Users vs Usage
Posted: August 24, 2011 Filed under: Apple | Tags: Google Leave a comment »
The number of Google+ accounts has exploded faster than any other social network so far. But is that really important? There’s a big problem that hasn’t been cited nearly as often – the users just aren’t using Google+. In contrast, Facebook and Twitter consume our lives, with friends posting new information all the time. They hold value because actual content is being generated. Compared to that, Google+ is a graveyard.
I was only able to convince 5 actual friends of mine to join, and not one of them participates anymore. Even the friend who originally sent me an invite has fallen silent. Some have deleted their accounts, and most others sit with a half-completed profile. There’s no reason for me to continue looking at a stale website, even if Andy Ihnatko and Dave Caolo keep posting interesting things. There’s no value to me in using Google+, and it’s something that Google needs to solve if its fledgeling network is to take off.
As it stands, I’ll probably delete my account in the next week unless something drastic happens to turn this malaise around. I really like Google+’s design and premise, at least more than Facebook’s tired UI and increasingly noisy environment. But there’s just no point being social in an empty room.
