Do you think Google + flopped?

This very question popped into my head as me and my friend were talking about social networking today. I told him that almost none of my friends use it anymore and he seemed surprised that It died so quickly.

What do you guys think of the question?

Google what? Is that like Google Maps?

I don't think so. May not be as popular as one would think, but I know more people that use it instead of Facebook. I tried it and it seemed okay. However, I may not be the best judge considering I don't have a Facebook or Twitter account.

Personally, I believe social networking is the bane of the internet.

i think the window for something to blow up before it's considered dead in the water is nuts.

It seems awfully dead on there. I think there are lots of dormant accounts.

And the bigger issue is that since you can control who sees your activity that it feels less active even when it is being used , if you know what I mean. While I prefer that level of control/privacy, it does make it feel like no one is using it.

G+ might be too little too late.

I use it all the time with my colleagues and friends. Maybe it just seems empty because you're unemployed and have no friends.

@TyCobb said:

I don't think so. May not be as popular as one would think, but I know more people that use it instead of Facebook. I tried it and it seemed okay. However, I may not be the best judge considering I don't have a Facebook or Twitter account.

Personally, I believe social networking is the bane of the internet.

I agree. Social networking is horrible, and it wastes so much time. But, it does help with school. Make a private fb group for a class, add everybody you know that's taking that class, and discuss hw/tests/etc. It's extremely helpful. This also works with planning events.

Social Networking also, in some way or another, is a reason why the Arab Spring actually worked.

@TheHT said:

i think the window for something to blow up before it's considered dead in the water is nuts.

lol

Google is starting to strongly integrate Google+ into search, it's becoming a fairly important source for business reviews. I think it will take a long time to catch on, but it has better longterm Outlook than Facebook or Twitter. Google just needs to tie in all their stuff to it: YouTube, gmail, reader, android, etc.

You guys do have some valid points there

I think the worst part of it to me is: It definitely show alot of potential out the gate.

It's really not a bad site, but since nobody seems to use it, I never use it.

It flopped as a Facebook successor but i'm sure Google will find some way to make it useful in their inevitable global conquest

As a place where people post statuses and stuff, I really don't think it will "catch on". It is useful for other things though, such as free internet storage for photos taken with my phone, as well as helping show what my friends clicked on with similar searches.

@Kidavenger: Their growing integration with Google Search is one of my biggest complaints regarding Google+. I don't like that they're basically taking a heavier hand on how they manipulate what you see when you get searches. Searches shouldn't be prioritized by their relation to Google or their popularity on Google+. In the long run, I think it's damaging the overall integrity of their search.

Though, hey, people may eat it up anyway. I just don't think it's good for the Internet, especially not when Google is as big as it is and leveraging that size to manipulate public perception of what is on the Internet and where they should get that content or information.

I bet it'll gain popularity once facebook loses its popularity. It may be the next facebook.

I like Google+ where it is a much lower paced and low key than Facebook. If nothing else, Facebook needs the competition.

@Phatmac said:

I bet it'll gain popularity once facebook loses its popularity. It may be the next facebook.

Google+ is a direct competitor to Facebook, meaning that if Facebook dies, then Google+ will too. If Facebook dies, it's going to be because the concept itself dies.

Its too bad it never really took off the way I thought it would.  The idea of an "anti" Facebook was cool for a while but I like interacting with all of my real life friends instead.

I can't say because I don't use it or facebook for that matter ... Twitter is very popular though I can say that because I use Twitter.

They did not expect G+ to overtake FB. It was created as an extension of their current products, as well as an enhancement.

The real benefits are not apparent right away, examples below.

1. Provides a unified Google account profile(something every service has, Google had a fragment of various profiles for various services)
2. Your profile information helps them tailor services even more(take your tinfoil hats off, your information is safer with/at Google then may other companies)
3. Google Apps for Business will use the G+ platform in a corporate environment. THIS IS A KILLER APP. Think about selective and secure sharing, and all the networking abilities(like hangouts).

There are more examples, but that should give you a general idea. It is a win win even if FB remains the number one Social Network.

TL:DR: Google+ is NEXUS of all Google products, and if it wins or helps in the social war "Not Bad".

Side note, you can't tell how popular or how much it is used as most things are not shared publicly.

@coakroach said:

It flopped as a Facebook successor but i'm sure Google will find some way to make it useful in their inevitable global conquest

Just like Google Wave!

As a social networking site, it's not necessary or needed.

Not at all. There is 100,000,000 active users per month. Notice that is active users, not just people that made a account and never did anything with it. (There is 400,000,000 users in total) Is it as much as FB? Course not. And may never be that much, but still a very good number.

