

A Eulogy for Google+ - stevenp
http://www.forbes.com/sites/insertcoin/2011/08/15/a-eulogy-for-google-plus/

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wccrawford
My G+ is just as active as my Facebook. But here's the kicker:

G+ almost always has better content.

The only explanations I have for that are that it's mostly techie people on
there and the bar for posting something is a little higher than Facebook. I
don't see people whining that WoW is down, but instead that they found some
new scientific breakthrough in the news.

~~~
smackfu
Techie people post tech news on a site used by early tech adopters. Not sure
how you build that out to the general public.

~~~
uris
Well, is he really using G+ himself or is his stream empty because he never
posts anything?

Anyways, I'm a tech guy, but also into photography
(<http://plus.google.com/104936988539783595605>), and I must say G+ keeps me
plenty busy, more then I've ever been on Facebook, where I sometimes cross
post to, roughly, the same audience (non of my family members though are on G+
just yet). Actually, I like G+ for being useful, easy to use, and I give
Google credit for listening and quickly adapting and evolving.

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brd
The "called-out" comment is the only thing about this link worth reading. The
writer has never used Google+ yet complains about the lack of activity within
his own news and invite feeds.

~~~
gmac
_The writer has never used Google+ yet complains about the lack of activity
within his own news and invite feeds._

That seems a strange way to put it. Essentially, the writer makes the rather
obvious point that if you run a social network, network effects[1] are
everything.

I have the exact same experience: I'm signed up, but why would I visit when I
can see updates from the same people and 10x more on Facebook? Likewise, why
would I post there when a post would reach the same people and 10x more on
Facebook?

Unless Google+ can offer something amazing, new and different -- which best as
I can see, they haven't so far -- network effects will surely doom them.

[1] <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network_effect>

~~~
Hyena
First: the service is invite only for the time being.

Second: the network effect can be a curse as well. Linkedin has succeeded
because its network is limited to work contacts. There are costs to having a
complete public network.

Third: Google+ does offer an amazing, new and different service. It's not
Facebook. Facebook is built on its social network, which is the product most
users want, not the features (which a lot of users seem to hate). But Facebook
expanded initially by being a high prestige social network; that's changed
and, given Google's invite strategy, it's reasonable to believe that G+ is now
higher prestige.

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coliveira
I know that, for some reason that I don't get, people in tech want Google+ to
succeed. However, I see the same issues that the author present here.
Moreover, Google has a big problem: it has to succeed fast. If within a few
weeks Google+ doesn't become a clear competitor to facebook, everybody will
label it as a failure, and then the result will be a self fulfilling prophecy.

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nhangen
I'm not a big Google+ fanboy like many, but damn, this is a bit premature no?
Furthermore, the quality of the editorial is suspect, mostly because the
author is using personal anecdotes to reach broad perspectives. I can't
believe this is on Forbes.com

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cfaubell
It's also probably a little early to declare something dead when people
anxious to move to Google+ still can't even register. Not that I'm bitter or
anything.

~~~
dajmeister
Click here for an invite :)
[https://plus.google.com/_/notifications/ngemlink?path=%2F%3F...](https://plus.google.com/_/notifications/ngemlink?path=%2F%3Fgpinv%3DErMny80Ncmk%3AEjDSyjUunzE)

~~~
ryandvm
Google Apps users cannot use Google+, invite or not.

[http://webapps.stackexchange.com/questions/16655/is-
google-p...](http://webapps.stackexchange.com/questions/16655/is-google-plus-
with-available-for-google-apps-accounts)

We are used to it though. Not getting access to any of the new Google services
is an intrinsic part of the Google Apps experience...

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jsherry
That wasn't a Eulogy.

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ChuckMcM
The article reads like a PR plant. Sorry but besides being a bit link-baitey
it says "Nobody I want to follow uses G+ much." Fair enough but not really
Eulogy worthy.

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wuster
Maybe no one added this Forbes writer to their Circles? =)

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adamdecaf
Facebook offers a service that is still tolerable by the average user,
therefore no service will be able to overtake.

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u48998
Why support 800 pound gorilla? I am all for supporting under dogs and small
but substantive social services.

