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Proof That Google Plus Will Prevail. Remember when Google Plus “flopped"? Well, it didn’t. In fact, it was, and still is, just part of Google’s plan--but everyone (including the media) has trouble seeing it as anything other than a swing and a miss for the explosive overtaking of Facebook, which is what most people believe was Google’s intention with Google Plus. Sure, I bet Google hoped in the back of its mind it would get lucky and eclipse Facebook, but Google certainly wasn’t counting on it. 99% of the people in Silicon Valley I’ve talked to about this, including some very, very bright folks with quite a bit of money and clout, will tell you that Google Plus flopped.

They have, in their own minds, written it off entirely. But I'm willing to stake my reputation on the following statement: If Google Plus doesn’t have a staggering number of active users by the end of 2013, you can all come over to my office and pie me in the face. Google knows when they have failed (Buzz, Wave, etc). Step one: Corral every single blogger. G+The Value of Being Logged In | Social Intelligence. This week I did another one of my polls at my local business club. Of 30 SME owners 30% had Google+ accounts, and of these interestingly only 20% kept themselves logged-in to their Google account all the time.

That last bit is important. Read on… The SEO question The question many businesses who have a web presence want answered is: Does Google Plus give me the SEO tool which will gives my business the strong Google results my efforts deserve? The answer appears to be no. [SEO = Search Engine Optimisation] There are benefits to partipating on Google Plus: you can make your Google listings stand out with +1 ‘s (more or less equivalent to a Facebook “like” in Google land); andyou can add authorship information to articles. But the main benefits will be when you use Google Plus as part of a bigger Social Media strategy to engage and interact with clients or customers. Did I tell you about that time I thought I’d cracked it? It’s simple really. There are three things I regard as issues:

I really wanted to hate Google Plus. The last thing I need is a new social network. So when I got a coveted invite to Google Plus, I really wanted to take a look, find out all the reasons why it sucks and then walk away. But I can't walk away. Because I like it. You can't go to every party. I'm on Facebook, Twitter, blogs, YouTube, forums, and more and they work for me. I'm not on LinkedIn. I love NOT accepting requests from people to join random social networks. Google+ Google+ (or Google Plus) is a Facebook-like application. Here is my Google+ profile Here is a demo of Google+ The best part of Google+ for me (so far) is "Circles. " Circles allow you to create groups of people to follow, but unlike Facebook, the other person need not reciprocate.

Google has done an interesting thing with the rollout of Google+. I’ve got 3,000+ Facebook friends and I follow 18,000 people on Twitter. No farm animals or wives of bankers (yet) I also love that Google+ is pristine from spam artists (so far). Google+ won't replace Facebook. Eric Schmidt: Google Will Give Higher Rankings to Content Tied to Verified Profiles. What I Learned On The Way To 3 Million Google+ Circles. I crossed the 3-million Google+ circles line this morning. It’s weird and thrilling to have so many “followers,” and to be sandwiched in circle counts between Paris Hilton, who has a couple hundred thousand more circles than I do, and Rihanna, who will probably catch up to me and pass me at some point in the future. (One of the great things about Google+ is that the geeks hold their own against entertainers in popularity.)

But mostly, it’s been an eye-opening adventure for me. Here’s what I learned along the way. Although according to Circle Count, I’m the #30 Google+ user in terms of circles, I consider myself the #2 “native” user on Google+. (Daria Musk is #1.) What I mean by “native” is that follower counts on any social network are dominated by “celebrities,” who drive followers from the outside in. I, on the other hand, have so many followers because of social activity inside Google+, for the most part.

Yes, I have a respectable following on Twitter — about 22,000 followers. Zero ads! Google+ works: An open apology for my first impression. Ah, Google+. How wrong I was. I admit I was not a fan. At first. But you’ve turned my head. Six months ago, I wrote an article about the limited value of Google+, highlighting three points on why “Google+ isn’t Google-worthy.” Google+ is providing value. After my first article appeared, I was presented with some poignant points on why I just wasn’t getting it.

In an attempt to make up for my first rebuff, I would like to share the best way to overcome the initial barriers when joining Google+. Google+ benefits lie in consistency Rhythm can go a long way in social; this is especially true of Google+. Grow your circles cautiously When I revived my involvement with Google+, I joined a social media circle with some 300 users. The idea that a reader values my opinion enough to either read my blog or even take action per my advice isn’t something I take lightly. EDIT: Thanks for all of the support! Contributed by Steve Martin.