The Day of Reckoning For Google+ — Or is it?
By: Daniel Imbellino
Tags: UX Design, Social Media, Google, Google Plus

The Day of Reckoning For Google+ — Or is it?

Recently, Google has begun delivering notifications to users of the Google+ platform that the end is near for its classic user interface. While users were told long ago that that Google planned to force its user base to the new user interface, no one really knew when those permanent changes would begin to take place. The messages users have been receiving state, “The version you’re using will be replaced soon. Click here to switch to the new Google+ (shown in the graphic above).” The question is, how will this affect a platform that’s long suffered from poor leadership, bad decision making, and a dwindling user base?

For starters, I have to honor those who were willing to embrace the new Google+, despite the fact it looks like something out of a Dr. Seuss book, with all its quirkiness. One would have to ask, is this supposed to be a social network, or an experiment in abstract art?

But what about those who’ve made their voices clear, they do not care for the new Google+ at all, and many have vowed to ditch the platform if Google were to follow through with its planned changes. Without a doubt, the platform is suffering from its lowest levels of engagement yet, coupled with a strong lack of interest among the general public.

But, an even deeper question emerges, how does Google plan to move the Google+ platform forward when they’re too ignorant to listen to the concerns of their own users? Upon the initial announcement and introduction of the new G+ UI, the close to a half million users in our own communities came out in force to voice their opinions, and ultimate disgust with Google’s changes.

Knowing so many were unhappy with many of the proposed changes, and the fact we’re the public face for so many hundreds of thousands of users, we figured it would be a good idea to attempt to reach out to Google+ leadership and at least ask for some answers. To our dismay, no matter what person in a position of leadership for the platform we contacted, our questions and concerns appeared to be completely ignored. The really bad part about all of this was that, ignoring our concerns was the same as ignoring the concerns of the hundreds of thousands of users we represented.

At one point I attempted to contact Bradley Horowitz, Google’s VP of streams, photos, and sharing on the Google+ platform, only to realize the guy was nowhere to be found, and completely missing in action. Later, I attempted to contact one of their lead developers and product director, Luke Wroblewsky. The same guy who stated, “We’ve been listening”, who then proceeded to delete any comments on his posts from users who voiced concerns about the recent changes, including ours.

The fact is, despite all our attempts to mediate on behalf of the people who loved Google+ the most, Google was never once open to dialogue in any way, shape, or form. Their silence made their intentions clear, they do not care what their own users think.

This is where the whole house of cards came down for Google, and many of us who worked for years to build our brands on G+, and who helped Google build its platform to what we hoped it would be today.

The real failure of Google+ falls on the ignorance of its leaders, who’ve decided they know what’s best for all of us, and whatever concerns their users have are totally irrelevant. Rather than continue to fight, many users have simply just disappeared.

Brands on the platform are feeling the heat from all of this too. our own media organization now has zero faith in Google at all, and we’re actively searching for ways to develop our own social platform to hopefully pick up for the shortfalls of Google’s ignorant and self-entitled leadership that thinks it knows what people want. And, unlike every day social users, brands have a lot more to lose if Google’s platform were to fail.

This also brings to mind the issue with brand’s ultimate reliance on Google when it comes to gaining visibility on the web, something we may save for a later story.

While Google has made some effort to address many of the concerns surrounding the new Google+, the user interface still falls short in its ability to properly render on high resolution desktop monitors. This is despite repeated complaints from its user base that things just aren’t working. Whether Google likes it or not, its users don’t appreciate them attempting to turn their laptops and desktop monitors into mobile devices. Sorry to tell you Google, but I’m not rubbing my hands all over my laptop’s screen, as this isn’t a magic lamp, and laptop’s have a keyboard for a reason.

I’d reckon a 5 year old with crayons could have developed a more user friendly UI, rather than the abstract contraption we see today; that by the way violates every principal of user interface design, and continues to present accessibility concerns for those who’re visually impaired. Users of laptop and desktop devices are stuck with a user interface that portrays the tiniest fonts you’ll ever see, coupled with humongous posts that take up half the page. There’s really no logic in any of it, and it’s no wonder people hate it so much.

While I will admit I’ve had some harsh words for Google in this post, if they had only been a little more willing to listen, I can make a sure bet the Google+ platform wouldn’t be laying on its death bed and gasping for breath where it sits today.

Some may ask, who am I to criticize Google if I’ve presented nothing in terms of rectifying the problems that exist? The fact is, I and others definitely have presented a number potential solutions to the problems that persist with the Google+ platform; and each and every time they continue to fall on deaf ears.

As I mentioned in a earlier post last year, sometimes we just have to be willing to accept things for what they are; and in the case of Google+, I think many of us are willing to embrace it for what it is, despite Google’s complete and total ignorance, and lack of concern for its users thoughts and feelings.

In the end, I think it’s obvious that some of us take more pride and honor in the Google+ platform than Google does themselves. I guess for some of us, we feel it’s something worth fighting for. All being said, I still love the Google+ platform, even if it remains a total failure, and I can only hope it stands to last the test of time.

One last note: I decided on including the graphic portrayed above based on an interesting statement it makes. The graphic is of our social networking community, and if you click to enlarge the post you will notice there’s a post pinned at the top which honors Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, and exhibits some incredible words from what many define as being our nation’s moral leader, in which it states, “ “Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.”

Written and published by Daniel Imbellino — Co-Founder of Strategic Social Networking and pctechauthority.com. Many thanks for reading. Be sure to check out Strategic Social Networking Community on Google+ to connect with tens of thousands of IT professionals and learn effective strategies to grow your social presence online. You’re also welcome to follow Strategic’s brand page on G+ for the latest social media and IT industry news.