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Have you been seeing all the TV commercials for Google+ lately? Why in the heck would a social media platform need to advertise in TV? That question can be answered simply, because it is an epic failure.
Google’s Social Media Platform
Google+ is the Google entry into the wild west of social media. In other words it is Google’s attempt to take on facebook and twitter and take over the world. Don’t get me wrong I am not some kind of Google hater or a crazy Google conspiracy nut, but I think with this attempt they have missed the boat.
What are some of the pundits saying about Google+
Andrew Sullivan from the Daily Beast quotes Joshua Gaun “Facebook’s defaults nudge people towards sharing while Google’s do not.”
One of the best arguments on why Google+ will fail comes from the Forbes 8/15/2011 article A Eulogy for Google Plus “Google can launch a product that fixes Facebook’s issues, and even looks a touch nicer to boot, but its biggest flaw is simply something it can’t overcome. It’s not Facebook.”
I think the Bundle Post has it right in their article The Google Plus Social Media Failure, Now Jeopardizing Google Itself
We hoped, we prayed, we begged, but despite our desire for something to compete with Goliath Facebook, the writing is on the wall. You may recall that weeks before Google Plus was even announced I wrote about this situation. I stated that the future of social media is NOT more networks, but rather tools that make the current graph more effective via relationship management.
I could not agree more.
I love what Tim Florek said in his article Why Google+ could do better but won’t
If new tools work in my existing system that’s great. If a new tool is so earth shattering that I change my system to use it that’s great too. However if a tool is alright but doesn’t quite fit in or work in my system then I will eventually move on and cut it out of workflow all together.
This is exactly right. Here Here!
Why Do I Think Google+ Will Fail
This is all well and good but what do I really think?
I have used Google+ quite a bit, I have what some would say is a pretty large following, but I must say I am getting to the point where I completely ignore it. It just is not interesting. But why?
Granted these arguments are pretty emotional and very subjective but hey, I am an emotive guy but I am also very intuitive and I am willing to bet many people will indeed agree with me.
It is a Ponzi Scheme
It seems to me that many of the first people in Google+ have all of the billions and billions of followers. So this whole system has a feeling of being some kind of network marketing company or a Ponzi scheme. If you were in first you automatically are some kind of celebrity, no matter what you might create. This is not to disparage the great people out there that are indeed producing great content but what it does is discourage the newer people from engaging. The whole community seems to be about celebrity instead of sharing among friends and people that I like and care about.
It has some super secret language
The system seems to be built by geeks for geeks and creative geeks. This is actually a term of endearment for me because I am a creative geek also. But the system did not seem to translate into something useful for the masses. They have a super secret language that you must undestand for people to even see or care if you posted anything. So you have to use plus signs, hash tags, the name of a group or whatever to let people you are saying something even if they are in your circle. It is really odd and totally geeky and frustrating to me. It is almost like they forgot to have normal people give them feedback on the usability of the system.
It Does Not Intuitively Encourage Sharing
The best way for a system to encourage sharing is for the system to encourage feedback on what a person shares. So if I share crap, people should tell me what I am sharing is crap or conversely, if I share something great I would quickly be rewarded. Frankly this is why Pinterest.com is so crazy popular. It is immediately pleasing to the senses and feedback is almost immediate. But on Google+ you can share something and get no response on it, even if you have a pretty large followership. That is insane!
So I think the culture of Google+ is totally engrained into the product and I do not believe it can be changed now. For these reasons Google+ will fail. It may not go away, Google has way too much money for that, but it will not be a Social Media powerhouse.
You can find Wayne on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and still on Google+
Why is Google Plus Failing and You Will Stop Using It
I have been thinking this so long but I have not heard anyone say this. I have an account, in fact I have two, but I NEVER use them. I hate G+. Please let it die quickly. Thank you for stating the obvious.
John,
I sure got in trouble from the Google+ zealots for saying this.
Thanks for stopping by.
Pingback: Google+ is dying! Do you care? | Questions and Answers
I wish I was paid to manage the Google war against FB. It’s so frustrating to see the amazing errors that Google is making.
Facebook has everything under the one brand. Google is a mix match of MANY brands,(Youtube, Picasa, etc etc) and it expects its users to understand that it all now one.
Why would I want to become a Google plus user when the damage has already been done by us already having added our friends on FB. Where is the incentive to move across. If Google was smart it would build some kick arse import tools for starters.
The Google plus circle of friends, interface is total BS. The exclusive invite system they used for Gmail was good back then, but put most of us off while waiting for our turn to join G+. That in itself was a HUGE mistake.
I don’t think its too late to grab the FB market and even seal FB’s doom, however the strategy needs to be delivered in one surprise hit, with incentive for users to cross, ease in crossing, and little work in duplicating what has already been built in FB groups.
Dear Mr Google, the next time you want to employ someone on a 150K job, to sit on bean bags all day, please give me a ring and I’ll happily do a great job as an adviser for you.
Too funny.
It is fun to watch but I think Google is now making some pretty large strides and Facebook seems dead from a traffic perspective. How odd what a difference a few months make.
They may have some great services like youtube, picassa, blogger, etc, but I doubt they will ever gain the social media section of the pie with their current offerings. I’m not necessarily barracking for either team, but I do want them both punished for the many lame oversights they have made.
I agree..