Why I’ve ditched Facebook for Google+

Well said Adam.

I’m also enjoying the control it offers, lack of noise in the feed (relative to other services) and learning/defining G+ with a smaller group of early users.

It’s smart, connects well to the Google empire and almost has me switching off my (personal) FB for good.

I have people grouped on my Facebook and restrict access to certain things based upon this grouping. G+ may well do it better but to suggest being able to group and restrict/allow access to content as a black and white difference between FB and G+ is incorrect.

Absolutely.

Facebook, say hello to your new friend in exile: MySpace.

Reduce the noise in news feed in fb? It’s called the hide button and it will save your life. Also, I have no inclination to rush over to G+ as there’s only about 3 people I know on it. That makes it really less than worthwhile in my opinion. I have an account with G+, but when more people join in Aus, than it will be worth it.

Great post Adam! I have done the same, although still ‘keeping in touch’ on Facebook. Most of my facebook friends are very hostile about G+ which I find remarkable given that hardly any are prepared to give it a crack.

I’m loving your thoughts – just been having a long FB condo today about all it’s downsides for kids….. so jumping on board to check it out – thanks for the heads up and great words of social wisdom~

Adam, you’ll be back:)

Facebook has major issues – the main one being link bait spam that causes people’s accounts to be compromised.

Secondly, the ‘privacy’ concerns people have – like you re the ‘photos’ are valid, but the issues can be solved.

The problem for facebook is it’s hard.

I have my Facebook separated into groups (Lists) so I can (if I choose) post a message or photo, or link, to a select group of people. Just like G+. Likewise, I can choose who is allowed to tag me in posts etc.

The problem for facebook is that these features are hidden – if they want to ensure strength in the world of G+, they’ll need a more ‘usable’ interface like Google have to drag and drop people around your groups. Likewise for settings, it’s too many hurdles.

That said, would I walk away from Facebook – no way.

Facebook have – and Tim would be able to educate me better on this – the First mover advantage. They have (as at this moment) 10,445,980 people in Australia. That’s a pretty full on bunch of people you need to convince there is a better way to go.

Mums, Dads and Granparents of this country won’t move so quickly, so will that make the network within G+ too niche or young? I don’t know. But right now, I agree with your self assessment, You’re crazy…

I’ll add you to my G+ ‘Crazy people’ circle:)

Trevor

This article is exactly the kind of local boost G+ needs!

There’s only a lack of noise because no one uses it – I don’t understand how a director of social media can stop using by far the largest social media network in the country. It would be like the head of TV programming not owning a TV – ridiculous.

wow, 2 weeks into the role and he’s already become an idiot like all the other social media people.

I agree with Michael Turtle

Absolutely spot on les. POTD.

This article would make sense if anyone was using Google+. It’s a ghost town except for social media boffins like Adam. Completely giving up FB makes no sense whatsoever, considering everyone is using it. Trying Google+ is fine, but why does it have to be an all or nothing?
FB comparisons to myspace are silly. Myspace was never really useful. It was always the first step towards something useful, but never got there.
If I was Adam’s higher up I’d be concerned.

I do love how fired up people get over social media. Firstly, anyone who compares Facebook lists with G+ circles hasn’t used G+. Worlds apart.

Secondly, I have kept my Facebook page open to monitor activity. I’m simply no longer contributing to that activity.

Thirdly, I’m very proud to have become a social media “idiot”.

Adam, yes I’m enjoying it and similarly frustrated with Facebook. I actually think Linkedin is the best of the 3 in terms of user experience for professional networking.

Competition is good but people aren’t necessarily going to flock one way or another. Why can’t people use two social networks?

This kind of competition will keep Facebook on their toes and drive more user centred design. Remember when Bing came out? Google have certainly changed (and release) a couple of things since then.

And I’ve got a feeling Facebook aren’t stupid.

Completely agree Adam. It’s that simple. Good article. Personal control capabilities will, and always should, be the core of social media interaction.

I’m with Dan German. A tumbleweed rolled through my Google + account last week.

“I am a firm believer that control trumps everything. Give the user power and ultimately, your product will come out in front.”

Anyone else see the irony is this when talking about Google? The same company that filters your search results and advertising depending on your demographic…

Simon Dell
http://www.TwoCentsGroup.com.au

Actually….while we’re at it:

“To be honest, I’ve never really understood Facebook.”

“Seven’s newly appointed director of social media.”

WTF was the job description for this role?

@ Trevor Long: Facebook has first mover advantage? Have you ever heard of Friendster? MySpace? Geocities? Hotmail? AOL? Lycos? Netscape? Symbian?

