Google + is Not Worth the Hassle

There is a huge majority of people out there who think that Google + is not worth the hassle (time and energy).  When asked why, the replies are varied:

• It’s not like Facebook, none of my friends are here,
• Big businesses aren’t on the platform,
• It’s a ghost town,
• It’s only for techies and geeks

So let’s break down these replies one by one and dispel the naysayers.
“It’s not like Facebook, none of my friends are on here”
Guess what? Google + is not supposed to be the next Facebook.  In fact, according one of the developers of Google +, it wasn’t created to be a social network but rather an extension of Google, hence the “+”.  Think of it like an “added”  piece. Google didn’t set out to create the “new Facebook” but rather a new component to Google’s ever growing list of awesome tools.
“Big Businesses aren’t on Google +”
A simple search in Google + will reveal this statement utterly false.  Looking at the Top 50 most admired companies in the US from Forbes, and simply going down the list I was able to find a good majority of them had active Google + pages. Such as:

• General Motors
• IBM
• Coca-Cola
• McDonald’s
• BMW
• Starbucks
• FedEx
• American Express

“It’s a ghost town”
As I have mentioned on another blog – social media is only a waste of time, if you waste time on social media.  What value you put into Google + , you will get out of Google +. In other words, it’s a ghost town because you haven’t reached out, connected and interacted with anyone.  Yes your friends aren’t on here, so what? To me that’s a good thing.
Google Plus is without distractions. There are no ads (yet). There are no game invites, pokes, group updates, spam, promoted tweets and status updates. I don’t like the clutter of Facebook. I leave my friends and seek the solace of Google +.  I can focus and connect with like minded individuals who share my passion in social media, internet marketing and blogging.
Here’s an idea, whatever your passion is type it in the Google + search field.  Let me know the results. I tried book clubs, car enthusiasts, fishing,  even wooden boats all of which returned a bunch of folks who have the same hobbies and passion.
Don’t blame Google + for your inability to connect with people.
“It’s only for techies and geeks”
Well as you can see from reading this blog post so far that statement is simply a misnomer, Google + plus is not just for techies and geeks.  The early adopters of Google + were indeed techies and geeks and folks like me who for the sake of doing business in the world of social media needed to test out new waters and see if a) might be something for my clients b) might something for me to use to expand my company brand and presence.
Truthfully, I was not a fan of Google + in the beginning as I was looking at as a social network – through the blue haze of Facebook.
So Google + plus has grown quite a bit and continues to grow.  It’s up to you to add your value to it and get value in return.
What are your thoughts on Google +? Post in the comments below!