Where there is a Wil, there's a way

Have you ever been watching an awards show, like the Grammy's or the Emmy's or some other "...my's" show and that moment happens?  You know, the one where the overzealous "artist" takes the time during their "acceptance" speech to not just thank everyone, but decides it's time to become a politician?  Yeah, that moment.

I've never been a fan of that moment.  In fact, I've never really been a fan of awards shows overall.  I've always found them quite overrated and save for a few magical moments in their long and continuous return, have only provided constant material for comedians to consume.  With that intro, I give you this....

From SocialTimes.com - with a warning: this post has censored language from a celebrity that may be found as offensive to some readers. Star Trek Actor Launches Vitriolic Tumblr Rant Against Google +

Essentially, Wil Wheaton, who is adorned by geeks and nerds alike, and not just for being "that kid from Star Trek",took to Tumblr to vent his frustration about the capability to "+1" a video on YouTube (his own video) without being forced to upgrade to Google+ first.  

Cussing and ranting aside, the thing that stuck out to me here was his comment, "...the core of my audience is tech-savvy and may not want to "upgrade" to yet another <expletive> social network they don't want or need."

"...they don't want or need."  That is what stuck out at me.  See, I've talked about the Shiny Ball Syndrome before, and as a culture, we seem to be more and more like moths to the new social flames these days.  Look at Pinterest's growth in the last year if you don't believe me.  Yet Wil, if I may use his first name, takes the time to point out that he thinks the tech-savvy crowd doesn't want or need more social networks.  So, of course, as always, my brain started churning.

I asked a few of my tech-savvy friends today about this and you know what some of the responses I received were?  "Yeah, honestly, I could care less if another social network is released, I'm so dug in on Facebook and Twitter right now, I won't ever escape."  That shocked me!  And it was more than a handful who responded in that manner.

So I ask you, dear readers.  Tech-savvy or not, are you fed up with more and more social networks?  Are you spent with the multitudes of options and the ever spawning eco-sphere of social-biotics?  Are you so entrenched with your current networks that changing would be as painful as changing from cable to satellite or from Android to iPhone?  

I for one have always welcomed change and new things.  I too though, like Wil, would prefer them not to force me to "Like" something before I have tried it.  The double edges of this sword lie in the mass amount of networks for utilization and the flip side of how those networks use their data, or rather, our data.  

What Google+ is asking of Wil, and anyone, isn't any different than what Facebook or others ask of their users.  It just so happens it is "another" network gathering data and utilizing and bending it to their own end, and that is where the crux of our celebrity's frustration may really stem.  

I only speculate though, but I am curious on your thoughts, and where you stand (or sit) in this evolving digital world.

PS - In the spirit of full disclosure, I've never been a Star Trek fan, but I do like some of the things Wil Wheaton has offered the world of geeks and nerds, most notably, his newest series he was trying to +1, TableTop on YouTube.

Plus or Division?

Google Plus has gone through a bit of a makeover.  If you haven't seen it, here's a quick overview:




If you have never tried Google Plus before, this is the perfect time to try it out, but if you are one of those people, this article isn't for you.  No, rather today, I'm going to ask a simple question; Is Google Plus really a plus, or is it more of a division?
I'm not very political, but in years like this, when the mass media just latches on and takes hole of candidates like they are the bar in front of them on a roller coaster ride where no one can let go, well, quite frankly, it's hard not to have an opinion.  Don't worry, I'm going somewhere with this that isn't political.  For a while, I've had the feeling that Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum have been dividing their own party.  It seemed for a while, they were neck and neck, with both man pulling the same amount of support as the other.  So a thought entered my head, "Are these two doing good for the Republican party, or are they dividing it?  In other words, wouldn't they be better together?"
Now today, I'm having a similar discussion rolling around in my noggin, which is, are Google Plus and Facebook helping each other, or hurting social media altogether?
A while back I posted an article that included a link to a piece by the Wall Street Journal about the dismal numbers on Google Plus users.  In short, it wasn't good.  Google Plus, with all it's brilliant design and engineering minds behind it, seems to be going the same direction Google Wave did, waving goodbye.  For example, when I started on Google Plus, I had over 200 people in my circles in the matter of days.  Now, I have less than 50.  The conversations soon became blog posts where the author never seemed to comment on them past their initial post, and today, the majority of users are, shockingly, engineers.  
The numbers are always iffy when people say "we have X many milloin users" as they can mean almost anything.  Users may be people who signed in once.  It may be actively using it more than once a month.  The thing is, even at it's highest publicized number, Google touts 170 Million people, whereas Facebook has 480+ million active (signing in once a month or more) and 800+ total users.  It dwarfs Google Plus.  Sure, yes, they had a head start, but when two out of every three searches on the internet are done at Google, we're not talking about a "mom and pops" shop trying to take on the "Walmart" of social.
Now there is a lot happening on Google Plus.  This new makeover is going to make MANY people happy.  I for one think it looks beautiful.  But, it still glaring reminds me that all my friends I interact with are not there.  Why is this?  Simple.  To me, I think the majority of people on Google Plus, are Google Fanboys.  They are people who love Google's philosophy, their attitude, what they stand for, and, in many cases, are like Apple Fanboys.  They love their "product", be it the new Google Plus design or the new iPad, and they love it with great passion!
This does however, cause a divide.  I have friends who consistently use Google Plus WAY more than anything else.  Since I don't, I seem to have lost touch with many of them.  The majority using Facebook though, I'm completely in touch with, and happy mind you.  But... I miss my friends on Google Plus.  So from time to time I go chat with them there.  I'm not alone either.  About 80% of the people I speak to tell me that Google Plus is nothing but a "splinter" social network for them.  They have a small concentration of friends, who they keep in touch with sporadically, but it's not their primary social destination.
Google Plus can, and will, grow.  Where though will that growth come from?  As I say many times, if you want to see the future, look into a child's eyes.  Google Plus's greatest potential lies with the youth of the world.  The youth that aren't already immensely ingrained in Facebook.  No, rather, the youth who are utilizing Google for everything else!  In school doing searches for papers and homework.  At work to look up competitor products (I've seen many Best Buy teens do this in front of customers) and in entertainment looking up their favorite celebrities or movies or songs.  These youth are exposed to every layer of Google, from gmail to their Google play store to their Google Plus network, and they are learning their interfaces as "digital muscle memory".
In the end, those of us in the social world will ultimately be in one "eco-sphere" while meanwhile, the younger generation will be within a completely different one.  Not all of them mind you, but a growing and growing portion will be.  Ultimately making Google Plus, more of long division, than anything else.  So while Google Plus may make itself out to be the best thing since sliced bread, the reality is it's dividing the social landscape.    The final question being, "is it for the better?"