It has grown very fast. If you see nothing in your feed, thats cause you are not adding the right people.

Google Plus, Schmoogle Schmus... I've got a little over a year before they take down my beloved iGoogle... :(

Is it even out of beta and live yet?

@avidwriter said:

Is it even out of beta and live yet?

I don't know if Google has claimed it's out of beta or not, but it is live.

The problem is, even if Google+ is better than FaceBook, FaceBook already has such a massive established user base everyone is going to want to go there. The only reason I am on FaceBook is because all of my international friends are on it, and it is the only way for me to keep in touch with them. It's the same thing as with MMOs: you might create an MMO that is just as good, if not slightly better, than WOW, but because everyone is already playing WOW it is nearly impossible to convince everyone to make the jump.

I think the jury is still out. Social media giants aren't made overnight. FB has replaced AOL as low hanging internet fruit, with less than stellar netizens. They encompass the majority of FB users, which incidentally is the network Google would have to loot to fill out their network. Google prides itself on being cutting edge, which can be alienating to simpler end users. A position Google is feeling now that they are wooing social media subscribers.

I don't think people are ready to migrate from Facebook, yet, but I think Google+ will have it's day. That day is just not now.

I'm very interested to see where social media goes, I like to think social media will split into groups - almost like brands, but with some degree of cross-communication. More of a tech-type? You're probably on G+. More into the mainstream, celebrities and media? You'll be on another service. What if you hate everything? There's probably something suited for you, too. And by using a certain service, we express something about ourselves in the process.

We discuss the future of social media a lot, where I work.

@TruthTellah said:

Google what? Is that like Google Maps?

Google maps is the best!

There's still users, and I use it occasionally to pimp my blogs, but I never read through it. Shit's near dead if it isn't dead already.

I fucked up, though, added too many people to my GiantBomb circle.

Gary Whitta is still on it!

There are probably a bunch of active users on it still, so I wouldn't say it's necessarily a flop.

I don't know I just use Twitter. I really don't even know what it's for.

I used to be a frequent user of Google Hangout which I think is a great service for video conferencing but these days I only use Skype and skip the camera.

it isn't dead, I would need to try quite hard to read everything that gets posted in my feed each day, if you don't see anything it will because you don't have anyone in your circles who post which can be hard to get started, best bet is to find someone who has shared a circle and just add all those people, I know there is a few active GB people that joined up when it started

@Solh0und said:

This very question popped into my head as me and my friend were talking about social networking today. I told him that almost none of my friends use it anymore and he seemed surprised that It died so quickly.

What do you guys think of the question?

Asphyxiation was inevitably imminent, the revival will commence in the upcoming juncture of 2020, we all knew it was going too happen. Still, the need to participate didn't hold me back.

@ShaggE said:

Google Plus, Schmoogle Schmus... I've got a little over a year before they take down my beloved iGoogle... :(

I have no idea why they're taking that down. It might not be the most popular thing but it's useful, and more and more people I know have started using it.

I don't know, since in my circle of friends and acquaintances it's not really used - we rely on Facebook. And the switch is unlikely right now, since the current layout of most Google services, excluding the search engine, is fucking atrocious. Using Gmail is a damn chore for me.

I don't know if it was ever meant to be a competitor to Facebook. :| If it was, then I wouldn't say it flopped. It certainly hasn't succeeded, though.

But as a universal Google profile for all of your devices and accounts that operate with your gmail address? It's pretty brilliant.

I have a friend who heavily championed it for the first couple of months but it just didn't catch on.

I'm not a financial analyst, so I can't really say. From personal experiences though, I don't use it, and I don't really know anyone that does.

I have an account on there but I never use it. Google keeps trying to convince me to come back to it by sending me emails but the fact that none of my friends use it kind of keeps me away from it.

Yeah, definitely. It still has promise though..

I don't think there is really any question here. It didn't grab like they wanted. Some people will find some of it's features really useful though.

@ManU_Fan10ne said:

@TyCobb said:

I don't think so. May not be as popular as one would think, but I know more people that use it instead of Facebook. I tried it and it seemed okay. However, I may not be the best judge considering I don't have a Facebook or Twitter account.

Personally, I believe social networking is the bane of the internet.

I agree. Social networking is horrible, and it wastes so much time. But, it does help with school. Make a private fb group for a class, add everybody you know that's taking that class, and discuss hw/tests/etc. It's extremely helpful. This also works with planning events.

Social Networking also, in some way or another, is a reason why the Arab Spring actually worked.

