Google Plus and Why it’s Awesome

I’m sure some of you have heard of Google Plus, and you may be thinking, “I already have Facebook. Why do I need another Social network service?” I’m going to go out on a limb and make the argument that Google+ may be better for Google than the creation of Android, and I’m sure a lot of you have Android phones (and maybe you even like them). I was invited to try out Google+ a few weeks ago, and I decided to set up an account just to see what it’s all about, figuring I’d never go back and check since I have Facebook.

It turns out Google+ is really awesome, and once it’s out of testing phase it will be even better. As of July 20, Google+ had 18 million users versus Facebook’s 750 million users, although once it goes public, the numbers will continue to rise exponentially, meaning more content will be accessible and the entire experience will be better than it is now. But why is it so great? Its best quality is its simplicity. You drag people you want to follow into circles, and they don’t necessarily have to add you. You can then see what they post depending on whether they make it public or private. The circles allow you to visualize your different groups of friends or colleagues, and you can share different information depending on which circles you want to share with.

So how can this benefit the music industry? First and foremost, it is very easy to post media content to Google+, although there is a better chance that people will view that content compared to content posted on Facebook, due to the organization of the service. If you are a famous musician, fans could make a “favorite artists” circle and then choose to look only at that group’s content/posts. This is similar to Facebook groups, although Google has done a great job simplifying and organizing this system.

Essentially, you will be able to follow your favorite artists like you would on Twitter, but all of the content (videos, pictures, songs, etc.) will be easily visible in the news feed. This is especially helpful for new artists who want to be recognized. Anyone can view their content without having to go through the friend request process and thus artists can be followed by many people without having to look at everyone else’s content. Now artists can keep their profile nice and clean while still having a better chance of reaching more potential fans. It’s brilliant!

If you haven’t already, you should request to be invited on Google+ and start following your favorite people. Even if you find it boring at first, remember, it’s going to go public soon enough, and once that happens, it would be extremely beneficial to have a profile already set up along with media content so that people who want to follow you will be successful in searching for you the first time. Plus they’ll actually have something to look at. This is a great new marketing strategy that can greatly benefit those who take advantage of it early on. So, what are you waiting for? Sign up for Google+ now!

Images courtesy of:
impactlab.net
drivingtraffic.com


Carlin with Music and Technology