Google+ Will Win Because I’m Already Tired of It
Ok, so this is not a really scientific barometer for the viability of Google+ (we always need more barometers), but try this one on for size: I’ve been using Google+ for three weeks now, and I’m feeling a bit burned out.
To me this doesn’t mean that Google+ is deficient, it means it’s so good that it’s grabbing a larger chunk of my attention than I can really sustain. And I think that means it’s a success.
I remember when, years ago now, I discovered that I could use Twitter to troll for other folks with similar interests. That was the day that Twitter became worthwhile to me, and I immediately spent several exhausting days building myself a micro-community around those interests. And then suddenly I was completely fed up with it and had to take a break. After that I pursued a more low-level, casual, occasional relationship with Twitter until a year or two after that, when I began more work on my personal brand.
Onboarding Google+ has been easier. Much, much easier. It has been more exciting too. But I am looking forward to things settling down a bit. I am hoping I won’t have to cross-post between Google+ and Twitter much longer, or at least I hope cross-posting gets easier (#g+).
These exciting times remind me that I am not really part of the young wired generation. I do not have the thumbs for constant texting, and my mind cannot endure the constant interruption stream which has become the norm for the Facebook generation. I like to think I am hip, I strive to be current, but at the end of the day I see clearly that I need quiet.
Eventually I came to a point where I ignored Twitter for days at a time, and then just jumped in for an hour or so. And when I do pay attention, I use lists to provide some vague, gooey context to the stream. You miss massive amounts of fascinating information that way. But you stay sane.
I will be playing around with notification settings in the next few days. I’m definitely planning to stay connected with Google+. But I’ll need to tailor the Google+ experience to be sustainable for me in order to do that. From what I see so far, Google is already further ahead in that regard than either Facebook or Twitter. And that is why Google+ is going to win.