I disagree. Social networking is great for keeping in contact with circles of people you care about. I have tons of people from other gaming communities that I keep on contact with on social networks. Its also a great way to self-promote. I do some writing and podcasting for a small site with some other guys and social networking is a great way to get the word out about your stuff. Lastly, social networks are a instant source of news the second something happens twitter will blow up about it. Getting by the second updates when major events or emergencies are happening is pretty clutch. I find it to be a pretty key part of my everyday social life nowdays.

yes it flopped majorly. i dont know anyone using it.

I created an account then deleted it five minutes after because I thought the user interface was terrible.

@Demoskinos said:

@ManU_Fan10ne said:

@TyCobb said:

I don't think so. May not be as popular as one would think, but I know more people that use it instead of Facebook. I tried it and it seemed okay. However, I may not be the best judge considering I don't have a Facebook or Twitter account.

Personally, I believe social networking is the bane of the internet.

I agree. Social networking is horrible, and it wastes so much time. But, it does help with school. Make a private fb group for a class, add everybody you know that's taking that class, and discuss hw/tests/etc. It's extremely helpful. This also works with planning events.

Social Networking also, in some way or another, is a reason why the Arab Spring actually worked.

I disagree. Social networking is great for keeping in contact with circles of people you care about. I have tons of people from other gaming communities that I keep on contact with on social networks. Its also a great way to self-promote. I do some writing and podcasting for a small site with some other guys and social networking is a great way to get the word out about your stuff. Lastly, social networks are a instant source of news the second something happens twitter will blow up about it. Getting by the second updates when major events or emergencies are happening is pretty clutch. I find it to be a pretty key part of my everyday social life nowdays.

I want to point out that I was not saying anything against social networking in general (there are reasons for it). I just think the idea of it now is an extreme annoyance and the amount that it is shoved down our throats is what makes me hate it. I hate seeing bullshit marketing campaigns completely revolve around Facebook/Twitter. I despise that it is something that everything is integrated into and now making its way into games. Best thing ever was Facebook's IPO taking a giant shit.

@TyCobb said:

@Demoskinos said:

@ManU_Fan10ne said:

@TyCobb said:

I don't think so. May not be as popular as one would think, but I know more people that use it instead of Facebook. I tried it and it seemed okay. However, I may not be the best judge considering I don't have a Facebook or Twitter account.

Personally, I believe social networking is the bane of the internet.

I agree. Social networking is horrible, and it wastes so much time. But, it does help with school. Make a private fb group for a class, add everybody you know that's taking that class, and discuss hw/tests/etc. It's extremely helpful. This also works with planning events.

Social Networking also, in some way or another, is a reason why the Arab Spring actually worked.

I disagree. Social networking is great for keeping in contact with circles of people you care about. I have tons of people from other gaming communities that I keep on contact with on social networks. Its also a great way to self-promote. I do some writing and podcasting for a small site with some other guys and social networking is a great way to get the word out about your stuff. Lastly, social networks are a instant source of news the second something happens twitter will blow up about it. Getting by the second updates when major events or emergencies are happening is pretty clutch. I find it to be a pretty key part of my everyday social life nowdays.

I want to point out that I was not saying anything against social networking in general (there are reasons for it). I just think the idea of it now is an extreme annoyance and the amount that it is shoved down our throats is what makes me hate it. I hate seeing bullshit marketing campaigns completely revolve around Facebook/Twitter. I despise that it is something that everything is integrated into and now making its way into games. Best thing ever was Facebook's IPO taking a giant shit.

Well, I can't blame marketing people for taking that route. People are on twitter and facebook so you go where the people are. Marketing is always going to try to be up with the latest trends. So it only makes sense that they do it. It doesn't bother me because regardless of where you go marketing is everywhere anyways. Its just something I'm used to now.

No, not yet anyway. It took Twitter and Facebook over 2 years before finding anyone who wasn't either: unemployed and wasting time on the internet, or specifically looking out for these things; who could actually recognise the name when you said it. Google + has already overcome most of that, they now need to get to a point where enough early-adopters join and use it consistently to make others follow (something which quite a few bands/celebrities have done due to them wanting use the chat functionality and the circles system). They then need to go the step further and be as-well-known as the leader Facebook in a given demographic before they can truly "succeed", this part took facebook at least another 2 years.

So it isn't decided yet if it will succeed or not, ultimately it will depend on: how much Facebook annoys people, how easy it is for people to fall into the service through others (like using search) and if they give a good enough service to bring in lots of public-personas (a good direction for that is to improve their Youtube live stream service and integrate it with Google + for a better chat experience and archiving system).