Google Plus Now Five Years Old

July 4, 2016

I must admit I forget about Google Plus or Google+. Try searching for Google Plus with the “+” on your keyboard. How did that work out for you? Once the “+” allowed me to bind two words together like “white+house.” Well, forget that, gentle reader. You can depend on the Alphabet Google thing to handle bound phrases automatically with super smart software. Yep, works almost every time, doesn’t it?

I read a memory jogger titled “Google+ Social Network Turns 5 Years Old, Wants a Pony and a Plastic Rocket for Its Birthday.” According to the write up, the Alphabet Google thing no longer wants money. The corporate confection needs a Equus ferus caballus and a device which could be confiscated when going through airport security. Quite a surprise for me because I thought the Alphabet Google wanted money.

I learned:

Where Google+ goes from here isn’t entirely clear. Google seems content to keep it running for the time being, using it as a vector to gain new users on Google Photos and other related tools. While it’s nowhere near the juggernaut of Facebook and Reddit seems to be quickly swallowing up the niche community space, there are still a plenty of good conversations to be had in a Google+ feed.

The write up mentions the remarkable Google Wave service. There is not a hint of Google’s other social efforts. No Buzz. No Orkut. No Friend Connect.

Let’s see. Facebook is a big winner in the social space. LinkedIn is now a Microsoft Clippy for corporate social interactions. And Google+ or Google Plus? Yep, good conversations. I find conversations an overused word. Is Google+ or Google Plus overused? What happened to having bonuses for Gogglers linked to social media? Why aren’t Google’s services united with a single Google+ or Google Plus mandate? Oh, right. I forgot about user behavior.

I will try to remember Google+ or is it Google Plus. I thought Sillycon Valley outfits wanted unicorns and real Musk- and Bezos-type rockets. Oh, well.

Stephen E Arnold, July 4, 2016

Written by Stephen E. Arnold · Filed Under 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.