Meet the New Google Plus, Same as the- Hey, Wait a Minute…
Google has made changes to Google Plus. This might be great, it might be a “so what;” I’m not sure, but I have some impressions. Google Plus seems to be focusing on interests and categories rather than status and social posting, as evidenced by the chicletized . This makes sense for Google, which at its core is about finding what you want on the web. Why not make Google Plus more about interests than conversations? Why not feed into the trend of the social web being more about content and consumption than replies and “engagement?” I see nothing wrong with the new iteration of G+, just as I saw not much wrong with the old one. The same question remains: “So what?” The better question is also a sticky one: “How will you get me to use this, Google?” As with Twitter’s Moments feature, I need not only a reason to use it, but a push to go ahead and do so regularly; that I do not yet see.
First the Oxford Comma, Now This:
The Oxford English Dictionary has named an emoji its word of the year. This proves that the Oxford University Press, also behind the dastardly and usually extraneous “Oxford comma” (or serial comma), is an evil organi(s)ation bent on corrupting the English language and destroying it forever. They could be a good bad guy in the next James bond movie.
Nifty Customer Service Trick- Everybody is a Content Creator
As a lessee the last several years, I have not had as much need to take my car in to the shop as I had in years past. Last week was my chance to see an advance in customer service that my neighbors (not social media gurus, btw) assured me is not unusual, and in fact has been going on for a bit: the video update.
If you had any doubts that the task of “content creator” has escaped the boundaries of traditional editorial and marketing work, this is it. Note it is not a public video, but a 1:1 communication, but as vital as and far more engaging than any “viral” video. Throw a cat in there and I’ll break my car every few weeks just to get more of these.
That’s Only Three – So Here’s Some Utter Nonsense to Pad Out the Post
Some words and phrases I would be happy never to hear again:
- Growth Hacking: Maybe we give “hacking” a rest to cut this one off at the source
- “X is Dead”: Notice I didn’t declare growth hacking dead. Also not dead: PR, content marketing, search engine optimization, and Andy Kaufman (the last one is more of a hunch)
- Any buzzword or phrase indicating there is too much content for us to process: Content shock, attention crash, this made-up idea has had nearly as many noms-d’imbécile as web-enabled computing and software. More content than any one person can consume, and the need to stand out by making better content, is a centuries problem, not one that arrived with blogging.
- Redefining old problems with buzzwords and pretending they are new: That’s just a broader way of reframing the last point. Catchy phrases are great, but do not give them more import or novelty than they deserve. Perhaps I undercut my intention to call out specific words and phrases, but then I point you to the “Utter Nonsense” designation of this entry.
Is Generalissimo Francisco Franco still dead, though?