First mover advantage doesn’t exist in digital, if it ever existed anywhere.

I don’t understand how a Director of Social Media could not know about grouping on FB?? And why they would publically announce they’re not using FB anymore… given that FB would be the #1 tool used in their department?? And why any professional person would publically diss their previous employer?? And why they would hint that FB will suffer the same fate as MySpace… like Trevor Long just said, it will take forever for the zillions of users to migrate elsewhere, and it would have to be the result of FB doing something disasterous… like switching off their servers!

People aren’t massing to social media because of “control” and “privacy”. I am concerned that the control of G+ will restrict the liberty and reality of information flow, which is what drew people to social media in the first place – to hear and tell all…

I’m not convinced on G+ yet. I just don’t see what it’s biggest selling point is? Ok you can group your friends and filter the content they see but it all seems all in all quite similar to fb but with no one actually on there. Twitter brought something different and unique in your day to day use. So if facebook is like an invite only party and twitter is a party everyone’s invited to, what is G+?

I ‘like’ this

If you work in the social media space, you need a Facebook account. Full stop. How else do you manage and maintain pages, monitor Facebook comments, keep up to date with platform changes, experiment and learn on the world’s biggest social media platform?

I’ve certainly been using G+ since it was launched, but it’s too risky to abandon FB so soon. I’ve been stung by previous Google social networks and don’t plan to be too hasty now.

Well done on a great post Adam and I agree with your sentiments that not all of your friends should ever be in the same circles.

I would never go to the pub with my parents and my work colleagues, and there is no reason why that shouldn’t be the same online. While I love that my mum uses Facebook (a little too much) the amount of times I have to explain little quips and silly posts that I share with friends tends to make me restrict what I say.

And, while I am one of those annoying people that loves check-ins, I’d love to be able to check into a really nice new bar that I want to share with my friends, without worrying that its down the road from a family member who is going to question why I didn’t pop round to see the new baby.

You’re right Adam, it’s time for the user to take control back!

“I do love how fired up people get over social media. Firstly, anyone who compares Facebook lists with G+ circles hasn’t used G+. Worlds apart.”

Adam, can you explain this further? I use both and they are functionally identical.

Don’t worry Adam. Haters be hatin’

Shannon, Trevor has it spot on. Facebook just make it too hard to tailor your experience. For G+ UX is a huge selling point.

As for when to try it out… why wait for your mates, nanna and a thousand brands?

It’s SOCIAL media, d’uh.

I’m guessing Adam doesn’t have kids at university 🙂

Wow. Ok, Bill – no kids. No marriage either (but that’s an issue between me and the PM).

Jack – tried posting simultaneously?

Michelle – I do have a FB account. I just won’t be using it to post anymore.

Lelliot – I do have my friends in FB lists. It’s not as simple as G+ (and clearly an afterthought in the design) – but I still have issues posting simultaneously privately and in a more public sense.

To me, the G+ experience is just easier. Makes more sense. I feel in total control. I often feel as though FB is trying to trap me. I can also talk directly to the Google designers. They’re listening.

Beyond that, I intend to use it as a news source – through a gorgeous stream function. FB just never really got there on that front.

And G+ is still a beta product – but the potential is obvious, especially when it’s linked in to other Google products.

By the way, this is a pretty good example of social media in action.

You’re missing what honest people appreciate about Facebook and social media in general… an open forum… transparency. Google+ goes against that. If it wasn’t Google’s name against this offering it would flunk in 2 days and I hope it dies a slow and painful death just like Googles two previous attempts at social media!

“Adam Boland explains why he has dropped Facebook in favour of Google+ as his social network for his own use.”

Keywords – For his OWN use.

It’s not as if he is instructing Seven to stop using facebook.

Patrick – a wonderful point. Would never try. And there’s just as much debate in here.

Kudos Adam!!

Got rid of FB for those exact reasons you mentioned…
Too much BS traffic

Facebook is probably adding a similar ‘circles’ feature as we type, to compete with Google+ before it even takes off. If FB does eventually offer this feature, would you even bother moving everything over to G+?

I completely disagree with this article. Sure, try out G+, but to leave the biggest social network seems a pretty dumb move. Les was right with his comment.

Facebook has ‘Groups’, which can function in a very similar way to circles, and I’m sure they are implementing a far better version of Circles as we speak…

but seriously, most people have their friends on Facebook with them, and anyone who is dumb enough to have their work colleagues and bosses in their social network needs a slap round the head.

