G+ Activity Seems To Be Dwindling

Posted by Mitch Mitchell on Aug 19, 2011

Have you lost your love or enthusiasm for Google+ yet? When I wrote my post last month titled The Fuss About Google it was really new, not even a month old yet, and I talked about some of the things there that I felt people should know about.

by Shadow Byrd via Flickr

Since that day Google+ has jumped in members, to the point that there’s now at least 25 million people over there. That’s just phenomenal growth, no matter how you look at it. Then again it’s Google, a very well known technology company, and it was easy to promote and hype so it should have shown tremendous growth.

However, at this juncture it seems that the initial enthusiasm is starting to wane for a lot of users. Sure, there are all these articles out there on how to get a lot of Google+ followers and how it’s going to be an important social media tool, but right now, I almost hate to say it this way, but it’s boring.

Yup, there you have it; boring. Even the people who started out posting links like gangbusters, which I found really irritating, have slowed down. There are fewer images being put up, which pleases me because of all those moving .gif files that I kept having to mute.

What’s the problem? In a weird way the problem is the same complaint people have had about Twitter and Facebook; no real engagement. I have 8 circles set up and I’m starting to see maybe 3 or 4 new posts a day on most of those circles. The circles where I only have 6 or 8 people I can understand, but one of my circles has 30 people in it; one would think more of them would have something to say.

Many do have something to share, but you don’t see any real proof that anyone’s paying attention. Yeah, here and there you see that someone has given a 1+ thumbs up, but it’s a rare thing to see someone actually commenting on something, and then it’s even more rare to see that person get a response.

Frankly, with that kind of engagement I’d rather be on Twitter, where every once in awhile when you retweet something or respond to something someone wrote or posted you might get a response back. Actually, the same goes for Facebook; you at least will get 2 or 3 people, if not more, commenting on something you put up.

Not to say we haven’t had some conversations going on, but for the most part it’s just not something you see. Well, the A-listers are seeing conversations, but they’re not all that participatory, which is a gripe some people have about them on their blogs. Hey, you can only talk to so many people and still get work done, right?

But maybe I’m not being fair, so I’ll throw it out to you. Who think Google+ is the greatest thing since chocolate cake (I know you were wondering why I had a picture of chocolate cake lol)? If not, what do you think it needs to make it better or exciting?

Tags: Google, Social Media

47 Comments »

Melinda:

My G+ use has dwindled compared to the first few weeks. I did find some new interesting people and have participated in some great conversation. I find I skim more than talk. I guess it depends on who you circle in whether there is useful info or not. I still like it but the shiny newness is wearing off a bit.

Mitch Mitchell Reply:
August 20th, 2011 at 12:39 AM

Melinda, I was hesitant to join early on so I didn’t until I just kept getting invites from a lot of people. Got there and wasn’t overly impressed, but thought maybe things would change. They did; they slowed down and it started getting a little bit boring. I mean, how many moving .gif files can one look at? This is the thing that’s supposed to be competing with Facebook; nope, I’m not seeing it.

Sire Reply:
August 20th, 2011 at 8:14 PM

Hey Mitch, those moving gif files probably all come from the same person so why not just move him/her into the ‘annoying’ circle.

Mitch Mitchell Reply:
August 20th, 2011 at 9:04 PM

No, they’re not all from the same person. But many people are sharing the same images, and I get sick of seeing them.

August 19th, 2011 | 4:03 PM

Adrienne:

Hey Mitch,

I STILL haven’t taken the time to really get on Google+ and figure it out. But I continue to get notices from people who are adding me to their circles and I’ve never met these people before in my life. Okay, I’ve never even seen them online before and have no clue who they are. Then they send me notices to comment on their blog post but again, I don’t know who they are. I’m finding it rather annoying to be honest with you.

When a friend will send me a notice I will respond but I just haven’t had time to spend on that site to even see what all the fuss is about. I don’t like that fact that when someone adds me that I can’t go to their wall and say Hi even. I hate that so they’ve got some improving to do in my opinion.

But these things take off like crazy and then the rah rah sessions start to die down and then we’ll see if they make it or not. That’s just my thought on this so thanks for including yours. You’ve spend a lot more time over there then I have apparently so you should know.

Adrienne

Mitch Mitchell Reply:
August 20th, 2011 at 12:43 AM

Adrienne, I was initially approving everyone but then realized those people didn’t know me and weren’t writing me. They saw my name somewhere and decided they were just going to add me to their circles, assuming I’d do the same. But that was the initial Facebook trap; I wasn’t falling for it again.

