future of G+

There have been a number of conflicting reports surrounding G+ in 2015. A handful of writers claim that Google+ is seeing its last days as a valid product and that Google is moving to shelf it. Many of us in the tech world know that the driving force behind Google+, Vic Gundotra, has left the company and ever since that departure, G+ has seen less of a prominent place in Google’s limelight, some claiming that Google is actively moving to hide it from the average user. The thing is, as there are more and more users that lean towards social media platforms as a means of communication and keeping up to date with the happenings of the world, there will always be a need for competition. As it stands right now, G+ is not something the world really wants as much as the world needs options in social media. Why G+ is Important in the 21st Century A lot of people have put Google+ down as the walking dead or a failed attempt at social networking. While G+ isn’t a competitor to Facebook and Twitter in the traditional sense (it doesn’t sell its users to advertisers, for example), it still presents a place for users to share their ideas and the things that they like across a social platform that integrates with their email and other facets of their life that they already use Google’s services for. The key reason that G+ is important, according to former Google employee Chris Messina (in this rant that is decidedly expletive-laden), is that G+ provides an alternative to the juggernauts that make up social media in the twenty first century today. America has realized how monopolies are bad (any cursory glance at American economic history will reveal this) and the rest of the world should also be wary of putting their eggs in one basket. However, as the wizard behind the curtain in Gundotra departed, G+ has come up short in its drive to be something new, innovative and fresh. It’s because of this failed initiative that many social media gurus are announcing the death of G+, even if not acknowledged as yet by Google. A Bleak Future for Google+? Google+ is decidedly one of the important gears in the machine that is Google’s digital identity in the twenty first century. Google has managed to link it with some of their more popular utilities (such as Google Hangouts) in an effort to drive more users to utilize it as a social media device. Although many users resented it (and many still do) it showed that Google wasn’t about to give up on Google+ just yet. In fact, with so many Google users simply having a G+ account (whether or not they use it) it means that G+ has one of the largest potential outreaches of any social media in existence. It’s like a sleeping giant, and although it’s unlikely that it will be a Facebook-killer, it is still well poised to do so much more. Google’s developmental teams have been shuffled around as of late and many tech and social media gurus see is as a sign that G+ is dying. I’m personally not so sure. As it sits right now, the coming year could make or break G+ in terms of being a major part of Google’s integrated system. Is G+ Another One of Google’s Failed Ideas? Investment in G+ from Google to such an extent means that Google has (or at least had) great plans for the system. The thing is, this isn’t the only project they’ve had over the years that started off with a bang and ended up with a whimper. I am reminded of Authorship: a push by Google to introduce author tags into web content so as to give Authors more visibility on search engine rankings. Well, Google tried that for a while and realized it wasn’t working so they ditched it. However, they never put as much time and effort integrating Authorship with other Google utilities as they have G+. The interwoven tapestry of a Google account means that a G+ account grants you access to your Gmail, your Hangouts, even your cloud storage. Your Google account is not your G+ account, and like a lost puppy it follows you around wherever you go. Integrating G+ into Gmail has had its share of troubles by opening up the door to unwanted spam emails from people you don’t even know. After potential fiascos like that one you can start to understand why Google might be better off leaving G+ to die. Four Predictions for the Future of G+ in 2015 2015 presents a unique turning point in G+’s development, one that could see it as another innovative result of Google’s tinkering with social media or as another spent, broken shell on Google’s idea scrap-heap. Google has a lot of decisions to make in the coming year regarding G+ and as much as it seems as though G+ is dead, Google has managed to do miracles before. Resurrecting a nearly-dead social media idea might be right up their alley. Based on what we’ve seen from Google in the last couple months towards the end of 2015, we can extrapolate pretty handily what the state of G+ will be in the coming year and if Google’s actually taking steps to make it into a better place to visit than it is currently. As I stare into my crystal ball I can make a few guesses as to what the future of G+ will look like in the coming twelve months: Google Will Further Shrink the Dedicated Workforce on Google+ This seems counterproductive if you think that Google’s trying to salvage G+ but it’s actually not a bad idea. Google firmly subscribes to the idea that “too many cooks spoil the broth” and in this case they might be well warranted. Google+ already has a deeply designed interface that shares information seamlessly with other Google services and is a … Read more