Google announced their intention to pull the plug on Google+ (aka Google Plus or G+) sometime late last year. We’re really sorry to hear that. You’ve made an impact in the social media universe. You’ve also affected how we interact with our circle of friends in cyberspace. You will be sorely missed… Or not…
Google+?… Never Heard Of It…
Google+ was Google’s answer to Facebook, the dominant channel in the social media universe. Launched in June 2011, it was built as a major competitor to counter Facebook’s dominance in social media. It also offered Google’s dominant search engine influence as a plus point. Get it?… Plus?… It’s also designed with tight integration from the ground up with other Google’s products, like YouTube, Blogger, Gmail, etc.
At its peak in 2013, Google+ boasted 540 million “active monthly users”. However, in reality, none of the “active monthly users” were using this platform exclusively. Most, if not all, were merely hanging around as a standby, alternate venue, for after-party gathering. The idea was when (more likely – if) the music died, and the lights turned off at Facebook, they’ll simply adjourn to Google+ and continue partying there… Except that the main party at Facebook’s mansion never did end. If anything, the party at Facebook got bigger and bigger with time. Hence, this alternate gathering never really took off.
For the next five years, things pretty much stayed status quo. Members who had signed up earlier stayed on. And new members, well, I don’t really think they had many new signups after 2013. In fact, not many new Internet users knew of Google+ after that. The grand Google+ villa was was appearing more and more like an abandoned ancestral home. Sure, existing members occasionally keep posting fresh contents there. Just like a scheduled clean up crew tending to the lonely mansion, even when nobody lives there anymore.
Huh?… People Still Post On Google+?…
Like it or not, Google+ is still a big name in the social media universe, despite audience being few and far in between. Not surprising, considering it’s no longer an attractive party venue. But the fact that it’s sharing a close connection with Google’s search engine, it’s a pretty attractive platform to promote SEO.
Hence, we’ve always promoted Google+ as an important social media marketing platform… Well, we used to anyway… But with its scheduled demise, it looks like we’re gonna have to find an alternative platform. Either that, or put more eggs into existing baskets, like Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, etc. Not exactly an encouraging prospect, but it’ll have to do.
So What’s Next After This?
Google announced that they’ll start winding up developers services by 7th March 2019. No new projects can be initiated after that, though the platform continues to remain open. The plug will officially be pulled on 2nd April 2019. Our guess is that we’ll no longer be able to sign in after that.
We’ll continue our clients’ social media marketing efforts, right up to the very end. Posts and links will continue to be shared there as long as we’re still able to sign in. You probably won’t even notice any difference at all.
Once we’ve crossed the point of no return, we’ll revert to alternative platforms as per individual client’s choice. Every client’s needs are different, so we’ll consult with each of you individually. Rest assured we’ll continue to work on your social media marketing effort, even beyond this point.
Life Goes On…
All of our branding exercises and social media marketing efforts will continue to run. We’ll be shifting things around in the background, but upfront, everything remains the same. If you have any queries as to how it might affect your business or yourself, feel free to contact us, or drop us a comment below.
