Google+ Is Outpacing Twitter • Hacker News Board

Re: Google+ Is Outpacing Twitter

#31

Post by jsnk » Wed, May 01, 2013, 4:26 PM UTC

blappu wrote: post #13

ceejayoz wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Facebook has a long history of disabling that sort of system.

Uh? That's impossible to do. Facebook already provides a way to download all your data, so Google just needs to write software that uses it and uploads it into Google+. Alternatively, they can just automatically scrape the Facebook website via HTTP directly from the user's machine (using a modified Chrome, modified Android, desktop tool or Android app).

That's a pretty naive assessment. Sure Google can easily scrape Facebook data technically but technicality is not be it and end all. Facebook is not stupid. They must have non-competing clause somewhere

Re: Google+ Is Outpacing Twitter

#32

Post by edwardunknown » Wed, May 01, 2013, 4:32 PM UTC

habosa wrote: post #20

I know the numbers are inflated due to tie-in with other Google services, but I'm very optimistic about Google+ long term. I got my invite in the first wave and pretty much immediately ditched the service. I just didn't see why I'd use it. I am a light Facebook user and I don't Tweet. Recently I decided to give G+ another try and I love what I am seeing. First of all, the site is a pleasure to use and the mobile app…

Google+ will be a fine replacement for Facebook when everybody gets the signal that FB has entered it's Newscorp-era Myspace phase. But there's another possibility: Facebook may end up leaving such a bad taste in people's mouths that it will be replaced by nothing. Both G+ and FB may fade away as the world collectively says "fuck this".

You might say I'm a dreamer.

Re: Google+ Is Outpacing Twitter

#33

Post by fizx » Wed, May 01, 2013, 4:32 PM UTC

adventured wrote: post #24

vor_ wrote: post #5

This has been explained before. Google+ numbers can be misleading because they're tied to other services. The article mentions this: "The reasons behind Google Plus's growth -- it now can boast 359 million active users, up 33 percent from 269 million users at the end of June 2012, according to GlobalWebIndex -- are complex and tied to Google's effort to build a connecting layer across all its services, including sear…

And Twitter's numbers are extraordinarily misleading, because so many of their accounts are fake, and so many people just sign up but never really use the service.

The numbers you see externally are the same as the ones used internally to reason about growth, and a great deal of care has been taken to keep them accurate. Fake accounts are culled, and inactives or likely spammers aren't counted in the numbers.

Re: Google+ Is Outpacing Twitter

#34

Post by iamwil » Wed, May 01, 2013, 4:34 PM UTC

This is a bit of a open secret. I think many in tech think Google+ is a ghost town, and so the joke goes, the only people that use it are Google employees.

However, when I was looking around for 3D printer communities, I was surprised that there was a vibrant one on G+. While one data point is not evidence, it is an example that runs counter to the current prevailing tech wisdom that nothing happens on G+.

I think while G+ may not replace FB, the interface is great, and we may find social networks have other uses for groups besides what we do on FB.

Re: Google+ Is Outpacing Twitter

#35

Post by prostoalex » Wed, May 01, 2013, 4:36 PM UTC

programminggeek wrote: post #3

The only feature of Google+ that is really interesting to me is hangouts. That is a social thing that I use at work almost every day, but it doesn't really fit the traditional social network model, and it doesn't help Google make advertising money.

Same here, for any N-way conference call it's easier to jump into hangout. We use it extensively at work, can't speak for other Google+ features.

Re: Google+ Is Outpacing Twitter

#36

Post by [deleted] » Wed, May 01, 2013, 4:41 PM UTC

habosa wrote: post #20

I know the numbers are inflated due to tie-in with other Google services, but I'm very optimistic about Google+ long term. I got my invite in the first wave and pretty much immediately ditched the service. I just didn't see why I'd use it. I am a light Facebook user and I don't Tweet. Recently I decided to give G+ another try and I love what I am seeing. First of all, the site is a pleasure to use and the mobile app…

[deleted]

Re: Google+ Is Outpacing Twitter

#37

Post by mindcrime » Wed, May 01, 2013, 4:42 PM UTC

edwardunknown wrote: post #29

Felix21 wrote: post #10

What you mean is: Millions of people activated G+ so they can use Youtube and other Google services without Google getting in their face every 2 seconds to activate g+

So you're saying they're discovered a way to spend money maintaining a huge community that nobody actually uses! Quick, give that CEO another bonus!

To say that "nobody uses" G+ is ridiculous. I don't even have that many people in my circles and I see a pretty non-stop stream of activity flowing through. Somebody is darn sure using it.

Is G+ as active as Twitter? Hell, I don't know, but it's definitely - as another commenter here just said - not a "ghost town".

Re: Google+ Is Outpacing Twitter

#38

Post by freehunter » Wed, May 01, 2013, 4:43 PM UTC

blappu wrote: post #9

Why doesn't Google just provide a tool to import a user's full Facebook data into Google+ with a single click? They could even do it without the user's consent for people using Chrome or Android, or they could pay people to do so (it might cost them 10 billions, but it would be quite a good "company" to "acquire"). Without doing that, or having some killer feature, there's no way that they will take off.

There is a Chrome plugin that will move all your Facebook photo albums to Picasa and Google+. I used it when I got my Google+ account.

Re: Google+ Is Outpacing Twitter

#39

Post by whatsup » Wed, May 01, 2013, 4:43 PM UTC

Google+ is high quality for me, integration with Drive, Gmail, etc. is hard to beat

Re: Google+ Is Outpacing Twitter

#40

Post by notatoad » Wed, May 01, 2013, 4:44 PM UTC

vor_ wrote: post #5

This has been explained before. Google+ numbers can be misleading because they're tied to other services. The article mentions this: "The reasons behind Google Plus's growth -- it now can boast 359 million active users, up 33 percent from 269 million users at the end of June 2012, according to GlobalWebIndex -- are complex and tied to Google's effort to build a connecting layer across all its services, including sear…

it's been explained, but does it matter? Google+ has been referred to by google as a unified social layer spanning all their products. it's not just the part that looks like facebook that not many people seem to use. I very much doubt that google cares if you use their product or facebook or twitter to share what you had for breakfast this morning: being able to keep up with your friends is what social networks give you in exchange for you informing them of your social connections. The value for google is the user account you create and the social interaction graph data they collect across all their services. a comment made through your google+ account on your friend's youtube video or blogger blog is just as valuable as a comment left on their google+ page. it's the interaction that matters.