Is Google+ being killed off?
It seems Google have finally got the message. Presumably it was posted on Facebook or Twitter, so someone actually saw it. Everyone hates Google+, and if TechCrunch are right, it seems Google have decided to finally take action.
Rather than take Google+ out to the shed and humanely put it out of it’s misery with a simple bullet between the eyes though, the company have instead apparently decided that the loathed social network is no longer a “product” but a “platform”.
What this essentially means is that the successful bits from Google+ – such as Hangouts – can be spun off and operated separately, but perhaps be powered by Google+ (so you can add friends easily) – but with future developments at the company no longer being forced to include some sort of Google+ integration.
Similarly, I’d speculate that whilst we might see an end to the “newsfeed”-like Plus homepage, profiles will remain as a central node for all of your data and interactions – not to mention being able to offer a consistent identify across Google products (from YouTube to Maps) is genuinely useful. But at least we’ll no longer be encouraged to share things on to a social network that nobody uses.
Unsurprisingly, with this news came the announcement that the man behind Google+, Vic Gundotra, was leaving the company.
Finally, one other interesting nugget to come out of the TechCrunch article was something I’d long suspected: that Google+ integration into YouTube and Gmail was used to artificially inflate the number of “active” G+ users – with a YouTube comment counting that user as a G+ user for that month’s figures, because they had posted a comment on a video. It’d be interesting to see what the real number of active users is – and whether they could all fit into a the back of a taxi, like I suspect.
So what’s next for Google? Here’s hoping they see sense and bring back the sorely missed Google Reader.
Discover more from Tech Digest
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
4 comments
I think that the *serious* people do not want **another** way to get what gmail, etc already provide!
Most people want a *common* way to make a comment, etc.. just like what I am doing, RIGHT NOW 🙂
– and if techdigest suddenly decided that the only way to comment is *yet another* proprietary login system, then I will NOT bother.. I have more important things to do than figure out how to track hundreds of comments, thanks! 🙂 :)…
if you have ALL day just to do it.. well enjoy…. :/
I think that the *serious* people do not want **another** way to get what gmail, etc already provide! Most people want a *common* way to make a comment, etc.. just like what I am doing, RIGHT NOW :)- and if techdigest suddenly decided that the only way to comment is *yet another* proprietary login system, then I will NOT bother.. I have more important things to do than figure out how to track hundreds of comments, thanks! 🙂 :)…if you have ALL day just to do it.. well enjoy…. :/
I love ‘journalism’ with such personal flair.
Just because YOU don’t like the platform doesn’t mean it’s ‘loathed’. Who the eff ‘loathes’ G+. Really? If you don’t like it, don’t use it. A lot of people like it and what’s strange is, i’ve seen more activity in the last few months before this announcement.
So why don’t you keep your opinions to a minimum and tell us what the hell really happened. You know, the real news.
I love 'journalism' with such personal flair.Just because YOU don't like the platform doesn't mean it's 'loathed'. Who the eff 'loathes' G+. Really? If you don't like it, don't use it. A lot of people like it and what's strange is, i've seen more activity in the last few months before this announcement.So why don't you keep your opinions to a minimum and tell us what the hell really happened. You know, the real news.
Comments are closed.