post by Stephanie Nelson
Earlier this month, Google announced that it was shuttering Google+, its foray into the realm of social media that was introduced in 2011.
The decision came after it was discovered that a security vulnerability exposed the private data of up to 500,000 users in March. The company’s Privacy & Data Protection Office decided it was not legally required to report it since it didn’t appear that anyone had gained access to user information. Naturally, those in the cybersecurity world were not thrilled with Google’s decision to keep quiet.
As a social media and SEO professional, I’ve long had a love/hate relationship with Google+. I’ll readily admit that, in those first days when Google was being “choosy” about who they let have access to the outlet, I scrapped my way into an account by any means necessary. It was supposed to be the be all, end all of social media. But that didn’t pan out.
Then came the reports that posts on Google+ helped sites’ search engine optimization efforts. So I upped my efforts there again – for myself and my clients. But again, I saw no discernable gains between those using Google+ and those not using it. So again, things didn’t pan out like they “should” have.
Rumors have been swirling about Google+’s demise for years. With recent revelations that 90% of the outlet’s user sessions lasted five seconds or less, this news can’t really take anyone by surprise. August 2019 seems to be the date, as of now, for deactivation.
What’s your take on this? Are you surprised Google+ is going away? Or have you just been waiting on the announcement?
