For those of you who are relying on social networks to rise above the background noise of the internet and enhance the discovery and promotion of yourself or your product, here is a cautionary tale involving the world’s most ubiquitous and powerful search engine vendor, Google – now known as Alphabet.
Today, March 7, 2019 Google is permanently shutting down access to their consumer version of their Google+ platform, services, and developer APIs (Application Program Interface) and any attempt to use services which relied on this access will fail. This will also invalidate those who have incorporated Google+ Sign-in into their programs and workflow.
Compared to other social media platforms, the consumer version of Google+ was never that big nor successful. And following a newly discovered security vulnerability, it seemed that the time was right to kill a product that had, according to Google, “low usage and engagement.”
This will not affect those developers or corporate users who use the Google+ platform as part of their corporate communications strategy.
This is yet another reminder that those who live by social media can also die by social media. It can be an algorithmic re-ranking of your search results, a deprecation of your content which may contain certain keywords, or simply a restriction of your audience depending on your willingness to purchase advertising on the platform.
When dealing with social media platforms it is always wise to remember: free does not mean free, and terms and conditions always apply.
Of course this should come as no surprise to our readers who read our post AM I NEXT? GOOGLE PLUS SHUTTING DOWN on October 15, 2018.
Change is coming. There will always be a tomorrow, no matter how much you may try to ignore it. There are no guarantees in life, or promises for a bright future. Just because something bad hasn't happened yet, doesn't mean it won't. It can happen to anyone, anytime, anywhere ... are you now wondering, Am I Next?