With the launch of Google+ I got to thinking.
Will this be the Facebook killer that many are waiting for?
Will it leave the social-sphere quicker than a church full of Catholics before the second collection?
Or will it hang around on life support just to piss off Zuckerberg?
I don’t know the answer, but I do know that I’m feeling cluttered.
Let’s take a look at my social meanderings:
Twitter – Like many I’ve been there, done that and have moved on. The 140-character universe quickly turned into a dumping ground full of get-rich-quick tweets, religious quotations, celebrity droppings and other assorted dung. It’s still popular and the folks in charge keep trying to make it more attractive, but isn’t it all just like putting lipstick on Sarah Palin?
Foursquare – My mayorships are plenty, but my reign is coming to an end. Foursquare was the hip way to “check-in” to your favorite places, earn useless badges, and become top-dog at places you frequent the most. The aforementioned Facebook, more or less knocked these guys down a peg by releasing their own version of the “check-in” which I quickly moved over to.
Classmates.com – That was so 1999. Do I really want to connect with people I haven’t seen, or care to see, since high school and college? Nope. Next!
Google Buzz – The big G’s first attempt at social networking. I never got into it, and apparently it wasn’t just me. Those that remember the Buzz recall it for being somewhat of a failure.
LinkedIn – Who doesn’t have a LinkedIn profile? Guess you have to if you’re among the ranks of the employed and want to show off all your fancy degrees and letters after your name which don’t amount to a whole heck-of-a-lot. I have a LinkedIn profile. I’m connected to a bunch of people I don’t even know and log-in about once a month. This attempt at social networking is more about job hunting. If I want to be bored I’ll watch a golf game on TV or log on to LinkedIn.
MySpace – Ok, I admit it. I was on MySpace once or twice. Maybe I’m too old. Maybe I’m just not hip. I didn’t get it years ago, and I still don’t get it today. Unless I’m 16, like the singer Pink and have more holes in my body than nature intended, this ain’t for me.
So what about Facebook? To me, Facebook is to social media as Amazon.com is to eCommerce. When the dust settles and the only two living things left on planet Earth are Cher and a cockroach, Facebook and Amazon.com will be there for them.
Google+ may get some adoption, but Facebook users aren’t going to jump ship. As humans we tend to stick with things we’re comfortable with. Facebook is like a hot bowl of chicken soup Mrs. Goldberg dropped off when she heard I was sick. Google+ is like horrible tasting cough syrup the doctor sent over.
I was excited to get a Google+ invite, but after a few days of poking and prodding, I’m sticking with what I like and know best. After all, when I want to thank Mrs. Goldberg for the soup, chances are she’s on Facebook.