I am a big Google fan. I’ve been using Gmail practically forever, I use Google docs, I use Google News and Google Maps and Google Voice. I even loved Google’s Wave. Now I am using Google Plus and I have to admit that so far I think “so what.”
Am I wrong? Are the writers of all those articles that are predicting that Google Plus will annihilate Facebook seeing something I’m not? I want to get excited and I am geeky enough that this is something that could do it for me. I thought Google Wave was wonderful and I got excited recently about a nicety in a cascading style sheet. So the problem isn’t that I am not technical enough or that I am too busy sky diving.
The problem is that Google Plus (unlike Google Wave) doesn’t fill any need I currently have. There’s no breakthrough “Eureka” in there. I log in and I see a spare, simple way to connect with…. the people I’m already connected to on Facebook.
So we have two issues here. The first is inertia. I’m already entrenched in Facebook and I’ve already built my business page there and my social lists. Why do I want to reinvent the wheel. And the second reason is that there is no motivation there. My motivation to buy an iPad was that my laptop was heavy, cumbersome and not much fun. The laptop now stays home most days and the iPad travels along with me. Pretty, sexy, charming and useful without weighing a ton.
But if Google Plus travels along with me it will be social media tool #2. One more white screen with a minimal look for me to put all my friend’s info into and start posting to. Yawn. I don’t feel like it. That’s a bad beginning.
Of course you have to remember, supposedly everyone else loves it. So maybe I will come around very soon. Maybe I’ll suddenly think that initial screen is sexy and enticing. Or not.