There is NOTHING about my social life (yes it’s called a SOCIAL network for a reason) that I want to share with my boss, so having Circles for me is not really necessary.

I’m on Google+ and ALREADY I’m getting a heap of noise, purely because of bad design and implementation by Google, despite the fact I have barely any friends on there yet.

Got rid of it too.

It’s been about a month and a half since leaving, it feels a lot better than I thought it would.

I have a browser tab open to G+ 24/7. These days I check FB maybe once every 3 days – and I’ve been a Facebook user since literally the hour that non-US subscribers gained access.

G+ is more useful for me than FB is. For all the reasons described in the parent post.

Enjoy the g+ sausage fest.

http://www.onlinemarketing-tre.....s-and.html

Maybe they should rename ‘circles’ – ‘boerewors’.

Could be a good pickup place for gay guys (g+).

Tell you what. I’ve had this great idea. We’re gonna do an IPO and get heaps of money from investors and then buy YouTube, Twitter and Facebook and merge them all into one as the bestest social media platform EVA!

And we’re gonna call it YouTwitFace … whaddyareckon?

i don’t understand why everybody wastes so much time on either platform, frankly

“To be honest, I’ve never really understood Facebook.”

Bet he didn’t say that in the job interview for Director of Social Media.

Google plus all the way I say!

I can even be friends with my Aunty on G+ and she will never see photos of me at a full moon party… (I know that I could have grouped her away from stuff on FB, however it was too ruddy hard!)

Which brings me onto a point:
PERSONALITY & Variety is the spice of life.

I have a very analytical friend, who knows every inch of facebook; settings, account details etc He is a small chunker.

I am the opposite. I am a big chunker. I hate having to click on a million things to set something up. I just want to do…

One size does not fit all. Give the user choice and the power to choose a format to fit their needs and they will be happy.

Facebook, MySpace (who?), G+ can all learn by offering different sites of their offerings based on personality…

Nice post Adam.

I have tried to jump ship, but when I try to joing google+ they keep telling me that they are doing a trial phase and will email me when I can join. Not sure if this is some marketing ploy to get people to feel they are ‘lucky’ to get into google+. But google would want to let more people joing if they want to address the ghost town aspect.

Chris – I agree. I wish they just opened it up! But in the meantime, if you have a gmail account – send it to me and I’ll send you an invite. Same applies to anyone else too. My email address is aboland@seven.com.au. (Looking forward to the angry emails too from Facebook loyalists. One “super user” was determined to prove to me that lists are exactly the same as circles. By the end, he too decided it was time to switch).

When the cool people leave Facebook for G+ the rest will follow.

I’ve been wondering who was going to push Facebook off it’s perch, I imagine the fallout is going to look a bit like Google vs Goliath.

Mainstream social media has had a long run providing users with a platform to be transparent upon so it’s only a natural progression that an alternative and more private solution will become available. Same same with phones, amongst lots of other examples, caller ID on mobile phones came about for more transparency and then blocking your number became available to counter it – divergence and convergence.

Adam, does Google+ ‘sack’ you for having a pseudonym or posting risque photos? I love being my alter-ego on FB, but am always concerned that some hostile person (not one of my friends, but perhaps a friend of a friend who might take exception to something I’ve said on their wall) will report me. It happened to a lovely friend of mine whose account was under her drag king name, which I think is terribly unfair. Who is FB to decide which ‘self’ we can be? And their definition of offensive nudity isn’t the same as mine.

Would also be interested to know how flexible Google+ is about how one defines one’s gender etc. Has been quite an issue for the queer community.

Great article – David’s comment sold it for me. Time to explore this G+

“To be honest, I’ve never really understood Facebook.”

Nice one social media dude…

I find it somewhat ironic that the share buttons here don’t let you add this to Google+ automagically – so I’ll just do it manually!

Your first line sums it up pretty well. You just don’t understand FaceBook.

You want to seperate your life into little brands or persona’s and then selectively serve it up? You are a marketer & FaceBook at it’s core is not about you or what you and what most other social media marketers need. Your need to sell is greater than your need to share & connect which is where your conflict with FB probably came about.

FaceBook is simple and great for the type of people find it easier and a better catalyst for success to just be 1 person. 1 persona = 1 person is a great way to live. Okay so you have pulled up stumps and gone to G+, now you have all these circles and to one group you can be Mr Marketing and to another you can be Mr Party guy. That’s great for all the little different “brands” of your identity but you have to put too much of time & energy in managing it all.

Google+ is a good product with some very cool social features but just don’t confuse yourself thinking Google+ is a plug n play replacement for FaceBook.

