Google has retired the consumer side of its social network Google+ (Google Plus) as of today, April 2. The news of the imminent demise of G+ broke in December of last year, citing data vulnerabilities along with low usage as reasons for the closure. The news flew completely under the radar for way too many in the industry — a fitting end for an underdeveloped and way underappreciated 8-year-old social platform.
Google Plus wasn’t perfect — it was different and so unlike any other social network, perfect in its strangeness and incompleteness. It was visually stunning with its emphasis on beautiful photos and vertical graphics. The best part was that Google+ had a hardcore, truly dedicated network of real people using it. Not enough, by Google’s own admission. So this is the end.
Will Google Plus be missed? By some, surely. However, with so many other social feeds to take care of, digital marketers are unlikely to notice the difference. Visiting the old G+ profiles of my clients prior to the shutdown was definitely a trip down memory lane.
A client’s Google Plus profile
Goodbye, Google+!
