Britney Spears is Google+’s Most Followed Person

2011 has ushered in new heroes as regimes have toppled, institutions have been challenged, and beloved figures have passed. As such, it’s perfectly reasonable to assume that social media will function as a testament to these ever turbulent times. Oh, wait… social media proves that humanity is basically doomed. Want proof? Britney Spears is the most followed person on Google+.

Spears managed to dethrone previous Google+ titan, Google’s CEO Larry Page. So, why’s this interesting? Because Google+ was previously a haven for the tech nerds that populate Silicon Valley. Granted, Google+ has been attempting to convince the masses that they are a viable alternative to Facebook via commercials, but the fact remains that the site doesn’t yet have the mass appeal of the ‘book or Twitter. However, analysts have suggested that Spears’ rise on Google+ is positive for the site because musicians’ fans tend to swell social networking sites.

Do you have a Google+ account? Who do you follow?

Males Are Taking Over Google+

Are you on Google+? If you answered yes then chances are that you’re male. A new study indicates that men dramatically outnumber women on the site due to Google’s status as a more tech-centric social networking site. In fact, the most popular occupations listed on Google+ are software engineer and software developer. Unfortunately, women continue to earn far less college degrees in the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) fields and as such, they aren’t represented en masse on Google. Conversely, researches note that women tend to utilize social media to a greater extent than their male counterparts.

Google+ may eventually manage to sway more female users, but only if they integrate more into mainstream culture and media. Until then it looks like the fairer sex is sticking to the established social networking platforms.

Do you use Google+? Why or why not?

Google Drops Buzz to Focus on +

It’s been a tumultuous week for Google: their own engineers have expressed disgust with the product, user activity has sharply declined, and critics have observed that Google’s upper crust doesn’t even use their social networking platform.  And it looks as if the bad news is continuing- Google recently announced they’re shutting down Google Buzz because they want to focus all of their resources on Google+.

Google Buzz was initially conceived of as a threat to other social networking platforms, but quickly fizzled out.  Sound familiar?  Some analysts have suggested that Google hasn’t learned from the failure of Buzz and are attempting to utilize an identical model for G+.  Furthermore, Google is shuttering down Google Labs and Code Search.  The closing of these divisions indicates that Google is hoping to shed its cool college kid vibe and be viewed as a very real and very viable Fortune 500 company.

Were you surprised by the news that Google is shutting down Buzz or were you more shocked that it was still in existence?

Google Staff Referring to Google+ as “Pathetic Afterthought”

The blogosphere has been in a flutter over a recent post from a Google engineer who scathingly wrote, “Google+ is a prime example of our complete failure to understand platforms from the very highest levels of executive leadership… down to the very lowest leaf workers.”   While  Steve Yegge should have made sure to double-check where he was posting, especially given the nature of his comments, his slip-up reveals something very important about Google+ – it ain’t workin’ and everyone knows it.  And this makes us ask, “Why is Google+ not leading the social networking revolution?”

Gizmodo ventured that Google+ isn’t being used because “Google+ is fucking boring.”  Specifically, Google+ did not generate a audience in an organic fashion, a la Facebook, Twitter, and um… MySpace.  Instead, Google+ was pushed into existence because well, Google figured they ought to do so. But, it’s proven to be an ineffective platform and therein lies the problem: there’s no incentive to use Google+.  Sure, you can post lengthy messages praising Google+’s airy layout, but ultimately, that’s not enough to maintain an audience.

Furthermore, as previously discussed, even Google execs don’t maintain an active presence on the site. Is this an admittance of defeat?  Probably not. Yet, everyone can learn a very valuable lesson from the launch and subsequent splat of Google+: you need to be your brand’s ambassador. Ultimately, Google+ isn’t working because even those who created it aren’t legitimizing it with active content and participation.

Do you use Google+?  What lessons do you think all businesses can learn from Google+?

Google+’s Traffic Declines by More Than 50%

Google+ was positioned to take over cyberspace, but it looks as if the results have been less than spectacular.  In fact, a recent report noted that traffic has fallen by 60% from its peak high.  Perhaps this is due to the fact that the social networking site didn’t organically build their following or maybe it’s because even Google execs don’t use the site.  Regardless of reason, the fact remains that Google+ is not exactly convincing users to utilize its services and this is problematic for the company.

One analyst has suggested that users are suffering from social networking fatigue and consequently, Google+ doesn’t offer enough to attract new and dedicated users.  However, this isn’t stopping Google+- they recently bought a social analytics company called SocialGrapple and industry experts have observed that the former head of the company will be able to use his social analytic scales on a global basis.

While it’s too early to offer a definitive judgement about Google+’s future there is one thing we can all agree on: the struggles to achieve social networking supremacy indicate that you should never rely on one platform to build your brand.  After all, think about all those bands who spent some serious cash on glossy flyers with their MySpace page prominently splashed across the page.

Do you use Google+?  Why or why not?

Google+: All Hype and No Results?

Google+ strutted onto the social networking scene and the masses were determined to claim that it would topple Facebook.  Google states that the program is a resounding success by noting, “An infinite amount of people are unhappy because they don’t have their invitation.”  Google utilized the preferred method of building buzz by making the site invitation only.  After all, exclusivity encourages desire.  Yet, a few months later and well, Google+ kind of… sucks. Perhaps the most perplexing issue concerns why Google+ has done the social media equivalent of a belly flop.

Google set out to create G+ as a means to encourage users to reclaim their individual identity.  Allowing circles meant that drunken party photos wouldn’t be available for grandma to see.  Suddenly status updates, videos, and articles would only be shared with those who were placed in a particular group.  Intuitively this idea makes sense because humans are multifaceted creatures.

Millions may have joined, at least according to former Google CEO Eric Schmidt.  But, the vast majority of Google+ users refuse to post anything, thus leaving their circles rather barren.

Is Google+’s problem simply too much hype?  The site achieved a record number of users in a relatively short period of time- twenty million people hopped on the bandwagon within twenty four days.  In comparison Twitter and Facebook reached those numbers in three years.  These bloated figures may be impressive, but does it matter if no one is truly using the site?

Respected industry figures are already ringing the death knell for the social networking service and with good reason.   It simply doesn’t make sense to migrate from Facebook to a slightly different version of the good ol’ ‘book.  Your social network isn’t there and moreover, Google+ isn’t truly an innovative service.  Instead, it’s Facebook with circles in lieu of  customized privacy settings.

Could Google+ be the next big thing?  Doubtful.  Ultimately, it appears that this is Google’s latest underdeveloped project.  Sure, Google will continue to dominate the search engine scene, but it appears that this service is simply another one of Google’s failures.

Are you on Google+?  If you want an invitation let me know because my circle currently consists of three people who have yet to post anything or even upload pictures.