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Google’s Management Doesn’t Use Google+

theunderstatement.com

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Re: Google’s Management Doesn’t Use Google+

#51
post #47
post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

(I'm the author). Your last point is very true, and the chart tries to make it very clear it's only talking about public posts. Obviously entirely true that they could be using it purely privately, but I still think is an observation worth making that they're not using it publicly. As far the correlation in general, as I mention in the thread above, these aren't normal people, they're the leaders/overseers of the com…

@degusta Whether these leaders publicly eat their own dogfood or not is a matter of rhetorics and strategy. If that were your thesis and narrative, we would be having a much more interesting conversation. However, you didn't entitle your article, "Google Management Doesn't Care About Google+" You said, "Google Management Doesn't Use Google+". The former expresses your perception of Google strategy backed by the data…

Actually, I agree that might have been a better title - would have avoided some of the controversy while making the same point. (And, fwiw, I don't have any ads or make any money off my blog, nor did I really think the post would catch on to this extent.)

Re: Google’s Management Doesn’t Use Google+

#52
post #10

I'm not sure this is fair. Google is a large company with a lot of products. You simply can't expect top management to be an active user of all of them. I'm sure Apple doesn't require its top execs to own an iPhone, iPod, iPod nano, iPod touch, iMac, MacBook Air.... you get the idea. The comparison with Twitter is even worse. Twitter really only has one product. The way this data is organized, I don't see any top exe…

But Steve Jobs definitely uses an iPhone, iPad, MacBook Air, etc., and I would be shocked if that wasn't also the case for other top Apple execs.

Re: Google’s Management Doesn’t Use Google+

#56
post #44

One of the problems with being somewhat famous and being on these things is that you get barraged with stuff from random people. I was mentioned in an early Googler's post and I still get barraged with stuff.

This is even more of a reason that Google execs should use Google+ publicly. They would then understand this problem exists for this type of user and push for solutions. Perhaps some sort of priority inbox feature for Google+?

Zuckerberg would have come across this problem and would have prioritized it. Features like the Social Inbox and the constant revisions of the feed might be examples of this.

Re: Google’s Management Doesn’t Use Google+

#57

This thought: Further, I think it’s reasonable to assume a correlation between private use & public use kills the whole article. No, it isn't a reasonable assumption. If you look at my Facebook without being a friend of mine, you get a picture of me. Five years of use and that is the only public thing I have published. And I am just another dude no one cares about. I am sure billionaire CEOs and board members who hav…

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Re: Google’s Management Doesn’t Use Google+

#58

Yes there might be a good correlation between dogfooding in senior management and great products, but it's not worth shoving a square peg into a round hole to meet this superficial criteria. The reason Facebook and Twitter executives use their respective services is because that is the core product from the very beginning. Google+ on the other hand is a tertiary product. Just because management realizes they need a f…

I would say Google+ is a core product for Google now. The OP submits this article to back this claim up: http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2011/06/googles...

Eric Schmidt admits he "screwed up" by not seeing the importance of social and the threat of Facebook. If Eric Schmidt really lived the problem (http://vaughan.io/post/10476571077/live-the-problem) he would have been actively using Facebook and Twitter too and would have reacted faster.

Re: Google’s Management Doesn’t Use Google+

#60
post #33

"Management caring deeply about their company’s products and using them every day is almost always a prerequisite of making great products" ..when management is also happens to be in the target market of the product. Quite a broad and incorrect generalization to kick off an analysis like this.

I think that's a fallacy. If the service was clay and then you have bullish management that wants to change the product for the worse all the time for their own wants, your words would be correct.

That's not the case with most web services though. The target of social networks is everyone. A social network where people would prefer to post more privately would breed a more private atmosphere. A social network where only a certain type of people would post publicly would draw in only those type of culture until the dominant culture drives what the real target market really is.

Target market segregation only come into play when a product is not yet launched. After it has been launched, the point is for the people in charge to use it to discover who are the people using the product and to mold it to both of their needs. Especially with an ambitious project like Google Plus, if you can't draw in people from all places especially people who is closest to your circle, chances are the product isn't meeting the intended appeal of ANY target market and with Google's history of cancelling products that don't meet that appeal (Buzz, Wave) that doesn't bode confidence even for the right target market when articles like this gets written.

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