Senior Google engineer explains why Google+ failed in accidentally leaked memo

[DarkJedi]

http://siliconfilter.com/google-engi...and-platforms/

?Google+ is a knee-jerk reaction, a study in short-term thinking, predicated on the incorrect notion that Facebook is successful because they built a great product. But that?s not why they are successful. Facebook is successful because they built an entire constellation of products by allowing other people to do the work. So Facebook is different for everyone. Some people spend all their time on Mafia Wars. Some spend all their time on Farmville. There are hundreds or maybe thousands of different high-quality time sinks available, so there?s something there for everyone.?

?The Google+ platform is a pathetic afterthought. We had no API at all at launch, and last I checked, we had one measly API call. One of the team members marched in and told me about it when they launched, and I asked: ?So is it the Stalker API?? She got all glum and said ?Yeah.? I mean, I was joking, but no? the only API call we offer is to get someone?s stream. So I guess the joke was on me.?

LMAO

[GetSCORECash]

Nice, I just signed up to FaceBook... I had too

[crockett]

Originally Posted by DarkJedi

http://siliconfilter.com/google-engi...and-platforms/




LMAO

I think he probably has it right. If you look at the success of myspace then facebook, people don't go there just to hang out.. They needed a hook.

For Myspace it was the music.. I don't really get into the whole social thing but I did visit myspace because I could easily find music I wanted to hear. I didn't really interact with the rest of the site but I did spend a lot of time browsing the free music.

Facebook, I can't honestly say what it's pull was over myspace. I signed up to it way back then but it seemed pretty bland and I wasn't interested in spending time chatting all day.

Yet since then they have really pushed the 3rd party aspect and if I talk to a average person that goes to FB, they always talk about the various time wasters like farmville and so on.

I wont use FB because IMO it's a fucking sick how much of your privacy they are digging into.. Yet even despite this people stay there not because of how horrible FB navigation is but rather it's activities.

So you have to ask.. other than so called better privacy, what did google+ offer? TBH I don't even think G+ offered better privacy because your still tied into all google's other shit so it's just as invasive as FB if not worse.

Now on the other hand the whole Twitter thing I just don't get.. I guess it's pull is the chat thing and mainly is attractive to people whom would typically sit in AOL chat room or IRC of the old. I assume it's just feeding that old school chat room thing in a different package..

[ClickCastX]

FB and Google+ is the precursor of Skynet! We are all going to die.

[xsabn]

Originally Posted by ClickCastX

FB and Google+ is the precursor of Skynet! We are all going to die.

))))))))))))))))

[_Richard_]

interesting the level of dialogue they have

[edgeprod]

Originally Posted by crockett

Facebook, I can't honestly say what it's pull was over myspace.

Basically, the fact that it wasn't MySpace.

[cherrylula]

Originally Posted by crockett

Facebook, I can't honestly say what it's pull was over myspace. I signed up to it way back then but it seemed pretty bland and I wasn't interested in spending time chatting all day.

Yet since then they have really pushed the 3rd party aspect and if I talk to a average person that goes to FB, they always talk about the various time wasters like farmville and so on.

I wont use FB because IMO it's a fucking sick how much of your privacy they are digging into.. Yet even despite this people stay there not because of how horrible FB navigation is but rather it's activities.

So you have to ask.. other than so called better privacy, what did google+ offer? TBH I don't even think G+ offered better privacy because your still tied into all google's other shit so it's just as invasive as FB if not worse.

Now on the other hand the whole Twitter thing I just don't get.. I guess it's pull is the chat thing and mainly is attractive to people whom would typically sit in AOL chat room or IRC of the old. I assume it's just feeding that old school chat room thing in a different package..

There's a lot of people on FB. The one's you talk to might be time wasters, but my friends list (100+) is filled with lots of people from my past that I found or found me to keep in touch, and they are lots of professionals who work constantly and only update occasionally with pics of kids and vacations to update friends/family. The only ones I see who use games are either lazy stay at home moms, teenagers with no jobs, or people with no life at all wasting away with those stupid games. Very, very few of the people I know waste time on those games.

What FB did is convince people they were safe, and private. Google is the last entity to convince people they are safe since it is a search engine and people think of it as something to seek out info, not protect it.

Now people like myself do not want to part with FB, because I have family and people on there I have not spoken to in years, and probably never would again if not for FB. It's pretty cool. I don't like the privacy issues either, but until some other entity can do better FB is where it's at. For private friend/family contact sharing that is.

I never did myspace because it was a joke filled with garbage and not very private.

[Porko]

Originally Posted by ClickCastX

FB and Google+ is the precursor of Skynet! We are all going to die.

Skynet went online on August 4th 1997. It became self-aware at 2:14 am Eastern Time on August 29th, 1997. Yes, we are all going to die.

[crockett]

Originally Posted by edgeprod

Basically, the fact that it wasn't MySpace.

Yea I kinda think that's true.. I remember back when FB was first taking off someone did a story on it and they had interviewed a bunch of high school kids. One of them pretty much said it out right that the kids at school whom were still using myspace at that time were trailer trash and the kids on FB were the cool kids.

I still remember that analogy today and he was likely dead on.. I also suspect that FB days must be getting numbered because it's no fun for the kids if their moms also have a FB account. So I'm sure the little hipster kids are on to something new by now.

[edgeprod]

Originally Posted by crockett

I also suspect that FB days must be getting numbered because it's no fun for the kids if their moms also have a FB account. So I'm sure the little hipster kids are on to something new by now.

If that were the case, though, G+ would be exploding right now. Facebook has come a long way with the ability to post to only certain groups of people.

[cherrylula]

Originally Posted by crockett

So I'm sure the little hipster kids are on to something new by now.

