This is as much about providing information about ranting. I've really heard enough about it already. And I'm going to guess that most who will read this will agree with me. Hit the link to see what's got me going tonight.
I'll get right to the point on this, this is about the supposed demise of Google+. It seems that every other week now some journalist seems to feel the need to declare Google+ a failure that will be shut down at any time. There are some journalists who don't believe this and continually feel the need to defend the platform (Mike Elgan, I'll tag him once I post this to Google+). But a little research about the doomsayers shows that they have either never used the platform or only gave it a very brief, half-hearted effort.
They base their opinion on the fact that their 2 week trial didn't give them much interaction and none of their family or friends are here. And that's one of their downfalls. Google+ isn't about family and friends. It's about connecting with people who have similar interests. There are thousands of pages, communities, and collections to follow, and those aren't about the people that are in there, they are about the content. Look at me for example. I have a page to mirror this blog, several communities based on things that interest me, several collections. This allows people to determine what it is that they want to see that I post. If you like everything that I post beyond Android, follow me then unfollow my collection about Android. This is something that you won't find on any other social platform. And that's why this isn't about friends and family. That isn't to say that family and friends can't be part of it, they just aren't the focus.
And now these same journalists are seeing Google split things off from the platform and claiming that is a sign of the impending demise. The problem is that they aren't listening to what is being said by the upper management of Google. They are splitting them out because the idea of a unified platform not only wasn't working, it wasn't what the users wanted. They are listening to users! It's something that these same journalists have been asking software developers to do for years and years. Now that a company decided to do just that, they are talking about it being a failure.
Now to my opinion. I think it was said best by either Leo LaPorte or Jeff Jarvis (I'll tag them just as I will with Mike) on episode 312 of TWiG when they said that if you compare it to Facebook, it is a failure. But where they fell short is in exploring what Google really gains from this. Google is an advertising company, and they get all of their revenue from selling demographic information. How better to get demographic information that to gather it while you are voluntarily sharing it with others? Yes, my opinion is that they are gaining money from all the knowledge you are voluntarily posting. My proof? How often do you see advertisements on Google+? You don't, because they are gaining more from the platform without annoying you with ads than they would if they bothered you with them. Both Leo and Jeff have both said several times that Google makes money fro you being on the internet. And I hate to disagree with a couple of people who I generally find to be very knowledgeable and trustworthy regarding technology, but circles are not difficult to manage or create.
So to those of you who enjoy the social platform, I don't think you have anything to worry about. Don't listen to the people who can't be bothered to give it a fair trial, listen to people who know what the long term plan is and those that are highly engaged in the use of the platform. It's not going anywhere so enjoy...
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