So I put them all into a circle I called “Unsure Folks”. I had 82 people in there; now there’s only one left, as I finally started taking a look at all those people. Some of them survived because they’re in blogging circles of mine, a couple are within the Twitter community, but the overwhelming majority I removed from all circles and that’s that. Now at least I know all of them except the one person, and I’ll be truly evaluating him. Still, it’s slow over there; today for instance I only got 3 messages and didn’t see much new; that’s a shame. Facebook, if I’m in the mood to keep up with the stream I’d be overloaded like on Twitter. Yet, at least there’s a lot to see.

August 19th, 2011 | 5:36 PM

Mark:

LOL!!! Too funny Mitch. How crazy is that? The fact that G+ is already old news???!!!

Honestly, it is old news. It’s just a social network. We have tons of those. Really, it’s just another way to stay in “too much contact” with “your friends”.

I never really had the fever…I must admit. I logged on once and that was about it…end of story…wah wah…

Great read, friend…:)

Mark

Mitch Mitchell Reply:
August 20th, 2011 at 12:47 AM

Thanks Mark. I was late to the party then created an account and now I check in and check out within minutes. Sometimes the next big thing is just big. lol

August 19th, 2011 | 7:17 PM

Vernessa Taylor:

My use of Google+ is consistently intermittent. That’s about how it’s been all along. The main difference is in adding people. At first, I just added the people who were adding me. But the names kept getting weirder and weirder, until I decided, come on! those can’t be real people! So I quit that.

I’ve sorta added it to my other sharing processes. When I tweet, stumble, etc., if there is a G+ button, I’ll hit it. And if I think about it (and have time), skip over to GooglePlus and share it there, too, as it’s another way to give a little exposure to some worthy content.

I wouldn’t say I’ve experienced much engagement from anyone I didn’t already know or know of. There have been a few conversations out of the norm, but no, not many.

Yep, I’m guilty of hitting that 1+ button and continuing on, unless the content is unusually compelling.

Mitch Mitchell Reply:
August 20th, 2011 at 12:49 AM

Vernessa, I can’t even say it’s not fulfilling its promise because I’m not sure what its promise was supposed to be. Sure, I saw the video, but that really didn’t say anything about what they wanted to be. All I know is that in some ways it’s starting to turn some people off by banning them, although some of those folks have bad reasons for what they want to do. Still, it’s just not totally captured me yet, even that hangout feature, which is cool but I just can’t get anyone engaged enough to use it.

August 19th, 2011 | 8:23 PM

Sire:

Yep, the A Listers keep getting a lot of action but I stopped participating in their conversations because it got way to noisy for my liking and I like my peace and quiet.

I still like it. I go on there way more than I do FaceBook and I prefer it over Twitter. I wonder, it being Google and all if Google will give links posted in Google+ more importance than other social sites in an attempt to get more followers?

At the moment I’m playing a game. I didn’t mean to as I just wanted to see what it was all about. But when I logged on I was presented with Dragons of Atlantis and you know how I feel about dragons. I’ve actually started my own city, WassupBlog

Mitch Mitchell Reply:
August 20th, 2011 at 10:46 AM

Wait, G+ has games? And you, Sire, are actually playing a game? Am I being punked? lol We’re connected on G+ right? How come I never see anything from you or you commenting on anything there? Overall, for me at least, it’s a dog at this point. But that’s an interesting question; will they treat links there better than from elsewhere?

Sire Reply:
August 20th, 2011 at 11:03 AM

Oh I’ve commented Mitch and I have shared stuff, you just haven’t been paying attention

Honestly though Mitch, unless your tagged in a conversation it’s a little hard to keep tabs on all the going ons.

Brian D. Hawkins Reply:
August 20th, 2011 at 9:32 PM

I’m amazed how the A Listers can post something very plain and get hundreds of responses. “What’s your favorite color?” and dozens of people are jumping at the chance to say they like green.

Then, like Mitch said, someone will have something great on there and at best there’s a 1+ or small comment. I guess it’s the same story on all of the networks.

Mitch Mitchell Reply:
August 20th, 2011 at 9:37 PM

I think you’re right Brian. And truthfully, I’m not against any A-listers, ever. But come on folks, there has to be room for true engagement as well.

August 20th, 2011 | 5:58 AM

Rummuser:

I was dragged in screaming and yelling. After that, zilch. FaceBook still prevails!

