Google+ or Google Plus: A Minus It Seems

July 28, 2015

I love product and service names which are unsearchable. I think I have a Google+ or Goiogle Plus account. I am not sure. I will not care any time soon.

I read with interest “Google Gives Up on Google+ As a Facebook Rival.” Let’s see. Google gave up on Orkut, Wave, and I suppose other social things. Each of these “give ups” reminds me of the ethos of my high school math and science clubs. Heh heh, who cares if no one understands.

According to the estimable Wall Street Journal article:

Google launched Google+ four years ago, seeking to create a big social network with a billion or more people updating their status, posting photos and keeping in touch with friends, family and colleagues. The company wanted it to be a “platform layer” that unified Google’s sharing models, as well as a product and a mobile app, Horowitz explained in a (yes, you guessed it) Google+ update. “This was a well-intentioned goal, but as realized it led to some product experiences that users sometimes found confusing,” he wrote. Among the most confusing – and irritating – was a requirement that a user have a Google+ account and profile to log into many other Google services.

But my fondest recollection was that some Googlers had to do Google+ or Google Plus things to get a bonus. Yes, that’s the way to motive the team.

My favorite social service was Orkut. Google allegedly skirmished in court a couple of times. Orkut then became a fave in Brazil among some of the folks who were not likely to be invited to join Google.

Google+ or Google Plus lacked this sort of zing. I remember a Googler writing me, imploring me to become active in Google+ or Google Plus. I think we pump Beyond Search content toward the service.

My hunch is that like Google Glass, Google+ or Google Plus is not dead. Like the characters in an Anne Rice novel, Google me too innovations are like Lestat and his relatives. Oh, when is the next meeting of the math club? I hope it does not conflict with the science club meeting.

Stephen E Arnold, July 28, 2015

Written by Stephen E. Arnold · Filed Under Business strategy, Google, News, Social Media

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Stephen E. Arnold monitors search, content processing, text mining and related topics from his high-tech nerve center in rural Kentucky. He tries to winnow the goose feathers from the giblets. He works with colleagues worldwide to make this Web log useful to those who want to go "beyond search". Contact him at sa [at] arnoldit.com. His Web site with additional information about search is arnoldit.com.