In pure internet driven data terms, I know Google Plus is that ghost town people speak of, a failure, and a bevvy of other hyperbolic fan boy positioning statements….
But, “the reports Google Plus’ death are greatly exaggerated” isn’t right, but just bravado. Nor is “it’s a failure” any more aware or helpful. The fact is that it is incredibly active for some people, and some communities are the most active on the web. Tl;DR: It works for some people, so we should be happy for them. What’s more, there are substantive design updates and changes, although some things have been left off the radar (dekstop/mobile location sharing integration?). But, if you don’t believe me, go to your business here: https://plus.google.com/dashboard
Click “Manage my Business” then “Manage Photos”… and VOILA! You’ve got incredible segmented and category specific photo albums for your listing… is that tied into maps? Places? Local? Just your page? Who knows where all those will end up… but there is obvious thought that has gone into that. Things are “still happening” behind the scenes at G+.
Whatever a consumer or user is going to think of G+, it’s been fairly important for businesses as G+ became the platform that unified a *lot* of back end business happenings, including the unification of years of shifting sands with maps, local, places, hotpot, and other moments in Google’s adolescent, and appropriately moody, timeline.
I think a lot of us had hoped it had gone through most of it’s major phases…. but it’s likely that these constant & fluid changes born of staff changes and business philosophy shifts internally.
So………… I noticed that “Local” was removed from the Google Plus navigation dropdown / sidebar:
And, so shall it be…. Local in Plus is dead. Long live Local!:
What I would like to know….
How will removal of G+ Local button impact biz pages/listing w/reviews, their management, & where will local “go”? They still never perfectly married Local Search with Verified Business Pages… and now that perfect relationship doesn’t seem likely. In fact…. I imagine it to be incredible scattered now?
What disconcerting and mildly jarring move is Google going to make with opaque reasoning and a modicum of a challenge for my tired and jangled online mind….
I am just catching glimpses of whatever their new direction is going to be…. and the below is either some, all, or none of it. Call me out, where I am wrong…. but there are silent changes happening.
For example… what is the difference between this Google Plus based Business Page Dashboard:
and this new (?) “mother dashboard” that just popped up which includes links to maps, G+, and more:
EDIT: This gent has more info on that: https://www.hotelmarketingsupport.com/hotelsalesandmarketing/google-my-business-locations-bulk-gets-interface-update/
The latter might be an older local dashboard, but I don’t recognize it.
These are a few of the new Social or Travel related initiatives:
Communities is now alongside Collections, a Pinterest style social bookmarking that might have taken place of everything from Local to Reader?
Google Local Guides could be some sort of “power user / thought leader” style replacement for local, IE a crowdsourced arena of forum users rather than “cold search” within a “social community”. So if that’s the replacement for local, *and it works*, that could be interesting. The idea of search in a community of people seems less “social” than “local experts” compiling boards of topical info, etc. Here’s the plus front page: https://plus.google.com/+GoogleLocalGuides/posts
If the Local Guides use Collections within communities… I could see how it would set up a nice process for sharing and activity. Travel gets people sharing more than almost anything else… for marketing, for personal prestige, for helping, etc. So Local Guides using collections within communities… then couple those w/ this under the radar Google Maps photo community called “Views”: https://www.google.com/maps/views/home?gl=us
That one caught me by surprise. These “location experts” and photo sharing people seem to be voraciously looking for an appropriate, relevant outlet to share beautiful things…. and I am not so sure Tripadvisor is catering to that with their “throw everything to the wall” UI & design aesthetic. But as this hasn’t gotten any real, external press or awareness, it will be interesting to see how it’s impacted, especially as part of this community is undoubtedly phased by the Google Maps Maker suspension (I am disappointed, for one). I am not sure if “Views” is a Maps based social network, or tied into the Google Earth imagery as well.
This is obviously non-rhetorical, open conversation.
I have no idea what the plans are, or where they are going… and whether it’s a ripping of travel and local out of Plus, or it’s just new tools, etc. If anyone has any idea what’s really happening, I am all ears. Like I said… these things might not even be of value to the overall community, but I know a couple of us hotel people are scratching our collective heads…. so this can be ignored or add a little to the conversation. Probably just more questions.
What do you think it means for Maps & Local? For Google Plus? For us?