Is Google+ is a failure? | Hacker News Reader

Is Google+ is a failure?

18 pointshaidrali17 comments

Do you think Google+ is just another failure product of Google just like Google Notebook , Google Buzz etc.

I felt bullied into using G+, especially on youtube because of the real name policy, so I mostly avoid it like the plague. Obviously I do have to use a G+ account to log into google services.

It's a failure as far as I'm concerned but Google has stated that they've got what they wanted, unified user accounts and a bunch of real names and personal info. They are probably right, many people I know do have a real name G+ account, but I know almost no one who actually uses "Google Facebook".

I've refused to create a G+ profile, solely because of all of the 'features' they add which aren't actually features at all. Features like 'you can have a public page with your real name on it!' (no thanks) or 'you can post huge long YouTube comments with link spam and ascii penises' (I don't comment on YouTube).

For me, (and, I suspect, most users) the only 'benefits' to creating a G+ account were the things that Google took away from people who didn't have one. Posting comments to YouTube, hassle-free YouTube sign-in, Google 'Hangouts' (which used to be Gtalk Messenger which no one I know uses anymore anyway), and so on.

The worst part is, Google could have made it far more palatable by not linking what they 'wanted' (unified accounts, real names, personal info, etc.) with their fated-to-fail paint-by-number social network. If they had framed their pitch as 'Upgrade your Google Account to a Google ID, and you get all the benefits of unified account management (and more features down the road), including access to Google+, our latest social media thing…' then it would have been much more palatable. A new account format so I don't have to re-enter data all the time? A new ID framework that apps/OAuth/Android/etc. can use? A perfect example of why Google IDs are a good idea, the new Google+ service that they couldn't have built without it? Sign me up!

But instead, it came across as 'we made a social network but no one's using it so from now on if you want YouTube you need to sign up for this other social network you don't want and if you use not your real name then we'll close your account and delete all your stuff.'

Yes and no.

If its mission really was to overtake Facebook or Twitter, yes it is a failure.

If its mission was a new type of social network, absolutely not. I and many others use it daily. Third parties won't know, though, because literally every one of our posts are private to just our circle. (Only Google knows that we are actively using it multiple times a day in this circle)

Like most things online, G+ turned out different from what its creators expected. G+ is actually very successful at replacing lightweight Wordpress sites.

Here's the compelling use case: you want to publish an opinion about something. Probably a few pages long. It obviously won't fit in a tweet. Setting up your own Wordpress site is overkill. Where do you post? G+ is perfect for that. It includes comments for free and community feedback, great.

As a Facebook or Twitter killer, it didn't quite work out.

Usage has dropped drastically over the last 9 months. I think Google will kill it eventually.

I think it's a fail in the sense that, I don't (or can't) use it because nobody I know uses it... and many millions of others are in the same boat. They were too late with it in my opinion and the borderline "forced" integration they attempted with YouTube accounts was a poorly executed attempt to counter that.

That said, I do like it a lot as a piece of software. I would definitely (still) use it if it weren't for the lack of network effect.

I don't think so, but it depends on what you expect?

I use G+ before Twitter and I never use FB anymore.

But G+ is more than the social site, its the OAuth login, its the umbrella term, its the Android savegames, its one login.

I think this post says it best about G+.

https://plus.google.com/+MikeElgan/posts/cHdHJy8nKJS

I hope Google doesn't kill G+ as I find it more social than any of the other social networks I'm on.

If you play Ingress, Google+ is the de facto standard social media for connecting with other players.

G+ is much like a blog page for me, instead of a social place. In fact, its customization experience is very lightweight, compared with Wordpress.

Curious about G+ for Android app developers and users. Anyone?

No, I think it just attracts a different sort of user from FB.

I'd say G+ is their single sign-on platform in addition to adding social media element beyond that. (This is likely not technically true but from a user point-of-view)

So, google apps and then some, Google+!

To me it looks like it's popular with programmers and tech types; my impression is that more or less nobody else uses it.

I believe it is very popular with photographers because it does not butcher images with compression as badly as facebook does.

Google plus has some interesting features but it failed to steal the throne from facebook

As compared to other social networks like FB, Twitter etc i think Yes a Big failure .....

Yes it is.

Next question

I hereby invoke Betteridge's Law.[1]

1. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betteridge%27s_law_of_headli...

Reply on news.ycombinator.com