Google Plus Second Impressions (and Etiquette)

I've been playing with Google+ for a few weeks now and I've gotten to really understand how its feature set conducts the participation of its users. In my first impressions, I mused at how it potentially takes over the need for Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr, but after more use, I have to say that Twitter is in the most danger here. Many may think that the 140 character limit was the key to Twitter's success, but it may actually be the dynamic of asymmetrical sharing that kept it appealing in contrast with Facebook. While Twitter's 140 characters are easy to digest when what you want to say is short, longer messages become unreadable drivel, fodder for a generation raised on text messages and bad grammar. Google+ is the grown-up's Twitter.

On Google+, not only can you follow whomever you want, you can divide your sharing between the circles that you've divvied everyone into so that the loose acquaintances don't have to know about the hamburger you ordered and your family doesn't have to read about how you scored on your date. Further, your freethinker friends don’t have to slog through your photography updates to get at some discussion material. And this all takes place in full sentences and paragraphs (if you're lucky).

Following conversations on Google+ is also far beyond the capabilities of Twitter, with Facebook-style commenting. Twitter may have recently improved the "threading" of discussions, but it is still deathly confusing to follow back-and-forth chatter. Because G+'s advantage, it is also easier to find others with similar interests to you, allowing you to follow them, or vice versa. If you’re vigilant about creating neatly defined circles, you can potentially curate your own communities in which the topics up for discussion are always interesting.

The only features that Twitter has that Google+ does not are hashtags and trending topics, both of which are useless when used en masse. Hashtags have a dual use in Twitter; to label your post so that readers can understand the context, and to join in a popular conversation. With Google+, since you have a large amount of space to use, contextual shorthand isn't needed. And let's face it, hashtag conversations are absolutely cumbersome and downright frivolous when they get popular, making it no big loss. Trending topics are equally useless, especially since it is likely that all of the ones that show up are irrelevant to your interests.

Twitter is now technically obsolete. We just need to wait for the user base to move over.

Ultimately, Google+ is more about sharing than social networking. In its public channels, it is a platform built for content and discussions, not personal drivel. In your personal channels, it is anything you want it to be. But in order to reap the benefits of this flexibility, you have to be disciplined with how you use it.

I'd like to share how I've been using Google+, to give you an idea of how it can work for you. It just so happens that rationalists and skeptics have a huge contingency there already, so finding people to follow and, in turn, to follow me, has not been difficult. As of this writing, I have just over 800 followers, which is more than my blog, Facebook and Twitter subscribers combined. And I did that in just a few days. This is simply an example of how fertile Google+ is when it comes to making connections with people who share the same interests. My goal is to start interesting discussions and share thoughtful ideas. Maybe after a while people will start to recognize me as a real contributor to the community, eh?

I first follow the known authorities in my topic of choice. Then I participate in the discussions that they begin. When I see others contributing thoughtfully, I will add them to a circle created just for that kind of topic. With luck, they’ll follow me in return. My stream, in the meantime, is filled with many different contributions, most of which are actually interesting to me. Sure, there are some people who post their check-ins publicly or talk about their cats, but the signal-to-noise ratio is surprisingly high. It should improve as people learn how to use this new tool.

I have some etiquette tips for everyone out there:

• Do not make check-in posts public unless it is at some venue where you absolutely must announce your presence to a large amount of people. You should have a circle of people who are potentially interested in knowing your whereabouts - post it to that.

• Try to make your public posts interesting for strangers. When you get involved in communities, expect people to follow you if you contribute thoughtful ideas. You don't want them to regret following you.

• This isn't Twitter. Circles allow you to share your many facets with only the people who care about them. I know you’re used to throwing everything out there and making people just deal with stuff that they’re not interested in because, damn it, you just wanna share it. Your experience will improve if you improve the experience of others.

• Currently, the two largest groups I see on G+ has been photographers and freethinkers. If you’re either one, get your butt on there! If you’re not, well, you have the opportunity to make a name for yourself on a new platform; being an early adopter to a potential new center of your community has many advantages. Use the tools at your disposal wisely.

• You might be compelled to treat Google+ like it is your second Facebook account. Don't. Not yet. While it resembles Facebook aesthetically, it works differently on a fundamental level. This goes for sharing personal information and photos. Once you share something, it is out there, beyond your control unless you explicitly disable resharing for that item.