Google, like the rest of the world, finally backing away from Google+

boing
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Like if you agree and share if you do not agree.

That’s what I’m missing by not being on Facebook?

And Google has privacy issues? …compared to Facebook? Wait, let me laugh harder.

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That shows how long it’s been on Google+. ; ) Anyway, I was followed by someone I didn’t know, and there was no way short of closing the account that I could shake the guy loose. It wasn’t a big loss.

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why axe Vic Gundotra during the reshuffle?

Who says he was axed?

Ok, maybe he was simply gently laid to rest?

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G+ is so great. … It’s pretty great, actually.

You sho did love dat Google+

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Who said he was axed? There are a lot of people who’ve worked a long time at google who move on to their own thing. I’d wait to see where he goes before assuming he was fired.

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Lets just see what he does after this before deciding that he was fired. Lots of execs leave google. Often. Being an exec at google basically means you can command any VC money you want for anything.

It’s a GREAT way to make money towards the middle of your career.

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@xeni said…

Google will soon end the forced integration of G+ for publishers. About time.

6 months ago…Xeni said…

What’s changed?

Many of us fans appreciate BB for it’s intellectual honesty and willingness to take moral or ethical stands, even when unpopular. Obviously things change over time, and “to be sure” there are some behind the scenes things that you folks would be wise to not talk about openly.

But I am genuinely, and respectfully, curious as to what has changed.

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i wonder if they looked at the youtube response… the number of users named “Fuck Google” is kind of silly. i’m one of them.

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Let’s be generous and say that Google+ was a somewhat muted success as a product, even if the engineering was excellent, it was late to market and not especially innovative versus Facebook for the typical user.

There’s no useful way to say “I don’t want to use Google+, thankyou” which has meant that Google+ turned many who would otherwise just ignore the product they don’t want into active critics.

Google Mail - great! Google Docs - wonderful! Google Calendar - fantastic!

Google Drive - 2nd to market behind Dropbox, but I’m not forced to use it

Google+ - I can’t avoid it. I get followed by people I don’t want to know, and I have to spend time redacting posts that are put there automatically as a side effect of using other Google products. That’s actively irritating.

I can well imagine the leader of Google+ wanting to make a fresh start with an original idea, and deploying that engineering prowess against a problem where there’s the potential to be first to market.

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So what?

From the bio of the author of the Techcrunch “Google+ is Walking Dead” POS piece:

I own Aol stock, diversified investments via ETFs and Mutual Funds, and shares in Facebook, Yahoo and Twitter.

I’d trust someone who worked there on how Google might operate G+ over someone who hasn’t even used G+ in over two years.

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So what?

I see your point with the diversified stocks or whatever, but I just think he may be a little bit biased and/or beholden to Google, tis all. I’ll continue to take his words with a grain of salt.

over someone who hasn’t even used G+ in over two years.

Wouldn’t that be an overwhelming amount of other people as well? Does one have to actively use Google+ to have a valid opinion on their business model and moves, etc.? I don’t think so.

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What’s changed?

I think once Google tried to shove it down everyone’s throat with the might of their monopolistic powers things turned sour for most people.

See here:

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I see your conclusion. And I can draw my own conclusions, not far from that. Also, including, Buzz (a somewhat useful but somewhat replica of existing platforms whit somewhat unreplicated privacy snafus).

But I want to hear from BB, a publishing entity which has managed to stay in the top N amount of web-destinations, for a laudable number of years, with a decidedly and determinedly independent-bent.

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I’m confused. Facebook has the exact same real name policy. Always has.

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G+ is great if you play ingress and want to communicate with other players. Otherwise, meh. I like the fact that there’s less noise (like and reshare if you agree), but that will change if it ever becomes more popular and attracts more of the noisemakers.

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No, but when reporters spout off on how google+ is dying or a ghost town or complain how no one they know uses it when all they’ve done was sign up 3 years ago posted at most 10 posts and not circled anyone, it’s flat out bad reporting.

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If you think Google is backing away from Google+, you are smoking the good stuff… Vic leaving means that most of the platform’s major features are rolled out and the massive “build” stage is coming to a close. That he is now looking for something else to “build”… It signifies that the platform is established and stable, which is the complete opposite of backing away…

If that’s your stance, get ready for disappointment…

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Facebook doesn’t run YouTube, the Android PlayStore, etc.

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In other news, Facebook wants everyone to just stahp not-using Facebook.

That’s the main reason for using G+. I really don’t see why an end to “forced integration” with YouTube would mean an end to G+, unless they have particular targets for expanding the userbase which they aren’t flexible about, and are also inflexible about using YouTube to drive the growth of G+.