Back around 2011 Google launched a new social media platform called Google+. I got into it fairly early as I was into playing with various sites and I have bought into Google products quite a bit. The web site was distinguished by a pretty clean design with no ads at all. They had the ability to add people into 'circles', which are lick lists elsewhere. The site design evolved and new features, such as communities, were added.
Today the site was shut down. Some form may continue for corporate clients.
This was expected as it was announced late last year. They used the excuse of a couple of potential data breaches, but many have been predicting it for years.
I have to say I enjoyed my time on G+, but that is largely due to the people who were there. It attracted a lot of creative and technical types. They would mostly have a Youtube account anyway, so it was not like they had to sign up to something new. I built a bit of a following, but it was really just a few who interacted with me regularly.
I think part of the problem is that a lot of the media were more into Twitter and Facebook. They did not see the point of another social site. That did not stop millions using it. There were lots of very active communities. I started one about certain guitar effects that gathered 580 members.
The problem I have now is that the people I followed (circled) have dispersed to assorted other platforms. There was discussion on one group about the best alternatives. Disapora was a popular option. I have an account there, but do not use it much. Another was MeWe which I have yet to try. It seems you cannot see anything there without joining. I just do not have time to be active on lots of platforms. My main one is Steem with a little Twitter and Facebook. My pinned G+ tab will have to go now.
It is annoying that all the content that was there is no longer accessible. That will break some links. I have been able to download all my posts, but the connections are gone. I may try putting that content onto my old blog. I also have data from the old Tsu site that I have yet to do anything with.
Google have history with shutting down services that lots of people used. There are various sites to listing these. Some I used were Buzz, Wave, Reader (RSS), Listen (podcasts), iGoogle (personal home page).
We have to accept that anything online that we do not control ourselves could be shut down. Steem is a little different in that it can continue as long as we have witnesses. We can use dapps even if the web sites get taken down. I have run blogs on my own domain, but have not been using that so much recently as it is extra work to maintain. I need to clean up some of the links there as they point to other dead sites.
The web itself is only a human generation old, yet so much has already been lost. If you are posting anything that matters then you may want to ensure it is preserved somewhere safe for future generations.
Steem on, but for how long?
The geeky guitarist and facilitator of the 10K Minnows Project.
- I'll buy guitar picks for Steem
- Get a Wirex Debit Card to spend your crypto.
- Get some passive income with Mannabase
- Get paid to search at Presearch
- Battle for cards on Steem Monsters or drugs in Drug Wars
- I have Steem accounts to give away to worthy people!