By Kathy Bradley
My first post on Google+:
"What is this?”
My friend's response:
"Google Facebook”
My thoughts exactly!
The new Google+ went live a couple of weeks ago and quickly became the new hype in the social media realm. At first access to Google+ was pretty restricted, and only a limited number of invites were available for the earliest participants. I got my invite via twitter from someone I follow.
The Kane Show, who happens to be my one of my favorite tweeters (see #smday video) posted a tweet to his followers that he had invites and to e-mail him if you wanted one. I can't tell you how excited I was to receive his e-mail. About an hour later I signed up and began exploring Google+.
Observation # 1: At first I had this overwhelming feeling of exclusivity – no one else I knew was on Google+ yet. As I delved in and began setting up my account, I completed the process with ease. After logging in, Google+ was already giving me suggestions of people to add to my circles. Some of them aren't on Google+, so I was a bit confused on how adding them to a circle was connecting us. When I add someone to a circle was I inviting them?
Observation # 2: There aren't a lot of instructions when signing up. I consider myself pretty computer savvy, but after using Google+ for a week now, it's still a bit of a mystery to me. I've spoken to many others who have just signed up, who say the same thing: "I just don't get it!"
Observation # 3: On a positive note, I do like the circle concept and sharing information and posts that are relevant to a particular group. Google+ has taken your professional contacts (LinkedIn), friends and family (Facebook), and people you like to follow (Twitter), and created a platform to share content with them via one system. Now that's awesome! How long until people stop setting up their strict privacy settings on Facebook and become exclusively on Google+?
Observation # 4: It's been reported from CNN and other media outlets that in only two weeks, Google+ has added more than 10 million users. Then why have I seen multiple posts in my stream stating, "Google+ is a ghost town!”
So I pose a few questions to those reading this post:
- What do you think of Google+?
- Do you have an account yet, and if not, what's holding you back?
- Can you see Google+ replacing your other social networking tools?
- Will it meet Google's expectations or bust?
I leave this up to you to decide.
Kathy Bradley is resource development manager for Association Media & Publishing and the advertising sales manager for Signature magazine.
