Patience Wearing Thin with Google Plus?
I saw a post on Google Plus today by Niki Black, that resonated with me.
You’d better roll out some new things ASAP Google+ or you’re going to tank. Allow 3d party developers access to your API so I can post to Google+ from my feed readers. Or I’m going to stop cross-posting because it simply takes too much time. I really mean it this time. Engagement and activity are dropping rapidly as each day passes. Incorporate a few major changes and do it…NOW!
It resonated with me because it really echoed something I had thought about over the long holiday weekend. I was back in Ohio, and busy with weddings and spending time with my wife, over the weekend. I didn’t spend a lot of time online, in fact, the only online access I bothered with was my iPhone. I looked at Twitter, I looked at Facebook, I checked email, and opened a few other apps. I didn’t open Google Plus. I didn’t really think I would miss anything by not checking it, and I’m pretty sure I didn’t actually. Granted, it’s early, but it’s starting to get the Wave/Buzz feel to it, lots of hype and then a quick fizzle.
When I first critiqued Google for rolling out a social network without an API so that you could cross-post easily, I was told, no worries, they’ll add that. That was more than 2 months ago. It still doesn’t exist. Two months ago, I was hopeful that Google would continue to grow Plus, but it’s basically still the same service it was then. (Oh they added Games, which was a feature everyone hated about Facebook to begin with!) They grew in popularity and promised us that as the network grew they would be rolling out new features, and planned to do great things with it, but it hasn’t really happened yet. Sure, two months isn’t a long time, but this is the internet age, our attention span just isn’t that long. Besides, after basically doing that exact thing with Wave and Buzz, Google needs to do better with Plus. We’ve been down this road before with Google, big promises of changing the way we do social networking, only to leave us with half-developed tools.
So, Google, you’ve gotten our attention, now show us something. We’ve got plenty of other options if you don’t.
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You’re SO not wrong. I haven’t checked it in a month, and it’s kinda useless without being able to cross-post.
I’m the opposite. I’ve quit Fb and Twitter and just use Google Plus now.
I agree and it really disappoints me because I find that when I ask a question on Google Plus, I get an answer where I don’t on Twitter. But I live by services that deliver my information to me in easy ways to consume. Sitting down at my computer and going to a specific web address is, well, too much effort when I am already invested in other several other social networks.
Tami, I’m not surprised that you get an answer on Google Plus, the smaller network means people are more likely to see it, and feel a need to respond, especially compared to Twitter, however it’s the same lack of sizable network that means there is less information being shared overall. I least that’s my theory. 😉
Jack, most on the people I’m connected to on other networks haven’t made their way to Google Plus, it would be silly of me to decide I’m only going to use it and not other ones. But Google needs to do more to overtake FB and Twitter, and they just aren’t doing it right now.