Come Monday...Google+/-

“Come Monday…” is a weekly series that will involve a review of, or commentary about,  websites, movies, documentaries, television shows, sports, music, and whatever else may tickle my fancy at the time.  Be assured that these reviews will be generally positive, as in accordance to the Jimmy Buffett song “Come Monday.”  This is subject to change, however.  In fact, I would be most derelict in my duties to neglect going on a rant every once in a while.  For rants promote change, and change can be good—right?  Therefore, since good is generally considered as being a positive force in 99.3% of the parallel universes that I am aware of, even a rant could be considered as being something positive, and a genuine hissy-fit would be even better (so I’m told).

One of the great many truly outstanding things about me that is not nearly appreciated enough is that I am an intrepid reporter of the highest order.  Hey, Ima a-telling yous (Yo, I will even get plumb Jersey Shore to get at mud to sling!) that I will fill in the blanks myself to bring a story home, and the following transcript from a recording of a possible meeting that could have been held in a room filled with skunkweed smoke deep down in the bowels of the catacombs underneath the headquarters compound of Google serves as a good example of that.

Google Bigshot: “How many new versions of the Chrome browser have been released so far this week?”

Soulless Minion: “None, sir.  There hasn’t been any need for any changes.”

Google Bigshot: “Do you know how many new versions of Firefox have been released lately?”

Soulless Minion: “Seven, the last time I checked.”

Google Bigshot: “It’s now up to nine.”

Soulless Minion: “Whoa.”

Google Bigshot: “That’s nine new versions in the last five days.  Now, that’s what I call innovation!”

Soulless Minion: “But change for the sake of change leads to chaos!”

Google Bigshot: “If we don’t innovate, we die.  If it leads to chaos, bring it on.  Do you want to die, Soulless Minion?”

Soulless Minion: “Um, no, sir.”

Google Bigshot: “This is Google.  There is nothing we cannot do.”

Soulless Minion: “I’ll get right on those changes, sir.”

Google Bigshot: “Never mind, I have already shifted my focus elsewhere.  Where are we at with showing Zuckerberg how it’s really done?”

Soulless Minion: “Google+ is coming along quite nicely.”

Google Bigshot: “Nice won’t put Facebook down.  Have you got rid of Google Friend Connect yet?”

Soulless Minion: “Its execution is scheduled.”

Google Bigshot: “What about Google Reader?”

Soulless Minion: “Are you sure we want to do that, sir?  I mean, lots and lots of people truly love Google Reader.”

Google Bigshot: “Ever heard of Facebook Reader?”

Soulless Minion: “No, sir.”

Google Bigshot: “Exactly, and Facebook has over a billion users.”

Soulless Minion: “Yeah, but we’re talking about two different things here, sir.”

Google Bigshot “Advertisers want a captive audience, and the way to get there is to herd everyone into one place and keep them there.”

Soulless Minion: “But as long as something is a part of Google…”

Google Bigshot: “When the numbers are counted, advertisers are only looking at who was where and for how long.  Since Facebook is a one-trick pony, their numbers look much more impressive than ours.”

Soulless Minion: “Are you saying that the billions who use our search engine and maps do not count for us over here in this division?”

Google Bigshot: “Have you seen what the head of the Search and Maps Department drives around the compound?”

Soulless Minion: “I think it is a new Bugatti Super Veyron.”

Google Bigshot: “I want to drive a new Bugatti Super Veyron between buildings.”

Soulless Minion: “That would be something, sir.”

Google Bigshot: “Have you ever heard of the term, dead man walking?”

Soulless Minion: “Yes, sir.”

Google Bigshot: “If we don’t innovate, we die.”

Soulless Minion: “I will start working on the Google Reader obituary right away.”

If you have not already heard, that [obituary] has been released, and I am among the [great, great many] who are mourning the impending demise of such a wonderful service.  For I have used [Google Reader] for years to both keep track of new content from those who have really caught my interest and to keep old content that may prove helpful in some way later on.

The last part of that proved most helpful to a friend, who had let go of their site a few years back.  For they no longer had access to what they had published, but since I had been a long time subscriber to their RSS feed and had not deleted their site from my Google Reader list after they quit publishing to it, I was able to provide them with copies of many of their old posts.

Even though I still have my Google Reader firmly in place, I have started looking for a replacement, and I have found that [The Old Reader] really is, in essence, the old Google Reader.  However, it can be rather slow at times in comparison, and [Ann] is liking what she has seen of [Feedly] so far, as are [hundreds of thousands of others].

Alas, I must admit that the title to this piece has changed from being Google- to Google+/-.  For I have started trying to play with [Google+] a little more, and I can see where it has some distinct advantages over Facebook for bloggers.

Well, that should really be [Bloggers].  For those with [WordPress] and [Tumblr] are not afforded the same advantages, but this is not to say that they are shut out.  For a Google+ member can still “share” an article published on those other blogging platforms with everyone else in their circles on Google+.  I suppose the sharing concept could be expanded to include everyone on both Google+ specifically and the internet in general, if one has their share setting on public, but…

It is in regards to that “but” where those pushing the Google+ agenda are going so very wrong.  For it is a wonderful thing to make it possible for someone like me to be able to give a theoretical shout out to everyone in this world, but it is terrible thing to make it more difficult for that shout out to be actually heard.

May we take my own personal experience with Google+ so far for an example?  Well, at the time of this going to print, I had 589 people in my circle, and all of their stuff was being piled into one gigantic heap.  In other words, I was automatically receiving all of their shares, but seeing specific pieces by individuals was like spotting a single face in a picture of a crowd of thousands.  That is, unless it was on (or very near) the top of the pile, which does not last very long—be assured.  Oh, and every share of another’s piece is mixed in with one’s own stuff, which makes it difficult to determine just whose is what for someone not quite as hip as others.

Yeah, like me.  Happy now?

Be assured that I am learning.  For I am now in the process of placing individuals into different circles in order better see what they have to show, but I will still keep an RSS feed reader around in order to keep what someone has actually published separate from what they like about someone else’s work.

Is there a way to do that with Google+?  Alas, I sure wish there was some sort of manual on how to actually use Google+.  Google has been always very good about this before.  Did I miss another evolutionary step?

***UPDATE***

(03/25/2013@3:00 p.m. CT (+/-)

I have found the [“manual”] to Google+.  I still think I must have missed another evolutionary step, but [this] did help me to delete some of the new circles I had made and change the names of the ones I wanted to keep.

Please Also Visit:

[FishHawk Droppings]

and

[The Tribulation Times Herald-Exhorter]