Google_ for Business_ How Google's Social Network Changes Everything - Chris Brogan [7]
Later, when my kids were asleep, I’d get back on Google+ and look around. I logged a lot of hours inside Google+. I’d experiment with posting information. I’d share other interesting things I’d come across. In the early days of Google+, a lot of this sharing was information about Google+, such as, “Did you know that if you put an underscore around a word like _this_, it comes out looking like this?”
As time went on, people started opening up about what their passions were, inside and outside of work, and this drove even deeper connections of value. I say this as a business person, but also as someone who believes that relationship-minded business is far more valuable than transactional business. If you’re looking for “quick fix” sales and marketing methods, Google+ might not be the tool, but if you think there’s some value in fostering a community of interest, it works really well for that purpose.
This Sounds Like Other Social Networks
Does Google+ look and feel like other social networks? Yes and no. The closest “feel” to how this compares with other social networks is the way that Google+ allows you to connect with people of interest instead of simply with people you already know in some capacity. Unless you protect your tweets (meaning you’ve set the privacy such that people you’re not following can’t see what you’re saying), Twitter enables people to discover what you’re saying, either by learning about you via a retweet (when someone shares your original message) or by being found via a search.
Google+ does a lot to foster this kind of findability—this discoverable feeling. As you’re reading this, you might be thinking, “Facebook does this already.” You might say, “LinkedIn is much more businesslike.”
But it’s different. Google+ is more “open” than Facebook. It is more “deep” than Twitter. It’s more rounded than LinkedIn, in that it shows off your personal interests along side your business interests, depending on what you choose to share and post. And, as a business person and a marketer, I saw immediate value in what Google+ can do for your business.
Why Is Google+ So Interesting?
Let me be clear: I’m not usually in the “oh shiny!” tribe. I’m a fan of business and business communication. I love tools that improve business, and especially what I call “human business,” which means that it’s relationship-minded and yet sustainable. I’m not a “kumbaya” kind of person in that I think, “Let’s enjoy everything and keep it free and let’s be in a commune together.” I have mouths to feed, and when I evaluate a new technology, it’s often through the lens of “how can this grow my business?”
Social media and social networks are powerful tools to connect people. Period. This is true, no matter the motive. This works for big businesses I’ve spent time with, such as General Motors, Pepsico, and Microsoft. Social media and social networks are great for small businesses such as AJ Bombers (burgers) and Glynne Soaps. It works well for solo businesses, such as Joel Libava, the “Franchise King,” and Carrie Wilkerson, the Barefoot Executive. Google+ is a great tool for accomplishing all of this.
Google+ is so interesting because it’s tied to the number 1 and number 2 search engines in the world (Google and YouTube, respectively). It’s interesting because the sharing patterns in there reveal (even without any complicated tools) how information moves, who cares about it, and who’s connected to it. With just a handful of clicks and some note-taking, you can see who cared (or didn’t care) about the unveiling of a new car.
Speaking of cars, I saw Scott Monty from Ford on Google+ on the second day it was open to the public. I asked Scott why he jumped on Google+ right away:
“This is the first time we’ve truly been able to watch a social network being born, and it’s kind of like watching the birth of a rare wild animal or a star in another