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comment by GoatFood
GoatFood  ·  4652 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Google+ users spend increasingly less time on site
I feel really let down by G+. I was really excited when it launched, and genuinely thought it would oust Facebook, or at least challenge it. In the end, Google just couldn't make a compelling platform, nor could they market it well. Plus, they've only made the interface worse since launch by trying to make it more relevant and boost traffic in cheap ways.




mitzy  ·  4652 days ago  ·  link  ·  
The only thing I have any use for it anymore is the video chat sessions (for meetings and such), which it does a great job at. I really tried to use it more, but it's just not "sticky" enough for the time being.
ecib  ·  4652 days ago  ·  link  ·  
" In the end, Google just couldn't make a compelling platform, nor could they market it well. "

I think it's too early to tell. They're really shoving it down our throats with deep integration and social search returns.

They're trying so hard to brute force it, and I'm not sure that they won't eventually succeed. Chances are they won't, but I'm just not convinced that we can call it over yet. I think this is going to play out over at least two more years before we'll know if it's gonna stick around in any sort of meaningful way.

GoatFood  ·  4652 days ago  ·  link  ·  
I'm not convinced. Do you really think brute force could be an effective strategy for building a social network? People don't like being coerced into social platforms.
ecib  ·  4652 days ago  ·  link  ·  
I think the chances are that it's not, but I don't know that for sure. I don't think people will care about tactics as long as they have a critical mass of people on the social network to make it worth their while. Facebook was/is incredibly invasive with its crawling/spamming of contacts in order to gain traction.

The problem for google is that people's parents and grandparents are on Facebook. I mean, when they've penetrated that deep demographically, how are you going to yank them out into a new platform? Early adopters can only do so much.

I think the most likely scenario for G+ (if it survives) is that it becomes a different social network alongside Facebook, LinkedIn, etc that serves a niche community.

mk  ·  4652 days ago  ·  link  ·  
Yes, I really don't picture my aunts on Google+, or even concerned to ask themselves whether or not another network is better than Facebook. Facebook has the legacy. But, Pinterest, which offers a different experience, could definitely compete for their time.
ecib  ·  4652 days ago  ·  link  ·  
If there's one thing that can lure Aunts away from Facebook it propably would be digital scrapbooking...
lessismore  ·  4652 days ago  ·  link  ·  
I was really excited about Orkut. It let me down. I was really excited about Wave. It let me down. G+ came along and they want to shove it down my throat. :(
ecib  ·  4652 days ago  ·  link  ·  
"shove it down my throat"

Weird. I used the exact same phrase without reading your comment. What does this say about G+? :/

lessismore  ·  4652 days ago  ·  link  ·  
G+ is a lot like Internet Explorer and Google is a lot like Microsoft. It is basically leveraging its dominance in search to force G+ on everyone like Microsoft did with the desktop OS dominace and IE.
dublinben  ·  4652 days ago  ·  link  ·  
I don't think anybody is being forced to use plus. If these numbers are accurate, plenty of people have no trouble ignoring it. Those of us who do use it, enjoy it much more than any alternative.
lessismore  ·  4652 days ago  ·  link  ·  
Have you tried signing up for a Google account recently?
dublinben  ·  4652 days ago  ·  link  ·  
Can't say I have. I've had all of my various accounts and alternate accounts for years now. I didn't know that people still signed up for Google accounts.
lessismore  ·  4652 days ago  ·  link  ·  
People who sign up for accounts with Google are now pretty much forced into G+. I read that there might be a way to sign up without doing so, but it is not the default and not widely published.
caio  ·  4651 days ago  ·  link  ·  
Orkut, really? It was all the rage in Brazil (and apparently, India) up until some time ago. Originally hosted in California, in August 2008 Google announced that Orkut would be fully managed and operated in Brazil, by Google Brazil, in the city of Belo Horizonte. This was decided due to the large Brazilian user base and growth of legal issues.

I honestly believe that many people here are switching to FB because of The Social Network.

lessismore  ·  4651 days ago  ·  link  ·  
I was one of the very early users of Orkut because a friend worked on the project. It was a pretty big deal when it was first announced. Yeah, for one reason or another, Orkut was huge in Brazil. It was an on-going joke that one of the requirements for Orkut was to be fluent in Portuguese.
ecib  ·  4652 days ago  ·  link  ·  
This comment has been deleted.
khaaan  ·  4652 days ago  ·  link  ·  
yeah they messed with the UI and added little bits that were not needed not it feels less simplified wich is unfortunate as they had a bloody good UI at launch
mk  ·  4652 days ago  ·  link  ·  
My gut feeling is that it is too stream-oriented. More interesting things could be done within circles, but they don't seem much more than a filter. I suppose the lop-sided following mechanism hinders that some. I don't spend much time on Facebook either, however. More than subscribing, I think people are looking for easy ways to organize. I don't get that feeling from Google+.