Book Review: Guy Kawasaki’s What the Plus! Google+ for the Rest of Us
Guy Kawasaki's new book is gaining traction and getting attention.
In addition to the array of technical advice on navigating Google+, savvy marketers will be intrigued by Kawasaki’s insights on Google’s Social Search and the social media landscape.
Kawasaki calls Google’s recently launched Social Search feature ―through which Google search results now include information from your Google+ connections― a paradigm shift because who you know (on Google+) can now influence what you know (via Google Search). This is great news for marketers, he says. “Post stuff about a topic, and you’ll probably be included when your friends search for the topic,” he says.
In the image below, you can see my results for doing a search on the topic of “social search.” The first line of results shows that there are 120 different posts on this topic by my Google+ connections.
With Google's new Social Search feature, the first line of results shows relevant posts by Google+ connections.
Google+ and the Social Media Landscape
Kawasaki claims Google+ is superior to Facebook and Twitter, even though it hasn’t caught on as fast. “Google+ is to Facebook and Twitter what Macintosh is to Windows,” he writes. “Better, but fewer people use it, and the pundits prophesy that it will fail.”
Kawasaki, however, predicts that Google+ “will not only tip, but it will exceed Facebook and Twitter.”
- Google has a good track record
- Google is dead serious about this business
- Google has infinite money and talent
- Google owns “the river” (i.e. it is the dominant web search tool)
- Google owns the playing field (i.e. Gmail, Chrome, phones and tablets)
Most importantly, “Google brings indomitable power to Google+ ―roughly equal, I’d say to Apple having Steve Jobs as a CEO,” Kawasaki writes. Google+, he adds, is also the best place to pursue your passions with people you don’t already know. “Ask yourself if you want to enhance and expand the number of people who share your passions,” he writes. “If the answer is no, stick with Twitter and Facebook until Google+ reaches critical mass.”
When I picked up Kawasaki’s book, I already agreed that Google+ ―which recently hit 100 million users― was a superior product (see earlier blog post, A Few of My Favorite Things About Google+). Yet I had let my own account languish as I waited for Google+ to reach critical mass (see previous post, Google+ Here and Now).
Further Reading:
http://www.guykawasaki.com/what-the-plus/
http://google-plus.com/5746/google-crosses-100-million-active-users-in-march-2012-according-to-larry-page/
http://www.wedomarketing.com/blog/a-few-more-of-my-favorite-things-about-google
http://www.wedomarketing.com/blog/google-here-and-now
Interesting… it sounds like this may be the social media platform for business connections soon.