So, there’s been a bit of an increase in chatter of late regarding Google+, both here and on other websites. Now I haven’t been a real big fan of Google+ for all of the listed reasons, the biggest one being that none of my friends were or aren’t on it.
But three articles in particular have caught my attention.
Two of them were right here on ChurchMag. The one was about Google+ rolling out vanity URL’s and the other was that Hootsuite had added Google+ Pages to their list of social networks. The vanity URL’s is an important feature for branding purposes and the Hootsuite collaboration, for multi-platform management.
But the one that really got my attention and made me reconsider my position on Google+, was an article by Justin Wise on the Google+ settings that he suggested we needed to change. His introductory paragraph was what tipped the scales:
Google+ is not just an ordinary social network. It shares some features with Twitter and Facebook, yes. But at the end of the day, it’s a social network plugged into the largest search engine in the world.
That, my friends, for better or for worse, is why you need to be paying attention to Google+.
That got my attention.
So I tested it.
I ran a Google search for a church’s website that I helped set up. To my surprise (and dismay) another church’s website came up before the one I was expecting. This was a surprise because their “home” church is not even in the location area I was searching in, with them only having an off-shoot branch in the same location. But there they were. And there too was their Google+ Page.
Well, I’ve remedied the situation and am now parallel posting to both their Facebook and Google+ Pages, which of course is no real hassle since Hootsuite incorporated Google+ Pages into their product. And I’ve already picked up some new unique visitors on Google+.
What’s more, since I’m now “forced” to work with Google+, I’m really starting to warm up to it. It’s neat and tidy user interface is becoming more and more appealing. Yes, there are still some downsides, and I’ll share my personal plusses and minuses in another post, but for now my verdict is definitely a +1.
Raoul Snyman says
I find Google+ useful, but probably for completely different reasons to why you might. Google+ has very technical userbase, so it makes a welcome change for me from all my non-technical friends on Facebook. The folks I’m following on Google+ post a lot of technical articles and things, which I enjoy reading (for the most part).
Darryl Schoeman says
You’re very right Raoul. But I think this is the case simply because many people didn’t jump over to Google+ out of fear of the unknown, with only the really technical types making the effort of getting to know how to use it. Others, like myself, didn’t port over because of a zero friend user-base. So it was kind of like, what’s the point. However, now that I’ve been kind of “forced” to use it for SEO and digital footprint purposes, I am actually getting to like it somewhat, and am slowly getting to learn it.
Dustin W. Stout says
I’ve been trying to show people since the beginning why Google+ is going to change the social media game. Most didn’t listen. But that’s the way of most great ideas… first they are misunderstood/rejected, then they are violently opposed, and once they’ve stood the test of time– they serve as self-evident.
I believe Google+ is just about at the end of the opposition phase. A lot of so-called experts who wrote negative reports, infographics (mostly poorly informed), and “impending doom” articles are starting to eat their words and realize they were way off.
Google+ = Big+
Darryl Schoeman says
Thanks for a great comment. I’m looking forward to the Google+ future.