i wouldnt  be suprised….we have  plenty  of ways to  connect already…and it isnt   revolutionary or a fresh new idea like pinterest….

nobody i  connect with in my  business   has  shown much or  any   interest in  it so im not   going to miss it…they are sure on  facenbook tho…  busniesses and  people both…

.i  only  joined  because the experts  said it would  help my  seo…..

@rich-brooks

I think Google+ is an under-rated social tool that is just getting started.  With social signals becoming more important in terms of search, I don’t see it going anywhere. 

Guy Kawasaki just started a Google+ club of sorts called EvanG+ which I see bringing in a lot more people to Google+.  Here’s the link for anyone interested in joining - http://bit.ly/LWb9Zg.  Enjoy!

@j-alan-sharrer LOL… I really think the ease and familiarty of using Facebook hurt them. @iamconsulting It might be underrated, and certainly Google can make it compelling, but what’s the investment in the learning curve?

Some software products are like that–having worked in the Microsoft “ecosystem” (their buzzword, not mine!) I can site a few technologies they offer that have that reputation – Project and Access come quickly to mind. People want easy and intutitive.  With the rapid pace of technology change, adding complexity or lack of intuitive functionality (Usability) can cripple a product.

@joanmuschampfagnani

There’s not much of a learning curve in my opinion, however, I do this for a living and with a genius IQ… I typically set the curve, so I suppose I’d be the wrong person to ask that question.  

I found Google+ to be a very easy platform to use and the communities there are amazing.  

Regardless of my opinions, due to the importance of social signals on search engine ranking and Google+ Local taking over Google Places, there’s not much room to ignore it.  

if it makes it it will need more than the web  gurus…they always  say  millions   joined,  but i  dont  hear much about   people  using it…

.. my  business  peers  are overloaded  as it is and not   trying to add more until there is an obvious  reason…… and   lots are  very  happy with  facebook and  the  big  results  there, which  does  take   some   work…….   so   they    arent  really looking  for anything else in  that   department……….

its  true i do love easy!!!  i have lots of other stuff  to   manage…. 

@rich-brooks I’m with  @joanmuschampfagnani in I have a page but rarely post. I do like what the platform has to offer but I’m on Twitter, LinkedInk, Facebook and Pinterest for work so there is only so much time in the day. I’ve briefly watched a Google Hangout (Bad Astronomer). It looks cool.

@iamconsulting that is a great suggestion. One thing I think we’ve learned is to never say never. Things have a crazy way of shifting.

@kc_kreative you mentioned one of the toughest challenges with social–keeping up, which should involve a strategy, a “voice” in the different channels and a variety of ways of engagement. Despite automation, this is difficult and can be expensive–tough for a small business to pay for, and employers don’t often understand the hours behind making these things work.

Eek! Apparently I’m in the minority but I LOVE my personal G+ page. I’m not allowed to use it for work related tasks, other then setting it up, but I have a lot of fun talking to people and generally enjoying myself!

I wish more brands were on G+, but I think that the real problem hampering brands engagement with G+ is that a lot of marketing has recently been very focused on “female branded marketing.” In other words, aim towards woman. Which is cool, and I have no problem with that. But G+ has a huge male population, and the women that are engaging on G+ seem to be looking at products in the same way. This is all speculation, I don’t have any data to back up these assertions (though marketing to women is a huge and growing trend in marketing which is good, I think diversification helps everyone).

So it could be that brands, which want one unified message, are having a hard time diversifying their message to two divergent population segments.

Just a guess.

Oh and @joanmuschampfagnani I LOVE Access. I use it ALL the time, and am a huge fan of the Microsoft ecosystem. But my background is in database and statistical analysis, so I could be biased.

However, I’d marry Excel if I could, and I wasn’t already married!

@joanmuschampfagnani

I found this article http://thenextweb.com/google/2012/07/31/think-google-is-a-ghost-town-chances-are-youre-just-using-it-wrong/ and thought it was relevant to the convo we’ve been having.  I also saw another article on MarketingLand - http://marketingland.com/googles-betting-on-advertising-to-drive-google-uptake-why-marketers-should-pay-attention-17497 that talks about Google advertising Google+.  Enjoy!

I have to admit that I haven’t really taken the time to use my gplus account very much, but I really like their interface and features. And I don’t think that they are done for.

Here’s a link to an answer on Quora to the question Should Facebook be worried about Google+? that is an interesting read.

@rich-brooks  LOL! 

I would list Twitter, Facebook and add Pinterest, Google+   As you know, there are internet marketing forums (in the Black Hat sections) that sell profiles for all of them, 100′s at a time. (Even the phone verified accounts)

I do not think that those profile effect what most of us are doing on social media as we usually only attract people who like what we are doing…  Also, the fake profiles are so easy to see as they are usually never filled out and have no interaction on their walls.

Are you still on Myspace with Tom? 

Randi