There have been many opinions shared about how Google+ (a new social network from Google) has had an impact on the online social media scene. People have posited that Google+ will eventually cause people to leave another network. I posted about this possibility myself.
http://twitter.com/#!/andrewconard/status/89782495683428352
After conversation with a good friend, I realized that there is value to maintaining connections with others in that way. So, I’ll likely be on Facebook, Twitter and Google+ for the foreseeable future.
I have been wondering about the possibility of sharing my thoughts on faith, life and ministry at Google+ instead of WordPress.com. Here are some pros and cons of this switch:
Pros
- Google+ is built for sharing in a network, therefore, sharing thoughts, feelings and opinions that I hope might spread on Google+ makes it one step easier for people to share with others (instead of Tweeting a link to a post)
- Google+ is built to draw people back through integration across Google web properties – this would increase the possibility that people would continue to comment on a post, thus creating a conversation. Personally, I hardly ever revisit a blog post after leaving a comment to see if there are other comments added.
- Social profile and content creation are simplified for me by being at one location.
Cons
- Google+ is not yet public (yet), thus limiting reach
- Google+ does not have the ability to schedule posts in advance
- Google+ does not have analytics available around any particular post
I have reposted the content of several of my blog posts from WordPress over the past week and have received about as many or more comments on Google+ with the addition to a share. Will you please share your thoughts, feelings or opinions?
PS – If you want an invite to Google+ leave a comment using an @gmail.com email address and I will send you an invitation.
Rev. Andrew Conard 
9 replies on “Leaving WordPress.com for Google+”
Well if this post didnt go through my twitter feeds i never would have saw it. i havnt used google plus to much. The fact is. Not All 300 million amricans will, so what about the ones that dont? The best part about your own website is you can publish that conten through whatever disitribution you want not just facebook or twitter or google plus. Why not all three?
There doesnt and wont be a networkd that is the be all and end all of contnent. Dont be in a hurry to put all your eggs in one basket. You will also find that facebook has comments that link to the wp post to the same fan page post so comments made on face book show up on wp and vice versa. Google will do the same.
I mean if you posted this on google plus only hiw would you reach facebook useres? What about those people who dont have you in a cicle? What about those people who dont even use social media? There is a lot of them!
I’m interested to see how this works for you and if there will be any integration between google and blogger. I would greatly appreciate an invite
I really haven’t poked around Google Plus very much, so I’ve still got a lot of curiosity about it. My first thoughts were that it wasn’t as intuitive as I had hoped. But I thought the same about Facebook at first.
Like Todd, I’ll be watching and look forward to your reflections on how that works out.
I’d love an invite.
My gmail is johnmeunier
If you were to leave WordPress for Google+, would readers be able to subscribe to a feed for blog-type posts? Or would they have to have a Google+ account and be in one of your circles (and log on to check for new posts)?
I would love an invite to Google+ because I’m very curious about it.
First reaction? A little saddened. I enjoy blogs, and while I’ve heard from technology gurus that they may not be around for the long term future, I enjoy them nonetheless.
Second reaction? Curiosity. I’m very curious to see how that will work for you, and if Google has any plans to include similar blogging features to the ones you listed under the “cons” section.
Third reaction? Great point about conversation. I never go back to see follow up comments either.
Thanks to your comments here and others in person, I won’t be leaving my blog any time soon. Thanks for the feedback! I very much appreciate it. I have sent an invite to everyone that requested it. Thanks for your response! Look for more blog posts here tomorrow 🙂
Hi Andrew:
I just started a blog on WP, mainly to start up a discussion that would start others asking questions and thinking differently. (Ultimately, I’d also like to gain a few new clients in the process.) So, I’m all in favor of using as much social media as possible if it will serve the purpose of getting the word out.
And yes…it takes a bit of self-motivation to revisit a comment thread, but it’s worth it.
I’d love an invite to Google+ My email address is: 132NorthTenth@gmail.com
Thanks!
Justine
I would love an invitation to Google+ my email is: aydabunch@gmail.com