Mitch Mitchell Reply:
August 20th, 2011 at 10:46 AM

Rummuser, I kind of feel the same way. I know it’s still early but man, it’s going to have to step up its game if I’m going to be recommending it to anyone.

August 20th, 2011 | 9:35 AM

Mitchell Allen:

Well, Mitch, let me say this: of ALL the methods to communicate online, G+ is just below email in my book.

For me, that’s a good thing. I’ve finally put it into perspective. It’s a way for me to have a more immediate conversation with folks who are not already involved in on-going email exchanges. (Maybe more people should play chess by email. It’s a sedately way to chat and have a bit of fun.)

That last bit explains why I like G+. There’s just enough automated coolness to enhance a conversation. I can post a supporting link, “shout out” with the plus tag (thus calling your attention) and I can upload images.

Even more helpful to me is the tiny circle in which I participate. I have ten folks in there and that’s that. I don’t miss a word you or the other nine folks say. (That’s how I learned about this post.)

Because of this focus, I have two benefits:
1. I DON’T have to check in every hour.
2. I can disconnect, just by closing the Chrome browser.

#1 was a consequence of the newness.
#2 is a consequence of the perspective I’ve just outlined.

Cheers,

Mitch

Mitch Mitchell Reply:
August 20th, 2011 at 10:48 AM

Mitch, the way you’re using it is nice, but the overall experience that I think other people might be having, when compared to Facebook or Twitter, is kind of boring. You’re right, I’m at the point now where I only check a few times a day looking for something new, and if I find something I can participate in then it’s cool. If not, then I’m gone quickly. But that wasn’t what I think it was conceived for, and if that’s the best they have to offer then long term it won’t match up against Facebook, Twitter, or anyone else.

August 20th, 2011 | 10:35 AM

Charles Gulotta:

Maybe people are feeling that they’re spreading themselves too thin, Mitch. There’s just so much time, and how many new routines can we work into our day before something more important starts to suffer? I’ve responded to a couple of invitations to join Google+, but to me, it’s like adding another phone line in my house to talk to the same people I’m already in touch with.

Mitch Mitchell Reply:
August 20th, 2011 at 3:51 PM

Charles, I can understand that thinking because I might feel that way if the activity was high. I’m just not seeing all that much activity after the flurry of people signing up so I’m not really sure that’s specifically the case here.

August 20th, 2011 | 12:47 PM

Sava Georgiev:

I don’t think google+ will ever be able to pass facebook even tho they are offering a great platform with a very nice and unique design. They will definitely take a small share of the facebook users but unless google+ comes up with something extraordinary they will not be able to pass dominate over facebook.

Mitch Mitchell Reply:
August 20th, 2011 at 9:06 PM

That’s the way I see it Sava. It has some possibilities but right now it’s just not getting things done.

August 20th, 2011 | 8:32 PM

Brian D. Hawkins:

I guess I’m one of those that log on less and less. To me, it’s just another tool to keep in touch with friends. With that said, I have to say that Google+ opened to door to finding a bunch of new friends. I do like that. That was probably possible with both Twitter and FB too but I really wasn’t pursuing new friends until I started with G+. I wanted a fresh group of people to mix with so everyone wasn’t seeing the same things posted over several networks.

I guess that’s a lesson learned, for me anyway. Those same people were probably on the other social sites too, I just wasn’t looking. So it’s never too late to look for new friends, even on established sites and accounts. To clarify, I’m referring to real social connections, not accumulating tons of useless followers.

Mitch Mitchell Reply:
August 21st, 2011 at 3:01 PM

I knew what you meant Brian. lol And there are lots of people there that I’ve never seen elsewhere. They just don’t seem to have much to say either, other than posting a lot of links that’s not even their stuff, which is a lot like Twitter. I guess one could decide to mobilize it and start posting tons of stuff to spread their influence there but at this time that’s beyond my thought pattern. I know that sometimes we have to take the actions to make something work for us, but I’m concentrating in other areas at the moment.

August 20th, 2011 | 9:43 PM

peter davies:

Not interested. g+ brings nothing new to the market that isn’t already out there if you need it.

And why would any sane person want to entrust their valuable data in the hands of big g+ who could pull the rug anytime they see fit when they dont need to.

I see it a just another attempt to break into social media

Mitch Mitchell Reply:
August 21st, 2011 at 3:07 PM

Good stuff Peter. I signed up since I talk about social media but I didn’t jump on it immediately. The thing is that if you have an Adsense account, which I do, then they already have the information they need, so I didn’t tell them anything more than what they already had.

