GOOGLE+ IS GONE, SHUTS DOWN APRIL 2, 2019
Google+ shut down accounts | In December 2018, Google announced its decision to shut down Google+ for consumers in April 2019 due to low usage and challenges in maintaining a successful product that meets consumers’ expectations.
HERE ARE THE SHUTDOWN DETAILS:
On April 2, Google Inc., aka Alphabet will shut down the Google+ account and any Google+ pages you created, and we will begin deleting content from consumer Google+ accounts. Photos and videos from Google+ in your Album Archive and your Google+ pages will also be deleted. You can download and save your content; ensure so before April. Note that photos and videos backed up in Google Photos will not be deleted.
Deleting content from consumer Google+ accounts, Google+ Pages, and Album Archive will take a few months, and content may remain through this time. For example, users may still see parts of their Google+ account via activity log. Some consumer Google+ content may remain visible to G Suite users until consumer Google+ is deleted.
As early as February 4, you can no longer create new Google+ profiles, pages, communities, or events.
SHUTTING DOWN GOOGLE+ TAKEAWAY – IF YOU DON’T OWN IT, YOU DON’T CONTROL IT
If you spend all your time and depend on a 3rd party application like those listed below to run your business, be sure you have a backup plan. Don’t put all your marketing eggs in one basket. Imagine investing all your time, money, and hours in social media/marketing only to discover they are shutting down or sold to a different company. It has happened before and will happen again. Remember Yahoo?
Face book
Instagram
Twitter
Snap Chat
Reddit
Pinterest
Flickr
StumbleUpon
Delicious
Medium
Hub Spot
SalesForce
Zoho
Marketo
SlideShare
Infusion Soft
Zillow
Porch
Home Advisor
Angie’s List
Thumbtack
and the list goes on and on.
I am not telling you to avoid using 3rd party apps. Ensure you do not depend on any 3rd party application to run your business. Be careful how much time and money you invest in 3rd party apps. Owned and controlled by other companies. The demise of Google Plus is a cautionary tale every small business person should remember.
OWN YOUR STUFF. DON’T BE A WEB TENANT
Related articles:
Why you should not exclusively use Facebook for business
Facebook for Your Business?
Broadcast media contributed to their demise.
Advantages of Owning Your Software
