Having been on Google+ for nine months now I can safely say I have seen what the power of Google can do for Social. Having said that, I can also say G+ is sitting pretty to becoming the mainstay social space for people who have found how being more social improves their experience online.
However, there are many who still have not captured the fact that social networking changed when Google enter the social space. What can we…the millions who get how social networking has changed…do to get others to understand what they are missing? The answer lies in the comments people make about the experience they had, or having, on Google +.
Lack of Interaction
At the top of the long lists of excuses remarks people offer on why they do not like G+ is their perception of there being no interaction in the community. Seems many of the power brokers of the online media see Google+ as being just for Google Employees since that is the only people they have interacted with on G+.
Most of these people attempt to relate their Facebook experience of posting something…anything…and getting dozens of comments, likes and shares as not being the same on G+. True, for the many who have invested a lot of time..years..on Facebook, many of their Friends there are going to be supportive of their status updates and hit the LIKE button or make a blah blah comment in passing to them checking out what Justin Bieber is doing. What they do not understand is the same thing will happen, and is happening, on G+ once they established a base of real people in their circle, and not just the A List of Google Icons.
Interaction in a social space is two way and is one of the components taken for granted by many would forget G+ is not on Facebook..and never will. Many people don’t get what social is about. You can’t be social when all someone’s does is talk “at” everyone instead of talking “with” them. You can’t be social by just posting content in the G+ stream….especially when it is posted from a third party app.
Granted, newbie’s to G+ are not going to get the volumes of comments to their posts as they feel they should. This lack of comments or interaction is what many of the professional journalist hired by many of the large media groups negatively conclude on the viability of Google Plus as NOT being a serious social network.
Solution
Again, it would be real easy to start calling people out for not being social on G+, and maybe that should be done, but where would that lead? Why someone is not social on G+ usually is based on how they use the other social spaces, which studies are showing is failing for them on all fronts. If lack of interaction on G+ is their true concern there is a simple solution.
The solution here is for the ‘Plussers’ (the people on G+ who ‘get it’) to reach out and make a comment on something someone NEW to the community has posted. Yes, it takes time to do this but you are going to see their post anyway, why not take a few seconds to make a quick comment about what they said..or on the headline they posted for the link to the story they provided.
Interaction in the social spaces comes in the form of a comment and comments lead to conversation which lead to being…gasp…SOCIAL. No getting around it. G+ is so much more robust than any other space primarily due to the fact that it is populated by people who understand to get to whatever you are after in life or business comes from being Social.
Social Networking has changed for everyone with the launch of G+. It’s all about social folks..so let’s get social. Let me know how I can help.
Scot,
I totally agree with your assertion about commenting on people’s posts on Google+. From my experience, the content is a little more thought-provoking then anything on Facebook, although I don’t want this comment to start a rash of facebook-bashing.
I think that Google+ is more than just a social network and never was meant to compete with FB in the first place. It seems to me that this is the future of the internet. I believe that content found on G+ is going to be found higher on Google SERPs in the months and years to come (if it hasn’t already happened) because social sharing has become a significant component of the Google algorithm . And people are still chasing after SEO as if it matters anymore.
Please don’t misunderstand. It’s not about sharing content on Google+ so you can get your site’s ranking higher. It’s about sharing content, period. Yours, your followers, and your followees. As long as it’s interesting and thought-provoking and moves your community forward.
BINGO! Thanks Eunice. Great comment and does pay into explaining exactly the relevance G+ has to social networking. G+ truly has changed how social networking is done. I am not after continuing this Facebook bashing either and just mention it in my content as how many people think G+ is just another Facebook. Hopefully, more people will understand the power of G+.
Scott, great article! I think we need more of these types of articles because I’m constantly seeing Facebook compared with Google+ in my streams and I feel I have to defend it at times just because I used Facebook for several years and after cancelling my account on Facebook immediately found a home here on Google+ with interesting people I don’t even know but who engage me on practically every comment I make.
It’s funny because I had real friends I’d known for over 20 years on Facebook that would completely ignore me on Facebook but people I’ve never even met here on Google+ having meaningful conversations with me. I love Google+!
Good article Scot. I often wonder about those businesses and individuals who do nothing but push content, quotes etc, and never seem to interact with anyone else in any of the Social Media outlets available. I’m not sure what they’re hoping to accomplish other than someone told them they need to have a Social Media presence and they presume that only sharing and not interacting is getting the job done.
In two words: Spot on!
Thank You Brooks!
Thanks for this article. I think the big thing is people hate change. Getting used to a new format, having to come out from behind a “fan page” and interact as person to person, is scary to some. I’m still new to G+ but trying to learn. FB is actually behind G+ in many areas. FB has created Interest Lists to compare with Circles in G+. The fact that FB is using their own algorithm to decide what readers should and should not see, will eventually be what drives people to G+. Hopefully I’ll be ready for them when they arrive.
Thanks Joan!!
I think G+ is primed for taking over facebook. So far, we don’t have to promote our posts so our fans or even our friends can see them. I need to engage more on G+, I just find it difficult as I try to keep up with twitter, pinterest, and facebook.
I’m still figuring out the in’s and out’s of G+, but from what I’ve seen (and thanks to articles like yours), there’s definitely a world-wide social vibe here. G+ = Global+.
Very nice article, and I whole heartedly agree. I invest much more time in Google Plus as it is my network of choice, and my news stream is more active and I get much more quality participation on discussions that take place on G+ as opposed to Facebook, which has seemed to dwindle to a state of redundancy. The key however, similar to real life situations, what to get out there and start socializing. The more I did, the more it was reciprocated.