Something’s Gotta Give (Part 2)

It’s been ten months since my last blog (SHHHH…Don’t tell anyone).  So I felt like I should come up with a brand new topic.  However, I would be remiss in not revisiting “Something’s Gotta Give” Part 1 from July of 2011.  Back then Google+ was preparing to take the world by storm.  They were going to take on Facebook and Twitter and give us a social media platform like no other.  Let’s see how that is working out…

A recent Fast Company article has uncovered some facts about Google+ that are less than stellar.  Here’s just a sampling of what is going on:

  1. Roughly 30% of users who make a public post never make a second one
  2. Even after making five public posts, there is a 15% chance that a user will not post publicly again
  3. Among users who make publicly viewable posts, there is an average of 12 days between each post
  4. After a member makes a public post, the average number of public posts they make in each subsequent month declines steadily, a trend that is not improving

Across my connections on Facebook and Twitter, I have seen many posts about people deleting their Google+ profile.  I have joined that group and it was slightly liberating to hit the delete button.

On the flip side, Facebook has received its fair share of negative press in the last few weeks as well.  GM announced in early May that they are pulling all of their advertising from the social media giant.  In addition, the current stock price of Facebook is down roughly down 10% (at the time of this writing) from the starting share price.  Does this foreshadow the death of Facebook?  I don’t think so.  It just shows that the shine is possibly wearing off a bit.  There is no doubt that they will reinvent some aspect of their business, as they continually do.

From a personal perspective, I am trying to figure out what is new and worth my time.  From a media perspective, I am always trying to figure out where consumers are spending their time and, more importantly, where they are going to be most receptive to my client’s advertising messages.  It’s a crazy, fragmented media world but the one constant is that consumers only have so much time in their day.  Something’s gotta give to make room for something else.