still either afraid or completely unfamiliar with Twitter.
And it’s a shame because if they could all just get over a few initial hurdles, they’d have a much richer social media experience and easier access to information that they would probably find very interesting.
In hopes of getting my mom (and others like her) over these entry barriers and to shed some of the stigmas associated with Twitter for newcomers, here is my first Mommatorial: 5 Twitter Fears, Conquered.
I have nothing to tweet about
So don’t tweet! Big deal! One of the most overlooked functions of Twitter is listening, reading, learning…consuming. Just because you only have three followers and tweet once a month about how you really should be tweeting more often, doesn’t mean you can’t get value out of Twitter. If you don’t have anything to say, then just listen. Don’t worry about growing your audience or creating content. If it really doesn’t matter to you, then your time is better spent checking out all the cool stuff other people are tweeting about. Just read and be happy.
Scary Twitter #Jargon
A major turn-off for many people new to Twitter (aside from the inevitable snarks: “What? Too busy tweeting?” or “You can tweet that!” or “So you’re a Twit…or is it Tweeterer?”) is the appearance of the # and @ and RT symbols inherent with the Twitter conversation. While this does take an open mind and patience getting used to at first…you’ll get it pretty quickly…and it’s nothing to be afraid of. There are countless easy-to-digest tutorials on this subject that can explain infinitely better than I can here. So watch a couple videos and play around with it for a bit. You’ll have it down in a few days, easy.
There are so many people on Twitter. Who should I follow?
Well, I would have to answer your question with a question: What are you interested in? You are interested in stuff, right? Good. No matter what the topic, be it underwater basket weaving, celebrity stalking or just the news…somebody somewhere is posting information about it on Twitter. The people I follow (social media professionals, photographers, utilities, bands, sports reporters, news agencies, local restaurants and bars) are going to be way different than the people my mom is going to follow (Dachsund owners, Crossfit trainers, paleo foodies and Bill O’Reilly). Start off by whittling down your interests and searching for people who are talking about related topics on Twitter.
So mom, sign in to your Twitter account (no, I don’t remember what your username or password are). At the top of the page there is a box that says “Search” in it. Type your topic of interest in that box and press “enter.” Read the stuff that you see and if you like it, follow the person who wrote it. Tada!
If I stop following somebody, will they be sad?
A follower is not necessarily a friend. Don’t associate too much weight with following someone (it’s not like the blood-written binding contract of a Facebook friendship): if you don’t like what they tweet, just stop following them it’s that easy. Which leads me into my next point…
Twitter is annoying. Who cares what people are having for lunch?
Well apparently not you, eh? So if you’re annoyed by somebody because they tweet about how crappy their ham-and-cheese sandwich is, every day, then just stop following them. Part of Twitter’s beauty is the natural selection process. As a reader, you have the power to control the sources of the information that you consume. Use it. Follow tweeters of substance. Go get that value!
A Mommatorial is a post intended to help my mom (and others like her) understand something, usually social-media or tech related. I stumbled across this fun Mom-focused tweetorial earlier today, and it reminded me of this “Mommatorial” series idea I’d been putting off, until now. Google has a website with a similar focus: teachparentstech.org. Twitter has some really cool videos that show what they’re all about. If you just can’t get enough text in your life, here’s lots more info About Twitter.
Tri for Les 2012: Lavaman