August 21st, 2011 | 4:55 AM

Barry W heeler:

I have to agree, I’m not seeing Google Plus making any major inroads.

Those that tried it out early in my own social stream found it wasn’t as friendly as Facebook. They don’t like what it has to offer and they are not moving.

I’m even finding myself heading back to FB more and more.

Mitch Mitchell Reply:
August 22nd, 2011 at 2:21 AM

Seems to be a movement afoot Barry. I’ve been reading in many places that people are bored already with it. I stop by here and there and often have nothing to do, or maybe one message to look at. I don’t think it’ll stay this way, but if it does, it’ll be a bigger bust than Buzz was.

August 22nd, 2011 | 1:42 AM

Carl:

I can’t say that I don’t like G+, but I think system will be going under many tweaks and bug fixes. What I found is that social network is vulnerable because the easy way of viral invitation, but probably Google have allow this because want to get as many people as possible. Sure, big “G” will offer something good fairly soon and clean the it a bit. I think webmasters and bloggers still don’t understand that social network + and the button plus are using different metrics and are completely independent.

August 22nd, 2011 | 7:30 AM

Melly Lifshitz:

I thought I’m the only one who noticed that there’s no real friends interaction in there. They just added games but I think I need to pass on this one.

August 22nd, 2011 | 8:55 AM

reeha@cheap desinger handbags:

the charm of Goggle+ is really fading day by day and after playing lot of games here i am fed up now. thanks for sharing your early suggestion about G+.

August 22nd, 2011 | 11:35 AM

Kimi@ wp newbies:

Hi Mitch!

I am same with Adrienne above, have heard about the hype of Google+ but haven’t had time to try it.

I don’t have much time lol, twitter, facebook, blogging and now G+, too much..

I almost tried it last week though, but reading a post in a forum which says, “is Google+ dead” make me lazy to do it, I am worried it would end like Google buzz

Have a nice day, and nice to visit your blog again

Kimi.

Mitch Mitchell Reply:
August 24th, 2011 at 11:08 AM

Thanks Kimi; good to see you again as well. Truthfully you might as well wait for awhile before even thinking about G+. Just went in this morning and only one new thing to see; so sad…

August 24th, 2011 | 9:20 AM

John Dilbeck:

I have mixed feelings about Google+.

Personally, I don’t much care for it, and I hate the entire circles concept and implementation. I know I’m in the minority.

I don’t see any advantages, except one, over Facebook, and I’m well established on Facebook and enjoy the daily interactions I have there.

The exception is this: It’s Google.

This is a brand new baby. It’s going to take time to grow. 25 million members means nothing, because hundreds of millions of us are already using Google Apps, Gmail, Adsense and a gazillion other things they offer, so, of course, we’re going to join Google+ and — if we’re marketing — we’re going to spruce up our profile and add more information, so folks can find other things we do if they land on our profile page.

So, I spend about an hour a week there, versus several hours a day on Facebook.

Google has made a few missteps in opening Google+, but that’s just part of the growing pains. Canceling the accounts of huge international brands was a bad mistake that will haunt them with large companies.

That said, I’m waiting for when Google+ allows and encourages businesses to join and participate. I don’t know if it will be successful, but I want to see what they roll out.

As with most things they introduce, they’ll continue to tweak and improve until they have a nice base of regular users.

Other than that, I’m not impressed. As others have said, I just don’t have the time nor the energy to fully engage in yet another social network, so I’m sticking with the one that works for me, and that’s Facebook.

All the best.

Mitch Mitchell Reply:
August 25th, 2011 at 10:57 PM

That makes sense, John. To me, it’s just pretty dull at the moment. Someone said they just added games; I don’t know when that happened, and I haven’t seen it, but that seems counter productive to what they said it was supposed to be, whatever that really is. Yeah, it’s Google, but so was Buzz, Wave, and some other stuff that failed. We’ll see where it all goes.

August 25th, 2011 | 9:25 AM

Nik:

The hype and comments around G+ have subsided somewhat. Just from my own observations I still need to make an effort to log-on and have a look. As with facebook it seems more like a habit. I think if G+ wants to gain on FB communication om G+ needs to become a habit. It takes a long time before something becomes a habit. Apart from a few people none of my FB friends have migrated so they cannot yet start to make it a habit to start with.

As soon as great content gets shared only on G+ only then people will move because it’s something they can’t get anywhere else.

A lot more work to be done. Behaviour and habits are not that easy to change.

