Demise of Google+

[Matthew Walters]

In amongst the usual Google double-speak, there's a nugget about no longer needing a g+ account for other google products.

https://plus.google.com/+BradleyHorowitz/posts/Aq59SxzyjWT


We decided it’s time to fix this, not only in YouTube, but across a user’s entire experience at Google. We want to formally retire the notion that a Google+ membership is required for anything at Google… other than using Google+ itself.

[Draken]

They are admitting defeat (with the double-talk style, of course): they neither invented Facebook and Tweeter nor could buy those social networks. Google+ was a bad idea from scratch...¡specially because they arrived late! 

[hvbemmel]

some nice extra reading: http://mashable.com/2015/08/02/google-plus-history/

For all that success, the Internet giant just couldn't seem to figure out social. A simple Google search reveals the long list of failures and false starts: Orkut, launched days before Facebook in 2004 and quickly overtaken; Reader, a cult favorite RSS feed launched in 2005 and killed in 2013; Wave, its head-scratching communication platform; and, of course, Buzz, that ill-fated social network built on the back of Gmail which imploded fast in early 2010 after a catastrophic privacy issue.

It reminds  me of something

I read the fear of being too late, of missing the boat, of others being the best and, I said it so many times of amateurism. The biggest internet compay afraid of others passing them and on their way of staying ahead breaking down everything that´s making them big. Things that people love to use are abandoned by things they thought out brainstorming. Once on track there´s no return (well until now) We've seen it with Groups in Panoramio, put everything aside, ignore what users say. Then there were some connections to the real world. the world of non-IT people. Panoramio was one of them, but mapmaker, 3D all had an essential input. Essential input is not for Google they "just couldn't seem to figure out social" . sad isn´t it, stey still can´t

G+ is great as Facebook is, for those who love to know what others think I should know. In their eagerness to show everything they ate, saw on internet etc, people overload me with funy, not so funny, interesting, not so interesting stuff, The circle idea is briljant, sad they tried to force it down peoples throat. Everything you have to force is not good, is not social. Well, they never will read this :-)

[© Tom Cooper]

Brings to mind the response I made to Brian McClendon almost a year ago:

 

Moving photos to Google+ cuts out most of the Panoramio community.  I have 96 favorite photographers, only 23 have made the connection to Google+.  Of those 23, I have about 18 in my Google+ circles.  Of those 18, I see Google+ posts from about 6.  So out of 96, less than 25% made the connection, and of that 25%, less than 30% participate in Google+.  The Panoramio community already made a decision not to go to Google+.

Emphasis is in the original.

[Draken]

I have decided to delete all my contacts/circles on Google+. Please don't feel offended. It is not personal. I wonder if I should open a new thread and see how many make the same decision.

[© Tom Cooper]

I am involved in a Google+ project that will come to a close shortly after the end of the year.  When that wraps up, most of the people in my circles (because they are related to the project) will be dumped.  With few exceptions, the rest of the people in my circles are either family, Panoramio contacts, or people I know in real life.

 

I am the kind of person who prefers a small circle of close friends, and I have learned that is true with so-called "Social Media" as well.  It just isn't important to me that the daughter of some girl I dated in high school 40 years ago just had a root canal and is talking funny.

 

Tom

[Kevin Childress]

I do enjoy using G+ for my purposes but I never linked my Pano and G+ accounts. I just never saw the need to do so.

© Tom Cooper wrote:

Brings to mind the response I made to Brian McClendon almost a year ago:

 

Moving photos to Google+ cuts out most of the Panoramio community.  I have 96 favorite photographers, only 23 have made the connection to Google+.  Of those 23, I have about 18 in my Google+ circles.  Of those 18, I see Google+ posts from about 6.  So out of 96, less than 25% made the connection, and of that 25%, less than 30% participate in Google+.  The Panoramio community already made a decision not to go to Google+.r anything at Google… other than using Google+ itself.  

 

[Nicola Manini]

I fully agree.
And it starts to get to my nerves that for 2+ years now we've all been forced to see the dumb yellowish banner "Connect your Google+ account to Panoramio. Learn more." on top of each Panoramio page of ours.

Ciao,
Nick

[Sleipnir's Master]

Bah I never ever used Google+, what was the point when FB did the same job better. Last links to Gmail login is YT and Pano and TBH once I find a better Geo-tag upload site YT will be my last link.

EDIT: PS. who the hell uses MetaCafe, I wish they did then I could just give the finger to google once and for all. Bing already default engine for searching, grant Google maps is better with photo's and Streetview but bing has streetview these days but no photo sharing site. Maybe we need to get Microsoft to buy out Pano from google.

[Joseph Ray]

That's a really smart move on Google's part... I don't think anyone was thrilled with the changes made in YouTube once Google really started pushing Google+ on the platform. Google+ isn't as bad as people think it is, but it still isn't fair for Google to force it on its users.

Thanks for the update.

[Draken]

It is official now. Panoramio is closing down.

http://www.panoramio.com/maps-faq

Very sad day.

[hvbemmel]

The way to inform the users is also very nice. The global communicator still not able to communicate and giving a "two weeks notice" (ok one month) in a single line on the Panoramio page. E

Even sadder. 

Well, anticipating that this forum will close down in a few seconds I wish all users the best. Let´s move on.

[© Tom Cooper]

Yes, I wish the best to everyone.  It's been a great 8 years...well, except for the last two, but let's remember the good ones.

[Sleipnir's Master]

Years of use and a few convos on the forums but Pano was long before now. I haven't bothered looking for another site tbh. THe mapping funtion and the ability to look at a map zoom in and see users submissions was key for me, it was what i loved.
However it seems the forum is still open.