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New Data: Google+ Public Posts Decrease by 41% Over Past Two Months

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Re: New Data: Google+ Public Posts Decrease by 41% Over Past Two Months

#31
post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I went a step further still and divested myself entirely of Google services. The real name debacle made me realize just how dependent on a single company I'd become and how little recourse I might have if that company cut me off. This was particularly troubling given how Kakfaesque Google's "support" is. So now my eggs are strewn around in several independent baskets and I intend to keep it that way.

Some postings on how people distribute their eggs and into what baskets would be interesting.

Seconded. I'm a bit interested in this, myself. Are there any comparable email services? Or calendar?

Re: New Data: Google+ Public Posts Decrease by 41% Over Past Two Months

#33

I used the hell out of it. Every day. And then the Real Name debacle happened. And I thought, "There's no way Google would screw this up. They'll retract any day now." And here we are today. Early this week, I decided that was it. They obviously aren't going to see sense, and I can't risk losing my account. So I've stopped posting. I don't even check it, except when someone replies to something I've already posted. I…

Why does Google requiring a real name bug everyone, but not when Facebook requires it? I don't understand this outrage at all.

- Eric Florenzano

Re: New Data: Google+ Public Posts Decrease by 41% Over Past Two Months

#34
post #26

g+ was dead the day they released it, I've said in a comment here before and I stand by it: google cannot launch a successful social product (where successful means it's a valid competitor to Facebook). They are too big, people put all their hopes and dreams on specific things happening which are unrealistic and they prematurely kill the product. Google could make a better product than Facebook but it would never tak…

"told 'ya" (and got downvoted) http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2709330

Your comment would have been more interesting if you had explained why.

Re: New Data: Google+ Public Posts Decrease by 41% Over Past Two Months

#35
post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I went one step further and killed my account last week.

How exactly do you do that? I don't see a way to just remove G+.

I did. You can remove your Google+ account but still keep all other services (I still use Adwords and Analytics).

Re: New Data: Google+ Public Posts Decrease by 41% Over Past Two Months

#36
post #34
post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"told 'ya" (and got downvoted) http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2709330

Your comment would have been more interesting if you had explained why.

I think the reason is as obvious now as it was back then.

Facebook has the network effect, G+ hasn't.

Re: New Data: Google+ Public Posts Decrease by 41% Over Past Two Months

#37

I used the hell out of it. Every day. And then the Real Name debacle happened. And I thought, "There's no way Google would screw this up. They'll retract any day now." And here we are today. Early this week, I decided that was it. They obviously aren't going to see sense, and I can't risk losing my account. So I've stopped posting. I don't even check it, except when someone replies to something I've already posted. I…

"Say what you like about Facebook, but if they ban your account, you don't lose your email, documents, calendar, etc etc etc. You can't say that about Google." You can say that about Google if you move your services out. I did that. I saw it as a choice between Google's superior mail, calendar and docs, with risk of losing it all, against any number of good enough choices, with no Google risk at all. I used to rant a…

For me, the GMail interface is just too nice. The other stuff... Meh. I can replace it with other things that are probably better. But not GMail.

Re: New Data: Google+ Public Posts Decrease by 41% Over Past Two Months

#38
post #33

I used the hell out of it. Every day. And then the Real Name debacle happened. And I thought, "There's no way Google would screw this up. They'll retract any day now." And here we are today. Early this week, I decided that was it. They obviously aren't going to see sense, and I can't risk losing my account. So I've stopped posting. I don't even check it, except when someone replies to something I've already posted. I…

Why does Google requiring a real name bug everyone, but not when Facebook requires it? I don't understand this outrage at all. - Eric Florenzano

I already said it. Because if Facebook bans me, I only lose Facebook. If G+ bans me, I lose multiple services, including 1 that is integral to my online identity.

Re: New Data: Google+ Public Posts Decrease by 41% Over Past Two Months

#39

I used the hell out of it. Every day. And then the Real Name debacle happened. And I thought, "There's no way Google would screw this up. They'll retract any day now." And here we are today. Early this week, I decided that was it. They obviously aren't going to see sense, and I can't risk losing my account. So I've stopped posting. I don't even check it, except when someone replies to something I've already posted. I…

I did the same thing. I can't even explain why but I lost all enthusiasm for it right at that point even though I was using my real name. The whole thing just seemed less interesting, less like a platform and more like a ploy, less new and more same-old-same-old. I think I also knew at that point that while conversation on G+ may be more civil it will be a lot less interesting. Certainly I was never going to discuss some of the more out-of-my-comfort-zone topics that I nonetheless find interesting there if I had to do it under my real name. I wasn't actively thinking this, but I just stopped checking it all of a sudden. Maybe I just got bored but I really think the real name debacle pushed it over a threshold somehow.

> Say what you like about Facebook, but if they ban your account, you don't lose your email, documents, calendar, etc etc etc. You can't say that about Google.

That's a little harsh. The people being banned from G+ aren't losing their whole accounts (well, not intentionally anyway). To do that you have to exhibit a level of maliciousness far beyond using a non-real name.

Re: New Data: Google+ Public Posts Decrease by 41% Over Past Two Months

#40
post #33

I used the hell out of it. Every day. And then the Real Name debacle happened. And I thought, "There's no way Google would screw this up. They'll retract any day now." And here we are today. Early this week, I decided that was it. They obviously aren't going to see sense, and I can't risk losing my account. So I've stopped posting. I don't even check it, except when someone replies to something I've already posted. I…

Why does Google requiring a real name bug everyone, but not when Facebook requires it? I don't understand this outrage at all. - Eric Florenzano

My guess: because it seems to bug tech people more than non-tech people, and G+ seems disproportionately tech people.
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