The Google Plus Apathy Malaise

schnoerrchen Hi Katharina,

Would you say you trust Google more, less, or just the same as Facebook when it comes to personal information and privacy? As they (Facebook) do seem to have more than their fair share of problems with that issue too?

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I would say I (don't) trust Google just at the same level as Facebook. Maybe I would say Facebook is mistreating my privacy in a different way but Google... well, they just know it all, don't they: they see me searches, I have my mail account there, now they want me do my social networking with them... I don't know if that feels so secure to me ;-)

ExpatDoctorMom Not sure if it'll go away, Rajka, and it definitely has its uses. Just not seeing the big "Wow!" factor I feel Google needs to really bring it to the game. We'll see. :)

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newdaynewlesson Real life's a bugger at times, eh? ;-)

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bdorman264 Here's the thing, Bill - let's say you're the audience Google wants (or needs) to become the next Facebook (that may not be their goal, but obviously Facebook is the standard bearer at the minute).

What would you advise they need to do to make it interesting for folks like you?

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DannyBrown I don't think it is anything they are not doing, it just seems most of my time is twitter/commenting/blogging and I just go to FB as an afterthought because that is where I was first.

I think it would take a major shift of my core group over there and if that was the easiest way to engage at that point then I would probably be more on board.

I'm not adverse to embracing change, it's just I feel I still have so much to learn in the arena I'm in.

easytouch Good points. Huzzah.

easytouch Would you say G+ is more like Twitter then, Robert? Many breaking news stories on there before the main media channels (although this isn't always a good thing). So, G+ is the natural fit between Twitter and Facebook, and maybe Google doesn't want too many of either audience?

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I stronlgy feel that Google is good on track this time to get the best of all existing systems (not only social networking, its about much more) but without the limitations. For example the spam problem. Google is really strong at that. They have experience from the search rank fights with blackhat SEO guys and also the technical assets needed to reach the target. For example I watched a long comment thread yesterday, and a spammer trying to post a link to an external site was taken of the system within 20 seconds and also his post disappeared "live" without refreshing the page ;-) The "digital passport" what they want to reach through strong identity focused measures holds great risks, but even greater opportunities for us. I am watching all those things happening online since 1993 and I am a great sceptic about privacy issues and also that until this summer all products of Google besides advertising (where the money is coming in) have only been little snacks to impress the competition. But this time, when G+ will be combined with Google Apps and the business users. Imagine the oportunities. You can then reach out and contact millions of contacts where the identity is checked through multiple measures. I would go this far in my vision that in 10 years even your financial rating will depend on your online reputation, and G+ will be one of the main sources of trust.

nathanweaver I think that's probably the biggest disappointment, Nathan, the lack of integration with other Google tools.

Maybe they're drip-feeding so as to not overwhelm, but since the early audience is made of of tech savvy folks and Google fanboys (and I say that with respect), it seems odd to hold off on the tools they'd love to see in use, and the ones that could really set G+ apart.

Ah well indeed...

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BryanPerson That's it in a nutshell, mate - no (clear) overriding factor to be there, but no reason to close the door completely either. Let's see what next six months hold. :)

DannyBrown Exactly. And though I didn't mention this before, I'm not seeing much takeup of Google+ among my NON-early-adopter friends and family. I can't even imagine trying to make the case to my parents, for example, that they should try out Google+. They only joined Facebook about a year ago. And at least as of today, there's no real compelling reason for them to go someplace else.

JeffW I think that's the biggest problem, Jeff, the "Okay, what now?" scenario. Appreciate it's a new platform, but it's not from a new company - instead, it's one with a huge amount of resources at its disposal. It'd be nice to see them use some of them. :)

rayhiltz I think the biggest difference is Facebook actually has sensible management, compared to MySpace. The day Murdoch took over was its death knell - love him or hate him, Zuckerberg is a smart cookie and knows threats when he sees one (hence the engineer lockdown mode).

MySpace also suffered from a horrible UI and a reputation for being for teens and bands. Facebook's demographic is far wider.

I'm not saying G+ will fail, but I do think it has a *lot* to do before it's a major platform.

barryrsilver That seems to be the case with many, mate, the wait-and-see approach. Here's hoping there's something worth seeing. ;-)

OpEdMarketing You know, that's a good point. I know the +1 Button is a key part in Google's long-term strategy (and current search authority one), but the Facebook Like one is so well-known, it does make you wonder if most web users know about the +1 one?

Ari Herzog Do you see the Hangout option (at least the multi-user one) as a serious option, or more a gimmick that will be under-used?

DannyBrown The first time I joined a hangout there were 10 other people from around the world -- and one of them tried an experiment, bringing his laptop and tethered phone into the car, and drove around Los Angeles like an episode of COPS. Whatever he saw driving, we saw alongside in his video stream. I imagined future uses of this if/when Google hangouts is synced with Google latitude and other programs.

For my own use, I see it as a viable way to schedule mini town hall forums. People can enter and leave.

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Ari Herzog See, THAT sounds pretty cool and something to make non-users think about.

JayDolan Good point. I know I'm guilty of sharing some of the same stuff on there as elsewhere. Then again, there are new people there that I don't know elsewhere, so it's a fine line. ;-)

Brankica It was a typo? I thought you were doing your Gollum impression... ;-)

DannyBrown OMG, I loves that guy :)

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hackmanj Thing is, mate, for the average Facebook user, they're probably unaware of the reasons for contempt. So is that something Google needs to overcome? I'm thinking of the UnThink platform currently making the news, and its counter to Facebook and other networks' privacy issues.

Diana of Elephant's Eye Gotta love the "immitation is flattery" approach by those social media guys ;-)

HowieSPM What would be the best use of integration for the everyday user, Howie, to make it more appealing in general (if the beta phase was over)?

Lori The Hangouts are definitely intriguing (though I haven't really tried them fully yet). Do you think that would be enough to sway people over, now Facebook has the Skype option as well as various Facebook video chat apps?

DannyBrown LOL, I was wondering just that after I posted my comment Danny. I don't think the Hangout feature would be enough to sway people over, only that it could be used for that. I see way too many "funny" videos being posted :o I don't know what that's about and have had to unfollow someone already!

For sure, it's a super challenge for Google to do this. The only way it will work is if all the newbies go over and/or all the ones already deeply indoctrinated in Facebook decide to go over. How does that happen? I don't know.

Does anyone else have the ability to have 10 people on a video chat at once? But then, it will probably be only a matter of time until they do!

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Lori I guess dedicated video conferencing, but these are obviously premium (hence the better quality). But be interesting to see if it's taken up or just seen as a gimmick longer term. :)

Darren Sproat I hear you, mate. For me, I log into email, Facebook, Twitter and then G+. Often it's because I get an alert to a reply on a thread, as opposed to a new jump in. Hmmm...