Is Google+ Worth the Time?


November 29, 2013

social-brand-chat

This week on Social Brand Chat presented by KXIC we discussed a question via (what else?) Google+ from Stephan Hovnanian: “How do I decide if Google+ is worth it?” Great question and definitely one that many grapple with. Let’s chat about this.

More than just a social network, Google+ is a social layer that connects and enhances all of Google’s products. For example, Hangouts — a breakout feature of Google+, much to Skype’s chagrin — has now integrated with Google’s own chat product, Google Talk. If you’re one of YouTube’s billion unique users each month, you’ve probably also been prompted to connect your YouTube account to your Google+ brand presence (you have one of those, right?). Speaking of connecting accounts, a few weeks back when we discussed negative reviews on the podcast, we highlighted the fact that Google is replacing their location-based Places pages that feed Google Maps with a location feature aligned with your Google+ brand page for your business.

Additionally, as a blogger or online content creator, you can also enjoy the benefits of Google authorship by tying the content you create with your Google+ profile. Why does this matter? As Google’s search algorithm now includes social signals from Google+ it enhances the results that are returned for you and your content. Bottom line: Is Google+ worth your time? Yes, it’s on it’s way to being the connective tissue behind the social web. Is it a social network just like Facebook for sharing cat pics with your family and friends? Not at all.

Our social media news item had a bit of fun this week as we noted that Oxford Dictionaries Word of the Year is selfie — those ubiquitous shots you take of yourself which are, for better or worse, becoming a bigger part of our lives online. On one hand it’s great that it’s a word that has to do with social media. On the other hand, couldn’t it have been any other word?!

Do you have a question about social media you’d like answered? Ask in the comments below, on our Facebook page, or on Twitter using #SocialBrandChat. Check out previous episodes of the Social Brand Chat podcast here.

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Until next week, see you on the Internet!

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is a strategist, speaker, educator, and author of Brand Now: How to Stand Out in a Crowded, Distracted World and Get Scrappy: Smarter Digital Marketing for Businesses Big and Small. He is the Chief Brand Strategist at Brand Driven Digital, an educator at the University of Iowa, and host of the On Brand podcast. More about Nick.