Google+ is Awesome. But It's Not Right For Your Brand.
Let’s get this out of the way right up front: It might be better to say, “Google+ isn’t the only place for your brand.” For that matter neither is Facebook. Or Twitter. Or Tumblr. Or YouTube. Or any other social platform.
Robert Scoble, if you don’t know him, gets loads of respect as a blogger and thinker. Here’s what he posted on Googe+ today:
“Why do I post here on Google+ instead of on my blog, or over on Facebook? One reason is the search engine here. For instance, search for the word “Occupy” and you’ll find all the posts written about the Occupy Wallstreet protests: https://plus.google.com/s/Occupy
I believe this search engine will become more and more important over time. Right now it’s not that important, in terms of traffic or causing conversations, but that’s why I’m investing time here and not on my blog.
Now, the trick is to figure out what I should use my blog for. :-)”
Robert typically shows love for new services as they become available (or, at least, the ones that end up capturing some market share). And, of course, he changes blogging platforms about as often as I change my underwear (OK, not quite as often, but you get the idea).
But, as I’ve said again and again, tools don’t matter. Google could change the rules of Google+ tomorrow and screw your brand.
Not that they have any history there.
Facebook could, too. And Twitter. And Tumblr. Any YouTube. And on and on and on.
And where would that leave you?
Build your brand on your website and your blog as your hub. Then use social tools as the spokes of the wheel that will drive your brand success.
And, for as much as I respect Robert Scoble, don’t listen to those who tell you Googe+ (or any other site you don’t control) is the one and only place for your brand.
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I don’t have a single hub, or single point of failure. Those of you with just blogs do. Your blog can go down, servers can fail, etc etc.
My brand is DISTRIBUTED across four social networks. If one of them fails, or goes down, the rest of it is still up. So, I’m not worried about my brand, or your ability to find me.
I do worry about other things, like ability to monetize, or be taken seriously. Those things you might need a blog for.
Hi Robert,
Thanks for reading and thanks for the comment. I agree completely that you don’t want to have a single point of failure for your brand. I have noted for some time that you’ve got to have a “Plan B” in case something goes wrong. Social tools—whether Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Google+ or others—make for an excellent Plan B.
Your point about being able to get your message out, even if one part of your web presence fails is spot on. Countless reminders exist, though one of the most notable in recent days were the many tech blogs unable to handle the volume of traffic received during Apple’s “Let’s Talk iPhone” event. However, Ars Technica (among others), did a great job of posting updates to Twitter to keep the conversation going and their customer engaged.
Finally, I trust that nothing in my original post (or the posts that preceded it), suggests that a website or a blog alone constitutes the entirety of a web presence. Again, a “hub and spoke” approach with no spokes is, well, broken. Of course, given that your “what I should use my blog for” comment—even if meant in jest—prompted this post, I feel obligated to say that a “hub and spoke” approach with no hub is equally broken. 😉
Again, thanks for the comment. I appreciate the dialogue and hope to hear more from you in the future.
[…] not so sure. In fact, I’m on record as not much of a fan of Google+ (though, I admit, you have to use Google+, whether you want to or […]