On: Why the Google+ long game is brilliant

[Irregardless]

> They are being understated about it but doing exactly what business strategists talk about when they describe the long game as the one to play.

I had a hard time reading past that line since Google is literally ramming G+ down everyone's throats at every possible opportunity. It's almost impossible to use their services without being forced into a G+ account nowadays.

It's not that they're being understated, it's just that people aren't noticing because G+ is that boring to everyone.

Edit: And as I write this comment, I'm once again reminded of how idiotic the name 'Google+' is. Do I call it GPlus? G+? Google Plus? Google+? Should I put a space between them? How do you search for a plus sign? Oh, that's right... Google didn't realize they had to completely break that operator until AFTER they named their social network. How's that for a brilliant strategy?

[myko → Irregardless]

> It's almost impossible to use their services without being forced into a G+ account nowadays.

Google+ is Google. It is a way to consolidate all Google services. Requiring a Google account to utilize Google services seems pretty okay to me.

[gcb0 → myko]

> Google+ is Google. It is a way to consolidate all Google services. Requiring a Google account to utilize Google services seems pretty okay to me.

that couldn't be more wrong.

it used to be a gmail account was a google account. They even 'consolidated' in the clumsiest possible way my google-domain account into my personal gmail account some time ago.

now they are bullying everyone to use their gfacebook.

[drivebyacct2 → gcb0]

You must have been livid when you found out that your Blogger account had a "profile" attached to it as well.

People act like Google waits for you to do a search and then says "Please post to Google+ to continue with your search".

[gcb0 → drivebyacct2]

I had the option to use or not blogger.

now let's use your example, but instead of search let's use a android app review.

i go on, buy a phone, configure it, download and pay for an app, use it, go to leave review, BAM! need a G+.

so, yeah, it's not YET for search and gmail, because those are their gateway drugs, but for pretty much anything else it is just like you described.

[myko → gcb0]

You buy an Android phone, and want to use Google services - again this is not unreasonable of Google.

If you don't like it you can use third party app stores, like GetJar or Amazon. Or get a different phone.

[roc → myko]

Until you're suddenly participating in a social network under the default (public) privacy setting without realizing or intending it.

As what happened when Buzz was (c)rudely integrated into the rest of Google+.

One minute you're sharing links and sending short messages to a small private group. The next, your posts are all publicly visible on a public profile page you didn't know existed.

[myko → roc]

I don't remember integrating Buzz into my Google+ page but I've never had issues over-sharing on Google+ - it's one of the things Google+ makes extremely simple.

[drivebyacct2 → roc]

Buzz was dead before G+ was even launched.

[sbuk → myko]

So long as it's not a requirement for search. That said, integrating it with gmail in the way they have is underhand.