Why do people /hate/ Google+?

[LB]

Don't read this post unless you have plenty of time. If you skim read, you will miss crucial information.

My personal experience with Google+ and its integration with YouTube for the past years (yes, years, not months) has been nothing but positive. I have never had any issues with it. I have never been forced to use my real name for my primary YouTube channel.

I spoke to some people here at my college and they were all unconditionally against Google+. Whenever I asked them why, they generally gave vague answers, and when I asked them to name specific things they didn't like, they said they couldn't. All I could get out of them was that they hate Google+ and are doing everything in their power to pretend it doesn't exist.

So, if you hate Google+, please hold your comments until after I explain my experience with it.

I created my YouTube channel in October of 2010, named LB725C. Sometime between then and June 2013, one day I opened YouTube and it gave me three choices: use my real name, use LB725C, or pick a new alias. I chose to pick "LB" as my alias (as that was what I couldn't do before) and was never bothered about it again.

Fast forward to a few months ago when I actually look around my Google account to see how everything is, and this is how things are set up:
- My Google Account counts as a 'real person', and so I have a Google+ page using my real name. I also have a (completely blank) YouTube channel using my real name (which I plan to use for C++ tutorial videos). Every Google+ page has an associated YouTube channel, unless explicitly disconnected.

Where does LB fit in? Well, LB is a brand identity, and as such, has a Google+ page of which I am a manager as well as an associated YouTube channel which is set as my default channel when I log in to YouTube.

Here are some links and screenshots (not meant as advertising):
- My 'real person' Google+ page: https://www.google.com/+NicholasLBBraden
- 'Brand identity' LB Google+ page: https://www.google.com/+LBStuff-LB
- When I go to https://plus.google.com/u/0/dashboard I see http://i.imgur.com/3kpfeLx.png
- When I go to https://www.youtube.com/channel_switcher I see http://i.imgur.com/fksBOxM.png

All is right in the world, and all is as it should be. I can switch accounts seamlessly.

Now, I happened to meet someone online who was complaining about Google+ forcing them to use a space in their channel name. This is the screenshot I had them send me:

http://i.imgur.com/5pr3PRX.png

Where it says "TheOmbBomb .Gaming" in the top right, that's supposed to be their real name. The others are 'brand identities'. They needed to disconnect and delete two of their YouTube channels and Google+ pages.

What this tells me is that people don't take time to actually look at their Google accounts to see what's going on, and instead just freak out and complain when things don't work as expected. The people I spoke to at my college certainly hammered this in - as soon as I said "Google+" they responded "ew". To them I said, I don't like Facebook or Twitter (and don't even have accounts for them).

There's a difference between not linking something for genuine reasons (such as the genuine reasons I have for not having Facebook or Twitter account) and hating something because other people hate it too (how the people I met in real life treated Google+). One of the things they said was that it was forced on them. Well, yeah, Google Drive and Google Docs and Google Keep and GMail and Google Wallet and such are all 'forced' on you as well - they come with your Google account for free. Rejecting Google+ when you already have a Google account is like rejecting the wrongly-colored computer your grandmother gave you for that big Christian holiday.

Having actually figured out how Google+ works, I am actively using it. As it turns out, the LB brand identity is itself a Google account all of its own, and after I set up its GMail, LB now has access to his own Google Drive, Google Docs, Google Keep, GMail, Google Wallet, etc. - basically everything that my 'real person' account has access to. Sweet.

You might think this is an identity crisis, but it's not. LB is my online persona that I like to keep somewhat separate from my real-life self. I think everyone does that, with a few exceptions. I get to use LB for gaming and internet stuff, and I get to use my 'real person' to keep in touch with friends and family members. If I really wanted to, I could have never revealed that LB was even associated with my real-life self.

Meanwhile, in YouTube Comment Land, Google+ is under attack by Bob and his armored tanks (although the tank factories have mostly been shut down by now). Why do so many people hate (not dislike) Google+ for reasons they cannot explain? If you hate (not dislike) Google+, why?

Also, please don't bring privacy into this - that's a whole different debate that I'm not willing to discuss right now.

