Things were looking good for Google Plus when it first launched almost two years ago. Even while it was still in its testing phase, millions of people were clamoring to sign up for Google’s social networking service. Invites had to be suspended for the invite-only field test because of the insane demand for new accounts. It only took two weeks for ten million people to create accounts on the new service. Hopes were high and it looked like a real competitor had finally arisen to take on Facebook. But even as the number of users increased, users and journalists began criticizing the service. More…

Google+ has recently announced another new feature it has added to its social platform called Google+ Communities. This latest feature is to try and connect its users even further and to emulate real-life interactions as much as possible. With the site having 500 million people upgraded and 235 million are active across the Google platform with 135 million being active in the Google+ stream only; they are claiming to be the fastest growing network. …

Google has made so many changes and added new features it is making Facebook look like the tortoise in this race for supremacy. As much as I love it when social networks take the initiative to add to my life by adding to their sites, I wish they were a little more obvious about their changes. I almost want a flashing billboard to read “HEY YOU WE HAVE SOMETHING NEW” (the only time I would accept anything flashing on a page btw) to display on the page so I do not miss anything amazing as I have most recently. I am facepalming as we speak. Did I fall asleep? Blackout, am I really the only one who has yet to check…

Depending on what type of company you have will affect the kinds of content you share on social networks. Your business may be more apt to sharing videos and photos, while others may be less inclined. Either way, the best method in reaching your targeted audience is in knowing which social site best suits the content you put out. …

Apparently the creators of Google+ don’t appreciate people referring to Google+ as a social network. Even though you create circles involving your friends and associates, there is a What’s New stream similar to Facebook’s News Feed, there are apps and games, and it affects your searches when you’re signed into Google, (much the way Bing results are changed when you are signed into Facebook) Google+ is not a social network. Hmmm. If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, I was told it’s a duck. But maybe Google+ is actually a turkducken. You know, that weird Thanksgiving food with…

For the last few months, I have been asked on and off why I didn’t have a TECHi presence on Google+. There are many reasons: our focus on our Facebook page, our ever-growing Twitter presence, the lack of tools that integrate directly with Google+, and, of course, time (or lack thereof) all played a role. It’s not that we haven’t paid attention to Google+; on the contrary, we’ve been very active on it through our author accounts and through encouraging people to share on the social network. Now, the reasons to get on outweigh the reasons to stay off. Google+ is not only growing, but its importance from…

Since the upstart of Google Plus, it has been increasing its popularity at a very fast rate. Shockingly enough, at a faster rate than Facebook had when it was first started. Google Plus has recently climbed over 170 million users sharing information and ideas with their social circles, all within its first year of operation. Facebook, while it is clearly the most popular social media platform, may not be in the driver’s seat for too long, with Google Plus right on their back. First, let’s look at the positives of each site. Facebook has top quality privacy settings; you can even make it so that…

When it comes to social networking and search, the two big internet activities are dominated by the 800 lb gorilla in each of their respective rooms. Facebook has all but won social networking and will turn thousands of people into instant millionaires once it goes public. Google allows Bing and the others to stick around in search just so they aren’t technically considered a monopoly, but they are in most aspects. While Facebook considers getting into search, Google has already made their move into social. Did it work (they say 14th time is a charm)? Will it ever work? Are they gaining traction?…

With many in social media declaring Google+ as a valiant effort that simply came too late to the game to make a real impact, Google CEO Larry Page released March data that showed a sharp turn in the total visits after flatlining from December to February. I want Google+ to succeed. I don’t want it to be the ghost town that keeps forcing me back to Facebook to see what my non-tech-savvy and non-Google-employee friends are doing. I prefer the interface, the organization of the data, and the company itself more than Facebook. The challenge has been in getting friends and family on it. For Google’s part,…

They just passed 62 million users by adding 625,000 new users per day. Now, Google+ is predicting that they will have over 400 million users by the end of 2012. Are the numbers reliable? Some say no. Not really. Those who sign up through Android 4 must create or attach their Google+ account whether they intend to use it or not. At last count, there were nearly 700,000 Android devices activated daily. For their part, Google is attributing the holidays, recent television commercials that they’ve been running since Thanksgiving, and celebrity brand appeal for their success. Still, many tech bloggers…