Questions For You Google+ Users
So after my last post I made about Google+ (specifically, it was the blog post I wrote for my ad agency's weekly blog), I've been poking a bit around Google+ and discovered, somewhat to my surprise, that a lot of you OSR types have accounts there, and many of you reciprocated adding me to your circles after I added you.
One thing I noticed was that many people who have Google+ accounts have yet to make any posts. I was among you until earlier tonight, when I made my first post.
So, my questions is - if you have a Google+ account, why did you choose to get one? Do you plan to use it to replace Facebook and/or Twitter? Or will you use all of your social networking accounts simultaneously? If you post something on Facebook or Twitter, will you copy and paste it over to Google+ (since, from what I can figure out so far, there's no way to link them automatically like you can between Twitter and Facebook)?
If you never had a Facebook or Twitter account before, why did you decide to get a Google+ account?
And lastly, if you don't have a Google+ account and don't plan to get one, why not?
I'm really just super curious, especially because I think that most of my readers are roughly within the same age group I am. I confess that, even though I recommend and implement social network campaigns for my ad agency clients, I still to this day don't see the attraction. I get that people are attracted to using social network accounts, but I just don't get why. I post somewhat infrequently on both Facebook and Twitter, not because I think I have anything all that earth-shattering to share, but because I need to keep up-to-speed with using this sort of technology and media for my job. I resisted getting both a FB and Twitter account for years.
I guess in a way it's no different from having a blog - you're putting your thoughts out there in the hopes that people might be interested in what you have to say. But, there is a bit of a difference between a somewhat well-thought-out and organized blog post about a particular topic, and a 140 character Tweet announcing that you just ate an ice cream sandwich.
Anyway, I'd love to hear your thoughts.
One thing I noticed was that many people who have Google+ accounts have yet to make any posts. I was among you until earlier tonight, when I made my first post.
So, my questions is - if you have a Google+ account, why did you choose to get one? Do you plan to use it to replace Facebook and/or Twitter? Or will you use all of your social networking accounts simultaneously? If you post something on Facebook or Twitter, will you copy and paste it over to Google+ (since, from what I can figure out so far, there's no way to link them automatically like you can between Twitter and Facebook)?
If you never had a Facebook or Twitter account before, why did you decide to get a Google+ account?
And lastly, if you don't have a Google+ account and don't plan to get one, why not?
I'm really just super curious, especially because I think that most of my readers are roughly within the same age group I am. I confess that, even though I recommend and implement social network campaigns for my ad agency clients, I still to this day don't see the attraction. I get that people are attracted to using social network accounts, but I just don't get why. I post somewhat infrequently on both Facebook and Twitter, not because I think I have anything all that earth-shattering to share, but because I need to keep up-to-speed with using this sort of technology and media for my job. I resisted getting both a FB and Twitter account for years.
I guess in a way it's no different from having a blog - you're putting your thoughts out there in the hopes that people might be interested in what you have to say. But, there is a bit of a difference between a somewhat well-thought-out and organized blog post about a particular topic, and a 140 character Tweet announcing that you just ate an ice cream sandwich.
Anyway, I'd love to hear your thoughts.
I signed up fairly early, as I really dislike Facebook, and Plus seems like a decent alternative. I'm hoping it achieves enough mass to take over, but it seems to appeal more to geeks than normal folk, so I doubt it.
ReplyDeleteFacebook (mainly) is for keeping in touch with family/friend stuff while Twitter is more for professional interests and acquaintances.
ReplyDeleteGoogle+ account. I have one, but I don't really know what to do with it, as it really seems rather redundant at the moment.
Also not a great fan of putting all my eggs in one basket, the way the Google Inc. seems to want me to. Not to mention having the questionable "search result personalization" filters and the resulting privacy issues, but there you go...
I have had some similar thoughts. Facebook is mostly for family, friends and co-workers. I have it posting my blog, but I am thinking Google+ might be a better platform for the game side of my social networking.
ReplyDeleteI'll admit I don't use Twitter at all, and truth be told I am not using any of them to leverage the power they have.
So far I like Google+ though and I'll be using it more.
I'll be getting a Google+ account soon - not because I have even the slightest interest in using it as intended, but so I can talk intelligently about it to prospective clients.
ReplyDeleteThanks for all of the responses so far.
ReplyDelete@Kelvin: Just curious - what do you dislike about Facebook, and what do you think is different enough about Google+ that makes you think it's a good alternative?
@Biopunk: "...as it really seems rather redundant at the moment." I want to "+1" that! :) But yeah - I'm with you.
@Tim: This is a similar question to Kelvin's, but you mentioned that you have a Facebook page that you're not leveraging to the power it has, but that so far you like Google+. I'm curious what differences you see between the two. Are you saying that you feel that Facebook is more for people that you "already know" (friends, family, etc.), whereas you're thinking of Google+ as more of a place where you can just share your thoughts to whoever is interested (similar to a blog or a personal website, where you might not necessarily actually know the person who is reading your posts?)
@Christopher B: spot on. That's the main reason that I do any social networking, unless you count this blog as a form of social networking, in which case I do that because I'm extremely brilliant and a fantastic writer and think everybody should bask in my glory. :) JK.
The main thing I dislike about Facebook is how clunky it has always been. It's not as downright apocalyptic too use as Myspace was, but it's still a mess, and I like computery stuff to be streamlined and tidy. At the moment, Google+ is that and that's why I prefer it.
ReplyDeleteI suspect it might change as it becomes more popular, but Google as a company seem to have a design philosophy based on simplicity, whereas I'm not sure Facebook ever had a design philosophy at all; it just happened.
Got a Google+ account because Ed Healy made a Facebook post offering invites to increase the number of his Gamerati readers using it.
ReplyDeleteHaven't posted because I don't see how to do anything but add people to circles!
- Tavis
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete