Sunday, March 08, 2015

RIP Google Plus: Google splits social after missteps

It looks like Google has finally come to realize that Google+ has not hit the tipping point for adoption and use (this video is a great summary of the developments: http://for.tn/1M1R02C). The specific event that suggests this: Google's announcement at last week's Mobile World Congress that it is splitting Google+ into Photos (which a lot of people use) and Streams (which is mostly ignored).

An important aspect of the marketing here is that neither Google Photos nor Google Streams reference the "Plus" label which has become synonymous with Google's failed attempt at establishing a foothold in social.  As evidence of this failing, Business Insider points out that only 9% of Google Plus users actually post content - suggesting that the overwhelming majority of Google Plus accounts merely serve as a forced sign-on for other Google products.

Its not clear what Google will do to revamp Streams, but for now, it looks like it is conceding that its mainstream social offering, Google+, was not picking up enough users to serve its purposes (advertising revenue, data). As a lukewarm Facebook fan, I am excited to see Google's next attempt at Social.

Check out this Fortune article for more detail: http://fortune.com/2015/03/02/google-photos-plus/




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