Tumblr

[cherrylula]

We are watching the formation of class structure within the social networks. In the real world, none of these people hang out together. I know opera singers who wouldn't be caught at a sports game, and football fans who would tell you opera is for fags. I have these people on my facebook together and it's pretty wild.

I see people post pictures of squirrels they just skinned and are about to cook up, then see a friend in Europe eating expensive pastries in Paris. These people would never hang out together in the real world, but they're on my fb since I know them. lol it's wild.

the lower class play many more games, the upper class have maps of all the cities around the world they've visited.... with some exceptions. It's just like the real world, on my screen. LOL

[magicmike]

Also, some of us on facebook are only there because it reached critical mass, and you start missing out, its great for sharing photos if you want to do that for example. only then there is the games.. what pulls you to a new service?

I don't play any of the games, just use it to keep in touch with family and some old friends.

Its nice because a lot of people didn't treat email like they do facebook. People had email, some were work, or school, and then they changed email accounts.

So you lost touch of people, even family members etc i lost their email addys. So in that respect facebook is nice, and was finally the reason I started using it.

[cherrylula]

Yeah I had a family member come visit me and convince me to use FB. Then I discovered most of my family was already on there. I really think Google has finally come to something they really can't touch.

[crockett]

Originally Posted by edgeprod

If that were the case, though, G+ would be exploding right now. Facebook has come a long way with the ability to post to only certain groups of people.

Na cause these sites always get their start by the "cool kids" that were there first. They don't want something shoved into their mouths, it needs to grow organically on it's own into something, rather than be some corporate attempt to be the cool spot.

This is why both myspace & FB grew out of nothing to something major and will also be the reason they both go back to nothing. Myspace is already at that level, FB will drop in popularity eventually but will probably hang on a bit better than myspace did due to the fact it appeals a bit better to adults.

Regardless the social network communities are transient and will always eventually go to the next cool thing that spikes their interest. It's just the nature of the beast.

[Rochard]

His memo hits the nail right on the head - FB is different for everyone. Some people like the games, some people use it to keep in touch with friends, others use it to share pictures. Yet others use it for real time chat.

And most of it was built by other people outside of FB. Perfect.

[acctman]

Originally Posted by edgeprod

Basically, the fact that it wasn't MySpace.

and it did not allow people to run wild with there profiles... plus less spam. I always hated visiting a profile and having videos, music, and gifs all running at once. that was a nightmare

[edgeprod]

Originally Posted by acctman

and it did not allow people to run wild with there profiles... plus less spam. I always hated visiting a profile and having videos, music, and gifs all running at once. that was a nightmare

Hence, it wasn't MySpace. A lot of us hated all the MySpace bullshit, and Facebook offered less bullshit, so the ship was jumped. Later, the shark was also jumped.

[devilspost]

Originally Posted by acctman

and it did not allow people to run wild with there profiles... plus less spam. I always hated visiting a profile and having videos, music, and gifs all running at once. that was a nightmare

Exactly music onload and animated shit. fucking awful to look at.

[porno jew]

Originally Posted by cherrylula

Tumblr

you got it ...................

[calvinawe]

Originally Posted by edgeprod

Basically, the fact that it wasn't MySpace.

That, and the fact that almost every myspace page got gangraped by annoying animated gifs and had different structures with a 1997-ish rundown. Plus it was not That much of a social network, it lacked basic features.

[porno jew]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...s-log-off.html

[dazzling]

I rent some rooms out in my house to some students. Im totally amazed how they live their lives locked in their small rooms plugged into Facebook, yahoo chat, etc. Aside from leaving the room to go to University, They live their entire lives on the internet. They have no REAL People friends, no GF, nothing. They order their dinner over the internet and have it delivered direct to their room. They seem incapable of holding a conversation, incapable of anything. They are in their 20`s, yet struggle to walk 50 feet without losing their breath from lack of exercise.
I do not know where all this is heading, but its really frightening shit. People are living their entire lives on the internet. It seems they have stopped going out, making real friends, getting a gf, having a root, going surfing, etc.

[slapass]

Originally Posted by dazzling

I rent some rooms out in my house to some students. Im totally amazed how they live their lives locked in their small rooms plugged into Facebook, yahoo chat, etc. Aside from leaving the room to go to University, They live their entire lives on the internet. They have no REAL People friends, no GF, nothing. They order their dinner over the internet and have it delivered direct to their room. They seem incapable of holding a conversation, incapable of anything. They are in their 20`s, yet struggle to walk 50 feet without losing their breath from lack of exercise.
I do not know where all this is heading, but its really frightening shit. People are living their entire lives on the internet. It seems they have stopped going out, making real friends, getting a gf, having a root, going surfing, etc.

They sound like budding webmasters and gfy fodder.



FB has reached critical mass. I almost need facebook now. I recently lost a cell phone that was not backed up and it was no big deal as 90% of the people were on fb.

[nico-t]

Originally Posted by cherrylula

I never did myspace because it was a joke filled with garbage and not very private.

you are a female, females subconsciously crave attention, that's why they all join facebook. Plus the last thing that's 'private' on earth is facebook.

[Sophie Delancey]

It's interesting to see Google acknowledging that + is a bust, even if accidentally.

[BVF]

Google Plus didn't even bother to have a seperate domain name...I knew it was going to fail....Now I LOVE google voice on the other hand.

[Choopa Phil]

i called the flop of google+ the day it was announced as well. I will however also be deactivating FB too, I hate how everyone can see where and who i post to. its unbelievable

[devilspost]

Originally Posted by Choopa Phil

I hate how everyone can see where and who i post to. its unbelievable

That's why google has the circles concept.

[Bladewire]

I use Google voice multiple times daily.

Google+ I signed up for , never used