Cheers, MIke G.
Twitter: http://twitter.com/LimeRocketApps

“No longer would I be worried if I was wearing enough clothes in an after hours photo. Ultimately, I was saying I want to control what I see and what I want you to see.”

I don’t think this worry will be alleviated just by taking a backseat on FB usage. Your friends can still upload photos of you on FB, and you can’t control what settings they apply, or who they are friends with…

With Seven having some of the biggest facebook fan pages in the country I’d suggest Adam needs to start ‘getting’ facebook and what it can do to foster fans – I’d be interested to hear him talk to marketers on the powers of engaging fans through social networks – rather than just from a personal standpoint..

In France, they eat baguettes and enjoy watching men on two wheeled peddle cycles whizz pass.

I like France. I like baguette’s. Cycling is pretty boring though. I prefer surfing. (They like surfing on the west coast of France.)

True friends are like stars. You don’t always hear from them, every second of the day; what they are eating, what they are watching, what their kid is spewing up, asking random questions every 2 hours… but true friends are always there for you.

I do not have any French mates. I have nothing against the French.

Facebook. G+ blah blah blah. Bonjour / Bonsoir.

Adam, I have done exactly the same thing. I just became so, like, bored, like with “friends” telling what they had for breakfast. Like, as if I cared where they were, like, 24 hours a day. I then. like, realised that, like, I had never really,like, met most of my “friends” and was, like, very un-like-ly to ever meet them. It was like a constant like barrage of people, like, talking in the dark.

Like, the as if the girl in the Ford Territory ad could like drive off and like meet all her facebook “friends”.

I didn’t like announce that I was like leaving Facebook. I just, like, stopped updating it and noone like..cared. They were too busy sending comments without listening.

Sounds, like, unsociable to me! I dont, like , like it!!

“Anon” – I was asked by Mumbrella to write about my personal use. And, as I’ve said repeatedly (including in an adjoining article on this site about our Sunrise experiment), I firmly embrace Facebook for professional engagement.

We have some big things coming in the social media space – and I’ll be very pleased to talk about them then.

Like you I am loving the control and Google+ offers. I love the fact that I can segment my stream easily. Definitely has some useful applications for business, Will it replace Facebook – who knows?

From a design perspective, the complexity, the unintuitive structure and down right badly design interfaces of social web sites, particularly FB, always confounded me. Conversely, my short experience with Google+ has been so much like a breath of fresh air that, should others start to take it in, FB may well see my last gasp.

Lol. Balding 40 something take his 73 friends and 11 photos of kid’s playing + generic ‘out fishing & just enjoying life’ photo to Google+.

Woah. This is a trend setter. I predict the masses will follow.

+1 Adam.

I love how even Larry Page has given up posting on Google+ after an initial flurry of activity.

https://plus.google.com/u/0/106189723444098348646/posts

Its interesting hearing everyone debate about what they use and why so vehemently. Social Media is a funny space because we all use it personally but it by no means makes any of us experts in that space as marketers. (a few people should take particular note of that, myself included)

On a personal level I guess it all comes down to whether you view your online presence as a true representation of yourself or merely a marketing tool for your personal brand. I have tried to use FB to manage one and twitter the other with average results.It looks as though G+ gives you the option to manage both conveniently…. which I look forward to given my confusion in both spaces.

There is no reason for us as marketers to shut the door on Facebook any time soon. For brands its about keeping that mix of being innovative with social products like G+ but still fishing where the fish are. Especially since the greater public is still “outside the circle” (Badoom tish)

thats my 2 cents.

Great Article, Its true that Google + is better than Facebook ,but at this time Google + is no complete as i know , Google + should come with more features.

At best Google+ is a restricted group of Social Media gigs, it is not commercially viable!
Facebook is the place there is majority of your customers ARE AT THE MOMENT.

So it depends on your objectives – are you just curious or mean business.
PS and of course you keep an eye on it and have a strategy to start to use it AS SOON AS IT BECOMES commercial…

I don’t know Adam personally, he’s probably a decent guy and he’s obviously a successful and experienced production & TV exec, but……

How do organisations expect people to take them seriously, particularly media organisations who want our advertising money when yet again we have a person being appointed into a senior marketing role, in this case Director of Social Media with no marketing experience or marketing background, let alone social media marketing?

I also just don’ get why Mumbrella would ask inexperienced people for their opinions on these types of topics? There’s so much terrible advice being given on social influence marketing around Australia and it’s primarily coming from people and agencies with a total lack of real knowledge and actual experience.

