Is Google+ a platform that too few people understand?

Google Plus has an image problem.

The paragraph (screenshot) is the widely perceived perception, from people who don't use it, that Google+ is a waste of space.

It's OK for regular people (who don't use Google+ and don't understand it) to poke fun. Google's problem is that most technology journalists, those people whose articles inform others, do not understand Google+ either!

The text is from the Guardian. I read it and wondered who wrote it? TBH that's not usual, I'm interested in who wrote whatever piece of information I read online. It adds context.

It was published on the Guardian under the anonymous name "HAL 90210" which is odd to see on a reputable publication where authors generally publish under their own name.

So who poked fun at Google+? Do they have a rounded view of what Google+ is?

I wanted to ask "HAL 90210", meaning the person behind HAL 90210, if they had taken a good look at Google+ ... or not.

It's not possible to know with any degree of certainty who that person might be, but is is possible to make a "best guess".

The HAL 90210 twitter account is only followed by 28 other twitter accounts currently. Including four technology journalists from the Guardian.

One of those: Alex Hern had made the only "Liked" tweet by "HAL 90201" so my best guess for who was behind the HAL identity was that it was likely to be Alex. That might have been correct, it might have been incorrect, but Alex would certainly know who was behind "HAL 90210" so I asked Alex if he wrote the text?

Here's the conversation that followed.

 Alex who is a Technology features writer at the Guardian replied with a quip.

 Samuel, who is an assistant technology editor for the Guardian joined in.
 Another quip.
 I replied to both.
 In joined Jonathan: Technology Editor for The Guardian.
 I replied to the three of them.
What's "enough" really? ... 
 Actually Google+ is now a corporate offering.
 I don't work directly with fleet buyers, that's not part of "social".
The conversation ended.

There could be a few reasons why the conversation petered out. They might have just got bored, been too busy or not interested (fair enough), or they may not have understood that the image I added to my last tweet: "I'd be willing to talk privately about strategy, reasoning etc if you are interested" was a screenshot of *a private post in my "Outbox" AKA my Google+ Direct Messages where I would be willing to talk to Alex, Samuel and Jonathan if they wanted about Google+ strategy and why I have one.

*Note: The private post link will give YOU an error, but does not give me an error, or any others who I would choose to invite into that conversation.

What's my point?
People don't have to use Google+, it's up to them whether they do so or not, but if you're a technology journalists, who writes articles which inform others on subjects, it would be better to write about what you understand. Not what you do not.

Comments

Popular Posts