Google Addition

I'm usually not ahead of the curve. I tend to wait until the new version of something comes out, then I buy the old one. I got my first Dave Matthews CD when I was in college, even though "Crash" came out in 1996. I got a two-door Ford Explorer as my first car because a four-door was a few extra thousand dollars. And I just discovered button-down shirts come in other colors and styles than "blue".

Needless to say I err on the side of skepticism when bright, shiny new products hit the market with promises of faster, easier, better looking, and more trunk space. This shouldn't surprise you, you're talking to a guy who bought an SUV with only two doors. On purpose.

In other news, have you heard about this band "Savage Garden"? They're the next big thing in music.

While my Facebook friends and Twitter leaders (I suppose that's what you call people you follow on Twitter) rant and rave about how amazing Google Plus is and how the lack of it in your life makes you a far less superior technological being and renders your social life irrelevant, I pause to invoke the phrase about holding one's horses.

Google Plus, as I'm sure you've heard, is the thing that will make Facebook irrelevant. Just like Google Wave was going to make all other virtual meeting space irrelevant. Oh, you don't know what Google Wave is? er...was?

Here I am, a twenty-something who has been on the front edge of social networking his whole life, and I'm supposed to start Facebook all over again on Google? Except I'm also supposed to keep my Facebook? And now I'm supposed to post pictures, status thoughts, comments, etc on both? Why would I want to subject myself to this? For some circles?

Naturally, I signed up for Google Plus and added the application on my phone.

Now, me and my seven friends...er...seven people in my "Friends" circle, (all fellow Fraternity alumni) can do pretty much what we do on Facebook. Without further ado, here's my cursory review of Google Addition:

AJ's Cursory Review of People Who Use Google Addition:


The following are people who loved Google Plus from its inception and will throw themselves fully onto it unabashedly with no regard for health or human life:

1. Trendsetters: You know these people. A strong desire to be on the front end of everything. They've already done research on when the iPhone 5 is coming out, and they have a pre-order on the Playstation 4. They brag about being the first people on MySpace, and the first people off MySpace.

They are caught in the allure of telling you they have something you don't. They monitor their Google Plus network of 10-20 and hail praises at the glorious footsteps upon the throne of thy most holy Google lords. "Google Plus is so simple! So organized! So easy to use! I don't have to filter through all the posts from other people! Just me and my other elite friends can share in this wondrous Internet world !"

If I run into these people I tell them Steve Jobs is on his hover-board down the street giving out iPad 3s. That usually gets rid of them for a few hours.

2. People who are Tired of their Facebook Page- "A chance to start over?! It's like going to college all over again! Sign me up!"  You've spent a lot of time on Facebook, adding people as friends you wish you didn't and now you get to be a new Google Plus person. Isn't this really what draws us to Google Plus? That it's new, different, made by someone we inherently trust and is, currently, exclusive? It gets less exciting when you realize all of that will come to an end soon.

Mild Tangent Alert: These people also might say, "My family and parents aren't on here so its waaayyy better!" Wait...didn't you accept their friend request? Didn't you allow them to see your statuses and pictures? I had my own mother blocked on Facebook for the past 4 years. My mother! And I love my mother! But my social life is my social life. She doesn't need to see me making poop jokes with my college friends.

And if Google Plus is as amazing as everyone is lauding it to be, your parents and family will make their way over. And they'll add you. And there will be nothing you can do about it.

3. Technology Snobs- Their war cry raves about, "Increased organization! Simplified design! It's not Facebook!" They're right you know...that obnoxious, and overbearing blue on the Facebook page was driving me nuts.

Here are my issues with Google Plus:

1. Everyone I Don't Want to Follow on Facebook is Currently on Google Plus: There's a reason my circles consisted of seven people, all Fraternity brothers. I just sifted through the "Recommended For You" people and it was all people I don't want to follow. And now, after the effort to find and add more people, I only increased to 18. I have a Twitter account for this reason. If I don't want to hear from you, I don't have to.

2. What Good are Circles...: If everyone I've added is going into my "Friends" circle? It's like buying a Garmin when your phone has a GPS. Why do I need something else to carry around all the time? My facebook phone works fine.

3. Starting from Ground Zero: I'll admit it is way easier to add people on Google Plus than on Facebook. In that the follow (or add) request doesn't have to be accepted which, I'm sure, won't cause any legal or privacy issues in the future. Now I have to start with 0 Friends or Followers, or whatever, all over again. I'm not sure I see the benefit....yet.

Don't you think that in a month or two Facebook will have replicated all of the things people like about Google Plus? Do you think they'll just roll over and die?

Look, I like Google. I'm on board, but before we all bow down and exalt the throne of Google Plus we'd better take a step back and understand that we only like what is new, flashy and not what we currently have.

That said, go get Google Plus...it is pretty cool.