Social networking is not social media marketing and there is no mandatory check list that you must create a profile on all the different platforms & networks. It always starts and begins with the social technographic profile of your intended audience, your goals and objectives and your integrated marketing strategy.

And, just because you know how to use social tools and applications like Facebook & Twitter does not make you a social media or marketing professional.

I hear the same things everyday, year after year from so called experts; wow Google Wave, Google Buzz, platform A, network B and we hear that they’ll all crush the incumbents. The point is as a marketer you don’t fall for bright shiny objects, you don’t jump the shark, you maintain a view of the forest from the trees, you certainly don’t bet the farm on one platform, network or technology and you, are not your customer.

Go get ’em Adam, I wish you all the best!

I would say that’s a little hasty Martin. I don’t think Adam’s comments above made much sense, but I think he knows a bit about launching a product and building a loyal consumer base. The work done by Sunrise in the areas of audience build and loyalty were pretty impressive.

It seems like people are completely unaware you can create groups and choose what appears on your news feed already in Facebook?
Mine is tailored with my family seeing certain things, friends seeing other things, and farmville updates in the blocked list.

The big questions remains, with Facebook, Twitter, & Google+ – How many social networks does one really need?

Well am glad Google+ is here. Finally facebook will have some competition. Social Media channel expansion. Traditional media has suffered from facebook, with advertisers leaving print behind in the hopes that facebook will give them everything. Can’t wait to see if facebook will be able to hold up customer value!

Strange for the social media head not to at least mention Yahoo!7’s ability to aggregate all your social media activities into your customisable Yahoo!7 homepage.

@Gav

“I love how even Larry Page has given up posting on Google+ after an initial flurry of activity.”

How do you know Larry Page has given up posting? You may just happen to be in a circle he dosen’t want to share all things with. I guess you missed the point of the article.

Adam – what is your pedigree in online or social media?

You have worked in TV but where is your ten or so years in online?

I am glad you like Google+ but how will you provide some engagement via social media channels for 7 – which is on par with all the other networks in not understanding how to utilize the internet as a supplemental channel

Social media experts are a dime a dozen – all you had to be was a account executive at an agency and they will promote you to be head of social media

New streamlined Facebook privacy settings.

http://www.techguide.com.au/me.....-controls-

Adam,

It doesn’t matter which social network you like or choose to use, what is important is selecting the networks your audiences are using.

If you cut yourself off from the social networks used by your audience, you cut yourself off from understanding their experience, making you less effective in your role.

As someone who does have more than 15 years experience in online, who ensures that they stay close to their audience and consciously avoids the arrogance of claiming to know better than the market, I’m more inclined to agree with Delusional than you.

Perhaps it is symptomatic of television stations – who are always seem to believe they know better than their audience. And perhaps it is linked to the number of people switching off TVs and using other means to source the programs they wish to watch at the time and places they wish to watch them.

Well, I will be placing my bet now that seven will stuff up in the social space with this clown running the show

He is so five minutes ago if he hasn’t seen the recent FB announcements and sniffed the wind of where they are heading with grouping

I suggest that the man needs to hasten slowly in the social space and such knee-jerk actions will most certainly lead to grief.

Just had a question from a couple of friends reading this article (who all work in the digital space).

Did Adam receive any form of compensation from Google for writing this article?

They feel it read like an ad.

Another social media forum, don’t think I have the headspace for, nor feel the need, for personal use anyway. Those who are complaining about the “bullshit filling their news feed” on FB perhaps need to limit the randoms they have as ‘friends’ and quit being so click-happy and ‘liking’ every other page. Whilst you don’t control ‘what’ features in your news feed, you can control ‘who’ features. I love the point made about whether your FB page is a true representation of yourself or a marketing tool for your personal brand.
Or another thought, are you using your personal page as a work resource? Blurred, yes. Very much so.

Irrespective of whether I’m on FB or Google+ I’d still have the same problems of disgusting my nearest and dearest with naked and debaucherous photos published at 3am in the morning. The thing with me is that if my nearest and dearest can’t handle that then they don’t deserve to be in that group in the first place.
My point is – if you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear and there’s no reason why both mediums can’t co exist in harmony.

Nathan.

I ventured back into Google+ today but was unable to get past the tumbleweed and dust.

Simple observation: none of my friends have moved from FB to G+ in any meaningful way and FB is still the place for us all as a group to share photos and news.

Anyone found the opposite?

@Devil’s advocaat – Tumbleweed and dust is about right. There are people I know posting stuff there, but only three or four out of the hundreds have updated their feeds in the last week.

At this stage it’s starting to look like a ten-day wonder.