[Disch]

I don't hate it. I just didn't join it because nobody in my social circle is using it.

What's the point of joining a social network when you're the only one there?

[LB]

That's the other thing I've heard, and I have no problem with that. But there are people who actively despise it and won't tell me why.

[htirwin]

Here is a theory.

Having an email account with google essentially brings you into the google+ realm automatically. Ultimately, you might end up these circles, when you never had any intention of following peoples posts or participating in the social network in general. In the end, you have tons of members and people in circles, who didn't really belong there and don't participate. The result is that in spite having all these people in your circle, you are actually much more alone there than you might have thought, and that realization might lead to negative feelings about the network.

[LB]

The people I've spoken to don't know what 'circles' are in the context of Google+.

As a side note, this is a very useful page:
https://www.google.com/contacts/

[S G H]

Note: this may fall under Privacy.
Maybe, it's because Google is mostly known for Google Search, and people do not like connecting their real self to their own searches (Be it "private stuff", or maybe even illegal software)
This cannot happen for Facebook or Twitter since they do not have a Web Search engine, but I expect a lot of complains if they ever will.

[tath]

I dont like it, because google FORCED google+ upon people. After taking over youtube, google+ was required to do some activities, like comments, etc.. And as much i dont trust facebook, i definitely dont trust google.

[z05DSL3A]

TBH I don't like Google much as a whole.

I did take a look at Google+ (still have an account but don't use it). My social circle is not represented very well so my page was filled with irrelevant crap that Google think I would be interested in, they were wrong.

I am quite a private person so social networks are not necessarily aimed at me but Google+ just doesn't fit with me at all. There are too many things that I am not comfortable with and I really not that bothered to see if there is a way around them.

[LB]

tath wrote:

I dont like it, because google FORCED google+ upon people. After taking over youtube, google+ was required to do some activities, like comments, etc..

Like I said, I never had any such issue happen to me. I guess people ignored the dialog that YouTube gave me years ago and so messed up their accounts beyond repair or something. New YouTube accounts come with Google+ pages anyway.

[knn9]

I hate google period, and I'm not too fond of social media/networking either. I don't care about G+. I got the account for youtube and haven't used it since.

[LB]

knn9 wrote:

I hate google period

Elaborate?

[ezchgg]

LB wrote:

[quote=knn9]I hate google perod

Elaborate?
[/quote]_{your forum is so naked, feature-wise 'admin'}

This. Google is just about the only company that is actually trying to do good by the people. They don't design services and such to maximize profit. Google fiber is one such instance, merika's internet is for the most part trash and over priced. You can get 1 gb/s download and upload for $70 a month, you can't even get a tenth of that speed for that price from any other ISP in the US. They also offer free internet though only 10/1 mbps (or something like that). Of course this is only in a few cities for now, they are creating competition in what is otherwise a monopoly.

[Disch]

+1

Google is like a beacon of corporate morality in a world filled with companies that are only interested in their bottom line.

[Avilius]

Well Google is actually just like the other companies, their looking to make money. They're giving services to the people, increasing their public popularity, and in turn, generating more revenue. To say that they aren't looking to maximize profits just silly. They're just doing it in a different (smart) way.

I'm in the same boat as Disch. No one I know uses Google+, so I haven't really seen the point to create an account. However, Google+, along with pretty much everything Google has provided, has been amazing. Since all services connected to one account, it makes it really easy to do a large task quickly and efficiently. I can write an essay through the comfort of my browser and send it over my email with a few clicks. Great job, Google.

Unfortunately most who hate Google+ are just jumping on the bandwagon. In a several years, if Google changes something, there is no doubt that people are going to complain, so it's best to just ignore them.

[z05DSL3A]

Unfortunately most who hate Google+ are just jumping on the bandwagon.

and most who love Google+ wear Rose Tinted Glasses.

[LB]

I went into Google+ neutral. After seeing how it works and that some people I know are on it, I like it. Also, I am experimenting with the Google APIs to see what can be done. Did any of you know about https://script.google.com/ ?

EDIT: Also, I guess it helps that my friends and family use Google+ Hangout over Skype.