Nik

Mitch Mitchell Reply:
August 26th, 2011 at 9:49 AM

Great stuff Nik. G+ offers great conversations from people if they pay attention to what’s going on in their stream, but to date most of what I see is people posting links that aren’t their own and images of all types. Just like I always write about Twitter, there needs to be a mix, otherwise people get blind and bored to what’s showing up. That helps no one and doesn’t continue engaging people and having them want to come back.

August 25th, 2011 | 12:31 PM

Cristian Balau:

I was afraid things like this will eventually happen. People getting excited and all that about google+ only to get bored after a month. When you have more then one social media network accounts its hard to pay attention anymore. Especially to the new ones. Even if they are way better then rest, people may find themselves bored.

Mitch Mitchell Reply:
August 26th, 2011 at 9:16 AM

Cristian, they have to have more than just being another place to talk. That just won’t compel people anymore; we need to know why something is different and special, and to date G+ isn’t that.

August 25th, 2011 | 7:52 PM

Andrew Walker:

Hi Mitch. Yeah, I couldn’t agree more with you. I’ve started using Google+ for about a month, and then I’ve lost all my interest in it right away. It got boring, nothing in it. And for Google to said that this will be a major direct hit to Facebook and Twitter? Nah, I don’t think so.

August 26th, 2011 | 12:42 AM

Ivin:

Hello Mitch. I thought this was gonna happen. The new shiny toy lost it’s attraction. I still think this was a ploy to win some of the market and unless they offer GREAT incentives, it will definitely die out. There were other Google appa they tried and it didn’t work, so why would this last. FB work for some apps, Twitter for others and very effective.

August 26th, 2011 | 9:27 AM

Sharon Hurley Hall:

I’ll be the dissenting voice in the wilderness, Mitch. I still enjoy G+ and I’ve had some proper conversations with people whom I’ve followed at a distance. I’ve also met some new writers and bloggers, so it’s been great for me. My use of Facebook is down and I’ve changed my FB profile so it’s only for friends, leaving all other interaction for my page. I’m still using Twitter a lot. I do agree that G+ is quieter than it was, but that’s not a problem for me, as the quality of interactions remains high.

Mitch Mitchell Reply:
August 27th, 2011 at 4:52 PM

Sharon, there’s always one in the crowd. It’s funny, but I was pretty much away from it for 2 days and I come back to only 2 messages, and not really a lot to see from other people. But from Facebook I had 38 messages, along with a good number from Twitter. Not a scientific poll but enough for me to notice a difference for the moment.

August 27th, 2011 | 10:41 AM

Sally Brown:

I just don’t see what all the hype is about and why it was ever considered something that would be beneficial for we who blog.

For one thing, it is just something else to keep up with if you want to have a decent ranking.

I don’t need somewhere else to go to converse with people.

I think it is a waste of time and energy.

Perhaps I’m not utilizing it to it’s full potential, but darn, Twitter, FB, my blog, blogs by my favorites, and my blogging community are about all I can handle.

I’m way over it! Just saying….. Sally

Mitch Mitchell Reply:
August 27th, 2011 at 11:01 PM

I love it Sally. I think it got big so fast because it was Google, and maybe one day it’ll be something special. But right now I think it’s being proven that it’s not better than Facebook or Twitter except for one thing, and most people aren’t using it for that reason either.

August 27th, 2011 | 6:39 PM

VR:

Not interested. G+ brings nothing new to the market that isn’t already out there if you need it. By the way, really informative article. Thanks for sharing it.

September 15th, 2011 | 7:22 AM

If you like this post, why not donate to the cause? :-)

Before you leave a reply; please see the comment policy if this is your first visit. This blog doesn't accept keyword names. I need a real first name or a legitimate nickname that you're known for. If your name has more than 3 words or the email address begins with "info", the comment automatically goes to the spam filter; same if there are any links in the comment. If your comment goes to spam for any of these reasons, or any other reason listed in this post, it's probably never showing up on the blog (I do forgive the link issue if you've commented on the blog previously). If it goes there for any other reason (and I know some do), I'll pull it out as I don't intentionally moderate any comments on this blog.

One last thing; if your link is an affiliate link or goes back to a strange website or webpage I don't like, if I keep your comment I'll remove your link. That's why I have CommentLuv for blogs; if you have a legitimate business just leave that link & no sub-links. Trust me, it's best to read the comment policy if you don't get it, or never see your comments showing up here.

I'm Just Sharing