Wow. It’s been nearly one entire month since I left my personal Facebook account behind. Let me be the first to tell you that the choice has been a significant one and weekly (if not daily at this point) I find positive affirmation that it was the right choice.
I have more mental bandwidth than I did previously, less pressure and anxiety to feel like I’m missing out on something, and more aware of how precious the smaller (and perhaps better) things in life really are.
Facebook does something to you, you know? It just changes everything, the way you talk, act, respond, engage with others – and when it’s gone you suddenly realize what you lost and what you have the opportunity to gain, anew.
But I do miss a bit of the interaction between my readers and the collective network and community of insanely passionate bloggers and I’ve been interested in getting that back a bit more. That’s why I’m considering going a little “deeper” with Google Plus.
I’ve already mentioned how it can be a phenomenal alternative for your own personal branding page but there’s much more there than another site with your name and online dossier.
So that’s where I am – I’m wondering what I could possibly gain from engaging with the technology and property more. What I like about it is the fact that it would be much more of a professional environment than a personal one – I don’t have circles of my family silo’d on there and I’d walk in with expressed intent to use it for our community and the thoughts I have about online publishing, startups, and entrepreneurship.
The downsides, as there always are a few, would be the potential to be “just another time suck” and provide very little more value than what it’s doing currently. I want to leverage my time well and to the fullest and I’m not interested in doing half of a good job.
Love your thoughts and to hear your experiences with Google Plus. Do you think it would be worth the time and effort? What could we gain together if you joined me there more often?
I don’t think i understand a lot but i just wonder if somehow Google is pushing toward some sort of integration. i.e. how would absence from G+ affect SEO, as far as Google is concerned, in the future? I have another question, will one lose out from not being on G+ not because of what is happening there but in terms of SEO?
There have been a lot of studies done (as well as my own personal experimentation) of how Google+ presence has a significant effect on SEO. And it’s not just because Google is trying to push it’s product into search results, they’ve just optimized it in a way that Twitter or (especially) Facebook can (or will).
So I guess the negative effect could be– someone else is using Google+ to increase their keywords in your niche?
I don’t know that G+ is the tool you think it is – but then again this is just my experience.
I’ve been with G+ since almost day 1 and was an early entrant but initially struggled with what to use it for. However after a month or so of little use my twitter use declined so I gave it another go and I discovered the photography community. Now I dive in most days.
Photography is a thriving aspect of G+ and is key to Google going forward as has been shown by some of their recent developments, encouragement of key players and purchases.
I confess I haven’t looked at it much outside of this fairly narrow aspect but it does appear at first glance to not suit a lot of businesses the way say FB has.
I think that if you look closely to how some of the dominant brands on Google+ are using it– they are seeing big results. The problem is that nobody is willing and/or able to take away from trying to keep up with Facebook to discover what’s possible.
I think Google+ can provide a much richer experience for Business than Facebook– what does Facebook seem to have for businesses that G+ doesn’t?
I like Google+. It does seem to have more professionals and a little more of a professional atmosphere. Plus, the UI is so smooth both on the computer and on the mobile app.
I don’t use Facebook as much as I did when I initially signed up in the Winter of 2005/2006. However, I was in college, and now that I’m in a different stage of life, I use it in a different way. Plus, Facebook (and social media) was completely different then.
Thanks for the update and the insight!
Like Stuart, I was an early adopter of G+. As I took up photography as a more serious hobby, Stuart directed me to the photography community and it is absolutely awesome. So many photographers – amateur and pro – sharing photos, tips, tricks and providing training opportunities.
Beyond that, I have used G+ for hangouts in my other interests. I am a National Weather Service trained spotter and some of us will have a hangout during severe weather events.
To me, the ability to build circles of interest helps me keep these two worlds separate. Most of my photography followers wouldn’t find the weather stuff as fascinating as I do and most of my weather followers would not be interested in a series of abstract photos.
For me G+ is a great tool I use just about daily.
I use each social media platform differently. Facebook is for close friends and family. Twitter is for blogging peeps, goofing off and where I’m unfiltered me. Google Plus seems like what LinkedIn should be — a place to interact and network on an intentional level. That being said I don’t use G+ very well.
About a month or so ago, I gave up Twitter, LinkedIn and never started G+. I went back to my place of comfort and for me it’s Facebook. Facebook is an important part of my online connections. I have re-connected with long lost friends from different phases in my life, relatives I’ve never met from the Philippines and a business partners.
When Pinterest came out and everyone was blogging about it, I had enough. I was using Tweetdeck to help me manage my social media engagement for my business, customer service and prospecting. It proved to be exhausting.
I was overwhelmed.
What value could I provide or quality relationship if I was spread too thin? I decided to be only in an online community where it felt natural and where I was being “me”.
As for business, because of my FB groups, interaction and my FB status post; I get referrals from my family and friends.
Lastly, I started to venture into the real world and meeting people, face to face over a cup of Kona. It’s been an awesome experience so far and meeting some great people on the island.
RAS
Food for thought… Google+ is the reason I came in at #5 on ChurchMag’s Top 20 Church Tech Blogs.
I could say a lot more about the amazing Google+ platform… but I’ll leave it there.
We need a bigger theological presence in Google+, that’s for sure. I love it as my primary social/sharing platform for mostly tech, science, and geeky stuff, but it’s been hard to get decent theological interaction so far.
Why haven’t we connected yet Steve?! I’ve been praying for more of a theological presence on there for a long time! Let’s connect– circle me and say hello so I can circle you back!
I gave Google+ a serious try, but I couldn’t find many people in my ‘niche’: theology and youth ministry. There were a few people in my circles who were very active and were literally flooding the place with the same useless stuff I was trying to avoid on Facebook (causing me to uncircle them). But the silent majority was just that: silent. I never got much interaction or connecting out of it. I really saw the potential, but for me it never quite worked so I quit.
@Blessing Mpofu
Yes, Google is and has been pushing Google+ heavily. The sites that have G+ accounts tend to be at the top and/or near the top of search results, so you’ll soon find most using the platforms soon enough.
Facebook is a bit out of control to put it mildly and it starts w/the founder Mark Zuckerburg’s view on privacy. With that said, it’s a way many people, including myself make myself available to friends and familiy especially.
My approach to FB has always been more of a personal one, and I’ve had a rule similar to others on here where I must actually know you/have met you to friend you, but I also have broken that rule a few times.
I don’t find it necessary to totally delete/remove yourself from the platform, however I certainly understand it. How I handle that is simply not to log in. Granted, I never really used it that much to begin with because I’m also a private and insulated individual, one who’s recognized the ramifications of FB postings well before it was discused in the media or even amongst the industry.
That brings us to Google+, which is much more like real life, as you can have circles which equals control. You can share different things to different circles and still be the same individual…just like real life.
I think as the gen pop becomes more aware, like someone else posted…5 years later, we just might be faced w/the same “overpopulation” dilema that prompted John to bolt once again.
In short, GooglePlus rocks.
P.S. – I’m on it, but don’t use it….yet.
I’m still not sold on Google+. I use it, but am fairly convinced that it doesn’t have the traction yet for me to invest much time in it.
Right said, I use each social media platform differently. Facebook is for close friends and family. Twitter is for blogging peeps, goofing off and where I’m unfiltered me. Google Plus is best for me