Why I Want Google Plus to Bomb?

Ever since Google unleashed its brand new social networking site – Google Plus – in June last year, there have been countless stories going around of how (and why) it will end up winning the web.

While only time will decide its fate, I so wish that it flops… BIG TIME!!!

I don’t want it to win the web, I don’t want people flocking to it, I don’t want it to surpass the popularity held by Facebook and Twitter.

You guessed it right! I am a passionate Google Plus hater and have been making fun of Google Plus ever since it launched. But, I am not a crazy hater. I have my own reasons and they are as follows:

I Don’t Want Google to Control the Internet

Google has more products than there are people in the Andaman Islands. Okay, not exactly but soon it will. Let’s have a look at some of the wildly popular ones:

Gmail: Soon to be the largest email service provider.
YouTube: World’s largest video repository and the 2nd largest search engine behind Google.com!
Android: The most popular smartphone OS.
AdSense and AdWords: Rule the roost when it comes to online advertising.
Chrome: Already surpassed Firefox and catching up really fast with IE.
Blogger: Still a hugely popular blogging platform.
Google Maps: The undisputed king of map world!

I can go on and on about Google’s various products but then I value your precious time. However, I hope now you know what Google wants to do; it wants to have its monopoly over the entire Internet. Almost everything you do on Internet goes through the servers owned by Google.

The last thing I want Google to know is what I had for dinner last night. In other words, I don’t want Google to intrude into my social circle. Please Google, leave that sphere alone! I am happy with Facebook and Twitter.

And if you’re worried about Facebook selling your information to advertisers, read more about how Google will be carrying out the same with the recent changes it made to its privacy policy.

There’s Nothing Unique About Google Plus

Seriously, what is new about Google Plus? I find it a cheap rip-off of Facebook and Twitter. The entire interface looks like a stripped down version of Facebook. And to surpass the heights of ripping off, Google Plus also introduced their own version of Trending topics!

I won’t be far from truth when I say Google is becoming the Internet equivalent of Anu Malik!

In fact, I can safely bet my SBI credit card that right now Google is trying to build a Pinterest competitor.. or may be deciding to buy it entirely.

Circles would have been an awesome feature had Facebook not replied with the ‘friend lists’. Currently, the only plus thing working for Google Plus is the hangouts. But I don’t know if I should adopt Google Plus for that one reason alone and rebuild my network group from scratch.

Yes I know Facebook has privacy issues, but then Google Plus is not that good with its privacy settings either.

Do you know that you can’t restrict who all can view your profile pictures?

Now add Orkutiyas into the mix and you end up with comments like these on your photos:

Search, Plus Your World is a Terrible Move

In January, Google decided to awesomize your search results by personalizing them. It introduced Search, Plus Your World (SPYW) which would integrate your Google Plus content within your search results. In my opinion, this move goes terribly against their motto of “Don’t be evil” as it clearly tries to cross promote its social network via its dominant search engine.

Yes, I know Twitter didn’t renew its contract and that Facebook’s content is private, but let me ask one question: Why not integrate Orkut? It is a Google product and with 60+ million users, it is big enough to be integrated within the search results (at least in Brazil and India on a pilot mode where it is still popular). Right?

But Orkut is dying. Google sees no hope in it and wants to go all guns blazing in promoting its new social network. What else explains Google Plus getting so much importance when users spent just 3 minutes on it in January – the same month when SPYW was announced?

Google wants a barren social networking platform to influence the search results. Ridiculous, isn’t it?

Also, what is with the personalization of search results? When I am searching for something on Google I want the results to be relevant. Not personalized. I don’t want my neighbour’s dog ‘Cooper’ in the search results when I am searching for Sheldon Cooper quotes!

I would want my search results to be uncluttered and show results that are relevant to what I am searching for.

Okay folks, so these are the reasons for my utter contempt for Google Plus. I hope you find them valid. I know as a social media marketer I should look at Google Plus as an exciting avenue, but as a user I find it bland and boring. I can’t help it!

Whether you agree or not, please do share your views in the comments section below. I would love to listen to you.

PS: My neighbour doesn’t have a dog named ‘Cooper’. Heck! My neighbour doesn’t even have a dog. It was just an example.

Featured Image Courtesy: cambodia4kidsorg