The Shiny Ball

We all know this one.  When we were kids, little Tommy or Little Brenda down the road came over and had “The” new toy with them.  Maybe it was the Millennium Falcon, the Pose Me Pretty Barbie, or the new Huffy BMX, we all remember that feeling of someone else having that “oh so cool” item and we didn't.  What was your first reaction? “I need that!”  “I want that!”  Did you get it?  If you did, did it continue to fill you with joy and awesomeness?  More often than not, no, it did not. 

Some of us still do this today with tech gadgets.  The newest Apple falls from the tree or the latest Sony whatchamacallit comes out and we yell, “I need that!”  The same happens in Social Media, it’s what I call “The Shiny Ball”, and it seems like every new platform, every new site, reconfirms this.

What is the Shiny Ball Syndrome for Social Media?  Simple; “Given the launch of a new, and pretty, social site, the masses will flock to it like a Shiny Ball.  However, know that balls, no matter how shiny, can bounce or roll away, and quickly.  Only through time, and said masses usage (or more importantly ‘continued usage’) can we really know if something is a ‘shiny ball’ that is bouncing away or a ‘bright star’ that truly shines.”

Google Plus.  These two words are pretty much synonymous with Shiny Ball Syndrome.  When Google Plus came out, you heard, “Dude, it’s Facebook, but it looks good!” Or, “No, really, I’m moving and never looking back!”  My favorites were all the avatar icons that said “I’ve moved” and had the Google Plus logo on it.  People were leaving Facebook like it had the plague and touting all the healing qualities of Google Plus.

Fast forward to today, and we see this.  The Wall Street Journal’s piece that has probably the most sobering fact about Google Plus I've seen or heard.  “Visitors using personal computers spent an average of about three minutes a month on Google+ between September and January, versus six to seven hours on Facebook each month over the same period, according to comScore…”

Three Minutes!?  Wow.  That means the average user is probably less than that, since it’s somewhat safe to assume the Googlers on Google Plus are using it more than the average user.  One would hope at least.

Today, you know the Shiny Ball that’s in play.  Pinterest.  I first heard of Pinterest last year, probably fall timeframe, when my wife started having these “ideas”.  I say that in quotes because her creativity on things like this translates to a “honey-do” list for me.  I remember watching the Saints/Lions NFL playoff game with my friends while our wives were chatting about, yes, you guessed it, Pinterest.  It was literally like their lives have been swallowed whole by it.  Pinning, repinning, searching, capturing ideas from this or that… it was all they could talk about.

Today, Pinterest is still growing.  Ridiculously growing!  And, for the moment, doesn’t look to be slowing down much at all.  Even my male friends, who have tried Gentlemint are talking about having a Pinterest profile now, so that stereotype is falling quickly.  But, is it a “shiny ball”, or a “bright star”?

Many will tell you that it’s still to be determined.  They won’t prop it up like the second coming, nor knock it down and sentence it to an early death.  I think though, Pinterest has a unique differentiator that other ‘Shiny Balls’ haven’t captured well.  The look.  Pinterest is an almost completely visual site.  And humans are a visual bunch. 

You hear it all the time… “I learn better when I see it.” Or, “can you draw it out for me, I’m just a visual person.”  So Pinterest hits home on this mark, and while yes, Twitter has twitpics and Facebook has photo uploads, Pinterest has done an excellent job of bringing the visuals to the forefront to capture emotion and more importantly, take sharing and inspire and provide muse for its audience.

I’ll close with this, “Be careful with Shiny Balls, they tend to smudge sometimes.”  This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t adopt early or experiment, but it does mean you should temper your excitement for that new toy, as more often than not, it will smudge up.  That said, it’s a pleasure to truly find the Shiny Ball that becomes the Bright Star, and continues to provide enjoyment and most importantly, value!

Hmm, I think I should pin this right now actually since I’m thinking about it… 

PS - no cats or kittens were harmed in the posting of this blog's animated gif above :)