Sunday, July 31, 2011

Google Plus?


There is a question mark at the end of the title of this up and coming social media trend soon to be juggernaut that anyone and everyone is tweeting about for a reason. The question that I ask now, and will pose again at the end of this post is this; what is next?

Google+ is the latest movement that has hit the social media airwaves, and in contrast to the trends that I have followed in the past regarding concepts such as this, I did not join Google+ in hopes that I would hook up with a chick. All of those past relationship attempts seemed to be in vain for some reason. No, I was turned on to Google+ by a guy, the noble VRM Arizona Spaniard. Now I'm not saying that I'm switching sides or anything. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

From my own skewed perspective Google+ is the new kid on the block. The Donnie Wahlberg of digital trends. The fourth grade bully that is roaming the playgrounds looking for third-graders like Facebook, and Twitter to beat up and take their lunch money. Somewhere, the kindergartner named Myspace is building a sandcastle by itself. That's right. No one cares about you anymore Myspace. Our Dad's can beat up your Dad's any day.

I have now had a Google+ account for nearly a month, and yes, it looks like hot stuff. I feel like I am a part of the "cool" crowd browsing social networking. Almost like I could walk to the front of the line at the most happening club on the Vegas strip and get what I want.

Bouncer: "I'm sorry gentlemen, you have to go to the back of the line."

Swamp Thing: "Oh, you can let me in, I have Google+"

B.E.P. Longhorn: "Yeah, I have Google+ Platinum."

From what I heard, Google+ sold out from the very beginning. I read that within the first 20 minutes of being open to the public, they had in essence already sold out of spots on the web. It was that hot of a commodity that everyone wanted in. Sporadic invites opened up randomly throughout the first few weeks, and if you got an invite, you somewhat felt like you had just unraveled a golden ticket from your Willy Wonka chocolate bar.

"Run home Charlie, Run Home! You just got your very own Google+ invite!"

So far, Google+ hasn't been really living up to its hype in my opinion. I mean, it's more clean, more crisp, more user-friendly, I'll give it that. But nobody else has it! I only have 17 friends on this networking site, compared to my 970 on Facebook. I know that last sentence sounds like a cocky, facetious statement, but it's a true fact. Hardly anyone that I know has jumped on the Google+ bandwagon. And I'm a cocky, facetious bastard. True story.

A dear friend, the revered Roger Winston Eddingbright the 3rd, made the statement regarding Google+, that it is similar to the fall of the Roman Empire. True, the greatest city in the world did have one of the greatest collapses of all time as well. Is that what will happen with Google+? Will it be referred to in future blogposts as "what once was?"

I pose the question one more time at the end of the Week of Social Media; what is next? What will be the next new kid on the block? What will be the next Donnie Wahlberg? What will be the next hippest trend that pulls up to the curb. How long will this fourth-grade bully hold it's own on the playground, or how long will it take until it's building a meager sand castle in the dirt with a mere thousand constant users. Who knows. In the meantime, I'm jumping the bandwagon on this social media trend and hopefully I'll get let in to a few hot clubs in Vegas.

Time will tell.

2 comments:

  1. Am I the VRM Arizona Spaniard that turned you on to Google+? I just wanted to check and find out. Also, give it time. Not everyone is prone to get on with Google+ yet...my stream isn't updating every 2 seconds with some random "Jennie just finished a quiz about you" garbage. Again, be patient, and give it time for your friends to join. Invite those friends and see your circles grow.

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  2. I just added google+ and love it's user friendliness that facebook lacks. I say give it time and it will be bigger than facebook

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